Yep, “Blast Away Stubborn Lower Belly Fat” is the headline I just saw on the cover of a popular women’s fitness magazine.*
Yes, it’s a magazine I’ve written for.
But MY article was credible—of course :-)
The truth is…
Despite what the ads tell you—and what your friend swears worked for her “last spring”—you cannot spot reduce lower belly fat. You just can’t.
Study after study has confirmed it. Not hinted. Not suggested. Confirmed.
Let me give you one of my favorites…
Researchers looked at professional tennis players—an ideal setup for testing this myth. Why? Because in tennis, most players spend years training one arm while the other mostly just tags along for the ride.
So what did they find?
Although the players had significantly more muscle on their dominant (playing) arm, the fat was the same on both sides.
Read that again.
The trained arm didn’t have less fat. Just more muscle.
You can’t out-crunch (or even out-reverse crunch) your lower belly fat. Or your hips. Or your thighs. Because that’s not how human physiology works.
Expert Tip:
Think of fat loss like draining a swimming pool. You don’t get to choose which end empties first. Your body will pull fat from wherever it feels like—and it’s different for everyone.
As I say virtually every day…
“You have no more control over where you lose fat than you did over where you gained it.”
That lower belly fat?
Yeah, it’s frustrating.
Especially for women over 50. Hormonal changes, muscle loss, and decades of “do more cardio” advice haven’t exactly helped. But the solution isn’t a 30-day plank challenge or some detox tea you saw on Instagram.
Here’s what works:
- Be active daily. Walking, structured workouts, chasing your dog… it all counts.
- Lift real weights. Heavy enough to challenge you, not the ones color-coded by fruit flavor.
- Get enough protein. Most women I work with are way under 40 grams per meal. That’s the sweet spot if you want to hold onto muscle and keep metabolism high.
- Sleep like it’s your job. Recovery drives results, period.
- Stay consistent. Not perfect. Just consistent.
Expert Tip:
I’ve coached hundreds of women over 50, and not one of them got leaner by “targeting” lower belly fat. But once they focused on strength, sleep, and protein, that’s when things started to shift.
Personal note:
Years ago, a client of mine (we’ll call her M.) came in asking for “just a few exercises to tighten my lower belly.”
She was already working out six days a week, eating bird food, and burning herself out with cardio.
I helped her cut workouts to three days, bump up her protein, and start doing heavier compound lifts.
Six weeks in, she told me:
“I feel better than I have in years. Oh, and my jeans fit again.”
There was no secret exercise. Just the right strategy.
So yeah, I get why lower belly fat feels like the enemy.
But trying to chase it off with crunches and supplements is like trying to mop up a flooded bathroom while the faucet’s still running.
Fix the faucet.
Train smart.
Eat to fuel, not to punish.
Recover like you mean it.
Everything else will follow.
