In an ideal world, we could precisely control where we want to “burn” fat. According to an article published on the Men’s Fitness website, for most men this refers to the abdominal area, the obliques, and the lower back, meaning the entire core region. The idea of burning fat in a specific area is called “spot reduction”, and a new study reveals that this dream may be possible.
Fitness
The method that will help you burn fat exactly where you want | The Jerusalem Post
Fat loss is a systemic process in which fatty acids are released from fat tissue, travel through the bloodstream, and are oxidized, meaning “burned”. This is different from how the body burns carbohydrates, which is indeed “specific” to a certain area. Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles in the form of glycogen. When performing bicep curls, mainly glycogen stored in the arm muscles is burned. When performing a leg exercise, mainly glycogen from the leg muscles is burned.
Since fat is not burned locally like carbohydrates, many believe that spot fat reduction is not possible. In practice, the body reduces fat according to its own patterns, and stubborn areas, of course, tend to be the last to shrink.
A new study presents a slightly more complex picture
In a study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, men were divided into two groups: One group performed abdominal exercises together with aerobic training, and the second performed only aerobic training. Using a DEXA scan, it was found that the group that combined abdominal exercises lost more fat in the trunk area. One might think that this group simply burned more calories, but the study was designed so that caloric expenditure was identical between the groups. In addition, DEXA scans are considered one of the most accurate methods for measuring body fat.
Another study from the University of Padua strengthened the findings. One group in the study performed exercises for the abdominal and arm muscles as part of a circuit aerobic workout, meaning it alternated between targeted exercises and aerobic activity. The second group in the study performed the same exercises, at the same volume and intensity, but in a standard structure of aerobic training followed by strength training. The result – the group that combined the two lost more fat in the abdominal area.
The findings indicate that training structure also matters. A combination of work on specific muscles and aerobic activity may increase blood flow to the active area, and this is probably one of the mechanisms that helps local fat breakdown. Studies show that fat breakdown is linked to increased blood flow in fat tissue, therefore it can be concluded that when working a specific muscle, blood flow and the release of fatty acids increase in the nearby area.
How can you “burn” more abdominal fat?
Based on this, if the goal is to reduce abdominal fat, it is recommended to perform abdominal exercises before aerobic training, and at high intensity. They should be treated like any other muscle group and not be limited to a few repetitions at the end of the workout. It is recommended to perform between ten and twenty sets that work the abdominal muscles from different angles, and then move on to aerobic training or integrate the exercises within a circuit aerobic workout.
It is important to emphasize that this is not a substitute for a caloric deficit and not a magic solution. However, it is a small adjustment in training structure that may influence how the body uses fat stores.
So is it possible to influence the area from which fat is lost? Possibly, to some extent. This is also physiologically logical. In the abdominal area there is usually more fat and relatively less blood flow, and it is also tended to be trained less and at lower intensity compared to other muscle groups. Therefore, increasing activity in this area may influence the fat loss process there.
Exercise played a pivotal part in Alison Hammond, 51, losing 11 stone. The This Morning presenter hired personal trainer Ellis Gatfield five years ago, and while introducing regular strength training helped her hit her goal, there were a few fitness habits she was also required to quit.
Below, Gatfield shares exactly what she stopped doing, how doing so helped her lose weight and build muscle and her full weekly workout routine.
A quick caveat: sustainable weight loss isn’t driven by exercise or nutrition alone. Movement helps preserve muscle, support metabolic health and improve how your body uses energy, but what you eat still matters. The most effective approach combines smart training with nourishing, realistic nutrition habits you can maintain long term.
1. She stopped doing long treadmill sessions
Gatfield says: ‘She never particularly enjoyed traditional cardio, so instead of forcing long treadmill sessions, I focused on raising her heart rate through resistance training performed in a circuit format, using mainly compound movements. This allowed her to get the cardiovascular benefits while also building strength and shaping her body. The biggest mistake from her training before was believing that exercise had to mean long, boring cardio sessions to lose weight. That mindset made training feel like a chore rather than something to enjoy.’
2. She stopped forcing exercise she didn’t enjoy
Gatfield says: ‘Once we shifted to a style of training she genuinely liked, everything became easier. Training stopped feeling forced, consistency improved naturally, and results followed. Enjoyment is often the missing piece in successful weight loss and it’s something I prioritise with all my clients.
‘Strength training played a huge role in Alison’s weight loss because it allowed her to burn calories, build lean muscle, and improve her metabolism, without relying on long or exhausting cardio sessions. Resistance-based circuits kept her heart rate elevated while also improving strength and body composition which is key for long term fat loss.
‘Just as importantly, she genuinely enjoyed this style of training. She loved being able to come in, work hard for 30 minutes, feel accomplished, and get on with her day. That enjoyment made consistency easy, and consistency is where results come from.
‘With Alison, the priority was keeping training effective, enjoyable, and realistic around her schedule. Sessions were always kept to around 30 minutes, which meant they were easy to commit to and never felt overwhelming.’
3. She stopped skipping rest days
Gatfield says: ‘Rest was equally essential [to her results]. Scheduled recovery days helped regulate stress, reduce fatigue, and allow her body to adapt and improve. That balance between training and recovery meant she could show up strong, train with intent, and sustain results long term.
‘For most women, especially those new to resistance training, I’d recommend two-three sessions per week. The focus should always be on learning proper technique, moving well, and recovering properly. More isn’t always better – consistency and quality matter far more.’
Alison Hammond’s weekly workout schedule
According to Gatfield, a typical week in workouts for Alison included:
- Monday: 30-minute resistance circuit
- Tuesday: 30-minute boxing session
- Wednesday: rest or low-intensity walk
- Thursday: 30-minute kettlebell circuit
- Friday: 30-minute boxing session
- Saturday: rest or low-intensity walk
- Sunday: rest
One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.
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As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.
Fitness
Gary Neville’s 5-Day-a-Week Fitness Routine – and How Exercise Changed His Life After Football
If there’s one man who could do with a rest, it’s Gary Neville. But in between managing his media and business interests, the former footballer still starts most weekdays the same way: waking up early for a 6am workout.
‘My whole life has been about routine and repetition,’ Neville told The Times. ‘Even now, I need structure in every part of my life.
‘I’m up every morning at quarter past five. I’ll have a coffee, review all the news – sports news mainly, but news as well. All your papers, so I’m across everything. Five mornings a week I’ll then walk to the gym for six, and finish at 6:50 before walking back home for seven.’
The 51-year-old favours high-intensity, circuit-style training rather than traditional bodybuilding workouts, having regularly attended Barry’s classes over the years. That said, strength work still forms part of his routine.
It’s an approach Neville adopted after learning a difficult lesson in retirement. Having stepped away from professional football in 2011, he admits he spent the first couple of years enjoying himself a little too much.
The Wake-Up Call That Changed Gary Neville’s Fitness
‘The impact of not training every day surprised me,’ Neville said in a social media video.
‘I think I took for granted how training made me feel good about myself – in my body, in my head. And then when I finished playing football, I started to have a glass of wine at night regularly, I started to have a bit of cheese, I started to have more chocolate.
‘I started to think I could just relax and enjoy my life from a nutrition and fitness point of view. I didn’t work very hard at all – in fact I didn’t train much in the first year or two [after retirement].’
The weight gain that followed eventually prompted an intervention from his wife.
‘If you look at those first couple of years outside of football, you’ll see that I put weight on,’ he said.
‘I remember my wife coming up to me one day and saying, “Look, come on, you need to sort yourself out. You’ve been fit all your life.”
‘And it completely transformed the way I thought. From that moment on, I started at it again.’
Why Neville Calls Exercise a Form of Medicine
These days, Neville says training has become non-negotiable.
He’s not preparing for a sporting event or chasing specific performance goals, but he notices a significant difference in both his physical and mental wellbeing whenever he stops exercising for too long.
‘I feel like I can’t go without training,’ he explained. ‘If I go three, four or five days without training then it’s not the end of the world, but if I go two weeks without it, I start to feel heavy.
‘I start to feel like I’m losing strength. You start to feel like you’re going under a little bit. I didn’t prepare for the fact that not training, eating more and not being able to cope without that fitness structure in my life every single day.’
The former Manchester United captain believes the mental benefits are just as important as the physical ones.
‘People who don’t train are missing out on a great medicine,’ he said. ‘I stopped for two to three years and the impact it had on my mental health was terrible.’
More than a decade after retirement, Neville’s routine looks very different to the one he followed as a professional footballer. But the principle remains the same: move regularly, stay consistent and make exercise part of your day rather than something you squeeze in when you get the chance.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram or on X
Fitness
An expert personal trainer says this practical exercise boosts core strength and upper-body stability more than planks
It’s often the simplest core exercises that are most effective, and the farmer’s carry fits perfectly into this box. Done with two kettlebells or dumbbells and a bit of space, it’s one that all can do to improve core strength, full-body stability, and strength.
While planks and sit-ups are core exercises with many of the same benefits, this one is particularly unique in how it translates to real life. It’s a functional exercise, says Kate Rowe-Ham, an expert personal trainer, author of The Longevity Solution, and the founder of Owning Your Menopause, translating to everyday movements like carrying shopping or climbing stairs.
“It’s essentially walking while holding weights, which may look simple, but for women in midlife, it’s one of the most effective exercises you can do,” she says.
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How to do a farmer’s carry
How to do a Farmer’s Carry by Wodstar – YouTube
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- Place two equal weights on the floor, either side of your feet which should be hip-width apart.
- Engage your core before bending at the knees to pick up a weight in each hand.
- Propel yourself back up through your heels.
- Stand tall with your shoulders relaxed and down, chest open, ribs stacked over hips, and brace your core.
- Walk forward with small, controlled, natural steps (no rushing)
- Keep the weights steady and away from your body, with head up and posture upright throughout.
- Carry for 20 to 30 seconds to start, before bending at the knees to return the weights to the floor.
Benefits of the farmer’s carry exercise
1. Improves core strength
The farmer’s carry is one of the most effective ways to build core strength, as the midsection has to work hard to stabilise the upper body under the load.
A study by Baylor University found that this exercise produced greater core activation than any other ‘carry and hold’ exercise, as it forces you to resist sideways, front, and back bending.
NORDFIT
Cast Iron Kettlebell 4kg-20kg
A cast iron kettlebell is the most reliable tool – and one covered in a layer of neoprene is even better. It’s a stable weight that won’t land awkwardly on your floor with the softer, bouncier coating.
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2x10kg Rubber Hex Dumbbell Set
I always recommend hex dumbbells to anyone looking to fit out a workout space at home. They sit square on the floor, don’t roll away, and don’t mark the floor, thanks to the neoprene coat on the edges of the cast iron.
2. Improves posture
It’s almost impossible to do the farmer’s carry exercise with poor posture. Simply picking up the weights will force you to engage your core, pull your shoulder blades back and down, and stand up straight.
As you do so, you’re training the larger muscles in the upper body (such as those in the upper back, core, shoulders, and arms), which play a very important role in shaping your posture.
But also, as you do the exercise, you’re engaging and strengthening the tiny muscles around the spine. These not only stabilise your upper body, but also encourage better posture.
3. Boosts grip strength
Grip strength is perhaps one of the most overlooked markers of healthy ageing. A review in Clinical Interventions in Ageing called it an “indispensable biomarker for health in older adults”, and a separate UK study found that poor grip strength was linked to cognitive decline. There’s nothing like farmer’s carry for improving grip strength.
“Declining oestrogen levels can affect muscle mass, bone density, posture, and balance. This exercise addresses all of these in one movement, making it efficient and highly beneficial,” says Kate. “It shows that for women over 40, a simple, well-chosen exercise with weights can deliver some of the biggest health wins.”
4. Improves mobility
Walking while carrying weight will also work the muscles of the lower body. The nature of this movement also helps improve balance, coordination and nervous system resilience, explains Kate.
“This helps reduce fall risk and maintain confidence in everyday tasks,” she adds.
5. Adaptable
The key to making progress with resistance training is to change up the exercise to make it harder as you get stronger. You can go up in weight or time spent lifting the kettlebells, but you can also change the movement to make it feel harder.
You could change the movement into a single-arm suitcase carry, for example, says women’s PT Sarah Campus.
“This move trains the core to resist side-bending, also known as anti-lateral flexion, which is more demanding than a regular farmer’s carry,” Sarah explains. “[Like the farmer’s carry] it loads the grip and builds shoulder stability and postural strength.”
This movement only involves one kettlebell or dumbbell, lifted in one hand. Otherwise, the exercise remains the same. It may look easier, but “this move hits the core harder” than a traditional farmer’s carry, she says.
How heavy should the weight be in a farmer’s carry?
Kate recommends choosing a weight that feels challenging but manageable: “A long-term benchmark is carrying a total load of around 75 per cent of your bodyweight, split between both hands. Beginners should start lighter, around 25 to 40 per cent of body weight, and gradually progress to 50 to 60 per cent.”
She also suggests building the time to 40 to 60 seconds per carry, or aiming for a distance of 20 to 40 metres. She points out that short, controlled carries done consistently are far more effective than pushing to fatigue.
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