Well, I must firstly apologise for having been absent from this blog for a while! I have been learning about Biosignature / Hormonal Profiling and assessing all my clients, so any spare moment when I haven't been training people has been spent completing detailed reports for them about why they store stubborn fat in the places they do, and helping them come up with a strategy to get rid of it!
Yes, spot reduction IS possible, but not in the way you have always thought!
Exercising your bingo wings (or bat wings) will not 'tone them up' as you cannot actually burn fat selectively by exercising that area. And usually the exercises you do to burn fat from areas like your upper arms are pretty low on the overall calorie burn, and it is the overall calorie burn that counts when burning body fat...
...So, ironically, you need to do big, full body moves, such as deadlifts, lunges, squats, presses and pulls to burn bodyfat from your upper arms (and everywhere else!).
So, how then can I be telling you spot reduction is possible?
Well, it is actually down to manipulating the hormones that cause you to store fat in certain areas.
That means correct and appropriate nutriton and training, as well as sometimes targetted supplements and addressing issues such as sleep quantity / quality and stress.
I will explain about all this in more detail in future posts and emails, so keep an eye out, but for now, I have a bodyweight workout that is designed with most hormonal types in mind:
Warm up for 5 mins - dynamic stretches, general pulse raiser and joint mobility.
A1. Prisoner Squats x 12 (squat with your hands behind your head - keep the chest lifted)
A2. Press Ups x 12
A3. Burpees x 12
Repeat the above superset / mini-circuit 3 times with minimal rest.
B1. Split squat (lunges but stay in place for the 10 reps on each side then swap sides, rather than alternating each time) or Bulgarian split squat with back foot on a step. 10 each side.
B2. Dolphin: on your forearms and toes, half way between a plank and downward dog, with your hips higher than your shoulders. Drop the hips towards the floor, bringing your shoulders forward and down, then return to start & repeat. x 10.
B3. Skip / Jump Rope for 1 minute (jumping jacks if you have no rope)
Repeat the above superset / circuit 3 times with minmal rest.
C1. Inchworm - bend forward at the hips, walk hands out to plank position, hold briefly then walk hands back to the feet and stand up. Repeat 10 times.
C2. Windmill x 10 each side
C2. Mountain Climbers x 20 each leg
Repeat the above 3 times.
Revel in the fact you have just boosted your metabolism ready for a great weekend!
Let me know how the workout goes!
P.S. Most people think they will burn more fat by doing more 'cardio' such as running, cross trainer etc. etc....
... I hope you know now that they are wrong, and workouts like the one above, along with a solid, nutritious healthy eating plan are the answer!
If you disagree, or have any questions, fire away!
Posts
