that in men, the lower abdominal region has a higher
concentration of A2 receptors, so this gives us one
possible explanation of why the lower abdominal region
is often the first place the fat goes when you gain it,
and the last place it comes off when you’re losing it.
(Incidentally, the fat in women’s hips and thighs is also
higher in A2 receptors.) This situation is dictated by
genetics and by the hormonal and enzymatic pathways
just discussed.
Think of ab fat like the deep end of the swimming pool.
No matter how much you protest, there is no way you
can drain the deep end before the shallow end.
However, don’t let this discourage you. Lower ab fat
WILL come off, it will simply be the last place to come
off. Simply put: First place on, last place off.
This helps to explain why abdominal exercises have
little impact on body fat loss. It’s a huge mistake to
think that hundreds or thousands of reps of ab
exercises will remove lower abdominal fat, except to
the degree that it burns calories and contributes to a
calorie deficit. What removes the fat—all over your
body—is a calorie deficit and that comes from
decreasing food intake, increasing activity, or a
combination of both.
What I suggested to this young man was cutting back
the ab training, spending the time he was wasting on
excess ab exercises for more intense, calorie-burning
cardio and weight training for the rest of the body. I
also suggested he do an accounting of his food intake,
get his nutrition in order and decrease his calories
slightly if necessary.
As it turned out, his diet was a mess, and as nutrition
experts like to say, “You can’t out-train a lousy diet.”
It’s a monumental error to think that 1,000 reps of ab
work a day will make your abs finally “pop” when your
diet is a disaster and leads to fat storage. It’s not that
ab exercises aren’t important. But all the ab exercises
in the world won’t help as long as you still have body fat
covering the muscles. You can’t “spot reduce” with
abdominal exercise and YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR ABS
THROUGH A LAYER OF BODY FAT!
