Over the years, clients have pointed to every part of their body and said, “I want to lose fat right here.”
Here are the most common areas brought up during free intros: the stomach, the hips/butt, and the “wobble under the arm.”
Here’s the truth: You can’t actually target fat loss in a specific area of your body, no matter what anyone tells you. Ads that tell you a product can “burn off belly fat” or “tone your legs” are just empty promises.
Or flat-out lies.
There’s no magic pill, body wrap, or diet that can help you lose fat in a specific place.
Now that you know the truth, here’s the secret: You must use fitness to reduce overall body fat. Your body will decide where the fat is lost, but if you lose fat in general, you’ll improve problem other areas, too.
You can double down on that process by targeting certain areas through strength training. We aren’t talking bulky, bulging bodybuilder muscle. We’re talking about small increases in lean muscle over time. You won’t ever suddenly become “bulky”—but that’s a myth we’ll tackle some other time.
Want to tone your arms? Great! Focus on general fitness and use movements like overhead presses, push-ups, curls, and tricep extensions to target your arms.
Are you looking to build your legs and glutes? You can do that too! Focus on general fitness and use movements like squats and deadlifts to strengthen your glutes and hamstrings (bonus: they’ll help to improve your core also).
Our Fat Loss Program
So, how can you use fitness to reduce body fat and build lean muscle?
At Arsenal, we use a combination of cardio and strength training to burn calories and build muscle. We don’t just run for 30-minutes or just lift weights for three sets of 8. Our coaches create custom programs that are perfectly designed to help clients accomplish goals.
Sometimes, a workout may have two parts. For example, a cardio element and a strength element, and other times we might blend the two together. Another day we may focus more on building strength and the next day on developing our cardio. What you end up with is a well-rounded program created to help you achieve your goals.
If you follow our program consistently, you will begin to get stronger and build a little muscle. And you burn calories and body fat. We can’t promise you that your abs will magically pop out overnight, but you will notice that your clothes start to fit better, you have more energy, and you will be able to see visible changes in your body.
PRO-TIP: You can accelerate your progress by improving your diet. (We can help with that, too!)
So think about the spot that you want to lose fat. Where is your “right here?”
Inspired by Two-Brain Business and Two-Brain Media.