FinOuch Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 So I'm relatively fit. 5'5" at a buck twenty-five. I can run a 5k with my eyes closed, and a 10k isn't much of a problem either. (granted, at a slowish pace) But...I still have some fat I'd like to shed, and unfortunately I carry nearly all of it in my thighs and butt. There's two problems that I have with it: 1) The rest of me looks good...and then when I look at that particular region of my body, one thing comes to mind: J-E-L-L-O! 2) It is pretty disproportionately shaped to the rest of me. I'm definitely a "pear". I know there's good muscle tone underneath all that jiggle, and I want to decrease and shape it up. Everything I'm reading seems to indicate these things are contradictory - that if you tone it will bulk up, and while cardio will slim it (and I get a lot of cardio in) it won't necessarily tightent or lift. So, in addition to being uncertain if I should do any butt-specific toning at all...I've also read conflicting information regarding what TYPES of toning I should be doing. Some sources say tons of squats, while other sources say avoid squats altogether to avoid bulking and stick to forward moving type of activities such as lunges. Anybody have experience or advice as to what I should be doing?
tman666 Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 I'm guessing you're female and in generally good health. A couple of things: "toning" is a term that's tossed around in the fitness world that really doesn't mean a whole lot. People who appear toned have a combination of low body-fat and a moderate amount of muscle mass. The "bulky" look comes with testosterone-guys have plenty of it naturally, while girls have to supplement with testosterone or other androgenic chemicals to get truly "bulky". Basically: yes, you should be lifting heavy weights. No, you won't turn into she-hulk unless you're taking the "special Vitamins from Mexico". Squats, lunges, deadlifts (especially Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)) and leg presses are all great for building those ass muscles. The other thing is this: you can't spot reduce fat. Your genetics determine where your body likes to store fat. Your body will put on-and remove-fat in sequential order in the areas it damn well pleases. You should carefully track your caloric intake for about a week. Pay attention to how much protein, fat and carbs you're getting. You'll likely need in increase protein intake and lower overall caloric intake from carbs/fats. This, combined with a regimen of heavy compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, etc. will help.
Chocolat Posted July 15, 2011 Posted July 15, 2011 As usual, I agree with Tman. I want to add that doing lots of cardio -- aka running -- can work counter to your goals. I briefly went on a running kick in 2009 and ended up gettng very soft in the glutes and hamstrings (my quads looked great, though). I've since backed off, because I prefer the way I look when I do more lifting and less cardio. The exceptions are that I can do occasional HIIT (no more than 2x/week) and I can walk pretty much endlessly. But running 3 or more miles several days a week brings about changes I don't like. A few other exercises I like for the glutes are: Swiss ball curls hip bridges one-leg hip thrusters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRwUAnURp4&feature=related You can add weight to the latter two. I do bridges on the floor in the squat rack and load up the bar (I also get some strange looks as I am doing this!). I do the hip thrusts between 2 benches and place a plate in my lap.
littlebit35 Posted July 25, 2011 Posted July 25, 2011 So I'm relatively fit. 5'5" at a buck twenty-five. I can run a 5k with my eyes closed, and a 10k isn't much of a problem either. (granted, at a slowish pace) But...I still have some fat I'd like to shed, and unfortunately I carry nearly all of it in my thighs and butt. There's two problems that I have with it: 1) The rest of me looks good...and then when I look at that particular region of my body, one thing comes to mind: J-E-L-L-O! 2) It is pretty disproportionately shaped to the rest of me. I'm definitely a "pear". YOU have a bubble butt <> males love bubble butts so live with it
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