Quite often you come across advertisements like “loose belly fat within 5 days” or “inch loss within a week”. But in reality, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat reduction occurs throughout the body, not in specific areas.
According to Refine method founder and exercise brainiac Brynn Jinnett, “There’s no evidence that working a muscle inspires your body to mobilize the fat next to that muscle group.”
Spot Fat reduction refers to the belief, long viewed as a myth, that fat can be targeted for reduction from a specific area of the body. This is a common view, although many people believe that view is misguided. It is not possible to achieve spot reduction through exercise of specific muscles, such as exercising the abdominal muscles in an effort to lose weight in or around one's midsection. You might have a tendency to put on more weight in a certain area, for eg.; men tend to put fat on the belly while women on the hips.
You will never attain a flat stomach just by performing abdominal exercises. The reason for this is simple: a muscle does not own the fat that surrounds it. Sit-ups, for example, will definitely strengthen your abdominal muscles, but sit-ups alone will not get rid of the layer of fat that is covering the muscles. To lose fat anywhere on your body you need to burn calories by following a program that involves both cardiovascular training and weight training. In doing so, you will decrease fat stores throughout your body; including the problem areas.
So what's the right way to blast your fat (especially in the abdominal region)? We suggest working your body's largest muscle groups with multi-joint strength exercises, such as squats, push-ups, shoulder presses, and deadlifts. Besides burning more calories than crunches (one pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, after all), working larger muscle groups is linked with the greatest muscle formation and resulting metabolic after burn possible. What's more, high-volume, low-rest exercise protocols (such as performing 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps with no more than 60 seconds rest in between) stimulate the greatest release of growth hormone and testosterone—both of which are necessary for building calorie-torching, physique-making muscle. Aerobic exercise helps burn calories and therefore should be encouraged for weight reduction in general. Cardiovascular exercise performed 3-5 days per week for 30-60 minutes per session will help shed body fat.
The ideal program for fat loss would include the combination of proper diet, weight training, and cardio exercise.