Budda Belly, Saddlebags, Badunkadunk...spot training, does it work?

We all have an area (or many) of our bodies which we would like to change.  I see so many DVDs, articles and products promising to make your butt rock hard and give you a six-pack its no wonder we are all confused about what works and what doesn't.  Here is the ugly truth....you cannot spot train away your problem areas.  I know!!!  But don't shoot the messenger.

Before you give up all hope there are things you can do to make an area look better without resorting to plastic surgery.  Believe me I've considered lipo on more than one occasion.

Abs:
Feel free to do the 6-minute abs, the 7 days to a six pack, crunch master, whatever you need to get you moving, but you will not look like the people in the video.  You cannot get rid of the love handles or the pooch by doing crunches. We all have stomach muscles, most are hidden under a layer of fat...for some it is a very thick layer.  You need to burn off the fat and no matter how many crunches you do you are not going to burn the fat, you need to increase your cardio and watch your caloric intake.  A strong core is a wonderful thing and I strongly encourage you to work on your core muscles but until the padding is gone you aren't going to see a six pack, and brace yourself, you may never see a six pack, genetics play a huge role and if you don't have David Beckham, Jackie Warner or Taylor Lautner in your family tree then I suggest you lower your expectations.

Arms:
Most of us ladies hate the jiggly arms and most guys want bigger arms...the only way to remove the jiggle is to lose the fat and increase the muscle, so again increase your cardio, add weight training and you'll see results.  If you weren't blessed with long thin arms there is a little trick to make them look thinner...increase the size of your shoulder muscles.  You know that lovely round at the top of your arm ...that will make your arm look thinner. Add shoulder exercises to your routine along with a focus on bicep and triceps.

Thighs:
I used to like my thighs, then I hit 35 and they turned to mush.  What to do...you've heard it before, increase the cardio to burn the fat and add lower body weight exercises.  Most of us don't use heavy enough weights when working our lower bodies, these are large muscles, use heavy weights you will see results.

Glutes:
I'll admit it, I have a flat ass...its ok I've accepted it. Would I like a rounder tush?  Of course, so what do I do about it? SQUATS...and hamstring curls, and kicks, lunges etc. Your glutes are huge muscles, I'm not being mean, so use some weight when doing lower body exercises. And of course you know what I'm going to say...increase your cardio to burn the fat.

These are the main areas of concern for most people.  You can train your muscles to get stronger and bigger but you will not see all the efforts of your hard work if they are encased in a layer of fat.