I have been training for months now and have trouble with
my "lower" anatomy (i.e., butt, hips and thighs). I always
have trouble with these areas. Do you have any suggestions
for my training or diet that might help?
I have good news and I have some bad news. Since I am the
type of person who likes to get the bad news out of the way
first, here you go.
Bad News: The cards are stacked against you. According to
the research and anecdotal evidence from thousands of
women, it's a proven fact that women do have trouble losing
body fat from the "lower" body.
In a 24 week study on women[1], they lost a higher
percentage of fat from their arms and trunk, with very
little being lost from the lower body. Also, during the
first 14 weeks of the study, they actually gained some lean
mass in the lower body, which made things appear worse than
they really were. There are numerous theories as to why
things are this way. Most of them refer back to
pre-historic living conditions in one way or another.
Because there is no set-in-stone explanation as to why this
problem exists, it is very difficult to give the "perfect"
answer; however, I will be glad to share with you some
solutions that have helped some of my clients with this
same problem.
[1] *Nindl, B. C., Harman, E. A., Marx,
J. O., Gotshalk, L. A., Frykman, P. N., Lammi, E., Palmer,
C., & Kraemer, W. J. (2000). Regional body composition
changes in women after 6 months of periodized physical
training. Journal of Applied Physiology 88(6), 2251-2259.
Good News: There is hope. After reading the bad news, I
am sure that you just about shut off your computer, but
hear me out on this one. No matter what you may have been
told in the past, aerobics and pastel colored dumbbells are
not going to get you where you want to go. What you need
to be performing are large multi-joint exercises just like
the ones I have previously detailed in my Super Six (The
Evolutionary, March 2004).
Along with performing those exercises, you will want to use
a weight that is 80-95% of your 1 RM (the maximum amount of
weight with which you can perform a technically sound
repetition on any given exercise). You also will want to
work in a fairly low repetition range. I would recommend
performing 2-6 repetitions per set and 5-10 sets of each
exercise. Remember, these recommendations are only for the
Super Six types of movement.
For all other exercises, choose a weight that is
challenging. A good rule of thumb: If you can perform 15
or more "good" repetitions with a weight, you need to
increase your resistance (amount of weight).
Nutrition: There are three simple rules for nutrition
that will get you on the absolute right track.
1. Drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water per day
2. Consume 30 grams of fiber per day
3. Consume a minimum of 1 gram protien per pound body
weight
I know this is not specific meals and menu plans but it
will get you on the right track for you!
Swim with the Fishes: John Berardi, one of the premier
sports nutritionists, has recently discussed some research
in which fish oil supplementation has produced dramatic
results in individuals. Taking 1 to 3 servings of fish oil
per day, can increase metabolism, decrease body fat
percentage, and actually increase lean body mass. These
results were produced in sedentary individuals.
Cinamumumm......: Thomas Incledon, another renowned
nutritionist and researcher, recommends adding 1
teaspoon/day of cinnamon to your diet to help control blood
sugar levels. Cinnamon is supposed to slow the entry of
glucose into the bloodstream and limit the possibility of a
large insulin spike. Basically, this is going to help you
control your appetite and curb the ravenous sugar binges
that can occur when blood glucose hits rock bottom.
Timing is Everything: Something I have found to be
effective is to center your carbohydrate intake around your
training time -- before, during, and after -- and limit
your carbohydrate consumption during the rest of the day.
Now, by no means I am advocating a "low carb" nutrition
plan. What I am saying is to make an effort to
strategically consume your carbohydrates at a time when
your body can most efficiently put them to work for
productive proposes, and that just happens to be before,
during, and after your resistance training sessions.
Its an Uphill Battle: I strongly recommend performing
some interval sprint training 1-2 times per week. This
should help you with the extra energy expenditure needed to
drop body fat and also be the most time efficient way to
produce results. Plus, when is the last time you saw a
sprinter with a "troublesome" lower body composition? I
recommend hill runs because they will also help you to
perfect your running technique. Try to find a hill that is
15-30 yards in length for your runs, and perform 5 to 10
runs with a one minute rest in between each run. If you
have never experienced this type of training, I strongly
recommend that you take a very conservative approach and
progress slowly.
Summary
1. Train with large multi-joint movements (i.e., squat,
deadlifts, over-head press, etc.).
2. Train with a weight that is 80-95% of your 1 RM. A good
rule of thumb is to use a progressively more challenging
weight.
3. Use a lower number of repetitions (2-6) and a higher
number of sets (5-10).
4. Consider supplements of fish oil and cinnamon.
5. Try timing your carbohydrate intake around your training
sessions.
6. Add in some interval sprints for efficient anaerobic
training
These should help get on track towards getting that 'lower'
abdominal area nice and lean.
Enjoy!
----------------------------------------------------
Troy M. Anderson is the owner of Anderson Training Systems,
LLC, a fitness coaching business based in Tempe, Arizona.
Troy is often referred to as "the MacGyver of coaching" for
his unique ability to build effective fitness programs
using only the most basic equipment. For more articles and
instructional video, visit
http://www.andersontrainingsystems.com
To Read the ATS Weekly Blog, go to:
http://troyats.blogspot.com/
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