DIET | DETECTIVE^®

If your personal trainer tells you that you can spot reduce or puts you through a toning workout, it’s time for you to find another trainer.  These are two of the biggest myths in the exercise world, and any personal trainer who engages in such nonsense should be disengaged.

Fortunately the myth of spot reducing has been busted for quite some time now.  In case you’ve been in a cave for the past 30 years, spot reducing is the flawed philosophy that claims that you can attack certain areas of the body with exercise with the express purpose of reducing fat.  This was actually your mother’s exercise, and the vast majority of the fitness professionals out there – or is it out here? – no longer espouse this kind of faulty exercise alchemy in the year 2007.  But if you do run across a personal trainer who spouts off about this kind of nonsense, you’d be justified in telling them to “sod off,” and then move on.

On the other hand – and on the down side – there are still way too many fitness professionals touting the benefits that can come from “body toning.”  Google it and check out the nonsense. Yecch.

Personal trainers and other fitness pretenders who promote the idea of toning muscles through the use of low-weight/high-repetition training have little – if any – understanding of basic physiology.  With muscles only 2 things can happen, they get bigger and stronger or the get smaller and weaker.  That’s it.  Diet, exercise and genetics are responsible for what your muscles look like.

Muscles cannot get longer by lifting weights, stretching, performing Pilates or yoga or through any other form of exercise.  You can’t sculpt muscles – there’s also no such thing as “body sculpting” or “body shaping” - yet many gyms and personal trainers advertise that they offer this kind of training.   Info-mercials try to sell people products based on the erroneous premise that muscles can be sculpted or lengthened.  Doing endless crunches won’t give anyone a six-pack and working on flexibility and balance won’t make muscles look – or be – longer.

Don’t get suckered by people who are trying to sell you on the possibility that you can change the basic structure of your musculature.  Personal trainers who tell you that you can lengthen your muscles by following the type of program used by dancers – and ostensibly look like a dancer – are either ignorant or scammers.  Successful dancers are successful in large part because of their genetic gifts, both from performance and appearance standpoints.  As a matter of fact, the naturally graceful, long and lean physiques are perfect for the demands that are imposed by dancing.  Before dancers can become good dancers they need to possess the proper genetics.  Their genetics ultimately are responsible for their performance and their appearance.

If you want to get in great shape and want to, and are able to, train like a professional dancer you will definitely be in great shape, just don’t harbor any illusions that your body will morph into something that it isn’t meant to be.  If you’re 5’ 2” you won’t look, or grow to be, 5’ 10” by training like a dancer.

There’s not a piece of equipment that you can use or a training program that you can follow that will transform your body.  “Transformation” is another word that’s thrown around by personal trainers, diet gurus and others who are trying to sell you something.  There’s this belief that exercising and following a healthy, balanced diet – all the elements of living a healthy diet – will change the body, change a person’s appearance. 

“Health” doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with appearance. “Aesthetically pleasing” and “fit” don’t have to go hand in hand.  It may seem unfair, and sound harsh, but the reality is that some people just look better than others, and those who are genetically pre-disposed to look great are few and far between.  Just as in any pursuit, the best of the best are rare, whether we’re talking about golf, gymnastics, cooking, architecture, football, writing, comedy, intelligence or any other human endeavor.

People should strive to be the best that they can be regardless of the activity and enjoy the personal improvements, and not exist or “do” just to compare themselves to others. 

The obsession with what other people do in the gym or what they look like has resulted in nonsense like spot reducing, body toning/shaping and the vast majority of other philosophies, practices and products that make up the popular health and fitness culture.  Unfortunately when it comes to appearance all men and women are not created equal.  Just work on being the best that you can be and forget all the nonsense about sculpting, shaping and changing your body’s appearance.  You’ll be in better shape, both physically and mentally.

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written by Kitty Jay, October 18, 2007

I have to say, last year I broke my foot, which resulted in my not being able to do my typical cardio (jogging, elliptical). As an alternative, I continued my weight training, and took pilates 2x a week. I saw definite changes! I even dropped weight, despite no cardio! I saw muscles in my ab area I had never seen before. Isn't that what trainers mean when they refer to tonig or sculpting?

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written by Chris, October 16, 2007

Hey, Sal. I love your down-to-earth yet informed blog, and read each week. I just think that this particular entry is a little dismal. I've been athletic all my life, and have come to learn what my body is, and what it is NOT. I'll never be 5'10", 120. However, my physique has morphed significantly depending on the particular training that I'm into at the time. My body LOOKS different if I'm cycling vs. dancing. Some of the best times of my life have been when I've found the balance between enjoyable activity and being in shape. And those are the times when my clothes fit the best, my appetite and diet "check out", and I get the most compliments on my body and attitude. Those are the times I feel lucky. But none of that would be the case without effort, and I have pictures of myself to prove it...back from a much heavier time.

I guess I just object to the semantics--if people (be they trainers, clients, gym owners, etc) want to call it "toning", when in fact what the cla*s or activity does is work a muscle group to exhaustion, then what's the difference? Maybe "Power Lifting" cla*s doesn't sound as appealing to people--it wouldn't to me. So while I appreciate the "accept yourself" sentiment, I think the range of possibilities within the "yourself" we're all given is much broader than this entry would appear to deem possible...

And when I do crunches, I do get a six-pack. :0)

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written by Jamie McDermott, October 16, 2007

I disagree with the statement that you cannot "change your body's appearance." Although we are born with certain genes that predict our body types, we can achieve tremendous results by adding weight training to our routines, and yes, we can change our body's appearance. Just look at before and after pictures of people who have combined proper diet with an appropriate weight training routine! I have seen this with my own personal clients, and with myself. I understand your points and the principles behind them, but perhaps your wording is a little harsh. I refuse to tell my clients to "work with what they have," because that implies that they cannot achieve even realistic goals.