13.20 Myth: I Can Work a Specific Area for Spot Toning

One common misconception some people have around exercise is believing that muscular strength and endurance activities will increase tone and decrease body fat in targeted ways. What most are aiming for with spot toning is a decrease in fat mass in a particular area of the body, such as the stomach, arms, or butt. Targeted fat loss is not possible, but targeted building of muscle mass is. The body fat used and broken down for prolonged exercise can come from anywhere in the body, so while engaging in any exercise certainly has overall benefits, one is not likely to see results specific to only one area of the body. In other words, working a specific muscle has no impact on the amount of body fat located directly over that muscle (Kostek et al., 2007).