Today, I’m debunking a common myth: Core exercises lead to fat loss in the abdominal area.
How many times have you come across an image like this?
This was one of the first images that came up when I searched “How to reduce belly fat”. A selection of exercises that will apparently reduce fat in the abdominal area.
Now I’m going to tell you why the information in this photo is incorrect.
Here’s why you CAN’T lose stomach fat via core exercises:
1. Resistance exercises target muscle, not fat. Muscle and fat are two different things. Resistance training affects muscle, not fat. So, just like squatting will strengthen & grow your leg muscles, core exercises are designed to strengthen & grow your core muscles. The fat in the surrounding areas isn’t affected when you lift weights.
2. Your fat tissue can only decrease via you being in a calorie deficit – ie. consuming fewer calories than you are expending on a daily basis, over a longer period of time. In other words, fat loss is primarily controlled by your nutrition, rather than exercise.
3. You cannot spot-reduce fat. That means, core exercises won’t reduce the amount of fat you have in your abdominal area. Arm exercises won’t reduce the amount of fat you have on your arms. Leg exercises won’t reduce the amount of fat you have on your thighs. When you lose fat, it will go from wherever it wants to go (this is usually down to genetics and varies from person to person).
Simply put: If you see someone claim that a certain exercise or workout ‘torched their belly fat’, they are either very misinformed, or lying to you.
You might be thinking,
“But I did the above exercises religiously for 2 weeks and I did lose stomach fat!”
Now I sound like I’m contradicting myself here, but hear me out, because I’m not.
This can happen.
BUT… there is a simple explanation for this: A change in energy expenditure.
If you went from not doing these exercises every day, to doing them every day, and you stuck to that for several weeks, it’s safe to say that during this time period, you were expending more energy – ie. burning more calories – than you were previously. If you lost fat from doing this, it’s because this extra energy expenditure put you into a calorie deficit. In other words, you could’ve done ANY exercises during this time and lost fat; it wasn’t these specific, “magical” core exercises that did it.
(That’s why, when you see people claim things like, “If you want to lose fat then follow this formula: walking for 18 minutes on the treadmill at a 3.2% incline at resistance level 9” … although that may have worked for them, that doesn’t mean 18 minutes / 3/2% incline / resistance level 9 is the ‘magic formula’ for fat loss… you could walk at ANY incline, for ANY amount of time, at ANY resistance level, and still lose fat. The key is simply the increase in energy expenditure).
Finally, I’d like to give a shout-out to genetics. Our genetics play a huge part in where we store and lose body fat. Some people lose fat from their mid-section very quickly, whilst may lose more from their legs, or face, or arms. We cannot control this, so it’s not worth worrying about. But it is worth bearing in mind when you see an infographic like the one above, that promises you a certain body shape by doing a certain exercise for 2 weeks. Not only is it incorrect, but it only makes people upset and frustrated when they don’t achieve the result they were promised. You aren’t doing anything wrong; it’s just you’ve been subject to misinformation.
Basically, there is a lot of misinformation out there that I can’t believe is allowed to see the light of day. But it’s my job to tell you the truth, so you can get what you really want out of your fitness journey, and without wasting time.
What to do, instead?
If you want to build core strength: Do core strengthening exercises.
If you want to lose body fat: Control this mainly via your nutrition, by eating in a calorie deficit, whilst increasing daily movement (your step count). Do this consistently for at least 2 months to see any progress.
If you want to do both, do both! 🙂
If you want to keep your sanity and not feel shit about yourself on a daily basis: Avoid, ignore, block, delete, unfollow ANY accounts or people that tell you “these exercises reduced my belly fat”. Like I said, they’re either very misinformed, or lying to deceive you (probably with the aim of selling you something).
If you’re on Instagram, here are a few accounts I recommend you follow for accurate and in-depth information on this subject (as well as me, of course!). Fill your feed with people who will influence you positively. 🙂
Ben Carpenter
Syatt Fitness
The Fitness Chef
And finally, remember to LOVE your body as it is, whether there are things you want to change about it or not! We only get one.
Conni x
Conni Arnold Fitness 