A common question new clients ask their trainers is, “How many sit-ups a day should I do?” If your primary goal is losing belly fat, the answer is zero.
You’re welcome.
First, there is no such thing as “spot reduction.” Exercising a body part does not burn fat from that body part. Fat comes off, generally, in the reverse order it went on. For men, this usually means the belly fat is last to go. For women, it’s often in the hips and thighs.
Second, abdominal muscles are, in fact, muscles, and given enough resistance over time can grow. If you want your abs to be visible, by all means make them larger, but without significant fat reduction, you’re still not going to see them.
Third, your standard seated sit-up or crunch is not particularly kind to your back.
Last but not least, you exercise your “core” muscles in almost any activity… standing, sitting, walking, doing squats, etc. There’s nothing inherently bad about wanting to strengthen these muscles, but they’re not going to atrophy if you don’t train them directly.
Up next: how many times per week should you train a body-part?
Until then, thanks for reading,
Dan
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