I was wondering if any have you guys have experienced a problem like this. I am 6 ft. 180 lbs at 9% body fat. I have a good looking six pack, but for some reason I seem to collect fat around my lower back/love handles region.
I cant seem to get rid of it, and I do not want to start to restrict calories because I am not that big as it is, and being in single digits for body fat i wouldnt think that i would have to. So any ideas on how maybe to trim fat off that region without losing my muscle gains??
In all the reading I’ve done, spot reduction has been denounced as a myth, and a phenomenon such that, if it occurs, occurs in such a small way that no one has yet noticed it.
If you’re storing body fat right around your waist, thats where you’re predisposed to store it. My problem is with the reported 9% body fat you report. Are you sure this is accurate? At that level of body fat, I would think you wouldn’t be too worried about excess visible fat on the mid-section.
If you think you’re still too small though, I say bulk, get some muscle, and jack that metabolic rate up.
Well I got it measured with a bioelectric impedance machine and it was at 8.7% I am not sure how accurate some people might think a machine like that is, i have heard they are pretty accurate myself…so take it for what its worth i guess.
I agree w/ Josh. I’d give up the fat loss for like 6 wks, pack on some muscle (which will in turn raise your metabolism and help burn a lil more fat) and focus on big compound lifts like deads and squats which will thicken your abdomen and stretch out that fat.
[quote]danew wrote:
I agree w/ Josh. I’d give up the fat loss for like 6 wks, pack on some muscle (which will in turn raise your metabolism and help burn a lil more fat) and focus on big compound lifts like deads and squats which will thicken your abdomen and stretch out that fat.[/quote]
Pack on muscle for 6 whole weeks? Most people are not going to gain more than a couple of pounds at best of lean tissue over a 6 weeks period. He should probably focus on increasing muscle mass for 6 months minimum if he wants to get more muscular.
Stretch the fat? I don’t even know what to say about that.
I have the same problem. I’m only 173 (6’1")though. I think getting more muscles the best advice, I was 160 and went up 13lbs and I noticed the fat looking less noticeable.
I recommend super sets, aka lactic acid training, if your body type is similar to mine. It rocks.
Im thinking about starting to do some sprints once summer hits, do you think that sprints will lead to a loss of muscle mass? Im probably going to do them no more than twice a week on my off days.
[quote]schanz_05 wrote:
I was wondering if any have you guys have experienced a problem like this. I am 6 ft. 180 lbs at 9% body fat. I have a good looking six pack, but for some reason I seem to collect fat around my lower back/love handles region.
I cant seem to get rid of it, and I do not want to start to restrict calories because I am not that big as it is, and being in single digits for body fat i wouldnt think that i would have to. So any ideas on how maybe to trim fat off that region without losing my muscle gains??[/quote]
Dan Duchaine recommended yohimbine cream, Poliquin recommends glycyrrhetinic acid (both have studies on them showing spot reduction). Brian Batcheldor recommended percutafeine (a cafeine gel) on this site years ago and John Berardi recommended Lipoderm on the latest Fitcast podcast (don’t know if either of these have studies to back them up).
The key with all of these is that you have to be in caloric deficit for them to work.
Some years back I heard a doctor, who specialized in medicine for people in their 80’s mking a speech. He was hired to test a product that was supposed to help lessen fat on female thighs.
A group of ladies would come in each day and apply the test product to their thighs. While they said the thigh fat was lessening, the doctor/researcher, was not able to measure any difference. He over heard the ladies complaining that the stuff was lubricating their hands and their rings were falling off their fingers.
It turned out the stuff did work, and was lessening the fat in their hands and fingers, making the fingers smaller, thus the rings comming loose. I am sure the product is still out there someplace, and that that tuype of spot reducing does work.
Once before I assaulted by fat, and always exerised with a waist band on. It lone of several things I did, and combined, they all worked.
Your blood insulin is too high. You probably also have a decent amount of fat in your subscapular area in your back. You should make better carb choices and timing, along with fish oil.
I have found used some of Poliquin’s Biosignature stuff with awesome results. As a side note, my blood work matched his skinfold correlations almost exactly. The guy is on to something with that. Google it and you might be surprised at what you find.
First, I would get another measurement of your bf% using a more accurate method. Those machines are generally way off and mutiple factors and influence their reading, such as hydration levels.
Second, being 6’ and 180lbs, I doubt that you need to try and cut much more fat. If anything, you need to gain more muscle. Some people just have wider hips. And others may just store a bit more fat around the hips regardless of dieting. To counter those factors, you need to develop the muscle around the area. You can create the illusion of smaller hips with a wide and thick back, along with larger legs.