I’ve got fat
located in the area of my body where my arm meets my shoulder, and I
can’t get rid of it. Are there any exercises in particular that
would help improve that? Or what about any spot reducing supplements?
..............................................................................
Christopher Warden: It's ironic that you ask the question
about “spot reducing supplements” because the mantra commonly uttered
from trainers to clients is that "there's no such thing as spot
reduction."
On the contrary, a study published in
2005* indicated that a topical cream containing Glycyrrhetinic acid
(found in licorice) led to a significant reduction of subcutaneous fat
in upon application.
Now, before you race out to buy tubs of
this cream, remember that “significant” results in a controlled
laboratory setting don’t necessarily translate to practical results in
the real world – in other words there are much better ways for you to
lose excess fat.
Are there specific exercises that can help
you “firm up” the area just above your armpit? Sure. Assuming that
your skin hasn’t lost all of it’s elasticity and is capable of returning
to it’s prior condition, exercises that will strengthen your back,
shoulders and chest will do the trick.
For the shoulders: Do
reverse flys; lateral raises; neutral grip face-pulls and overhead
dumbbell presses. These movements will not only help to firm up and
fill out the shoulders, but they’ll also enhance your posture. (Why’s
posture important? Speaking only in terms related to your question,
that excess fat you see could simply be “bunched up” skin resulting from
of rounded shoulders associated with poor posture.)
For the back: Seated, low
cable rows; reverse grip lat pulldowns; bent-over rows and pull-ups.
These are great for well-rounded back strength and, well, they’ll help
to improve (or maintain) that posture-thing I referred to above.
For the chest: Pushup
variations, dumbbell or barbell presses, cable flys. . . to fill out
that chest, of course.
There you have it -- 12 different
exercises that you can include in your workouts (not all at once) to
help firm up that hard-to-reach chest-arm-armpit region. Couple these
exercises with a sound nutrition plan and your fat will melt away,
revealing the firm muscle underneath.
*Study: Armanini, D, Nacamulli D,
Francini-Pesenti F, Battagin G, Ragazzi E, Fiore C. Glycyrrhetinic acid,
the active principle of licorice, can reduce the thickness of
subcutaneous thigh fat through topical application. Steroids.
2005 Jul; 70 (8):538-42. Epub 2005 Apr 12.
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Christopher
“Doctor” Warden, CSCS traded in his lab coat, latex gloves and
microscope in the late 90's as part of a transformation from
pencil-necked geek to, well, freakishly strong not-so-pencil necked
geek.
His ability to understand and teach the technical aspects of
fitness, coupled with his passion and intuitive sense -- hey, are we
sure this guy's not Spiderman? -- have made him one of the most coveted
trainers in NYC.
When he’s not busy studying, writing or
transforming client physiques, Christopher loves traveling, snowboarding
and chillin’ with his family and friends. You can learn more about him
and his training insights by visiting his
fitness and
self-empowerment blog.
Interested in Becoming
Certified as a Personal Trainer?
