You have probably heard people say that they want to lose fat in a specific area. Often times they are told that this is possible. 

Truth is, the body does not burn fat from specific areas just because you are working/exercising/targeting these areas. For example, just because you are doing glute biased Romanian Deadlifts does not mean that you are targeting fat loss in the glutes. 

When exercising, your body draws energy from far stores throughout the body. This process is controlled by genetics & hormones, not voluntarily by the specific musculature that you are using in an exercise.

How exactly is this fat mobilized??

• Hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, & cortisol are released during training/exercise. 
• Hormones then signal adipose tissue (throughout the body) to break down the stored triglycerides into FFAs, or free fatty acids (as well as glycerol). 
• FFAs release into the blood stream, which then causes the to circulate around the body. 
• Working muscles take up circulating fatty acids & oxidize them within the mitochondria. This helps produce energy throughout activity. 
• Even if you are doing an upper body exercise like tricep pushdowns, the fat being oxidized can come from your thighs, hips, back, abdomen, or wherever your body decides to pull from. Again, this is based off of hormonal balance & genetics.

Keep in mind that your body does prefer to burn carbohydrates first. This is especially true for high intensity activity. Source focus shifts to fat when intensity is lower, & duration is longer. 

Fat Storage Genetically Determined?

• Everyone loses & stores fat differently. This is based on genetic predisposition.
• Other factors like sex, age, & hormone levels play a role as well. 
• You cannot control where your body chooses to burn fat from first. 

Peer review articles & evidence: 

Debunking the Myth of Spot Reduction: The Truth About Fat Reduction

https://www.onetoonefit.com/debunking-the-myth-of-spot-reduction-the-truth-about-fat-reduction?utm_

Regional fat changes induced by localized muscle endurance resistance training

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23222084/

Regional Fat Changes Induced by Localized Muscle Endurance Resistance Training

https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2013/08000/regional_fat_changes_induced_by_localized_muscle.23.aspx?utm_

A PROPOSED MODEL TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS OF EXERCISE-INDUCED LOCALIZED FAT REDUCTION (SPOT REDUCTION), INCLUDING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH META-ANALYSIS

https://researchers.unab.cl/en/publications/a-proposed-model-to-test-the-hypothesis-of-exercise-induced-local?utm_

Effect of combined resistance and endurance exercise training on regional fat loss

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28497942/

Effect of Exercise Training on Fat Loss—Energetic Perspectives and the Role of Improved Adipose Tissue Function and Body Fat Distribution

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8497689/

The Myth of Spot Reduction: Why it Doesn't Work

https://circledna.com/blog/the-myth-of-spot-reduction-why-it-doesnt-work

The Fallacies of “Spot Reducing” and Truth About Fat Loss

https://www.sportsmd.com/sports-nutrition/fallacies-spot-reducing-truth-fat-loss/