Hot Body Training

I’m sure most of you know, but for those of you who might have missed this piece of information, it bears repeating. You can’t spot reduce! That means that you can’t target fat loss by exercising a certain area. For example, a man with a big belly won’t get a six pack by doing endless situps and ladies, you won’t reduce the girth of your thighs by spending half an hour on the adductor machine.

It seems that our stubborn fat storage areas always seem to be the last to disappear. As frustrating as this is, you will generally tend to lose the weight everywhere else first, before you start to lose weight on your real problem areas. For men, this normally means a big belly, whilst ladies are usually cursed with the bums, thighs and hips fat stores. The usual advice given is that you can’t really do much about it, but what if there was something you could do to target those stubborn areas?

Alpha 2 adrenoceptors.
Basically, adrenoceptors are receptor sites located on the fat cells that are responsible for fat storage. The two types of adrenoceptors we’re interested in here are the alpha-1 and alpha-2 receptors. Without getting to sciency here, the alpha-1 receptors are much less likely to store fat, whilst the alpha 2 receptors don’t seem to want to release fat into the bloodstream to be metabolised. What’s interesting here is that there appears to be a higher concentration of alpha-1 receptors in the lower body, specifically the thighs, hips, buttocks, lower back and abdomen. These sites correlate with men and women’s problem areas, so if we could somehow trick to alpha-2 receptors into mobilising fat, we might be onto something.

Enter Yohimbine HCL
Yohimbine HCL is derived from the bark of a West Africa tree. It acts as a potent alpha-2 adrenoceptors antagonist. Antagonising or blocking these alpha-2 sites prevents them from inhibiting fat mobilisation in these areas. Antagonising the alpha-2 receptors essentially enhances fat loss in stubborn areas that would otherwise be resistant to fat loss!

Only good girls get Yohimbine in their Christmas stocking.

Fat mobilisation vs. fat metabolism
Yohimbine can help you to mobilise fat from stubborn areas by tricking the alpha-2 receptors into releasing triglycerides into the bloodstream. In order to lose the weight however, you still need to metabolise or burn the released triglycerides. So for Yohimbine to be effective, you still need to be in caloric deficit to metabolise the fat.

Yohimbine HCL can be found in a lot of Fat Burners on the market, but in varying amounts and quality. I’d recommend that you get medical clearance to use stimulants as a precaution and only use them once you’ve tried to lose weight the good old fashioned way. No pill or potion is going to deliver magical results, but for those who have tried and are battling, it could be worth a look.

Insulin
Studies have shown that insulin resistance is closely linked to high levels of abdominal fat. When your blood sugar levels rise after eating meals, especially high GI meals, your pancreas releases insulin into the blood stream, which is supposed to shuttle the glucose into the cells and lower your blood sugar levels. When the cells cannot respond properly to insulin, your pancreas continues to produce more in an effort to reduce blood sugar levels. You are then considered insulin resistant. As you become more insulin resistant the pancreas pumps out more and more insulin until it literally burns out. When you are no longer able to produce insulin, type 2 diabetes develops. People with insulin resistance also tend to have high blood pressure and too much bad cholesterol, a recipe for heart disease.

If you’re struggling to lose the belly fat, you might want to look more in depth at the effect insulin might be playing. Also, if you are currently on any medication you should check the package insert or consult with your doctor, because a lot of medication on the market affects how your body regulates insulin and could be causing you to gain weight.

Biosignature Modulation and Hormonal Profile
This is a method that has been developed by world renowned strength coach, Charles Poliquin. He has developed this method from over 20 years of taking skinfold measurements from his clients and comparing the results to their hormonal profiles. Whilst this method is controversial, it definitely warrants a closer look. The following paragraphs are quoted from a t-nation article on Charles’ Biosignature Modulation.

The 12 Skinfold Sites of Biosignature Modulation and some related info:

Chin and Cheek: The first sites to go down during a diet. These sites aren’t linked to any particular hormone imbalance.

Pectoral and Triceps: The androgen sites. High pec readings in men in relation to the triceps can reflect an androgen imbalance. Interestingly, Charles says a female who clocks in at less than 6mm on the triceps site is almost a shoe-in to be on steroids and most likely has to shave twice a day.

Suprailliac and Subscapular: The insulin sites. These sites are related to blood sugar management. High readings here vs. the triceps may reflect poor insulin sensitivity and carb intolerance.

Mid-axillary: This site is correlated to thyroid hormone levels.

Umbilical: The infamous cortisol site. It can be high despite low overall body fat. Charles remarked that cortisol issues are most prevalent among Americans residing in the North Eastern seaboard area.

Knee and Medial Calf: These skinfolds are related to growth hormone. Interestingly, readings on the knee site tend to go up in the third or fourth week of a fat loss diet and then go back down.

Quadriceps and Hamstring: High levels here vs. the triceps are correlated to high estrogen levels.

Conclusion
The best solution to fat loss is usually the simplest in which case you should just follow the guidelines in my fat loss basics article. Remember, if you’re not consuming fewer calories than you’re burning, you won’t lose weight regardless of insulin, cortisol or Yohimbine. Often in the fitness industry, we look to complicated solutions before we have the basics nailed down. Don’t let that be you, get the basics right first and if you’re still battling with trouble areas then give some of these ideas a further look.