Local fat burning. Local weight loss: what does science say? How to overcome a training plateau

Local weight loss or targeted fat reduction is a very controversial issue. Moreover, almost everyone who is in any way connected with fitness, bodybuilding or the sports field argues about it. Almost everyone considers it their duty to enter into a discussion about local fat burning, from fitness instructors who have only recently completed fitness courses to scientific luminaries, heads of laboratories and professors. However, it is not surprising that this topic causes such resonance. After all, if the possibility of local fat burning exists, then any splits aimed at losing weight, general cardio and power loads, doing the “basic” bodybuilding for those who want to lose weight.

Divided opinions

A huge layer of people who specialize in “home training” do not think at all about the issue of local fat burning and stubbornly do all these “exercises for slender legs" and "exercises from riding breeches." And, based on my own experience, I can say that some of them really achieve noticeable results if the training performed is at least close to the conditions in which local fat burning occurs.

Physiology of fat burning

So, a full-fledged fat burning process looks like this: as a result of the influence of external and/or internal factors, hormones with lipolytic ability are released into the blood. Moving along the bloodstream, they interact with lipocyte receptors, as a result of which fatty acids and glycerol are released from lipocytes into the bloodstream. In a special way, fatty acids are transported to the mitochondria, where the long-awaited fat burning occurs.

Local fat burning

1. Blood moves throughout the body, so it is impossible to “lose weight” in one place;
2. The activity of cellular receptors that respond to hormones with lipolytic ability is much less in areas of the body physiologically designed for storing fat reserves (buttocks, abdomen). Accordingly, these areas are the last to “lose weight,” so all massages, wraps, etc., designed to stimulate fat burning in these areas are completely useless.

Let's consider the opposite point of view. The first counterargument: despite the fact that blood moves evenly throughout the body, it is quite possible to increase its volume in a specific area of ​​the body. There is even such a technique in bodybuilding, it’s called pumping. It consists of “pumping” a huge amount of blood into one specific muscle. Interestingly, bodybuilders use pumping everywhere, they are very familiar with the physiology of this process, but at the same time they claim that blood circulates evenly throughout the body, so local weight loss is impossible.
In addition, the body's ability to increase the vascular network when necessary is well known. Simply put, if there is a lot of blood constantly in one place, new vessels are formed to normalize its circulation. This involuntary attempt by the body to prevent local fat burning requires an increase in load to maintain the concentration of hormones in the blood.

The second counterargument: if the receptors of certain cells are able to reduce sensitivity to hormones over time, then why is the reverse process not possible? It is quite possible that with the right approach, receptors in areas of the body physiologically designed to store fat will increase their sensitivity to hormonal effects, or the number of receptors itself will increase.
So, we have substantiated the fact that it is possible to repeatedly increase the volume of blood in a specific area of ​​the body. The only caveat is that this blood must be saturated with hormones that have lipolytic ability. And this can be achieved with the help of appropriate training or pharmacological drugs.

Scientific evidence

From theory to practice

The easiest way to ensure the synthesis of the hormone adrenaline is to do interval cardio (HIIT). After this, without interrupting to rest, we begin to fill the muscle located in the problem area with blood. In parallel, the blood will enter the adipose tissue, and accordingly, the lipocyte receptors will react to the presence of the hormone. Spruce muscle training mode - 30 seconds of intense work, then 30 seconds of rest. This is one approach. You need to perform three such approaches, then take a break for 1-5 minutes. leisure. Three approaches make up a set. It is optimal to perform 10 such sets, the minimum number is 5 sets. After which the training can be considered complete. According to this system, you should train twice a week, interspersing such training with regular cardio. The result will become noticeable after two weeks.
I would like to note that I personally tested the effectiveness of the training, so I can assure you that this is not just another marketing ploy like “buy the program from Seluyanov,” etc., but a truly working training system. The result is a significant improvement in the appearance of the butt (in two weeks!) and an almost broken bench leg press machine.

Lose weight by summer! Oh, how many lost hopes are in these words! Fat burning is an eternal problem of our time, and no matter how much has been said or written on this topic, there are still debates in which people sometimes take positions that cannot be called anything other than barbaric ignorance. We ourselves have already written about fat burning more than once, but each time we touched only on some aspects of losing weight, in this article each of them will be discussed in detail. Those who have been following our work from the very beginning will probably not learn anything new for themselves, although they may be able to look at some processes from a different point of view, but there will be no fundamentally new things in the article. Those who are on our site for the first time or recently will be able to learn not just a lot of new things, but, in general, understand the principles of fat burning, as well as the methodology for accelerating fat burning.

Burning fat is not a difficult task, but it does require persistence and willpower. You will have to painstakingly limit the caloric intake and variety of food for a long time, and, possibly, use methods to accelerate weight loss, such as the use of circadian rhythms, thermal procedures, pumping abs and others. But it is important to understand that there are basic things, and there are secondary ones, so the first can work without the second, and the second without the first are practically useless. Basic things include caloric intake and the training process, so we will talk about these aspects first, however, it is important to note that nutrition without training can still give results, and training without a diet will most likely be ineffective.

Fat burning base

Diet: Firstly, it differs in the calculation of calories eaten and BJU. Anything that does not involve counting calories and nutritional supplements is not a diet, although, of course, if you completely eliminate carbohydrates using protein diet , then you can lose weight to a certain level, but this is not the optimal method. It is optimal to eat about 20-25 kcal for every kilogram of your own body weight, which depends on the person’s somatotype. Men should gain calories when losing weight by 30-50% from carbohydrates, 35-50% from protein and 10-15% from fat. For women, 20-30% from carbohydrates, 50-60% from proteins and 20-30% from fats. Proteins and carbohydrates contain 4Kcal per gram, and fats contain 9Kcal. Proteins must be of animal origin, carbohydrates - complex , and fats are 80% vegetable and 20% animal. You can choose your diet using product composition tables .

Hormonal background: provides a more “fun” fat burning process, and provides hormonal training. Training should be, at a minimum, interval , but it’s better to combine anaerobic training And cardio . Anaerobic training provides a hormonal balance, since the response to training is the response of the endocrine system, as a result of which cell membranes become more labile, the concentration of growth hormone increases, etc. By the way, it is precisely because of the increase in the concentration of growth hormone in the blood that it is not recommended to eat after training, since insulin is produced during eating, and insulin and somatotropin are hormone antagonists.

Cardio during fat burning is necessary as a catalyst for this process, since during prolonged monotonous work, droplets of fat are utilized by cell mitochondria. But anaerobic training is still more important, since most of the fat burning process occurs during sleep, and not during the workout itself. But, important to note that people with excess weight, which creates excessive stress on the joints, and does not just spoil their appearance, need to approach the process of building training, first of all, from the position of minimizing harm to health. We wrote about how to train in this case, so be sure to read this article, since you can get rid of fat, but there are no health problems!

Accelerate fat burning

Local weight loss: This training methodology was developed at the Russian Academy of Sciences, which Soviet and Russian scientist Viktor Seluyanov repeatedly wrote about and gave interviews about. In detail with what it is local weight loss You can read our previous article by following the link. It is important to note here that this is an optional technique that can allow you to reduce the % of fat in a certain area of ​​the body relative to other areas, but in order to lose weight, it is not enough, you need a diet to lose weight!

Circadian rhythms: this is very effective method organizing a daily schedule in general, since the effectiveness of performing a particular type of activity very strongly correlates with the concentration of hormones, and it changes throughout the day, month and even season. You can read more about circadian rhythms. But from the point of view of losing weight, it is important for you to know that it is most effective to go to bed at 10 pm and get up at 6 am. You should eat at 6 am, and then every 3 hours, finishing meals at 6 pm to give the liver a chance to rest. At the same time, in the first half of the day you should eat carbohydrates, in the second, proteins and fats, and fast proteins and fats earlier than just proteins, which must also be long-digesting, such as casein or cottage cheese. Cardio training is best done in the morning, and anaerobic training at 3 pm, or in the evening if it is not possible to train during the day.

Thermal procedures: this includes sauna And hardening , but, again, these techniques will only work as a supplement to a well-structured diet and training process. It is also worth noting that if hardening, in principle, can be used by everyone, then to use a sauna it is necessary to consult a doctor, since this thermal procedure creates an increased load on the heart.

Conclusion: Burning fat is possible only if a person uses a diet that creates a calorie balance deficit, but on one diet it is possible to lose weight only to a certain level, after which it is necessary to include training. First of all, anaerobic exercise is necessary, secondly aerobic exercise. To speed up the process of losing weight, you can use a number of techniques outlined above. Remember , fat burning is not a quick procedure, you should lose weight by no more than 1-2 kg per week, and an acceptable result is 0.5 kg, so do not try to jump over your head, be patient and it will be rewarded!

If you want to reduce the amount of fat in a specific area of ​​your body, then you want to implement local fat burning. Some say it is possible, others say the opposite. Who is right?

Local fat burning has long been discussed in books, magazines, videos and much more. It seems logical to ordinary people that “what muscle group works, and loses weight.”

However, back in 1971, a study was conducted on tennis players at the University of California. Each of the athletes had a “dominant” hand with which to serve, and accordingly it received a lot of workload over the years. One might expect that the layer subcutaneous fat there will be less on this arm than in other areas. However, when measurements were taken, it turned out that this was not the case at all. What's on the left, what's on right hand the layer of subcutaneous fat was the same.

But there are workouts for slender thighs, and there are for flat stomach. Pick up any fitness magazine, you will definitely find workouts for six packs and the like. Does any of this even work? Can we really influence where fat will burn? Answer: You cannot directly influence the site of fat loss through exercise.

Studies have shown that blood flow or lysis increases in the trained muscle (which means fat cells are used for energy), but this does not occur in a large enough volume.

The impossibility of local fat burning has real physiological reasons. The fat found in fat cells exists in a form known as triglycerides. Muscle cells, in turn, cannot use triglycerides directly for energy (for the same reason that cars use gasoline as fuel rather than crude oil). Fats are broken down into glycerol and free fatty acids, which enter the bloodstream. As a result, the fat used to provide energy during exercise can come from any area of ​​the body, not just the part receiving the load.

In reality, training a muscle group, firstly, burns calories, and secondly, it leads to the growth of this same muscle group, both of which contribute to fat loss, but do not lead directly to the process of fat burning in a specific place.

Many of the exercises that people associate with localized fat loss actually don't burn that many calories, and if your calorie burn is low, you won't be able to lose significant amounts of fat. Execution over a long period of time, in this regard, will be more effective than power training with iron.

Fat loss occurs throughout the body, provided you create a calorie deficit.

You can even work out your abs with exercises, but you won’t see a six-pack without reducing the amount of fat throughout your body, and this, in turn, is facilitated by diet.

Local fat burning is possible!

Interview with a permanent scientific consultant, an outstanding scientist, Professor Viktor Nikolaevich Seluyanov, who developed in detail the method of local fat burning.

IRON WORLD: Hello, Viktor Nikolaevich! What facts can you provide that confirm the possibility of local fat burning?

Victor Seluyanov: Hello! In fact, there is a lot of evidence in practice physical culture and sports. We often have to test football players. So, the players of the Caucasian republics are very concerned about their appearance. And have relief press for them this is a very important goal. As a result, even the laziest player on the team performs strength exercises on the muscles abdominals. As a result, every single player has clearly defined abs. But players from other clubs don’t have this. But at the same time, the thickness of the skin-fat folds in other areas is practically no different from the thickness of the folds of Caucasians.

At the end of the 50s of the last century, the so-called athletic (or better yet, artistic) appeared in the USSR. women's gymnastics, originally invented for people who had finished exercising. Even before aerobics came to the country. Doing this gymnastics and following the ballet diet (two apples and a glass of kefir a day) gave excellent results.

And regarding local weight loss, you can cite Mokhova’s data. A dissertation was defended at GCOLIFK (80s). The women tested were divided into groups depending on the type of physical activity. One group trained in skiing, another ran, a third did rhythmic gymnastics, a fourth did swimming, and the control group did something like general physical training. Six months after the classes, anthropometric testing was carried out on all participants in the experiment. It turned out that the one who ran lost fat mainly from his legs, and the one who swam lost fat from his arms, since the experiment involved women who were not involved in sports, who did not know how to properly use their legs in swimming and stayed on the water mainly due to the muscles of their arms. IN rhythmic gymnastics and skiing, the fat disappeared evenly. And then it became clear that depending on the types of exercises performed, the loss of fat from body segments would also depend.

Later appeared in the country the new kind physical exercises - shaping (from the English shaping - giving shape), and in shaping they dealt directly with the shape of the body. The practitioners first did circuit exercises on all muscle groups, then on problem areas, i.e. on certain muscle groups, so that the fat goes away there (and this is local weight loss). The first circle was done on all 12 muscle groups, and the second, third and fourth - on those groups where there was excess fat. And the result was positive. Trained the abdominal muscles - fat left the abdomen, trained the quadriceps muscle of the thigh - fat left the quadriceps. And when the fat more or less disappeared, exercises were done to develop muscle mass.

The scientific justification was primitive: they say that fat is lost because lipolysis is active during low-intensity training. The idea is correct, but when doing shaping, local strength exercises are performed at a high pace for 1-2 minutes. to exhaustion, to a heart rate of more than 160 beats/min., sometimes up to 200 beats/min. What kind of lipolysis can we talk about after this, but local weight loss occurs!

J.M.: How can this be explained from the point of view of classical physiology?

Victor Seluyanov: We have a sympathetic nervous system. And when we start practicing physical exercise, it is activated. Under the influence of signals passing through the sympathetic nerves, excitation comes not only to the muscles, but also to the fat located above the muscle. These signals also come to the adrenal glands, to their medulla, and from there adrenaline and norepinephrine begin to be released. These hormones enter the general bloodstream and are absorbed from it by those tissues that are active. That is, if an athlete trains one muscle group, then adrenaline will flow there. Both into the muscle group and into the adipose tissue located above this muscle group.

J.M.: Should the load be stressful?

Victor Seluyanov: As a rule, these are so-called gymnastic strength exercises, which are done for 20-30 repetitions per set and cause severe acidification, a burning sensation, which leads to pain stress.

When performing aerobic exercise that involves many muscle groups, adrenaline and norepinephrine are distributed throughout the body and contribute to overall weight loss. But the most interesting thing about the mechanism of local weight loss is different. From the endings of the sympathetic nervous system a neurotransmitter is released. And if acetylcholine serves as a mediator in muscles, then in the sympathetic nervous system, which activates adipose tissue, norepinephrine is released as a mediator.

J.M.: What exercises are most effective for local fat burning?

Victor Seluyanov: The most effective exercises are those performed in static dynamics. We have already talked about this training regimen when we described a technique aimed at myofibril hyperplasia in the OM. They cause severe pain stress, while the weight of the burden is insignificant, which allows you to avoid straining the articular-ligamentous apparatus. The endocrine system is excited, activating the sympathetic nervous system, it sends signals to where the source of stress comes from. When a muscle is tense, blood flow there is difficult, but in adipose tissue the blood flow does not stop, and hormones flow there even during the exercise. The time to complete the exercise depends on the endurance of the individual, but should be within 20–40 seconds. You need to aim for a strong burning sensation for 4 to 8 seconds in each approach. This is enough to activate hormones. Another important point: when performing exercises in this mode, due to the activation of hormones, metabolism intensifies by 1.5 times, which persists for 12–24 hours.

J.M.: The process of fat breakdown itself occurs during work or after its completion?

Victor Seluyanov: If we are talking about norepinephrine and adrenaline, then lipolysis occurs directly during work and in the next five minutes after its completion. These hormones easily attach to the outer membrane and do not enter the cell. Their the main role is to activate cell metabolism. Anabolic hormones, such as growth hormone, can already penetrate into the active cell. But growth hormone has a much more prolonged effect. It enters the fat cell and remains there for several days until it is utilized. And it expels fat into the general bloodstream all night. If you have not used up your glycogen and fat reserves, then it has nowhere to go, it can return to another segment of the body, and if energy consumption occurs during training, then this fat will be used to restore the energy potential of the muscles and for plastic processes. We lose weight and build muscle mainly at night, while we sleep. And not under the influence of adrenaline and norepinephrine, but under the influence of growth hormone and testosterone. But if we talk about women, they have little testosterone, and the main factor stimulating the release of fatty acids into the blood is growth hormone. Men and women secrete this hormone in equal amounts.

J.M.: On a number of forums dedicated to strength sports, in topics about local fat burning, a quote from the book “Health training using the ISOTON system” is often cited: “Unfortunately, the distribution of fat is under strong genetic control. Therefore, “locally” fat can only be removed surgically – liposuction.” And they ask, how can Professor Seluyanov talk about local fat burning if he himself writes the opposite in his book?

Victor Seluyanov: This book was written by me in collaboration with Evgeny Myakinchenko, and he wrote the quoted section. At that time, he intensively studied aerobics, collaborated with Russian and foreign specialists, and wrote a book on aerobics. Perhaps he inadvertently inserted the text for aerobics into a book about the ISOTON system. I did not correct the text before printing because I could not accept that my students, who had experimentally shown the possibility of local weight loss, could write such an incorrect text. My opinion on local fat burning is clear. This is a scientifically established fact.

J.M.: What can you say about dietary recommendations during the period of getting rid of excess fat?

Victor Seluyanov: There is a training day when we do static-dynamic training. Low calorie intake is associated with hunger, and hunger is associated with brain function. In order to “turn off” the brain from a hunger strike, you need to constantly introduce small doses of carbohydrates before and during training sessions, as well as immediately after them. Isotonic drinks can be used; they do not cause insulin release, but a slight increase in blood glucose concentration promotes normal brain activity. There are other foods that help normalize brain activity on a reduced calorie diet. For example, we recommend taking lean meat at night.

J.M.: To increase the concentration of amino acids in the blood during sleep?

Victor Seluyanov: Not only. In addition to directly building material, lean meat contains a number of ingredients that can be absorbed in the brain instead of glucose. For example, ketones.

J.M.: What should we take after a fat loss workout?

Victor Seluyanov: After training, be sure to take a small portion of carbohydrates that does not lead to the release of insulin. For example, eat one candy and wash it down with an isotonic drink. The principle is very simple. Eating large amounts of carbohydrates or carbohydrates with a high glycemic index causes a significant increase in blood sugar levels. This leads to a reactive release of insulin, the hormone responsible for fat storage. If you regularly stimulate the release of insulin, the adipose tissue will get used to this condition. Receptors will begin to form that will bind to insulin, and the cell will begin to consume carbohydrates to convert them into fat. And if you stimulate receptors that bind to somatotropin and conduct it into the cell, then adipose tissue will be built according to a completely different principle. She will be ready to give off fat, but will poorly perceive insulin, because she will have few receptors that bind to it. Therefore, people who fast stimulate the development of receptors that bind to insulin, and under the influence of our isotonic exercises the opposite is true. Adipose tissue is rebuilt. If a person was starving or on a strict diet, then as soon as he switches to a normal diet, the amount of fat mass in him immediately begins to increase and returns to the original level, or even exceeds it. But this does not happen to people who practice according to our method. Our women who train using the ISOTON system go on vacation for two to three months in the summer, stopping training, and return to the gym in the fall, having quite decent shape, despite the lack of stress and the absence of any diet. Of course, when exercising according to this system, clients receive theoretical information about the correct methods of training and diet, therefore, during rest, as a rule, they behave in a civilized manner. Naturally, in order to train such adipose tissue in yourself, it is necessary to regularly cause the release of growth hormone. That is, regularly do local strength exercises until the burning sensation occurs to cause stress.

J.M.: Let's get specific practical recommendations. For example, the goal is to remove fat in the abdominal area as quickly as possible. How often should you exercise?

Victor Seluyanov: Well, first, of course, you need to reduce your carbohydrate intake, especially in the afternoon, to remodel your fat tissue and make it less sensitive to insulin. Secondly, you need to perform statodynamic exercises on the abdominal muscles daily and several times a day, doing from 30 to 90 seconds per approach, depending on your level of fitness.

J.M.: And from such frequent training will not be overloaded endocrine system?

Victor Seluyanov: If work is performed on only one muscle, it will not. A man, without overloading the endocrine system, can perform up to 30 approaches per day. Naturally, not at once in a row.

J.M.: That is, if we usually do three sets in a series with 30-second rest intervals, then during the day we can perform up to 10 such series, evenly distributing them throughout the day?

Victor Seluyanov: Yes, but in this mode - 10 episodes a day - you can work for two weeks. Then, after all, the endocrine system will begin to overload. But in these two weeks the result will be visible! However, 10 episodes is, of course, too strict a regime when you really need to lose your belly in two weeks. We generally recommend doing a series of abdominal exercises 30 minutes after each meal.

J.M.: But with this mode of operation, it is possible to quickly get used to the load, and performing the exercise will not cause pain sufficient to cause stress. Maybe it makes sense, after the pain during the exercise has decreased, to perform another exercise in static dynamics, for example, a squat, before abdominal exercises? There will always be pain when performing this exercise.

Victor Seluyanov: Yes, this is a fairly competent approach. For hormone release it is always preferable basic exercises. This is observed, for example, when training arms. When working with your hands, hormones do not want to be released - the muscle group is not large enough. Therefore for better effect You need to do one approach on your legs first. Hormones will be released, and with subsequent approaches to the muscles being trained, we will force the hormones to be absorbed by these particular muscle groups. Moreover, one approach to the legs per day is quite enough. There is no need to do it before every episode.

J.M.: Can we always clearly monitor progress with anthropometric testing?

Victor Seluyanov: Basically yes. But there is one aspect not described in the literature. In addition to subcutaneous and visceral fat, there is still fat between the muscles. Like the fatty layers in bacon. Especially a lot of this fat accumulates in older people, and this fat needs to be removed. I personally had to face this problem. I went to Malta to train. I was 45 years old at the time and had not trained for a long time. I bought myself a bicycle and rode it two or three times every day, including in mountainous areas. I got into good shape, but when I did anthropometric testing a month and a half later, I was somewhat puzzled. Before training, the thigh circumference was 60 cm. After it became 56. And this despite the fact that strength and, accordingly, muscle mass grew, and the loss of subcutaneous fat could not lead to such a decrease in thigh circumference. And I realized that in this case there was a loss of intermuscular fat. Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine the amount of intermuscular fat using modern testing methods. Often former athletes, retained muscle volume and came into Gym, are surprised at the strong decline in results. There seems to be a little fat on the arm (leg). The girth is only 2-3 cm less than it was. Why strength indicators fell that much? But because there are fewer muscles than it seems. Intermuscular fat preserves the external shape of the muscles, but it is impossible to see the real picture of how much muscle and how much fat. This point needs to be known and taken into account in training and testing. It is especially pronounced in women and the elderly.

“I’m losing weight by summer - I started pumping up my abs.” Surely you have heard, or even said, this phrase more than once. Coaches never tire of repeating that this simply does not happen, because it cannot happen. But, nevertheless, the number of people who are confident that they managed to achieve their goal is not decreasing.

Let's say right away: we are not going to doubt that someone succeeded. Because we are sure: the one who pumped up the abs probably measured only the waist size, and not all body parameters. And the load, even if it’s small, still speeds up metabolism, energy costs increase, a person, without paying attention to it, refuses buns and cookies (and it’s true: is it in vain that he pumps up his abs?), etc.

Local fat burning is the dream of those who want to lose a little weight around the waist

In short, he is losing weight, but not only, but everywhere. And a flatter tummy does not mean that all the fat has melted away from it - toned muscles work wonders! In short, we readily believe that our tummy has become flat. But the fact that the fat burned only on it, and in other places everything remained as it was - no. And that's why.

How do we lose weight?

Before moving on to the arguments as to why this is impossible, let's remember how weight loss occurs in the first place. So, what does it consist of? fat layer? This is body tissue, the bulk of which is made up of fat cells - lipocytes.

The presence of fat in humans is normal. It protects the body from the cold and creates an “emergency reserve” in case of cold snap (which is why, by the way, we get fat by winter and lose weight by spring), famine or nuclear winter. The layer is the result of evolution, an archaic mechanism of protecting the body, so important that in the millennia that have passed since the construction of the first home and the manufacture of the first clothes, it has not yet died out.

This is why the body continues to store even now when there is no need for it. People move little, they are warm, there is plenty of food and it is available. But the body is a super-efficient system aimed at preserving and increasing the wealth it receives. Therefore, excess energy is not utilized, but is packaged into lipocytes and sent to warehouses, the locations of which are familiar to everyone - in the area of ​​the thighs, buttocks, abdomen, upper arms, etc. - wait for nuclear winter.

To get rid of fat, you need to increase energy expenditure

And since, fortunately, it has not yet arrived, stocks from warehouses are not used, and their volumes are still growing. The only way to get rid of inventory is to finally spend it on something. There are two ways you can take.

• The first is to cut down on energy supplies from the outside and force the body to serve itself only from reserves. This is the wrong way. As we remember, the body is aimed at preserving and increasing, so it will give away what it has accumulated with difficulty and learn to save on literally everything. So fast weight loss will stop just as quickly, and the very first piece of food will be transformed into reserves - and so on for a long time. The result is a yo-yo effect and a few more kilograms over the initial weight. Yes, just in case.
• The second way is to increase energy consumption. That is, start moving more and perform the most energy-intensive operations. At first, of course, the body will be greedy, but if you eat normally, it will understand that it’s okay to fork out – no threat from the outside seems to be expected. An increase in energy expenditure combined with a reasonable reduction in calorie intake will ultimately lead to the fact that reserves from warehouses will be used to cover the resulting energy deficit, and you will begin to lose weight.

Then everything is simple. Fat in the cell breaks down into fatty acids and glycerol. Acids are sent along with the blood to muscle tissue, and there they are oxidized and converted into energy. Waste products are removed from the cell. This is what the process of losing weight looks like from a physiological point of view. Now let's see why you can't become thinner in just one place.

Local weight loss: two arguments against

Argument No. 1. The entire human body is covered with fat. Its division into zones is very arbitrary. Blood and lymphatic vessels, skin and the same subcutaneous fat are unified systems that operate over the entire area of ​​the human body. It is impossible to lose weight only on the waist area - because it simply is not there, but all the fiber is there.

In addition, the key concept of losing weight is not “subcutaneous fat,” but “energy deficit.” It is unknown from which warehouse the body will order the barrel of fat to be rolled out. He has a reserve distributed throughout the body. It is quite reasonable not to gut one warehouse, but to take a little from everywhere, so that in case of an unforeseen situation, there is something left in each of them for a rainy day.

Perhaps the first thing to go on a diet is not the “ears” on the hips, but the volume of the chest!

Argument No. 2. By the way, about warehouses. Not all of them are equally dear to the body. Among them there are no unimportant ones - there are important and very important ones. Let's take for example female body– it is more indicative in this regard. Typically, women are unhappy with deposits on the thighs and abdomen. No matter what is done, you will still want to improve these areas, because bringing them to ideal condition is not so easy. And this is no coincidence. The body takes fat from these stores very reluctantly.

Deposits in the abdomen and thighs are a strategic reserve aimed at preserving the ability to reproduce, protecting the fetus and maintaining the vitality of a woman during the period of feeding a baby, when she will not be able to effectively obtain food. Forcing the body to give up reserves from this particular place is an attempt to beat evolution. And this is impossible. It’s easier to start increasing energy consumption and start removing stocks from all warehouses – including strategically important ones.

Argument for

However, there is an opinion that losing weight in only one place is possible. To do this, two conditions must be ensured: a high concentration of fat-destroying adrenaline in the blood and a large amount of blood flow to the area that is planned to be “dried.”

For example, you can start your workout with an interval cardio session, and then work with the right muscle: 30 seconds of intense activity plus 30 seconds of rest. This is one episode. There are three episodes in one set. You should perform at least 10 sets per day, possibly several times. In general, this method is similar to the pumping technique, which has been used for a long time and successfully.

Sports will help you adjust weight loss in one area or another.

This method has a significant drawback. To succeed, you must strictly adhere to all the details (and there are a lot of them). A person without special education is unlikely to be able to do this. And due to the fact that this approach is not very popular in our country, not all coaches know the specifics of its application.

However, there is another way to get rid of fat in a certain area of ​​the body. It involves training all muscles with special emphasis on working the muscles in the problem area. A shock load on the abs, performed against the backdrop of working out the muscles of the whole body, will allow you to quickly get rid of belly fat. Of course, this is not entirely local fat burning. But if you are not lazy and provide your muscles with good load, the result will not take long to arrive.

Article structure:

Is it possible to independently determine the composition of muscle tissue?

This is quite difficult to do at home, since in different muscle groups, the composition of tissues can differ significantly. A person is unique from birth and the ratio of slow and fast fibers will differ. When we start playing sports, we find the type in which we can achieve maximum results precisely with our composition of muscle tissue.

However, some people refuse to follow the guidelines and fail to perform at their best. For example, a person is told that his potential has been revealed, perhaps in weightlifting, but he decides to start training skiing. At the same time, there is a way to get a rough estimate of the ratio of the two types of fibers in the leg muscles.

Moreover, this is quite simple to do - perform a standing long jump. According to existing standards, boys aged 10 to 12 years should in this case show a result of 180-200 centimeters. Of course, some can significantly exceed this result. It should be noted that now the methodology for selecting and subsequent training of athletes is significantly inferior to that. What was used during the USSR.

For example, most middle-distance runners perform about 300 centimeters in the long jump. Today this is a maximum of 250. If we summarize this conversation, then to determine the composition of the muscular tissues of the legs it is necessary to perform a standing long jump and compare the results obtained with the existing standards.

The more high result you show, the more fast fibers there are in your tissues. But it is necessary to take into account the level physical training. The technique we discussed above is suitable for beginner athletes. If you are interested in the ratio of glycolytic and oxidative fibers, then it is necessary to conduct appropriate research. This is due to the fact that fast and slow fibers can use any type of energy production.

What type of training promotes a stronger hormonal response in the body: strength or static-dynamic?

Scientists also asked this question and conducted a special study. As a result, no significant differences in the rate of synthesis of anabolic hormonal substances were identified. To obtain maximum hormonal response, the athlete must follow all the technical details of performing the exercise. The subjects performed leg extensions in the simulator using strength and static-dynamic modes. They conducted one developmental and two tonic sessions.

As a result, the same transverse increase in the quadriceps and a similar increase in muscle mass were recorded. However, when working in the static-dynamic mode, oxidative fibers underwent hypertrophy, and in the power mode, glycolytic fibers underwent hypertrophy.

The overall increase in hormone levels was similar, although somatotropin was synthesized more actively when performing exercises in a static-dynamic mode. We also note that the concentration of creatine phosphokinase did not increase with this training regimen. This suggests that the fibers increased their transverse dimensions even without microtraumas characteristic of strength training.

Is it possible to burn fat and gain muscle mass at the same time with natural training?

A similar situation is possible, but it is necessary to approach compliance with the appropriate nutrition program with all responsibility. First of all, this concerns the ratio of basic nutrients in an athlete’s diet. The amount of fat should be minimized, and the amount of carbohydrates should be such that muscle mass is gained. In turn, protein compounds must be present in large quantities.

For example, an athlete weighs 70 kilos, and in this case he needs to consume 140 grams of protein, at least 140 grams of carbohydrates, and no more than five grams of fat, of a vegetable nature, daily.

However, based on the practical experience of leading bodybuilders, for significant loss of fat mass, it will be difficult to do without ephedrine. The fact is that this substance accelerates the basal metabolism and during rest, the athlete loses weight.

Is it possible to speed up basal metabolism without the use of sports pharmacology?

To solve this problem, first of all, it is necessary to select the optimal combination of strength and cardio loads. The best way increasing basal metabolic rate is aerobic training. However, it is known that excessive cardio exercise can lead to the destruction of muscle tissue. To eliminate this negative point, it is necessary to find a balance between the two types of training.

In this case, the optimal choice seems to be to conduct a cardio session in the morning and strength training in the evening. It is important to remember that the brain only uses carbohydrates as an energy source. Muscles, in turn, are able to work actively thanks to fats.

However, the brain does not require large amounts of carbohydrates. For example, when cycling, it is enough to eat one piece of candy every hour of training. This will allow the brain to function normally and not experience energy shortages.

How to gain muscle mass with minimal growth of body fat and how to lose weight with minimal loss of muscle mass?

First of all, it is necessary to comply the right program nutrition. If you want to get rid of fat, but not lose muscle mass, you need to do toning exercises. strength training, and the volume can be increased. However, you should not use a carbohydrate-free diet.

This is due to the need to ensure normal brain function. Of course, the amount of carbohydrates must be limited and their sources should be consumed only before the start of the training and after its completion.

Is it necessary to use a certain number of repetitions to train different muscle groups during the bulking period?

This is a fairly popular question, inspired by recommendations from the coaches association for beginning athletes. You must understand that it is primarily scientists who can provide expert opinions. Trainers create training programs based on scientific research results. The choice of training volume depends on the composition of muscle tissue.

For example, if glycolytic fibers predominate in you, then the emphasis should be on statodynamic exercises. Otherwise, work only in power mode. So your task is to initial stage training comes down to determining the composition of muscle tissue.

How to use the principle of periodization correctly?

Let's start with the fact that in a properly organized annual training cycle, rest should not be provided for at all. If you use excessive loads, then the body, or rather the hormonal system, wears out greatly, which leads to the need to rest for two or even three months. Most representatives of various sports disciplines today use excessive loads.

It is this fact that leads to the need to use powerful types of sports pharmacology, for example. When compiling your training plan you need to use four weeks of developmental classes, and on the fifth, do only toning training. This will allow the body to rest and you will not need to rest for a long time in the off-season. If you feel that you will not be able to work efficiently in the upcoming lesson, then your hormonal system is exhausted and you need to give it rest.

What is super compensation?

No scientific experiment conducted to date has examined the presence or absence of supercompensation. We can safely say that such a stage simply does not exist, since it was not possible to record it. The growth of muscle tissue is a consequence of decoding the information contained in RNA, synthesized under the influence physical activity.

Often, the concept of “supercompensation” means the depletion and replenishment of glycogen depot. Note that they first began to talk about this in the fifties and this topic continues to be actively discussed today.

How to overcome a training plateau?

Most often, a plateau is a consequence of severe wear and tear on the hormonal system. This is possible when using heavy loads against the background of a low-carbohydrate or no-carbohydrate nutrition program. In strength sports disciplines, to determine the condition of your body, it is recommended to perform walkthroughs once a week. If after this the weight falls, then you should reconsider your nutrition program and.

Is it possible to work out glycolytic and oxidative fibers in one workout?

If training process built correctly, it is quite possible. Your main task in this situation is to quickly eliminate lactate from muscle tissue. However, this applies to a greater extent to cyclic sports.

How do you feel about CrossFit and is it possible to start playing this sport without initial physical training?

This sport can be considered quite harmful to health, due to the active acidification of muscle tissue. I do not recommend starting to practice, but rather choosing another sport. However, it should be repeated once again that it is necessary to avoid severe acidification of the muscles. Many American crossfit trainers try their best training session bring it as close as possible to the competitive process. This is strictly forbidden.

Why is a carbohydrate-free nutrition program dangerous for the body, and how to properly use carbohydrates during the drying period?

I already said that carbohydrates are necessary for brain function. This is precisely what causes the main harm of a carbohydrate-free nutrition program. Carbohydrates must be consumed before the start of the training, during the lesson and immediately after its completion. The rest of the time you can not consume this nutrient. Today they often say that carbohydrates are to blame for the increase in fat mass. However, it all depends on the dosage of the nutrient. If you consume few carbohydrates only to maintain brain function, then there will be no problems with overweight will not arise.

Many athletes are interested in whether eating carbohydrates during training contributes to an increase in insulin concentrations. I can say with complete confidence that this is not happening. The fact is that under the influence of physical activity the synthesis of adrenaline, growth hormone, and norepinephrine is accelerated. These hormonal substances suppress insulin production.

It should also be recalled here that by taking small doses of carbohydrates during training, you can significantly increase the intensity of work, since glycogen reserves will be depleted more slowly. I recommend taking an isotonic drink instead of BCAA during exercise.

How effective is the ketogenic diet program?

Ketone bodies can partially replace carbohydrates as a source of nutrition for the brain. You must remember that during strength training the body does not use fat tissue for energy. During exercise, the body first uses up its supply of blood glucose and then switches to glycogen. It is impossible to allow the consumption of amines during exercise, because in this case the muscles will not grow. for weight loss.

You can often find statements online about the importance of consuming free amines, in particular BCAA, to compensate for the body’s energy costs. It is fundamentally incorrect and you should remember that energy must be obtained exclusively from carbohydrates, and amines must be spent on the growth of muscle tissue. We are now talking about strength training. Here we should also remember about the body’s restructuring to different modes of operation of the energy system from carbohydrates to fats. This is only possible during rest and with a high basal metabolism.