View Full Version : More Body Advice Needed
MadMaxx
12-12-2003, 05:04 AM
Thank you
everyone for the dumbell upper body workout advice. I am actually fairly happy with the progress I am
making.
Let\'s see if anyone can help me with this other question. I will give you some background. I don\'t
seem to be having a big problem building up my upper body. I have broad shoulders and I am building my chest,
shoulders, and biceps no problem. That combined with a reduced diet and 8-10 hours of intense dancing a week are
giving my great results at a reasonable pace. I have even lost on inch or more off my waist, and have lost 4-5
pounds(I am not fat anyway). I am 5 ft 10 and recently went from 176 lbs to 171 pounds. I have a fairly
\"trianglular\" shape to my torso.
BUT, there is one persistent problem area. The old \"love handle\" or
\"spare tire\" area. It just refuses to go away! It is like the lines from my armpits to my waist are FAR from
parallel; chest is broad, things really drop off below the ribs, and waist has decreased too, but this \"bulge\"
or ring of flab above the waist persists.
What is the way to attack this thing? Is the answer dietary, muscle
training, excercise, or what?
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Thank you everyone for the dumbell upper body
workout advice. I am actually fairly happy with the progress I am making.
Let\'s see if anyone can help me with
this other question. I will give you some background. I don\'t seem to be having a big problem building up my
upper body. I have broad shoulders and I am building my chest, shoulders, and biceps no problem. That combined with
a reduced diet and 8-10 hours of intense dancing a week are giving my great results at a reasonable pace. I have
even lost on inch or more off my waist, and have lost 4-5 pounds(I am not fat anyway). I am 5 ft 10 and recently
went from 176 lbs to 171 pounds. I have a fairly \"trianglular\" shape to my torso.
BUT, there is one
persistent problem area. The old \"love handle\" or \"spare tire\" area. It just refuses to go away! It is like
the lines from my armpits to my waist are FAR from parallel; chest is broad, things really drop off below the ribs,
and waist has decreased too, but this \"bulge\" or ring of flab above the waist persists.
What is the way to
attack this thing? Is the answer dietary, muscle training, excercise, or what?
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
You doing cruches? Reverse crunches? Oblique crunches?
You might want to try the Vid/DVD
\"5-Day Abs\" by The Firm.
BTW-- I am a woman with a 24 inch waist.
Pancho1188
12-12-2003, 09:02 AM
There are
two reasons why you have problems with that area: too much fat or poorly developed muscles.
Too much fat:
Remember, there is no such thing has spot reduction!!! All the crunches in the world will not help if your
six-pack and killer obliques are hidden by a layer or two of fat. However, the extra abdominal workout will burn
extra calories, which will burn fat and may reduce your waist. In other words, you have to burn total calories to
get extra fat off and ab workouts won\'t get rid of that specific area of fat---just total fat.
Poorly
developed muscles: This is where abdominal workouts will work great. It\'ll help stablize your body and give you
better posture if you previously had weak muscles. Everyone has their own ab workouts they\'ll probably give you,
so I\'ll give you a couple overlooked things that aren\'t really \"crunch\" related. I personally think
crunches are wasteful because most people do them wrong. If you\'ve seen my abs, you know I know at least a
LITTLE about what I\'m talking about.
Anyway, a few cool ways to work your abs:
Take up a sport that requires
a lot of twisting and quick changes in motion. Basketball, tennis, racquetball, etc. Make sure to keep your abs
tight as much as possible, and use your midsection to help you make those split-second twists. Your core will be
sore the next day. Why do you think those rappers who play a lot of basketball have those nice abs?
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Vaccuums: These
are awesome because you don\'t have to be in a gym to do them. It\'s very simple. Just suck in your gut as
hard as you can and feel the burn of your abs. Hold it for 30 seconds and move up as they get easier. It sounds
really simple and easy, and it is. No one ever said ab workouts had to involve crunching.
Pushup-position hold
(for lack of a better term): Get into the pushup position, only prop yourself up with your elbow instead of your
hands so it\'s not an upper body workout. Hold the position while keeping your abs very tight. You can even
tighten and relax periodically if you wish. Put some weight on your back for added resistance. This will also
allow you to have better pushup form in the future so you don\'t have that \"humping the ground\" look while
doing a lot of pushups.
There are so many others that people will tell you about, but those are easy and even fun
ways to get bonus ab workout. Do not do these alone, though, as you should do other exercises, too. They are just
great supplements to \'finish off\' your ab sets and leave you with that \"damn, my abs hurt\" feeling.
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
There are two reasons why you have problems with
that area: too much fat or poorly developed muscles.
Too much fat: Remember, there is no such thing has spot
reduction!!! All the crunches in the world will not help if your six-pack and killer obliques are hidden by a
layer or two of fat. However, the extra abdominal workout will burn extra calories, which will burn fat and may
reduce your waist. In other words, you have to burn total calories to get extra fat off and ab workouts won\'t
get rid of that specific area of fat---just total fat.
Poorly developed muscles: This is where abdominal workouts
will work great. It\'ll help stablize your body and give you better posture if you previously had weak muscles.
Everyone has their own ab workouts they\'ll probably give you, so I\'ll give you a couple overlooked things that
aren\'t really \"crunch\" related. I personally think crunches are wasteful because most people do them wrong.
If you\'ve seen my abs, you know I know at least a LITTLE about what I\'m talking about.
Anyway, a few cool
ways to work your abs:
Take up a sport that requires a lot of twisting and quick changes in motion. Basketball,
tennis, racquetball, etc. Make sure to keep your abs tight as much as possible, and use your midsection to help you
make those split-second twists. Your core will be sore the next day. Why do you think those rappers who play a lot
of basketball have those nice abs? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Vaccuums: These are awesome because you don\'t have to be in a
gym to do them. It\'s very simple. Just suck in your gut as hard as you can and feel the burn of your abs. Hold
it for 30 seconds and move up as they get easier. It sounds really simple and easy, and it is. No one ever said ab
workouts had to involve crunching.
Pushup-position hold (for lack of a better term): Get into the pushup
position, only prop yourself up with your elbow instead of your hands so it\'s not an upper body workout. Hold
the position while keeping your abs very tight. You can even tighten and relax periodically if you wish. Put some
weight on your back for added resistance. This will also allow you to have better pushup form in the future so you
don\'t have that \"humping the ground\" look while doing a lot of pushups.
There are so many others that
people will tell you about, but those are easy and even fun ways to get bonus ab workout. Do not do these alone,
though, as you should do other exercises, too. They are just great supplements to \'finish off\' your ab sets
and leave you with that \"damn, my abs hurt\" feeling.
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
Pancho
DOES have great abs!
Pancho1188
12-12-2003, 11:16 AM
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Pancho DOES have great abs!
<hr
/></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
And Kari DOES look good naked...
24-inch waist... I have a ~30-32-inch
waist, and I am pretty damn thin...I\'m guessing that\'s small enough to pick up, carry around, and maybe prop
up against a wall and....................Hmmmm... Pancho in heat...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Hey, there\'s another way to work those abs!!!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font
class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Pancho DOES have great abs!
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
And Kari DOES look good naked...
Actually, you\'re right! I DO!
24-inch waist... I
have a ~30-32-inch waist, and I am pretty damn thin...I\'m guessing that\'s small enough to pick up, carry
around, and maybe prop up against a wall and....................Hmmmm... Pancho in heat...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Hey, there\'s another way to work those abs!!!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
Push ups!
Up-down-up-down updownupdownupdown up--- DOOOOOOOOOWWWNNNN. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
There are two reasons why you have problems with
that area: too much fat or poorly developed muscles.
Too much fat: Remember, there is no such thing has spot
reduction!!! All the crunches in the world will not help if your six-pack and killer obliques are hidden by a
layer or two of fat. However, the extra abdominal workout will burn extra calories, which will burn fat and may
reduce your waist. In other words, you have to burn total calories to get extra fat off and ab workouts won\'t
get rid of that specific area of fat---just total fat.
Poorly developed muscles: This is where abdominal workouts
will work great. It\'ll help stablize your body and give you better posture if you previously had weak muscles.
Everyone has their own ab workouts they\'ll probably give you, so I\'ll give you a couple overlooked things that
aren\'t really \"crunch\" related. I personally think crunches are wasteful because most people do them wrong.
If you\'ve seen my abs, you know I know at least a LITTLE about what I\'m talking about.
Anyway, a few cool
ways to work your abs:
Take up a sport that requires a lot of twisting and quick changes in motion. Basketball,
tennis, racquetball, etc. Make sure to keep your abs tight as much as possible, and use your midsection to help you
make those split-second twists. Your core will be sore the next day. Why do you think those rappers who play a lot
of basketball have those nice abs? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Vaccuums: These are awesome because you don\'t have to be in a
gym to do them. It\'s very simple. Just suck in your gut as hard as you can and feel the burn of your abs. Hold
it for 30 seconds and move up as they get easier. It sounds really simple and easy, and it is. No one ever said ab
workouts had to involve crunching.
Pushup-position hold (for lack of a better term): Get into the pushup
position, only prop yourself up with your elbow instead of your hands so it\'s not an upper body workout. Hold
the position while keeping your abs very tight. You can even tighten and relax periodically if you wish. Put some
weight on your back for added resistance. This will also allow you to have better pushup form in the future so you
don\'t have that \"humping the ground\" look while doing a lot of pushups.
There are so many others that
people will tell you about, but those are easy and even fun ways to get bonus ab workout. Do not do these alone,
though, as you should do other exercises, too. They are just great supplements to \'finish off\' your ab sets
and leave you with that \"damn, my abs hurt\" feeling.
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
Actually, though, honey... I partly disagree with you. I agree that there is no such thing as
spot reducing. However, crunches tighten the abs. Look what the crunch machine at the gym does for people.
Icarus
12-12-2003, 05:23 PM
woo yay i got
a 28 inch waist.
Basically, everyone is right in what they are saying. it\'s the body fat percentage that is
your enemy.
The stuff that you are complaining about (since it doesn\'t make you look \'overall\' fat) will
be the first place that your body stores fat on you physiologicaly... therefor it\'ll be the very last place to
come off. Since it\'s been there the longest, it\'ll have had a chance to turn into the \'orrible brown
adipose tissue, the stuff that dreams are made off! Due to this, it will also likely be recieving pretty
poor blood supply, making it even harder to encourage your body to get off it\'s (metaphorical) ass and use it for
energy. Muscle is sooooo much easier to break down than that icky sticky gunk (i\'m not five, you
know).
Sooo... yeah! It\'s a nutritional thing... um.. Pancho, could you fwd that PM i sended you to this
man..? I\'m really strapped for time at the moment!
Good luck dude, the advice you\'ve already been given
is Sterling... keep at it!
Abba Zabba
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Steve
Pancho1188
12-13-2003, 11:01 AM
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Actually, though, honey... I partly disagree with
you. I agree that there is no such thing as spot reducing. However, crunches tighten the abs. Look what the crunch
machine at the gym does for people.
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
You\'re not disagreeing
with me. You\'re right, and that\'s why I said this:
</font><blockquote><font
class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Poorly developed muscles: This is where abdominal workouts will work
great.
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
Crunches, etc. do tighten the abdominal muscles. That was
my point, but I guess I didn\'t come out and say that. Thank you for clarifying.
The only reason I said I
didn\'t like the standard sit-up and crunches is because most people do them wrong. First of all, if you ever do
a \"sit-up\", you\'re wasting your time. Anyone who knows anything about working out knows that one. Crunches
are good if you do them right, but most people go 100 miles per hour when it\'s not speed and reps but the
contraction of your abdominal muscles that are important. Although the crunch machines are hard to use because they
are designed for someone who is 5\'10\" and you have to find out EXACTLY how to adjust it to your height for it
to work well (even then they can feel awkward and unnatural sometimes from my experience), they are great for
keeping you from going too fast with your reps and adding resistance.
Oh, and I found another good way to work
out your abdominals. DANCING!!! Well, dancing and moshing...yes, I moshed a little at last night\'s formal with
my friends. Go figure. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif The twisting, jumping, and pushing were
great for the core muscles. I\'m feeling it today! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font
class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Actually, though, honey... I partly disagree with you. I agree that there
is no such thing as spot reducing. However, crunches tighten the abs. Look what the crunch machine at the gym does
for people.
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
You\'re not disagreeing with me. You\'re right,
and that\'s why I said this:
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Poorly developed
muscles: This is where abdominal workouts will work great.
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
Crunches, etc. do tighten the abdominal muscles. That was my point, but I guess I didn\'t
come out and say that. Thank you for clarifying.
The only reason I said I didn\'t like the standard sit-up and
crunches is because most people do them wrong. First of all, if you ever do a \"sit-up\", you\'re wasting your
time. Anyone who knows anything about working out knows that one. Crunches are good if you do them right, but most
people go 100 miles per hour when it\'s not speed and reps but the contraction of your abdominal muscles that are
important. Although the crunch machines are hard to use because they are designed for someone who is 5\'10\" and
you have to find out EXACTLY how to adjust it to your height for it to work well (even then they can feel awkward
and unnatural sometimes from my experience), they are great for keeping you from going too fast with your reps and
adding resistance.
Oh, and I found another good way to work out your abdominals. DANCING!!! Well, dancing and
moshing...yes, I moshed a little at last night\'s formal with my friends. Go figure.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif The twisting, jumping, and pushing were great for the core
muscles. I\'m feeling it today! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
yeah, I can relate to that! I sued to be a bellydancer, in nightclub shows. Talk about
abdominal work!
MAJORLY agree with you re: crunches and sit ups. Esp. sit ups. They don\'t do a damned thing.
Holmes
12-13-2003, 01:42 PM
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
I sued to be a bellydancer, in nightclub
shows.
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
What kind of lawyer did you have to get for that??
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Holmes
MadMaxx
12-13-2003, 06:43 PM
Kari
wrote:
yeah, I can relate to that! I sued to be a bellydancer, in nightclub shows. Talk about abdominal
work!
MAJORLY agree with you re: crunches and sit ups. Esp. sit ups. They don\'t do a damned thing.
Who
exactly did you sue so that you could get into belly dancing? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
MadMaxx
12-13-2003, 06:54 PM
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font
class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Actually, though, honey... I partly disagree with you. I agree that there
is no such thing as spot reducing. However, crunches tighten the abs. Look what the crunch machine at the gym does
for people.
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
You\'re not disagreeing with me. You\'re right,
and that\'s why I said this:
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Poorly developed
muscles: This is where abdominal workouts will work great.
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
Crunches, etc. do tighten the abdominal muscles. That was my point, but I guess I didn\'t
come out and say that. Thank you for clarifying.
The only reason I said I didn\'t like the standard sit-up and
crunches is because most people do them wrong. First of all, if you ever do a \"sit-up\", you\'re wasting your
time. Anyone who knows anything about working out knows that one. Crunches are good if you do them right, but most
people go 100 miles per hour when it\'s not speed and reps but the contraction of your abdominal muscles that are
important. Although the crunch machines are hard to use because they are designed for someone who is 5\'10\" and
you have to find out EXACTLY how to adjust it to your height for it to work well (even then they can feel awkward
and unnatural sometimes from my experience), they are great for keeping you from going too fast with your reps and
adding resistance.
Oh, and I found another good way to work out your abdominals. DANCING!!! Well, dancing and
moshing...yes, I moshed a little at last night\'s formal with my friends. Go figure.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif The twisting, jumping, and pushing were great for the core
muscles. I\'m feeling it today! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
After your earlier post suggesting certain sports, I was going to mention that I dance 6-8
hours a week, but I thought that you might laugh at that. While it may not be as useful as some of the sports you
suggest, I certainly do not think it should not be dismissed. I do fairly intense salsa dancing, and it is solely
responsible for my weight loss, waist reduction, and it is probably very slowly affecting my \"spare tire\" area.
As someone said though, that is pretty old fat hanging around there, so it is not too excited about getting burned
off.
You also mentioned keeping the abs tightened. I know that the whole time I am dancing I have to keep my ab
area tightened more than usual. The reason I know is that I have to tighten my belt about half a hole when I dance.
otherwise my pants are slipping down. In that tightened position, the waist is not comfortable if I am just walking
around or sitting, but when dancing I definitely has to be there. So, I guess I am always a little \"sucked in\"
when dancing. I am not sure of the reason. Maybe it is a result of the posture required, or maybe it is because
muscles throughout the torso are actually being used???
MadMaxx
12-13-2003, 06:57 PM
Somebody
mentioned circulation in that area. How about massaging the area to improve circulation there? Isn\'t that why
they strap obese people into one of the big belts that go around their mid-section and vibrate the hell out of them?
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
kindofblue78
12-13-2003, 10:10 PM
Here\'s your best bet:
Do things that aren\'t abdominal centric, just things that rely on your abs to be
stable (ie Jacknife pushups and regular pushups). Also, do a lot of running, that seems to help too. If you\'re
just looking to build abdominal strength, check out a book by Pavel Tsatsouline called \"Bullet-Proof Abs\" it
sounds corny, but the stuff in there is really good.
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Kari wrote:
yeah, I can relate to that! I sued
to be a bellydancer, in nightclub shows. Talk about abdominal work!
MAJORLY agree with you re: crunches and sit
ups. Esp. sit ups. They don\'t do a damned thing.
Who exactly did you sue so that you could get into belly
dancing? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
Sue? ????? Oh! I see... that\'s a typo. Should be \"used,\" not \"sued.\"
Oh,
honey! I was in shows for a couple decades. Now, I help judge a major dance contest, out here, every Feb.
Didn\'t mean to go pro, actually. I started taking lessons, in my early 20s. just to stay in shape. After a
few years, teachers plugged me into show to replace dancers who called in sick. Next thing I knew.......
I just
got out of it a couple years ago. Started hating the late nights and long drives.
</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
</font><blockquote><font
class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
I sued to be a bellydancer, in nightclub shows.
<hr /></blockquote><font
class=\"post\">
What kind of lawyer did you have to get for that??
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Holmes
<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">
One of O.J.\'s /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.