Exercising a specific muscle group increases blood flow and fat breakdown in that area, but it does not lead to greater fat loss from that area unless the body is in a state of overall calorie deficit.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Spot reduction: why exercise probably can’t help you target fatty areas of the body

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

Working out a specific body part, like doing crunches for your belly, won’t make you lose fat just from that spot. You have to burn more calories than you eat to lose fat overall, and your body decides where to lose it from.

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

Doing targeted exercises like sit-ups does not lead to more fat loss in the abdomen than doing full-body workouts, because fat loss across the body is controlled by overall energy balance, not by which muscles are being worked.

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81%

Exercising a specific body area increases fat breakdown in that area, but this does not lead to noticeable fat loss there because the released fatty acids are often taken up by nearby muscles or tissues instead of being burned for energy system-wide.

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80%

If you burn the same number of calories overall, doing both strength training and cardio does not lead to more fat loss in specific areas than doing cardio alone.

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71%