Since High School I have been hearing that if you weight train, the fat will turn into muscle. I have been watching videos about workouts that tone and target specific areas like thighs, stomach and butt. I was wondering if there is actually any truth to this.

Does the exercise that targets a specific area also target the fat that lies around that area or is fat reduction based on overall calorie burn/diet?

I can do situps all day, but will that actually focus on the fat that is based around my abdominal region or will it just contribute to overall fat loss?

Hey there,

unfortunately no, we can't target fat. However we can target muscles, and toning them up can help to look slimmer and more defined! As far as sit ups go, they'll be toning up your abs but fat loss is different for everybody so you could be losing from anywhere. The only way to remove fat from an area is by diet and exercise to reduce your overall body fat I'm afraid.

Hope that helps

Yup, this.

And fat does not turn into mucsle, at all, ever, not biologically possible.

Muscle is muscle. You work it out, and the muscle strengthens.

Fat is seperate. You workout and eventually your fat stores will shrink.

I know you've heard that when you strength train, you burn fat and calories. Here is a breakdown I've heard that makes it make sense.

When you do an exercise (let's say a sit up), you are creating tiny tears in that muscle. It burns calories to repair those muscles, and then it also burns them to maintain those built up muscles (please note, built up does not mean bulk up).

However, those calories are NOT just coming from the fat storage on top of your abs. It comes from your entire body. That is why you cannot spot reduce.

The more you workout, the more muscle you build (whether it be bulky muscles or lean and toned muscles), the more calories you are burning to repair and maintain those muscles.

So to answer your question, situps will not only target the fat on your stomach, it will go to the "all around" fat loss. However, I definitely notice that after doing a lot of core work, my abs look more toned even with a layer of fat still on top! So they are definitely worth doing