Can fat be most effectively burned from a specific area of the body (butt, midsection, hips…etc.) by repeatedly and vigorously exercising it?
The term given to this misconception is “spot reducing.” First, to burn fat requires calorie expenditure to be greater than calorie intake. Thus, although vigorous exercises can increase calorie expenditure, if it is not greater than calorie consumption, there will be no fat reduction. Second, common “spot reducing” exercises, like sit-ups burn very few calories because they usually exercise on small, isolated areas of the body. One hundred sit-ups does not burn a lot of calories (probably less than 50). For one pound of fat to be burned, approximately 3,500 calories must be expended over and above that which is consumed. Additionally, and most importantly, when fat is burned, it is burned from the entire body and not just from one area, but in proportions dictated by genetic makeup and other metabolic factors.
