When I first joined the gym, there was a woman who’d spend an hour on the treadmill and then head straight to the adductor (inner thigh) machine.
It was the only machine she used in the weights room.
At the time, I thought it was a bit odd that this was the only part of her body she thought needed strengthening.
But now, after 20 years, working with over a thousand women, I realise what was going on.
She believed, like so many of us, that working a “problem area” would shrink it.
(Why she believed this was a problem area is a whole other convo, but I do dive into it a bit in this week’s poddy episode)
👉 This is called spot reduction.
The idea that crunches flatten your stomach, or tricep dips slim your arms.
Here’s the truth: spot reduction doesn’t work.
What those exercises do is strengthen the muscle underneath. They don’t tell your body where to pull fat from.
So why do we still believe it?
Marketing. Think of all the “flat belly workouts” or “arm-toning circuits” you’ve seen splashed across magazines and social media.
Strength training can change how your body looks, but not in the way those catchy names promise. Fat loss happens across your whole body, influenced by genetics, hormones, lifestyle, and energy balance.
I unpack all of this (and more) in this week’s Podcast episode.