pear-shaped men...how to shape up!

[ultimate99]

This might be awkward, but most men are apple-shaped while women are pear-shaped. But for those men who are pear-shaped, what exercises can lose those fat surrounding the hips and butts?

You might say lower body exercises, lunges, etc. But these would cause muscle to grow faster than burning fat. I googled and ofcourse got all different kinds of anwers and in the end hey just want you to buy a book.

One tip I read is to do high intensity workout for 20min rather than low intensity for 40min, is that right?

Anyone with real experiences that can share?

[-Himanshu-]

Same problem here man, skinny upper body but fatty lower body. Looks like I am a girl or something. :cry: I started bodybuilding but can't afford gym now so was doing in home with some dumbbelss. Only option is to cut and drop bf to ~10% or less. As my bf started to fall I noticed improvement, but it is difficult for me to maintain the regime with my studies currently. But that's your only option, clean diet and start lifting weights and add some cardio. Dropping bf will make you look much better, but you will never get the Y shape. I currently look like triangle and it sucks man. :angry:

[Xahid]

it's very easier to get rid of those extra fats with some efforts, will power and patience.

if you can't afford the gym, switch to swimming or jogging for 30 minutes daily, I prefer swimming because its fun.

and remember if you don't control your diet, its useless (not entirely) to exercise.

[-Himanshu-]

You might say lower body exercises, lunges, etc. But these would cause muscle to grow faster than burning fat.

Well I carry most fat on thighs and butt, and lower body exercise will get rid of it. You should do squat etc., but with moderate weight. Don't use too heavy weight because it may enlarge the muscle. But doing these parts are important because it will make the area fat free and firm. And hams are a large muscle this more test will be secreted on exercising these muscles, which will help with your upper body growth. So, don't neglect them.

One tip I read is to do high intensity workout for 20min rather than low intensity for 40min, is that right?

Yeah, I recommend that one. The intenser the workout, the more fat you lose in less time. Search for "tabata workout" on youtube and try it. It is one of the best methods of losing fat.

[i11usive]

Cut out carbohydrates from your diet for a while.

[dead.cell]

There are a lot of heated arguments when it comes to the best method for losing weight, but they all revolve around one key element: YOUR DIET. I find it rather bothersome that so many people jump through all these hoops and such, searching for the easy way instead of just eating right...

What to supplement your diet with is up to you, but in my personal experience, cardio and exercise machines don't have anything on free weights! Yes, your weight may not change radically at first, but you will lose inches off your waist and your body will begin making a transformation. My girlfriend right now is actually frustrated with her weight, as she's lost only a few pounds. However, her body has made some great improvements having lost 3 inches off the waist, and really improving her body overall. (I'm usually 'mirin her when she squats/deadlifts hahah)

Keep in mind also that more muscle mass = more calories burned, even at rest! Cardio will only get you so far, and isolated exercises on machines isn't something I'd really recommend. I tried it for some time before I figured out what I was doing, but it wasn't until I worked with my marine buddy that I actually saw a change in my body.

Pics of progress, June being before I had done any free weights. As you can see, there was only a 4 pound difference between June and August, but I've been told I looked like I lost a lot more weight during those 2 months. That was just me saying goodbye to the fat heh.

If you really want help, I can point you to a great community over at Fitocracy.com. Lemme know if you (or anyone else here) would like an invite. They've helped me a lot, answering everything between questions on dieting, exercise routines, you name it... :p

@i11usive, carbs aren't necessarily bad. What you want is complex carbs, not the crap you find in processed/junk foods. Think vegetables and such.

[-Himanshu-]

Yeah I agree, free weights are the way to go. And yep, carbs are not that bad. Though it depends on you, because it affects everyone slightly differently. Like, i cut rice from my diet to get rid of carbs, but it didn't make any difference, but I felt loss of energy. Now I have included it again and my energy levels are normal, but it doesn't make me fat. So, cycle through carbs and no carbs and see what works best for you.

And best exercises as beginners will be compound exercises like bench press, deadlift, squats, pull ups(with weight attached if you can perform easily with body weight), chin ups, etc. Once you make good progress, you can start adding isolated movements of each muscle, but never do away with the compound movements.

Rest is very important for fat loss also. Take 8 hours sleep and don't overtrain. 1 hour at a time should be enough time in gym.

[Axel]

There aren't any ways to spot train and burn fat away from a specified area unfortunately. The best thing to do is try to balance your proportions by building muscle on you chest, shoulders and back (the V shape). I would start by getting a trainer to write you a program which involves a combo of cardio and circuit training (involving weights) to cut the fat to start (as it's near impossible to put on muscle AND burn fat at the same time). Work your way up to a 5 day a week routine, when you've hit the wall or start to plateau in your fat loss you can start thinking about switching to a weights routine which involves big compound movements (using multiple muscle groups at once) to add mass.

Second thing to focus on is your diet, don't go all out to start with by buying protein powders and lot's of supplements. Concentrate on learning what foods are good and what combination of macro nutrients make sense for what you're trying to achieve. I'm talking, carbs, protein and fats. Also, when I use the word 'diet' I don't mean these crash diets people go on, lose motivation, then put on twice as much fat as they had before. I'm using 'diet' in the context of lifestyle change. This doesn't mean eating really bland healthy food all the time, you're still allowed to treat yourself every now and then, but it's exactly that; 'every now and then'. Don't balance out whatever calorific allowance you've given yourself at the end of the day with a chocolate bar just because you've not met the quota. Not all calories are created equal and it's far better to have a mindset whereby you fill that calorie hole with something your body actually needs, especially when you're exercising.

Lastly, don't give up. Changes don't happen over night, and don't happen equally for everyone. Stay in the positive mindset and remember you're also making your insides healthier, even if the aesthetic manifestation of these changes are happening slowly, just tweak things here and there and never give up.

[dead.cell]

There aren't any ways to spot train and burn fat away from a specified area unfortunately. The best thing to do is try to balance your proportions by building muscle on you chest, shoulders and back (the V shape). I would start by getting a trainer to write you a program which involves a combo of cardio and circuit training (involving weights) to cut the fat to start (as it's near impossible to put on muscle AND burn fat at the same time). Work your way up to a 5 day a week routine, when you've hit the wall or start to plateau in your fat loss you can start thinking about switching to a weights routine which involves big compound movements (using multiple muscle groups at once) to add mass.

Second thing to focus on is your diet, don't go all out to start with by buying protein powders and lot's of supplements. Concentrate on learning what foods are good and what combination of macro nutrients make sense for what you're trying to achieve. I'm talking, carbs, protein and fats. Also, when I use the word 'diet' I don't mean these crash diets people go on, lose motivation, then put on twice as much fat as they had before. I'm using 'diet' in the context of lifestyle change. This doesn't mean eating really bland healthy food all the time, you're still allowed to treat yourself every now and then, but it's exactly that; 'every now and then'. Don't balance out whatever calorific allowance you've given yourself at the end of the day with a chocolate bar just because you've not met the quota. Not all calories are created equal and it's far better to have a mindset whereby you fill that calorie hole with something your body actually needs, especially when you're exercising.

Lastly, don't give up. Changes don't happen over night, and don't happen equally for everyone. Stay in the positive mindset and remember you're also making your insides healthier, even if the aesthetic manifestation of these changes are happening slowly, just tweak things here and there and never give up.

Very well said good sir! Couldn't have put it better myself!

[Izlude]

Same problem here man, skinny upper body but fatty lower body. Looks like I am a girl or something. :cry:

That was hilariously awesome :D I can imagine being clobbered by the ladies if I ever said something like that.

Anyway I've kinda got the same prob. I got a lil belly going on... and an upper body that's gone to hell. I'm not really into body building, but I'd like to "maintain" acceptable form. Do you suppose regular sit-ups, crunches and benching would suffice? (I don't have a bench or bars, so do you think laying on my back on the floor and lifting 8 pounders in that pose would help any?)

[Solid Knight]

You cannot spot reduce fat. Your body will determine what fat is burned. Typically, the fat in your extremeties gets burned long before the fat around your waist ever does.

Lower your caloric intake and exercise--it's that simple. It's a lifestyle change and don't expect instant results. It takes a while to burn it all off.

[-Himanshu-]

That was hilariously awesome :D I can imagine being clobbered by the ladies if I ever said something like that.

Anyway I've kinda got the same prob. I got a lil belly going on... and an upper body that's gone to hell. I'm not really into body building, but I'd like to "maintain" acceptable form. Do you suppose regular sit-ups, crunches and benching would suffice? (I don't have a bench or bars, so do you think laying on my back on the floor and lifting 8 pounders in that pose would help any?)

Maybe hilarious for you, but it's depressing for me. My hips are nearly as wide as my shoulders and wider than my rib cage. My ass is so big like a girl. It's like some hormone imbalance or genetics thing. :cry: :cry:

Well, it's just a matter of dropping body fat. simple crunches won't suffice. You have to do some more high intensity workout and eat a slight shortage of calories.

[Detection]

I was like 15st a few years back (I Probably am again now mind) and moved into a place away from anyone I knew, so had nothing to do apart from exercise and weight lifting.

In the morning I would take the dog to the field where there was a football field and I used to do just 1 lap of the pitch with the dog and sometimes again at night

First couple of weeks I could barely make it around the field once, but soon was wanting to do a second lap

Also had a bench-press with only about 65kg of weights to play with and some dumbbells

after a few weeks of 1 or 2 laps a day and about 20 mins of bench-presses and dumbbells per day I was noticeably toned and the podge was dropping off,

I reckon I was only doing that for a couple months before I had ran out of weights to add to the benchpress and starting to have to do more reps

Doesn't take long if you combine cardio and weights, don't even have to do all that much, my theory is that your body tries to be the shape it should be, and it takes you to really hammer it with laziness and eating of crap to turn it into a pudding

Once you start living a normal life of healthy eating and exercise, your body is happy to drop into the shape it should be anyway

[Detection]

EDIT - Found some photos, can't find the exact dates but I was only living in that place for a year and I know I only was doing my weights and jogging for maybe 6 months so these photos are maximum 6 months apart (Makes me want to do it again :p)

I had more or less given up on things on the first photos, drinking everyday and doing nothing much else ( Can see stretch marks on my gut from beer belly, I went from about 10.5st to 15st in 1 year)

Maximum 6 months later of not all that much exercise really and some weights in the house only

This was the only weights I had

And I am the laziest person I know, so if I can go from photos 1 to photos 2 in 6 months without going to the gym, anyone can :p

(Wonders where my dumbbells are.... )

[Duffydemon]

I have knee knock problem, had moobs too ( i hate this word ), Im tall so my shoulders and rib case is wide. I got rid of moobs ( not completely but i can wear t-shirts now without being ashamed ) by doing regular exercise and cardio. But knee knock problem is incurable, and what sucks is that i cant join army or other defense services because of it.

this is pic is 1 year old, note my knees:

This is what i used to look alike last year:

and here is pic of my chest after 6 months of gym:

and here i m now, it boost my confidence when i see myself without extra fat. :)

You cant just get rid of your fat from one part of body, you have to loose all your weight ( like i did ), i always had moobs no matter im skinny or fat, so i lost all my body fat and started building muscles, and now it looks better, same goes for your "hips". Best of luck :)

[justmike]

Just started up again myself. I'm down 12lbs, and the handles are finally going away. With me it's mostly food, an eat junk be junk realization. Then there are sites like http://nutritiondata...cessing#cooking where I wonder how I got anything at all from what I was eating, and that list is before calculating the human absorption ability for the specific food type. :pinch:

[dead.cell]

Made a Neowin group for anyone interested in joining and keeping up with each other's fitness:

(ignore the lame workout, as I was demonstrating form that day for others. No longer lifting as I'm going to Basic training next week)

Invitation to the beta here: http://ftcy.co/iMsBb8

Group link here: http://www.fitocracy.com/group/7220/

[ultimate99]

Wow, guys! I'm impressed, great stories there!

[+Warwagon MVC]

Simrat even got rid of his man boobies!

[Duffydemon]

Simrat even got rid of his man boobies!

lol, you have man boobies too warwagon. Time for some bench-press and push-ups :D

[-Himanshu-]

I have knee knock problem.

I also have a slight knock knee problem. I noticed it when I was like 16 and I think it is not possible to change bone structure now, it would have been better if my parents noticed it first. But, some things that I have done seems to decrease the condition but not fully cure it.

One thing I noticed was I walked on the whole foot like a flat-foot person. The arches in my feet is very less curved and it seems my leg muscles are not very strong. This curves the knee and puts the whole pressure on the bones and knee cap. Just notice consciously if your whole feet touches the floor and if so try pulling up the arch part so that you are standing using the ball of feet and the front bone and the sides. The arch should not touch the floor. It seemed awkward at first and I had to manually do it but after a month or so it became a habit. You will soon realize how relaxed your knee will be and there is a slight pain that you may not notice now but will notice when it goes away. Also try to keep the feet straight forward, I used to walk it with slightly out angles. I also have a slightly anterior pelvic tilt so if you also have it try to correct the posture. These things helped me.

And padmasana also works, the one in which your cross legs over each other. And when sleeping at night, if you sleep on your back, try putting a pillow under your knees and if you sleep on your sides, try putting a pillow between the legs at the knee part. This also relaxed the tension in my knees and helped with the problem.

[Duffydemon]

I also have a slight knock knee problem. I noticed it when I was like 16 and I think it is not possible to change bone structure now, it would have been better if my parents noticed it first. But, some things that I have done seems to decrease the condition but not fully cure it.

One thing I noticed was I walked on the whole foot like a flat-foot person. The arches in my feet is very less curved and it seems my leg muscles are not very strong. This curves the knee and puts the whole pressure on the bones and knee cap. Just notice consciously if your whole feet touches the floor and if so try pulling up the arch part so that you are standing using the ball of feet and the front bone and the sides. The arch should not touch the floor. It seemed awkward at first and I had to manually do it but after a month or so it became a habit. You will soon realize how relaxed your knee will be and there is a slight pain that you may not notice now but will notice when it goes away. Also try to keep the feet straight forward, I used to walk it with slightly out angles. I also have a slightly anterior pelvic tilt so if you also have it try to correct the posture. These things helped me.

And padmasana also works, the one in which your cross legs over each other. And when sleeping at night, if you sleep on your back, try putting a pillow under your knees and if you sleep on your sides, try putting a pillow between the legs at the knee part. This also relaxed the tension in my knees and helped with the problem.

luckily i dont have flat foot problem, and knock knee problem is not that extreme, people dont even notice until i tell them, and thanks for the tip, i'll try padmasan and pillow exercise from now. Weird thing is i was in football team during school days and i still can run or walk without any problem, maybe cycling in teenage helped me.