Everyone wants to lose belly fat, right? The problem is, you can’t choose where fat loss happens in your body every time you work out. Or at least, I didn’t think you could… Until I came across this new study, which suggests that targeting belly fat may not only be possible, but also much easier than we all thought. I’ll share exactly what researchers have found about belly fat loss and how you can apply it to your own training, so you burn that belly fat off.
Click below for a step by step plan training plan that reveals all the best exercises you should do for each and every muscle group:
https://quiz.builtwithscience.com/
Click below to subscribe for more videos:
https://www.youtube.com/jeremyethier/?sub_confirmation=1
Why is belly fat so “stubborn” in the first place? You see, to burn fat, your body first needs to “release it” from the ‘fat cell’ — a process known as ‘mobilization’. But how exactly do you mobilize it? Well, when you strength train, you don’t just strengthen your muscles; you also increase blood flow to the fat that surrounds the muscle you’re working. And this is one theory why belly fat can be so hard to get rid of: compared to the fat in other areas of your body, it tends to receive very little blood flow. Not to mention, we tend to train our abs less frequently than other muscles.
So, this got researchers thinking: if you can boost blood flow to your abs, could you then specifically target and lose belly fat during exercise? After digging through endless research papers, I’ve come across all sorts of funny and, in some cases, just weird experiments researchers have tried to get to the bottom of this question. But none found a notable difference in fat loss. And because of this, most researchers, including Bill, were skeptical about the idea of spot reduction.
Remember how I said you need to “mobilize” fat before it can be burned off? Well, there’s 2 parts to this process: first, mobilizing it and then burning it off. The issue with past studies is that while they may have mobilized belly fat, this doesn’t necessarily lead to fat loss (i.e., burning it off).
But this is where a 2023 study comes into the picture. They wanted to test a routine that could do both. Basically, researchers divided 16 overweight men into two groups: 1) spot reduction focused group and 2) control group. Both followed a 4-day workout plan for 10 weeks. The control group did 45-minutes on the treadmill each session. Meanwhile, the spot reduction group had a shorter, 27-minute treadmill workout, followed by two ab exercises: torso rotations and machine crunches.
After 10 weeks, both groups lost a relatively similar amount of body fat. But what was surprising was that the spot reduction group lost almost 2.5x more fat from around their belly compared to the control group. That’s quite a bit more belly fat loss.
But of course this study doesn’t come without its limitations. E.g., although the workouts were tightly controlled, the nutrition wasn’t. Personally, I don’t think this is too big of a concern given that both groups lost a relatively similar amount of overall fat, but it is something that would’ve made this study a lot stronger. But hey, it’s not just this study. Other recent studies on spot reduction have also shown promising results.
So how can you target belly fat? Quick disclaimer: if your goal is to burn belly fat, then you need to be in a caloric deficit to get the best results. What the studies do suggest is that, if you’re doing ab work, you should probably combine it with some form of cardio either shortly before or after to get the most bang for your buck. The other thing is that, if spot reduction does work, then it seems like some abs exercises are better than others. So if I was designing a routine to better target belly fat, I’d use direct, weighted abs exercises combined with low to moderate intensity cardio.
Which could look something like this:
4 sets of 8-15 reps of weighted crunches
4 sets of 6-15 reps of hanging leg raises
20-30 minutes of low to moderate cardio (for example, cycling, jogging, or the elliptical) done before or after the ab exercises
I’ll be honest though, I’m still not 100% convinced. And neither was Bill when I spoke to him. These latest studies have definitely opened my mind to spot reduction being possible, and it seems like future research could be promising. But it’s definitely not enough for me to go about planning spot-reduction into most people’s routines. That said, on my recovery days I have been using those 2 ab exercises and slapping on some cardio either before or after. Who knows, maybe this is spot-reducing my belly fat.
But even if it’s not, I still highly recommend that you regularly train your abs, and with weight as well. After all, they’re just like any other muscle group; and growing them can help with definition. But remember, most of your results will still come from the basics, and losing belly fat heavily depends on your diet.
source
For the fitness nerds who want to dig deeper into the studies I mentioned, see the links below! What do you guys think? Is spot reduction possible?
FAT MOBILIZATION EXPLANATION
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16985258
2023 BELLY FAT SPOT REDUCTION STUDY
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38010201/
2017 UPPER VS LOWER BODY SPOT REDUCTION STUDY
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28497942/
2021 BELLY FAT SPOT REDUCTION STUDY
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3845
I’m honestly really glad in this day and age to have a community that still believes in science and math
Omg it makes sense why the right side of my waist is smaller than the left I engage my right side more cause I’m right handed ommmgg can’t wait to give this a try!!!
Hey jermy can you give me a short summary plzz
CICO was debunked decades ago plus your body don’t burn anything, it’s not a furnace
Not one word about cutting out all carbs and sugars and doing rotating crunches
– oh brother !
Could u please make a video about pilates being the best for losing belly fat? I have seen many videos about it but if there is data about it, it would be a very informative video
Clickbait video. Yuk.
Thanks for the video,but the problem with ur talk is that not everybody utilize calaries the same way!
I been exercise since grade school I’m 51 now and hate doing abs workout
Take fast food like Noodles or Manchurian weekly 4 days at 8pm and sleep for 10hrs. Definitely you'll get weight loss
cut carbs, sweat a lot, drink a lot of water, eat less calories than you consume and sleep a lot
Hey Dude, how are you? Bill from Greece here, I have a question, what happened when I go to gym, I receive over my bady weight protein + creatine but I'm in calorie deficit???
So we’ve come full circle, because this used to be the conventional wisdom.
Two words: CALORIC DEFICIT
Let’s see how will you have a belly if you don’t eat at all
! Just kidding lol – but I was obese with a huge belly – in just a month of a caloric deficit my belly size measured by my coat size went down from a 46 to a 42 as I lost 16 lbs
Wow, this was a great video, thanks for summarizing the research principals for fat loss as mobilise and burn. Makes a lot of sense, I wonder if it can help me?
That's smart af. From now on, no more ab workout until I run 30 min
Aeries, oh and just order door dash
so what if you put a topical solution on the belly that would increase blood flow
Having Hiatal Hernia that leads to Belly fat is never a great feeling,I appreciate and say a big thanks to DR UDOKA on YouTube for helping me eradicate my Belly fat ailment and Herpes permanently with no side effects.
I am very slender but have lower belly fat. How to lose Belly Fat without losing weight?
All I did was planks for a year and I have abs
Post the study here
Having Hiatal hernia is never a great feeling,I appreciate and say a big thanks to DR UDOKA on YouTube for helping me eradicate my Hernia ailment and Herpes permanently with no side effects.
Why are you planning your ab workout before the cardio when the study you mentioned, has the ab exercises after the cardio?
I've been told so many different things I have no idea what advice to follow I'm currently on a protein diet but I have no idea what chest and stomach exercises to do
I'm trying to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time what do you suggest
I like how this guy always has the latest copy of the 'new study'
Brad pitt did a hella lot of cardio for his fight club physique and got a really low body fat percentage(5) when his abs started popping out at 11 percent itself.
If this is true, then we’re all better off doing lower ab exercises
Logic is fast. Research is slow.
What about dividing the cardio before and after as 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after working out?
I am very slim person who has belly fat.
I have always know this is true.
Fat Burning Exercises You Can Do in Your Room RIGHT NOW
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcND3peNt-a_xT3gkxhF-yw8ae_KHwNii
Fat Burning Exercises You Can Do in Your Room RIGHT NOW
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcND3peNt-a_xT3gkxhF-yw8ae_KHwNii
MAN YOU'RE THE BEST.. THANK YOU
Why do you like to exercise?
These studies should be repeated on women: Overweight and healthy weight with same hip to waist ratio or waistline; women in diff age groups (bc of hormonal changes); and those with conditions (like PCOS or high cortisol) that cause larger bellies. Fat men aren't the only ones deserving of being fit!
Theres a trio of jeffs out there who cant wait to argue this one out
@8:15 routine for belly fat burn
Love you man
Is it ok to do abs workout everyday or day by day?
I walk around 11-12% body fat effortlessly, my weight is above BMI limit. My core is really strong, I have lean muscle everywhere but my belly. How to fix it? Is it surgery the only solution?
I'm gonna do ab exercises in a fasted state for four months and come back here to give an update.
Too much fluff. Try to come straight to what you recommend.