Lovehandles

RGv2

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!

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

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

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

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

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

Also, these (weighted side bends) don't make your waist or love handles smaller. They firm your obliques:


If you try them with a weight in each hand you are doing them wrong.
NOT HOW TO DO THEM:

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.