If you’re into fitness, you probably scroll through social media for tips on how to sculpt a fit body. The latest abs move posted by Janny Jewelry via TikTok features a coach dancing while twisting and crunching her abs. She suggests doing this for five minutes a day for a month to see results. However, getting a six-pack isn’t as easy as a five-minute ab routine, says Jack Craig, a certified personal trainer with Inside Bodybuilding, a health clinic offering anabolic recovery and harm prevention services for professional athletes.
“[A]ny routine offering overnight success is probably selling you a dream,” Craig said. “Working out regularly and eating at a calorie deficit will do more to help you get visible abs than just a dedicated dance. Instead, do a workout you can perform with intensity, to maximize your effort, strength gains, and calorie burn.”
Craig also tells us why the dance might cause injury and why we can’t spot-reduce belly fat.
The TikTok weight-loss dance can be harmful to some people
Craig breaks down the viral dance and how it might make you feel like you’re chiseling your abs. “Curling your hips towards your ribs (like in this video) will work your lower abs, but will probably leave your upper abdominals under-activated,” Craig said. “The twisting motion will give some activation to your obliques, but you can target them much more effectively in other ways.”
The TikTok clip shows the woman moving her hips quickly, however, it could cause injury if your body lacks flexibility. “The problem with this workout is just how fast the person is doing the dance. It almost looks like there’s not much control in the motions, which can open someone up to back injuries,” Craig explained. “Flexing your hips in the manner shown in the video can put a lot of motion in the spine, which will flex with each motion. If you don’t have adequate spine mobility, this can cause you to pull a back muscle, causing significant pain.”
You can’t spot-reduce fat
Even if you yearn for chiseled abs, toned legs, or defined arms, Craig says no exercise will get rid of fat in any specific area. In fact, he adds that where we store fat can say a lot about us. “Fat distribution is mostly caused by genetics, which dictate where your body stores excess energy,” explains Craig. “Some types of fat also accumulate due to stress or sleep patterns. A lot of fat around your abdomen, for example, is usually the result of a stressful lifestyle.”
All in all, Craig concludes by telling us that diet is the key to losing fat. “Many athletes say ‘abs are built in the kitchen, not the gym,’ because it’s important to be lean, rather than exclusively muscular. Getting lean will help make sure your muscles are visible, so you can enjoy the hard work you put in the gym.”
