It’s January which means that lots of you have hit the gym with renewed vigor. And I’m guessing that no small percentage of you are working specifically to diminish a particular trouble spot. From a flatter stomach to tighter triceps to a smaller derriere, we’re all faced with a similar challenge: how much of which exercises will give us the desired results?

Let’s start by busting the Myth of Spot Reduction.

Once upon a time we all got the idea that if we just did enough crunches we could make our stomachs flat. Or that endless squats would shrink a large behind, or that unending triceps dips would eliminated the jiggle. Not so.

All of these exercises build muscle for sure, but they don’t do much to to eliminate the fat at the problem site. Let’s use the stomach as an example. Everyone has a layer of fat sitting on top of the abdominal muscles. Unending crunches will certainly strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles (and also probably give you a backache!). But if nothing is done to reduce the overlying layer of fat then you’re never going to see the wonderfully toned muscles that sit underneath. This same principle holds true for all the other muscles and problem spots in your body.

So how do you reduce the fat?

Cardiovascular exercise and diet. Cardio—the walking, swimming, biking, etc.—burns calories and gets rid of stored fat. And a healthy diet free of excess calories will keep your body from adding additional fat.

Don’t misunderstand me, I am definitely not telling you to cut out the squats, dips and the like. You do want to build muscle and tone these areas. But you cannot look to these exercises alone to reduce any specific area—they just won’t get it done.

Stay tuned for: 5 Ways To Spice Up Your Squats