love handles and abs

[gnomepunter]

im looking for any advice that sumone can give me about toning up my abs and getting rid of dam lovehandles.i have been doing this for a week tell me wat you think.
i run on the treadmill 1 mile everyday
15 situps 4 times a day
15 crunches 4 times a day.
and thats it.will this do the job?

[Apollo]

Short answer, no.

Longer answer, getting rid of "love handles" and "toning up abs" requires two things: (1) Strengthening the ab muscles, and (2) Reducing overall bodyfat. Since there is no such thing as spot fat reduction, I repeat NO SUCH THING, getting a six pack may mean losing a significant amount of weight depending on how much fat you have.

When I wanted an 8 pack I went online and found a pretty good ab workout here (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6122393394064675989&ei=CI7JSsOoBI2YqAOMxLz-BQ&hl=en#). I did as much of that workout as my abs could handle every other day, and after a few weeks they were much much stronger and I found that the workout became easier and easier.

As for reducing bodyfat, it will depend on where you start. I don't know what % bodyfat you are so I will say this: One mile a day on a treadmill only burns around 100 calories, and to lose a pound of fat requires burning 3500 calories in excess of the calories you eat. So you do the math on how long it'll take you at that rate.

Bottom line is, if you want toned abs in a reasonable time span (a month or two), it will take a good ab workout, a lot of cardio, and even diet changes. But trust me the results are worth it.

[gnomepunter]

hey thx alot apollo i tried those workouts and they are a little intense.but hey thats good.again i say thx
+rep

[Apollo]

It's going to be intense, you can see even the guy in the video was having a hard time with it. Your abs will be sore for a while, but they will get stronger and the workout will get easier. Just do as much of it as you can every day, keep pushing yourself, and you'll see results.

[gnomepunter]

hey apollo thanks again.
i have also changed my routine.
i do all the things in that video 3 times a day but instead of 20 of each i do 30.and i also bumped up my treadmill time to 1 hour of walking.the reason for that is b/c the treadmill combined with the ab workouts i shuold see results fast.and as for the fat percent question im at about 10% bodyfat.maybe that will help you get a better idea of my fat loss.

[Apollo]

10% body fat? You must already be looking pretty ripped... here's a rough visual guide to bodyfat:
http://www.naturalphysiques.com/cms/index.php?itemid=144

If that's the case then what you're doing is fine. Good luck

[gnomepunter]

corection im at 16 percent bodt fat lol i miscalculated.im only taking in 1200 calories a day and i burn around 1600 to 1700 a day im hoping to get a nice set of abs in like a little less than a month lol.

[DappyStyle]

ok its great that u run, coz u do cardio.
don't run by miles, run by time, run about 10min and see how much u do, and dont worry if u do less or more next day, as long as the diference is not too big... then u are ready to do abs, and im giving u the link of the program u shud do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tDZRogSbbU

folow the instructions, its ok if u can't do 1 or 2 exercises, but don't stop during all exercise, try to do it slowly only, dont stop ur muscles... its great if u folow it because they count the time you should work and stop, so your muscles are always working, u will realise that your abs are really working, and do it like, monday, wednseday, and friday. . . 3 days a week, 1 on 1 off, 1 on 1 off, 1 on 2 off.... that will work... i garantee u that... if u r thin u gonna see fast results, if u r bit fat cardio and abs program will fit you and you will see results with time. it all depends on how worked are ur abs... i saw results after 1 week... don't forget the cardio is really necessary !

[gnomepunter]

well see i walk ay 3 mph for 60 minutes everynight and it was fuking rough at first but i got used to it.i also use a bowflex for 10 to 20 minutes everyother night.

[DappyStyle]

well see i walk ay 3 mph for 60 minutes everynight and it was fuking rough at first but i got used to it.i also use a bowflex for 10 to 20 minutes everyother night.

Ok, about the run, I don't know what's your height and weight, what program you should do... but 60minutes is something I never did or would do.
About the bowflex it doesn't matter the time you do it, but the number of repitions you do it, just like in PE or anything else. Its a muscle and the only way to grow it up is making series where you can feel your muscle growing and evolving, series with magic number, normally 12, or 8, or 10... it all depends on what you need... it doesn't matter if you do 20min because you can be burning muscle instead of wining it, and thats a big loss for your body.
Do some research man, and what about the abs, have you tried?

[gnomepunter]

yep i have tried and its a very extreme workout so i like it lol and thx for the info

[Apollo]

Ok, about the run, I don't know what's your height and weight, what program you should do... but 60minutes is something I never did or would do.
About the bowflex it doesn't matter the time you do it, but the number of repitions you do it, just like in PE or anything else. Its a muscle and the only way to grow it up is making series where you can feel your muscle growing and evolving, series with magic number, normally 12, or 8, or 10... it all depends on what you need... it doesn't matter if you do 20min because you can be burning muscle instead of wining it, and thats a big loss for your body.
Do some research man, and what about the abs, have you tried?

Dappy no offense, I think you're a great dude from reading your posts on this board, but I think you're giving bad advice here. 60 minutes walking is a fine workout, it'll burn ~300 calories. It won't get the heart rate up like running would, but if the goal is just to burn calories, then it's fine.

As for weight/resistance training, it's true that the number of sets and reps will be different for each person depending on their goals. If you are going for more muscle tone, not necessarily bulking up, three sets of ten repetitions for each exercise is a good place to start.

gnome, how much do you weigh? I'll bet you are burning more than 1600 calories a day. For the average guy, only eating 1200 calories a day is not enough, even if you are trying to lose weight.

[DappyStyle]

Dappy no offense, I think you're a great dude from reading your posts on this board, but I think you're giving bad advice here. 60 minutes walking is a fine workout, it'll burn ~300 calories. It won't get the heart rate up like running would, but if the goal is just to burn calories, then it's fine.

As for weight/resistance training, it's true that the number of sets and reps will be different for each person depending on their goals. If you are going for more muscle tone, not necessarily bulking up, three sets of ten repetitions for each exercise is a good place to start.

gnome, how much do you weigh? I'll bet you are burning more than 1600 calories a day. For the average guy, only eating 1200 calories a day is not enough, even if you are trying to lose weight.
Ohhh man, you are so right ! I misunderstood !
I thought he said "60min runing" thats why I said I never did that, and thats why I answered 10min of regular run everyday is really for a good cardio-fitness.
About calories and numbers I can't give my opinion coz Im not into that.
Thanks apollo ;)

[gnomepunter]

i am 158 pounds but the only weight i want to lose is my slight love handles.

[Apollo]

So i'm guessing youre... 5'8"?

Keep up with the workout youre doing and eat healthy.

Here's something I posted elsewhere for a guy trying to lose weight:

The amount of calories your body requires depends on three things: (1) The amount of lean body mass, ie muscle you have, (2) Your activity level, and (3) Your body's natural metabolism.

A good way to estimate the number of calories you need is as follows:

Take your weight (160)
Multiply by 11. This gives you the calories that your body burns just by living. (1760)
Add the number of calories you burn with physical activity. If you're sedentary, you add 30%, or multiply by 1.3. If you're moderately active, multiply by 1.5 (moderate means you're exercising for at least 30 minutes per day). If you're extremely active, multiply by 1.7.
So, if you're moderately active, 1760 * 1.5 = 2640, the number of calories your body needs at this activity level.
To lose weight, it's recommended you cut your daily calorie intake by roughly 15%. For you, that means 2640 * 0.85 = 2240 calories per day.Thats right, you need to be eating 2240 calories per day to lose weight if you are exercising 30 minutes per day!


So, 1200 calories/day is not enough for you. I recommend around 2000/day.

[pridetiger]

Love handles!
I got rid of them easily and turned them into solid muscle by doing these two exercises alone..

stand with a long pole or snooker que etc on top of your shoulders with your arms wrapped around it. Rotate your body around from side to side and thatl work your love handles.

with a dumbell in one hand bend down to your side and back up again you should realy feel the burn.

[6.3lonnng]

Want to tone those abs guys look into core strength . Core strength exercises fitted in with crunches 3 times a week but very intense in circuit training . Will tone your abs incorporate Planks and side planks into this and you have a perfect workout if possible do intense 1hr sessions. Diet wise try to lose fat but not lose weight . Protein high diet 60% protein 40% carbs. If anyone needs any help sorting out a diet or a gym plan let me know and i will send you my email . Im quite knowledgeble about the gym :)

[Apollo]

60% protein diet is ridiculous. That's way too much protein. You'll kill your kidneys doing that. And fat is necessary for good cholesterol and hormone production. 0% is not advisable.

Take most of your calories from carbs, but not sugars. Instead opt for whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal, etc. Get your fat from non-animal sources, ie. avocados, nuts, olive oil. Your protein intake should depend on how much physical activity you engage in. If you're not doing intense workouts at the gym theres NO reason to eat a ton of protein; youll just piss it out and waste your time money and body.

[6.3lonnng]

im talking about meal size in corolation protein and carbs . on your plate ensure that you have 60% protein and 40% carbs. The human body is better and dealing with 6 small meals throughout the day. so if possible eat small meals an example for a main meal would be salmon steak veggies and cream potatos . ( Imagine a plate split into sections 60% of the plate would be the salmon or chicken the rest of the plate would be the carbs and the veg.) The human body can absorb 90% protein from salmon steak. I have quotes from top body building books and personal training websites if anyone is interested i would have to email them . So im not spamming . Also im a personal trainer what i forgot to mention.

[Apollo]

Look, thats awesome that youre a personal trainer and read so many books by body builders and personal trainers but as a pre-medical student I know that the body will only use so much protein before it starts to oxidize amino acids into urea and expell them from the body. You can eat all the salmon steak you want but your body will not use it all and it's a waste of time and money at that point. It really depends on the individual, a big 200+ pound guy who's lifting weights will need a lot of protein, but a 170 pounder trying to lose weight doesn't need that much protein. But 60% protein in a 2000 calorie diet is 1200 calories of protein, which is 300 grams a day.... that is wayy too much by anybody's standards.

I do think your other advice is correct though, eating more, smaller meals is better, and salmon, starch and veggies makes a good meal.

[6.3lonnng]

Look, thats awesome that youre a personal trainer and read so many books by body builders and personal trainers but as a pre-medical student I know that the body will only use so much protein before it starts to oxidize amino acids into urea and expell them from the body. You can eat all the salmon steak you want but your body will not use it all and it's a waste of time and money at that point. It really depends on the individual, a big 200+ pound guy who's lifting weights will need a lot of protein, but a 170 pounder trying to lose weight doesn't need that much protein. But 60% protein in a 2000 calorie diet is 1200 calories of protein, which is 300 grams a day.... that is wayy too much by anybody's standards.

I do think your other advice is correct though, eating more, smaller meals is better, and salmon, starch and veggies makes a good meal.

I dont mean 60% protein you have read it wrong i meant 60% of the plate should be protein based not have 60% protein per meal lol. If you divide the plate into sections. Also snacking on nuts especially walnuts is ideal . For essential almino acids. Oh ace I start my medical training in september :)

[Apollo]

Just FYI, when you say "protein high diet 60% protein 40% carbs" and you really mean "the area on your plate should be covered 60% with protein-containing foods and 40% with carb-containing foods" thats really, really, extremely misleading.

What kind of medical training?

[6.3lonnng]

Just FYI, when you say "protein high diet 60% protein 40% carbs" and you really mean "the area on your plate should be covered 60% with protein-containing foods and 40% with carb-containing foods" thats really, really, extremely misleading.

What kind of medical training?

I start my training to become a psychiatrist

[The Assman]

This was my regimen for losing my gut...20 mins of cardio everyday plus workout. Diet consisted of 6 small meal portions per day with yes 60 percent of my plate protein, this is what my dietition suggested. i went on 6 weeks of stanzonol pills with milk thistle for my liver. I obviously see where my regimen is different then others, i aint stupid lol. It's a personal choice, and it worked biggg time...

[The Big Banana]

You juiced just to cut up a bit? That seems a little over the top to be honest unless you're a contest bodybuilder. Did you see any side effects? Hows your cholesterol now? I've heard stanozolol doesnt fuck up your nuts as much as other steroids. Did you get any testicular atrophy and have you had semen analysis done since you did your cycle?

[The Assman]

I juiced cuz i wanted to get cut up yes...i've juiced before many times. No side affects on anything...winstrol has little to no side affects. yes it's a 17 aa steroid so its a little tougher on the liver. I took care of this with the milk thistle, and i only did 50 mg a day. worked great! Nothing as far as testicular atrophy and did not get a semen analysis.

[kruger7]

suprised there's barely any mention of weight training. DO NOT just think that only doing cardio will get you low bodyfat %, because in fact, it won't. I already tried this method, and after about 5 months, I did not look much different, apart from probably a small decrease in muscle mass, which is expected from cardio. Hopefully, you will realise this before you make the same mistake as me. With your bodytype, your option is to start on weights, increasing your muscle mass, but you will probably increase your overall weight. After this, you can employ cutting and bulking phases to gradually get a leaner body. Sorry, for the crap explanation, but this is just to give a brief overview.

[Apollo]

DO NOT just think that only doing cardio will get you low bodyfat %, because in fact, it won't.

Actually, assuming you are eating right, it will. Running builds leg muscles, the largest muscles in the body, and because it uses the biggest muscles in the body it burns a lot of calories. If you burn more calories than you take in, you lose fat, as long as you are taking in enough protein that you don't start burning muscle too.