I feel that I am soft in my mid section - specifically the area directly outside of my kidneys. Is there something specific I can do to target this area?
My stats are: 21 yo, 180lbs, serious lifting and great diet for ~9 months. I am up from 140 about a year ago.
Lose fat.
My vote is to keep eating and lifting intensely…build a solid foundation of size then cut off the fat and have a good, solid physique.
Or you could cut the fat now, waste a bunch of time, probably lose some muscle that you really can’t afford to lose, etc and take longer to build a truely stand-out physique.
[quote]josh86 wrote:
My vote is to keep eating and lifting intensely…build a solid foundation of size then cut off the fat and have a good, solid physique.
Or you could cut the fat now, waste a bunch of time, probably lose some muscle that you really can’t afford to lose, etc and take longer to build a truely stand-out physique.[/quote]
I definitely feel the second paragraph. I am totally over being upset about having some fat gain. I eat like an animal - clean, though.
I understand that there is fat in that area, but when I look in the mirror that portion of my back curves in toward my spine slightly and I don’t like that.
I suppose you’re saying that the solidity of my core will come with time and effort in the gym as well as thought going into food choice? Is there anything more I can do beyond that to make that area more solid?
[quote]josh86 wrote:
My vote is to keep eating and lifting intensely…build a solid foundation of size then cut off the fat and have a good, solid physique.
Or you could cut the fat now, waste a bunch of time, probably lose some muscle that you really can’t afford to lose, etc and take longer to build a truely stand-out physique.[/quote]
Fatty.
BAH
I spend 9 months out of the year with some excess stomach fat, its the nature of bulking. Try not to worry about it, keep doing what you’re doing and maybe throw in cardio 2-3 times a week for like 20 mins after you lift if it bothers you that much.
I am okay with the fat. It doesn’t bother me. I want to know how to work that specific muscle. What are some of your core workouts that have hardened up your mid section? Specifically the areas directly above where the kidneys sit.
your kidneys arent really symmetrical. i believe your talking about your love handles. you may get a better response if you use that term.
How do I work the muscles around the love handles?
Damn… tough group…
first of all working a specific muscle group will not target fat loss in that area, the body doesn’t work like that. You will just have to work to lower your BF.
That aside, stand with a pretty heavy dumb bell in one hand and lean to that side and come back up. Will work your obliques which is pretty much were your love handles are.
Squats! and deadlifts! a nice balance of the two with some benchinggg
but really your talking about the obliques i assume, and i would do exercises for abs if u must! Wheel roll outs n planks harden that up for me real nice.
If you’ve been gaining steadily, you don’t wanna really upset the apple card, so to speak. Still, prerhaps you cut scale back the overall CALS just by a small increment, and let your body deal with it. If you’re actually making use of say 80% of what’s going “in”, dropping to more of a maintenence intake, or even something as small as a 300 cal deficit can make a big diff over even a month.
300 cal x 30 days = 2.5 lbs, which if it’s all fat, will definitely show in your love handle area, without throwing a wrench in your muscle gains.
S
Stu – good stuff right there.
Russian Twists are a good move for the posterior obliques, as are any exercises that involve a twisting movement of the core.
Palof Presses get my sides nicely. 3x3 with 20 second holds…oh man…good shit.
Guys, this isn’t a ‘work the muscle’ problem, the OP says he gained 40 lbs in the past year,… no one puts on 40 and has all of it as LBM.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
Guys, this isn’t a ‘work the muscle’ problem, the OP says he gained 40 lbs in the past year,… no one puts on 40 and has all of it as LBM.
S
[/quote]
well he asked how to work the muscle around the love handles so we answered accordingly.
[quote]josh86 wrote:
My vote is to keep eating and lifting intensely…build a solid foundation of size then cut off the fat and have a good, solid physique.
Or you could cut the fat now, waste a bunch of time, probably lose some muscle that you really can’t afford to lose, etc and take longer to build a truly stand-out physique.[/quote]
Nail, meet head. This is exactly what is working for me. I’m a few years older than you and a few pounds heavier, but think everyone needs to focus on building a strong foundation of muscle FIRST.
When I started I was 20% body fat. The guys on BB.com kept saying “If you’re over 15% body fat, start cutting”. I cut down to 12% body fat, and hardly looked better. I still had fat accumulation in the same spots, just less of it.
The more muscle you gain, at a given body weight, the lower a percentage of your body is fat. In the beginning, you will experience fat loss along with muscle gain. Don’t focus on small pieces, when the whole thing needs improvement.