FOR ALL THE WORKOUT SAVY PEOPLE!!!!!

[MigAce312]

I have a problem......my upper back is pretty built but my lower back doesn't seem to lose the fat. Is there any weight lifting exercise I can do to get rid of this? Any alternatives to running?..........I HATE running. TY

 

[Looney]

You can't really spot reduce fat, but you can tone that up a bit. If you have access to a gym, do some back extensions. Another good exercise is deadlifts.

 

[MigAce312]

I don't have access to a gym....I use free weights at home. Whats a substitute for back extensions?

 

[abracadabra1]

Lifting won't make you any thinner. Do cardio to lose that fat bud.

 

[DDCSpeed]

yea but u its a workout that twist ur waist from side to side but i do recommend running to get rid of body fat overall because there is simply no other ways to do it.

 

[MigAce312]

well....I've lost the battle against running.

 

[Phuz]

<< "I have a Nissan Skyline GT-R M-Spec".........and then I wake up. >>



So true..

 

[TheBlondOne]

K, I always feel stupid posting in these things 'cause I never seem to know as much as everybody else, but...

What really worked for me was to take hand weights (ok, for me they were 5 lbs. but you could probably use 20 or 25) and bend down on either side, then back up. It REALLY tightens your lower back muscles and helps it to firm up. But like everyone else said, you should probably combine that with running in order to get optimal results.

--Sarah

 

[tcsenter]

<< I have a problem......my upper back is pretty built but my lower back doesn't seem to lose the fat. Is there any weight lifting exercise I can do to get rid of this? Any alternatives to running?..........I HATE running. TY >>

You're talking about the single most difficult area for a male to lose weight, and let me tell you, I'm in the same boat. I kind of let myself go in the last 5 years. My chest, shoulders, and arms are still muscular, but I've got this bulge in the middle that wasn't there 6 years ago. My bad, I saw it coming, but I just kept putting it off (or on, you could say).

You can only lose a fraction of the fat in that area by targeting your abs and lower back. But, some 80+% of it is not going to budge by targeting those areas with exercise. The ONLY conventional way you can lose that, is to reduce your overal body mass index and body fat percentage, and this takes a while. You literally have to get your metabolism and body in a state where you're are burning fat around the clock, I believe its called catabolism (been a long time since physiology, so I may be wrong about that).

This is tough, and its why some men either learn to live with it, or resort to non-conventional means of losing it (surgery). I would discuss ways to do this with a qualified exercise and fitness trainer, because there are prudent ways to go about this, and there are unhealthy ways to go about it. Even men who take-up body building and reach very low body fat ratios, if they've ever had any substantial fat stored in those areas, find it difficult to lose.

But, even though its tough, its NOT impossible. And, the longer you wait, the harder it will be.

 

[Argo]

I didn't even know it was possible to have fat in those areas. The closest thing that I can think of are love handles and it's pretty easy to lose those.

 

[StageLeft]

To lose weight in that area you will have to lower overall body fat. You simply must. If you hate running pick another cardio excercise. If you HATE cardio you can cut calories back (a good idea anyway). It's very possible and quite effective to weight lift and cut calories back significantly skipping out cardio and still lose it. Cardio always helps but cutting back calories is normally the best place to start anyway. Even if you don't need to lose weight elsewhere you'll just have to lower body fat percentage as a whole to kill your back fat.

 

[tcsenter]

<< I didn't even know it was possible to have fat in those areas. The closest thing that I can think of are love handles and it's pretty easy to lose those. >>

Come on, you've never seen persons with a tell-tale "tire" around their mid section? The subcutaneous fat-pad under the skin of anyone's lower back is inordinately thick, even if you're thin overall. The exception would be athletes, or those with an eating disorder or something.

As for love handles being "easy" to lose, I can say either you have a genetic anomaly, you're young with a young metabolism, or you're mistaken about what love handles are. That area is one of the most problematic areas to lose for most adult males (those who want to lose weight in these areas).

If you've never put it on to begin with, except for perhaps a few pounds and an increase in one or two inches in waist size since you've stopped growing, then you've got it made, because that will be easy to lose.

They all said it would happen, and I said "ok, sure, whatever". My 'teen' metabolism gave way to an adult metabolism. I could eat and eat, and never gain a pound, like any male in their late-teens or early-twenties. Then, my metabolism changed while my appetite didn't. To add insult to injury, I have been less physically active or athletic in the last 5 - 6 years than I was at 21. ;-)

At the time I stopped growing around 17, my waist was 29-30 inches, with a BMI of about 24. I was on the muscular side of 'average', so my relative BMI was overstated by about 1.0-1.5 points. I was still the same at 23 years old. I had put on about 7 pounds, but it seemed to go all over pretty evenly instead of around my waist.

hehe, today, I'm 30, with a waist of 35-36, and a BMI of 28. Something happened, and it wasn't a spontaneous growth of muscle. ;-)

There is a REASON they call certain areas 'problem' areas, and love handles are an extemely common 'problem' area for those trying to lose weight.

 

[Parrotheader]

Even though I'm fairly slim overall and in good shape like you, I also have a few pounds I want to lose right in the exact same area. My biggest weakness was the same one you had, cardio. Give me some free weights and I'm happy, but make me do cardio like running and I HATED it.

I've finally forced myself to get back on our treadmill and I'm trying to run a little bit longer each day. Just try a little bit at first if you hate it like I do. Eventually, you'll go farther and farther without noticing it. We also have a stairmaster which I occasionally use, although that seems to just build up legs more than it actually burns fat IMO.

Assuming you don't have access to a pool (swimming is probably THE best cardio workout I've ever had) something you might want to consider looking at is a heavy bag workout. I bought one of those a while back and I absolutely love it. It's a great cardio workout, but it's fun. When I'm jogging, even when I have the TV on, I get bored very quickly and begin focusing on how much I'd rather not be doing this. But when I'm using the heavy bag, you can really get into it and have fun (crank up some heavy music and go to town.) You'd be amazed how quickly that will tire you out. I personally think two hard 3-minute rounds on the heavy bag is more tiring than running a hard mile.

One other thing which you may already be doing . . . DRINK LOTS OF WATER! That has ALWAYS been my biggest weakness. I'll drink lots of sodas, tea, and kool-aid, but not much pure water. That's probably one of the biggest things overlooked by a lot of people. I've been trying to do the whole '64oz. of water a day thing' for the past week. It's been an eye-opener because I have to force myself to drink that much. It's supposed to help flush your system out and lighten the load on your kidneys and liver to help boost your metabolism. I haven't seen any results from that yet (except going to the bathroom a lot) but it's only been a week. All those doctors can't be wrong can they

 

[StageLeft]

My 'teen' metabolism gave way to an adult metabolism. I could eat and eat, and never gain a pound, like any male in their late-teens or early-twenties. Then, my metabolism changed while my appetite didn't.

This is what I keep telling frogdog. He doesn't seem to appreciate my words of warning...I'm only 23 and my metabolism has already changed (I excercise just as much but really have to watch caloric consumption).

 

[FrogDog]

<< This is what I keep telling frogdog. He doesn't seem to appreciate my words of warning...I'm only 23 and my metabolism has already changed (I excercise just as much but really have to watch caloric consumption). >>

No! This will never happen! Not to me! Never!!