Lovehandles

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  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
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    Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:
    42199-1_asl.jpg

    If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
    NOT HOW TO DO THEM:
    1106-mv-db-side.jpg

    I got told these are not good on your spine...it's not a natural movement be carefull

    Our body moves that way naturally (you use your obliques more than you think to stabilize your body), so unless people do them very heavy or with poor form they are just fine. Every exercise can be bad for you if done wrong or too heavy. Poor form on lunges? It will hurt your knees. Rounded back or cheating on rows? Twists your spine unnaturally. Bench dips or dips to 90%? Destroy your shoulders. Forcing your knees behind your toes during squats? Horrible for knees, hips and back.

    Powerlifters and strongmen specifically add weighted side bends to their workouts to strengthen the core and assist in power transfer. I wasn't advocating she do them. I was stating that they will not make her waist smaller. When you strengthen your obliques (which is what they do) you may make your waist appear or measure wider.

    ETA: You can strengthen your obliques without side bends by doing one armed, heavy overhead lifts with lateral movement.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    Doing exercises will result in a slight calorie burn which is part of your overall deficit and have the possibility of adding some muscle.

    Adding muscle under fat often isn't what you want.

    Losing weight certainly is.

    Having more muscle underneath may make you look better WHEN you lose enough weight.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
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    Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:
    42199-1_asl.jpg

    If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
    NOT HOW TO DO THEM:
    1106-mv-db-side.jpg

    Thanks for this, I was doing them wrong

    This seem contradictive to me. First you say that if you do it with a weight in each hand you're doing them wrong yet that's what the "doing it right" picture shows. I'm confused.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:
    42199-1_asl.jpg

    If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
    NOT HOW TO DO THEM:
    1106-mv-db-side.jpg

    Thanks for this, I was doing them wrong

    This seem contradictive to me. First you say that if you do it with a weight in each hand you're doing them wrong yet that's what the "doing it right" picture shows. I'm confused.

    Do it with one weight in one hand at a time. Not two weights in each hand. Having a weight in both hands, they act as a counterbalance, thus leaving your obliques with less work to do. It's not a good workout.
  • Wilbur_NOLA
    Wilbur_NOLA Posts: 120 Member
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    Let's recap...there's no such thing as target weight loss. If you want to reduce your love handles, maintain a strict diet that puts you in a caloric deficit (you will have to crunch the numbers). Exercises that target the obliques won't reduce the fat in that location, but will help you strengthen the muscles in that area. If anything, stay away from heavy weighted side bends. Focus on your diet.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
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    Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:
    42199-1_asl.jpg

    If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
    NOT HOW TO DO THEM:
    1106-mv-db-side.jpg

    Thanks for this, I was doing them wrong

    This seem contradictive to me. First you say that if you do it with a weight in each hand you're doing them wrong yet that's what the "doing it right" picture shows. I'm confused.

    The top picture is doing it right. The weight is in one hand. You do one side then switch to the other.
    The bottom picture is doing it wrong. The weight is in both hands. If you have a weight in both hands in cancels out the resistance.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
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    Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:
    42199-1_asl.jpg

    If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
    NOT HOW TO DO THEM:
    1106-mv-db-side.jpg

    I got told these are not good on your spine...it's not a natural movement be carefull

    Just got to thinking about this even more. I tend to carry my kids on one hip. I carry multiple grocery bags in one hand to have the other free to unlock the door. I carry the garbage bag out with one hand. I carry my gym bag in one hand. I carried my infant in a car seat with one hand. Although bending sharply is of course a bad idea, bending enough to get a stretch is very natural.
  • princessmommy122
    princessmommy122 Posts: 135 Member
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    cardio and planks.
  • fittoday14
    fittoday14 Posts: 128
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    When I went to the gym regular. The body builders showed me a tip. Get an old broom handle place it behind your shoulders and hands at widest but comfy grip. The twist your waist to the right then left slowly. 3x20 reps.

    I'll try that!
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
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    When I went to the gym regular. The body builders showed me a tip. Get an old broom handle place it behind your shoulders and hands at widest but comfy grip. The twist your waist to the right then left slowly. 3x20 reps.

    I'll try that!

    great for stretching.

    facepalm15.gif
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    When I went to the gym regular. The body builders showed me a tip. Get an old broom handle place it behind your shoulders and hands at widest but comfy grip. The twist your waist to the right then left slowly. 3x20 reps.

    I'll try that!

    f-p.gif

    With all the info in this thread about how you can't spot reduce and no matter how many twists or side bends you do you need to drop overall BF%, this is the one you decide to go with?
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    On the 'exercises to gain muscle' thing -
    Imagine laying a can ok of coke on a bed, then laying a duvet over it.
    Now swap the can of coke with a large bottle of coke with the duvet over it.

    Which looks more 'toned'?

    Now replace the duvet with a thin sheet.

    It's the amount of fat that is the issue.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    On the 'exercises to gain muscle' thing -
    Imagine laying a can ok of coke on a bed, then laying a duvet over it.
    Now swap the can of coke with a large bottle of coke with the duvet over it.

    Which looks more 'toned'?

    Now replace the duvet with a thin sheet.

    It's the amount of fat that is the issue.

    Do you understand how hard it is to gain muscle......for a guy? It's exponentially harder for women and this is an 18 yr old female with a calorie goal of 1200. OP isn't going to be gaining any muscle.

    It's not necessarily about gaining muscle as it is maintaining it. Lift to maintain the muscle so that when you lose the fat from your deficit you reveal the muscle underneath....

    With that said. OP, you aren't consistently logging, so it looks like you probably don't have control of your intake. Also, your intake is set at 1200 calories. At your age that is probably way too little unless you're 3ft tall. I would advise changing your goal to 1lb per week.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    I am well aware that -
    It's very hard for (most) women to gain significant muscle.
    It's very hard to gain significant abdominal muscle.
    It's impossible to gain significant muscle in a calorie deficit.

    Which even more makes the point that doing abs exercises won't get rid of 'love handles' :).

    The above post was to explain that even if the three points in this one weren't true, it STILL would likely not have the desired result!

    But yes; as per my first post in this thread, having the muscle there WHEN you lose them may mean a nicer look.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    With all the info in this thread about how you can't spot reduce and no matter how many twists or side bends you do you need to drop overall BF%, this is the one you decide to go with?

    Agree.

    It seems that there are more and more new MFP people every day, every week, every month, every year - which is good. But it does lead to the same old, same old getting hashed over again and again. That's understandable, I guess. Odd advice in this thread with "hopes" of spot reduction.

    As you mention, and I agree with you, no spot reducing is available. Well, outside of liposuction, amputation, surgery, etc..., that is

    If a male or female wants to lose the love handles, spare tire, etc.... - it requires good old fashioned work to lose enough fat that eventually the fat located in the "love handle" area melts away as well. That's usually one of the last spots to go, so you have to get pretty skinny (lean and mean) for the last little bits in the mid section we call "love handles" to be gone.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:
    42199-1_asl.jpg

    If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
    NOT HOW TO DO THEM:
    1106-mv-db-side.jpg

    I got told these are not good on your spine...it's not a natural movement be carefull

    ^ Heard the same thing. I prefer side planks myself.

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