J Strength Cond Res: The Effect of Abdominal Exercise on Abdominal Fat.

[hailtotheking]

Doing ab work to reduce gut fat is an old myth that refuses to die. This study highlights that.



If you want to lose fat Eat less, move more.

Quote

J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jul 28. [Epub ahead of print]

The Effect of Abdominal Exercise on Abdominal Fat.
Vispute SS, Smith JD, Lecheminant JD, Hurley KS.

Source
1Department of Kinesiology & Health Education, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois; 2Department of Health & Kinesiology, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; 3Department of Exercise Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; and 4School of Physical Education, Sports & Exercise Science, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

Abstract
Vispute, SS, Smith, JD, LeCheminant, JD, and Hurley, KS. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. J Strength Cond Res 25(X): 000-000, 2011-The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of abdominal exercises on abdominal fat. Twenty-four healthy, sedentary participants (14 men and 10 women), between 18 and 40 years, were randomly assigned to 1 of the following 2 groups: control group (CG) or abdominal exercise group (AG). Anthropometrics, body composition, and abdominal muscular endurance were tested before and after training. The AG performed 7 abdominal exercises, for 2 sets of 10 repetitions, on 5 d·wk for 6 weeks. The CG received no intervention, and all participants maintained an isocaloric diet throughout the study. Significance was set at p = 0.05 for all tests. There was no significant effect of abdominal exercises on body weight, body fat percentage, android fat percentage, android fat, abdominal circumference, abdominal skinfold and suprailiac skinfold measurements. The AG performed significantly greater amount of curl-up repetitions (47 ± 13) compared to the CG (32 ± 9) on the posttest. Six weeks of abdominal exercise training alone was not sufficient to reduce abdominal subcutaneous fat and other measures of body composition. Nevertheless, abdominal exercise training significantly improved muscular endurance to a greater extent than the CG.

[craig1014]

I agree with you.

However, I was listening to a Mauro Di Pasquale interview where he said ab work could reduce ab fat. I believe the mechanism he gave was that the mitochondria at the site of the work (i.e. the abs) would require fat as energy, and take this fat from the area closest to them (i.e. the abdominal fat).

[hailtotheking]

Technically speaking, there is a localised release of fatty acids in the adipose tissue closest to the area being worked, but it is minuscule and it doesnt necessarily mean there is an increase in fatty acid oxidation in the area. The effect is so minor you would never ever notice it unless you were already about 6% bodyfat, did 5000 crunches a day every day, and was looking to go down to 5.999999999% body fat over the course of 12 months.

Lyle McDonald has covered the impracticalities of this before. To paraphrase him:

"If you did several thousand crunches a day you might be ripped in about 60 years. Good luck"

[Fred]

I have heard that abdominal exercises for stubborn fat (i.e. the last couple of percent) are good due to increasing blood flow to the area. No idea how much of that is bro-science however.

[James]

LISS in the fasted state is really the best way of increasing blood flow to the stubborn areas, that and also increasing catecholamines via supplementation.