![]() ![]() One reason why targeted fat loss does not work is because muscle cells cannot use the fat contained in fat cells directly.įat mass needs to be broken down before it can enter the bloodstream. Studies also show that ab exercises alone have no effect on subcutaneous belly fat. The evidence is mixed, but many studies have shown that training one area of your body will not help you burn fat in that area. Nevertheless, the methods or measurement techniques used in these studies could be the reason for the conflicted results. Interestingly, no matter how intense the exercise, blood flow and fat breakdown were higher in subcutaneous fat that was close to active muscles ( 20). It compared subcutaneous fat beside working muscles to fat next to resting muscles. It found that exercise in a specific area of the arm reduced the fat in that area ( 19).Īnother study examined whether the location of the subcutaneous fat mattered. One study tested whether spot reduction decreased subcutaneous arm fat. ![]() Some studies seem to contradict the above results. Several other studies have shown similar results ( 15, 16, 17, 18). They measured subcutaneous fat before and after the program and found that participants lost fat throughout their bodies, not just in their trained arms ( 14). It applies to all areas of the body.įor instance, one study asked participants to complete 12 weeks of resistance training, exercising only their non-dominant arm. This is not only true for the abdominal area. It found that neither fat cell size nor subcutaneous belly fat thickness decreased ( 13). ![]() This training alone did not reduce subcutaneous belly fat ( 12).Īnother study tested the effects of a 27-day sit-up program. One study followed 24 people who did ab exercises 5 days a week for 6 weeks. However, studies show they won’t help you get rid of belly fat. It’s true that spot-training exercises will make you “feel the burn” while muscles grow and strengthen. The term “spot reduction” refers to the misconception that you can lose fat in one spot by exercising that part of your body. However, the evidence suggests targeted ab exercises are not very effective. Many people do ab exercises because they want to lose belly fat. Visceral fat releases hormones that have been linked to disease. There are two types of abdominal fat - subcutaneous and visceral. It releases compounds that influence several disease-related processes in the human body ( 11). It’s linked to metabolic syndrome and health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease ( 8, 9, 10). This type of fat is located in the abdominal cavity around your internal organs. In moderate amounts, it will not dramatically increase your risk of disease ( 8, 9). Subcutaneous fat is not directly related to metabolic risk. It’s located under the skin, between your skin and muscles. There are two types - subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. However, not all abdominal fat is created equal. Excess abdominal fat, or belly fat, is associated with a higher risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and heart disease ( 5).Ībdominal obesity is also one of the main causes of metabolic syndrome ( 6, 7). ![]()
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