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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Is there any truth or evidence behind spot training to lose fat?

    Related Topic
    Fitness and Sports Medicine
    Does it work for some people or is it a complete myth?
    • 2 answers
    • John Stevens
    • Dr John Mahony
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  • John Stevens

    Exercise Physiologist

    John is an exercise physiologist and owner of Kinetic Medicine, an Exercise Physiology practice with 5 clinics on the NSW Mid North Coast. John is … View Profile

    Despite all the hype, there is no reliable evidence behind spot training to lose body fat. More than this, there is no good sense behind this notion either. This is simply because in completing resistance exercise to build muscle mass and tone, you do not necessarily remove the substantial amount of subcutaneous fat that will always be above this muscles until your energy stores (fat) are expended. The best way to lose abdominal fat mass, or for that matter fat anywhere on your body, is a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise tailored to your specific physical and functional needs. Interval based aerobic exercise, whereby higher intensity exercise is interspersed with lower intensity exercise in ‘intervals’  is a great way to expend this energy, providing you are free of any conditions (in particular cardiovascular ones) which may make this hazardous.

    In order to ensure your safety and that your weight loss goals are met in an effective way, go to www.essa.org.au and look for your nearest exercise physiologist, the most qualified exercise specialists for all your health and fitness needs.

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  • Dr John Mahony

    Cosmetic Physician

    Dr John Mahony studied Medicine at Sydney University 1980-1984 graduating early 1985. Internship and residency years followed in the Illawarra, covering general medical and surgical … View Profile

    Agreed.

    Removing or reducing fat from a specific body area is usually an aesthetic question rather than a question of health, and your health absolutely comes first.

    Once you have reached optimum total body fat % and you have achieved optimal fitness, you might still find that a specific area of your body has disproportionately more subcutaneous fat than elsewhere - in which case only a medical intervention such as liposuction will help.

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