Whether you’re looking to tone up or simply slim down, fat loss may very well be high on your agenda. And, from following diet plans to simply creating a calorie deficit through a balanced, healthy diet and regular exercise, it can occur in a whole host of ways. What about targeting fat loss in one particular place? A number of experts in the fitness industry have explained that spot training in this way is not possible.
This includes Aroosha Nekonam, a personal trainer at Ultimate Performance, who has told Express.co.uk: “The cornerstone of fat loss comes down to creating a calorie deficit through proper nutrition and exercise.
“Sadly, there is no one perfect exercise for fat loss.
“All exercise and getting moving is good for the body in some way, shape or form.”
Nevertheless, the personal trainer pointed out that some exercises have proven to come up top for getting rid of excess fat, and long-term weight loss.
“Resistance training has proven to be most beneficial for shifting fat, preserving or building muscle tissue, and keeping weight off long-term,” she said.
However, before even making it to the training space, Aroosha advised having begun a work out already – something which can be achieved through everyday activities.
“Before we even set foot in the gym, there’s one fat loss fundamental we encourage all our body transformation clients to follow. That is simply to move more in general,” she said.
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“So, increasing their daily and weekly activity levels outside of the gym both through non-exercise activity, like walking, shopping, DIY or playing with the children, to structured cardio sessions.
“These will all increase overall energy expenditure. A good minimum daily step target to aim for is 10,000 steps.”
She explained: “Being active every day and hitting this step target is likely to be more effective where calorie burning and fat loss is concerned than doing a couple of gym sessions a week and then remaining sedentary for the rest of the time.
“So, combining increased daily activity with a progressive resistance programme (and a proper calorie-controlled diet) is going to really maximise your fat loss potential and speed up your results.”
Aroosha also suggested slimmers keen to lose fat carried out weight training exercises a number of times per week.
“Weight training three times a week, including big ‘compound’ exercises, along with maintaining a calorie deficit in your diet, is going to be most effective at promoting fat loss,” she said.
“When using an appropriately challenging weight, these exercises will give you the most ‘bang for your buck’ in terms of potential overall load lifted, energy expenditure and muscle fibres recruited – especially when compared to exercises which target single or smaller muscle groups like biceps curls, calf raises or lateral raises.”
Aroosha also shared three key exercise which she uses with clients seeking fat loss, with these including a hip hing-movement, a pull, and a press. What does she suggest?