Results
After interviewing participants, most people believe that certain exercises reduce fat in certain areas; spot reduction is truth. In reality, spot reduction is a myth. Spot reduction has never been taught by teachers, scientists, or experts, just implied by commercials.
Many people tried to take terms they had heard throughout their life (atrophy, lactic acid, burn, calories) and formulate a logical answer. We could tell that they did not already possess that knowledge, but drew conclusions based on what they previously knew to reason their way to an answer. For example, participants knew that exercising builds muscle and decreases fat, however without knowing how/why fat is decreased they assumed it turns into muscle, or shrinks and dies.
When asked what specific exercises they could do to reduce belly fat, most participants responded with some type of ab exercise or crunches. To get rid of flabby arms, the consensus was to lift weights.
Perhaps people are also led to believe in spot reduction because of the way their bodies have felt after exercise. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs up to two days later, and could perhaps be mistaken for fat being burned. Kinesthetically, the feeling of sore muscles--if mistaken for improving the health of a particular area--could be a powerful schema to overcome.
Many people worked out or exercised regularly, but yet when pressed for an explanation of why, or what that does to their body, they were not very confident. For something so important, there are a lot of misconceptions.
Many people tried to take terms they had heard throughout their life (atrophy, lactic acid, burn, calories) and formulate a logical answer. We could tell that they did not already possess that knowledge, but drew conclusions based on what they previously knew to reason their way to an answer. For example, participants knew that exercising builds muscle and decreases fat, however without knowing how/why fat is decreased they assumed it turns into muscle, or shrinks and dies.
When asked what specific exercises they could do to reduce belly fat, most participants responded with some type of ab exercise or crunches. To get rid of flabby arms, the consensus was to lift weights.
Perhaps people are also led to believe in spot reduction because of the way their bodies have felt after exercise. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs up to two days later, and could perhaps be mistaken for fat being burned. Kinesthetically, the feeling of sore muscles--if mistaken for improving the health of a particular area--could be a powerful schema to overcome.
Many people worked out or exercised regularly, but yet when pressed for an explanation of why, or what that does to their body, they were not very confident. For something so important, there are a lot of misconceptions.
