How long until the jiggle is gone?

I've been spinning twice a week, squatting about 70 pounds, doing lunges, goodmornings, hamstring curls and leg extensions for weeks now. I want to know how long until my jiggle in my booty is gone. My leg muscles are really hard but I still don't see alot of definition. I want to see cut up legs and a rounder firmer butt. I can see some improvement but for some reason I think it should be more by now. Am I not doing enough? Gawlee! If I'm not then I don't know how I'm going to do more. Is 45-60 minutes of spinning twice a week not enough either to lose the fat. By the way I've been working out consistently for over 6 months now. I see better definition in my arms and shoulders. Please help or advise me! Thanks.

Diet is the most important factor in seeing definition, if you're diet isn't good no amount of training will outweight it.

Ok what exactly do you mean? Do I need more protein and less fats. No bread perhaps? I guess what I'm asking, is there any specific diet regimen that I should be following? I'm wondering if it's just matter of time because as I said my muscles are really hard, but they are just not popping yet.

First of all, floggingsully is exactly right that diet is the most important factor - not in and of itself, but because losing body fat is the only way to see definition and get rid of the "jiggle" as you call it.  And exercise alone doesn't eliminate body fat, eating less than you burn does.

As far as what to eat, others will give far more expertise than I will, but a good balance of carbs, protein and fat (balance means different things to different people, but 50-60% carbs and a relatively even split between protein and fat is typical) is a good place to start.

As for your weight routine - you say you're squatting 70 lbs.  How long have you been squatting that much?  You need to be constantly pushing yourself to higher weight and more reps.

My wife just started squatting a few weeks ago.  She started around 70 lbs.  Last week she was up to 125 lbs (3 sets of 10-12).  Continuing to increase the weight you're lifting in all your lifts so that the most you can do is 3 sets of 8-12 reps is key.

Finally, it just does take time.  I've got a couple areas of stubborn fat that won't go away.  Know that the definition you're seeing in your arms and shoulders will come to your legs and butt eventually.

I've seen great improvement in my own physique, but that's been due to cardio 5-6 times a week and heavy strength training 3 times a week - and most importantly a continued calorie deficit!  It's hard work, but it's worth it!

Since I don't know what your current diet consists of I can't say if you need more or less of anything.  Figure out how many total calories you're burning each day and eat 500 less than that.  Make sure you're getting protein and veggies at every meal (or almost every meal, veggies can be hard to fit into breakfast), and that all your calories are comming from healthy, non-process sources.  As a general rule, stay away from foods that have ingredients you don't recognize.

It seems as if I'm doing all the right things for the most part. I eat less than I burn. I've slacked up a bit on the cardio because I have 2 intense spin sessions a week. I was doing cardio every day, but someone told me on here that it's better to do cardio after you lift. The problem for me is that if I'm doing lower body weight lifting, I'm exhausted afterwards and I rarely do cardio after that. I was doing better when I did cardio first and then weights. What do you guys think is best in that regard?

I have been squatting 70 lbs for a few weeks. I didn't realize that you should go up that quickly in weight. I guess I'll try to go up on my weight today. What is your wife's height and weight jdw? I'd say for about a week or two I did overeat a little bit, but nothing too bad to the point where I would put on more fat. I guess I need to re-evaluate my routine and diet and see where I can make more changes.

I should clarify - the main reason my wife has gone up that quickly is not because she has gained that much strength, but rather that her body has adapted to lifting and doing squats, which she'd never done before.  But the important thing is that you are pushing yourself to the limit

That said, she has gained strength quickly because of her work, but going from 70 lbs to 125 lbs in a month just on strength gains isn't going to happen once your body has adapted and you're fully utilizing your strength.

We both follow a protocol of every time we lift we either do more reps than last time or more weight.  I do 7-10 reps per set, and she does 8-12, so when she gets to where she can do 3 sets of 12 at a weight, the next time she lifts she increases the weight by 5-10%.  I do the same thing, but I increase once I reach 3 sets/10 reps.

My wife is 5'9" and just over 160 lbs with a medium/large frame and in fairly good shape.  She wants to lose to 150.

Bottom line - don't overdo your lifting, but make sure you push yourself further each session, whether it's by doing more reps or more weight.

Ok thanks that is good advise. I must say that I may not be pushing myself enough. I need to keep better records on my weight lifting so I can know when I need to go up. Thanks

Oh, and I'll add, that you're right that it's best to do cardio after weights.  But I'm not as much a stickler as many on here and if the only way you are going to get more than 2 cardio sessions in a week is to do cardio before lifting - and the extra calories you would burn are necessary to your calorie deficit - then I'd do that, but I'd keep the intensity at a level where you can still have a really good lifting session.

A better option if you lift at night might be getting up 20-30 minutes earlier and going for a run in the morning, and then you'd be well recovered by the time you lift in the evening.  That's what I typically do on lifting days, and I keep it lighter especially on lower body days (today for me, I just did a 20 minute jog this morning).

Again, it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out, and it sounds like you're doing a good job there.  For some of us (I actually carry a lot of my weight in my butt/thighs which is a bit abnormal for a guy) the extra just comes off more slowly in those areas, so be patient...from my love handles to the tops of my thighs are the last place to get ripped for me!

Original Post by nenewa:

Ok thanks that is good advise. I must say that I may not be pushing myself enough. I need to keep better records on my weight lifting so I can know when I need to go up. Thanks

Keeping records is important for me - I have a journal that I take to every lifting session so I can see what I did the last time and make sure I continue to push myself.  I wouldn't work nearly as hard without it!

If the doing cardio first and then weights worked for you then go for it- but for most people conserving their energy for a good weight workout means doing cardio after.  Also you don't have to go balls out each cardio session.  maybe just take a walk in the morning or after your workout- save your hard cardio session for your spin classes but the other days do something in the lower zones.  My HRM sets up programs and it recommends about 1 hr of light cardio 2 hours of moderate and only 35 minutes of hard a week for my goals to "improve" my fitness level.

Also if the 70lb is easy and you can do 12 reps with little difficutly then its time to bump up the weights..  I like to Pyramid my weights.  I will do a low weight for the first set add weight for the 2nd and back down for the 3rd set when my 2nd set is easy enough to do 12 reps then the next time I do weights that becomes my starting weight.

As far as getting rid of the jiggle I dont know.  It all depends on where your body likes to store the flab.  I know I've been doing weights and cardio for along time and still can't lose the jiggle in my butt.  There are times when I'm in cardio class I can actually feel the bounce in the butt.  Maybe after I start losing weight again this will go away but some of it is genetics plain and simple - I've always had a big jiggle butt even when I was "skinny"

This is a little off subject but in regard to increasing the weight you lift.  I used to to a strength program that was built on four week cycles.  To start we would determine our one time max on each of the lifts we were doing.  Then in week one we would do 3 x 8s of 70% of the one time max.  Week two was 80%.  Week three was 90%.  And in week four we were attempting to do 3 x 8s of the weight that had been our one time max.  Then in week five we re-test for our new one time max and started over at 70%.

I like the pyramid idea. Sometimes I stack the weights like I'll do 50 lbs, then 60lbs, then 70lbs. How do I find out what my 1 time max is? I will try these variations and keep on trucking.

Original Post by trhawley:

This is a little off subject but in regard to increasing the weight you lift.  I used to to a strength program that was built on four week cycles.  To start we would determine our one time max on each of the lifts we were doing.  Then in week one we would do 3 x 8s of 70% of the one time max.  Week two was 80%.  Week three was 90%.  And in week four we were attempting to do 3 x 8s of the weight that had been our one time max.  Then in week five we re-test for our new one time max and started over at 70%.

 that's a solid approach for women-- excellent idea!

nenewa--

i feel sully & trhawley have a good approach / ideas for you--and jdw- wow, your wife sounds like a natural!

diet is the larger part of the equation-- so if you want better fat loss, you've got to look closely at what & how you're eating... that being said, look up clean eating & insulin sensitivity-- space out to 5-6 meals a day w/your allotted kcals-- mix higher protein (.8-1g per lb of body weight) w/complex carbs only... this really helped me to become more 'cut'...

now, i have the lower range athletic body fat % for a woman now- BUT i still genetically pre-disposed jiggle in the butt- eh- while one could hope for perfection - some of us have body areas that seem to just HOLD fat (& sag or have cellulite) & it just is going to take TIME TIME TIME and a lot of hard work to see the differences--

so, just keep plugging away, check your diet & make some tweaks to the eating patterns, meal contents, and of course, slowly & safely challenge yourself with the increased weights!

your sister in butt jiggle... ;)

 

i kno i ma a guy and u wouldnt want to hear it from me lol, but alot of it is genetics too. In our family fat is primarily stored in the lower half of our bodys. I for some reason am the exact oposite. If you look at the men and women in our family who are overweight their top half is rather normal with maybe a extruded gut and some flabby arms, but the bottom half is much larger around the waist, the thighs, and the buttocks. I for some reason have a smaller bottom and larger top (i guess i take after my fathers side lol).

I seen your pics (and i might add you are gorgeous) and perhaps you might have a lil genetic predisposition to store your weight around your bottom half. Doesnt mean you can work out to get rid of it, just dont let it get you down. Like mentioned before just work on what you are eating and focus more on strength training to maybe get more firmness around your problem areas. Keep up the good work, ive read your journals and im impressed :-)

Hi,

I am new hear but I was having this discussion with my husband on my abs. He wants me to have rock hards abs and he thinks crunches and the like are the way to achieve this. So, I was just looking through my e-mail and came across this article on eDiets. I thought it might help...

Pro Tips for a Tight, Flat Tummy By Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE, RTS1 Raphael
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro

Endless abdominal machines, crunch boards, sit-up devices and tortuous torso routines promise flat bellies and chiseled abs. Hardly a one of them works worth a damn, mainly because their makers show little understanding of human anatomy."
-- Dr. Michael Colgan 
Renowned Fitness Expert and author of The New Power Program

How does one achieve a tight and flat stomach? Is there a human being on the planet who doesn't want to know the answer to this question? I see articles all the time that discuss abdominal exercises, infomercials that make false promises about a machine that will give you abs to die for and 10,000 other diet aids and gadgets that never tell you the truth.

Having studied human anatomy, nothing disgusts me more than watching one of those dumb ab machine infomercials make promises that their product will give a person a flat stomach. A lying abdominal machine will not give you a flat stomach, a seated abdominal machine will not give you a flat stomach and 1,000 crunches per day will not give you a flat stomach.

I'm here to tell you the truth.

There will be work to do on your part, but I'll provide the basic formula for achieving the look you've always thought was reserved for other people. It doesn't matter if you're 20 or 70. This formula works for everyone.

Here then is my eight-point plan to get tight abs and a flat mid-section:

1. NUTRITION: This is the most important component to achieving a flat stomach.Nothing is more important than food.

First, you'll need to control blood sugar levels in order to lose body fat. This is best accomplished by consuming four to six meals per day. Don't mistake the definition of a meal for a six-course extravaganza. A meal might be an egg white omelet (with vegetables) and oatmeal with some blueberries in it, chicken with one-half cup of rice and a large salad with some oil and vinegar, an apple with a scoop of protein powder or cottage cheese with some fruit.

Get the picture? I'm referring to them as meals, but they're actually feedings. Each of the meals is comprised of protein, a little carbohydrate and a little fat. In some cases, the fat is built into the protein. In other cases, it's added to the meal. For eDiets members, this is already accomplished in your meal plan.

2. RATIOS: It's unlikely that you'll get tight abs and a flat stomach by consuming 80 percent of your calories from carbohydrates. Ratios can vary quite a bit, but consuming more than 55 percent of your calories from carbohydrate will not be optimal for fat loss. Many people do quite well on extremely low carbohydrate plans and others on more moderate plans. As long as you follow the no more than 55 percent of calories from carbohydrate rule, you'll be at a good starting point.

3. TIMING: I realize four to six meals sounds like a lot, but you must keep in mind that the body is always seeking to store body fat. It (the body) doesn't care if you want to lose fat. In fact, your body would prefer to keep fat in order to accomplish its number one goal of keeping you alive in case of a future famine or drought.

Always consider the body from the inside out and not the other way around. In order to control blood sugar, eat every two to three hours throughout the day. When using the most effective nutrient ratios, this helps to control blood sugar (which, in turn, assists in body fat loss).

4. CALORIES: I've received emails from people telling me they do all of the above, but they still can't lose body fat in order to flatten the stomach. In every case, they are still consuming too many calories.It doesn't matter how healthy your nutrition program is if you're eating too much.

It's important that you find maintenance calories first. Maintenance represents the amount of food you consume without any change in your weight. This will take some experimentation and some effort. You'll also need to document your foods: total calories as well as grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Sounds like a lot of work? Yes, it is! However, you only have to do a few weeks of hard work. After that, you'll have your personal formula for success.

5. SLIGHT CALORIC DEFICIT: After you have found maintenance, simply reduce your calories by 200. Our goal is to have you eating as much as possible and still losing fat and retaining muscle. I don't want you eating as little as possible (thereby slowing the metabolism and losing valuable muscle tissue).

The first week, you may lose 4-6 pounds of water. After the first week, you should only lose about 1.5 pounds per week. The goal is to preserve muscle and make your body a metabolic inferno. If you're not losing up to 1.5 pounds per week (it will fluctuate week to week), then reduce calories by another 100. Then, monitor your progress after one week. You'll probably be right on track.

6. CONSISTENCY: You'll need to be on this nutrition program six days a week with one day being somewhat of a cheat day. Unlike many, I'm not a big fan of the "cheat" day. I find that people tend to use it as an excuse to gorge themselves.

So, on Sunday for example, you're allowed to have some pizza, a bit of ice cream, etc. But nothing extreme! When you pig out, blood sugar levels can be elevated for seven hours or more. This will absolutely halt your body fat loss and actually backfire.

7. WEIGHT TRAIN: At this point, you should be aware of the importance of resistance training. Just three to four workout sessions lasting no more than 35 minutes to an hour will do the trick. For every pound of muscle on your body, you'll burn 30-50 additional calories per day.

Part of your program should include abdominal exercises to strengthen and build the abs. That way, when you achieve your low body fat level, your abs will be tight.

By the way, there is one great movement to help pull the stomach inwards; however, I'll cover that in a future abdominal exercise article. I have to give you some reason to come back, right?

8. CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE: Perform three to five days per week of moderate cardio exercise for approximately 30-40 minutes. During two of the days, you can exercise at a higher intensity level to accelerate fat loss -- but, only if you reach a sticking point. If you're a beginner, then remember to increase gradually.

Do this consistently, keep adjusting calories SLIGHTLY (with the help of our nutrition support staff and the specific nutrition program you selected from the site) and change your routine every three to four weeks. You will get a flatter stomach!

Is this easy? No, it's not easy. That's why so few people have flat and tight abs. Is it fulfilling when you achieve your goal of a flatter stomach? Definitely! As in most cases in life, the things we want and desire usually take some degree of sacrifice. It doesn't matter if you have 10 pounds to lose or 100 pounds, the formula works. So, how bad do you want it?

And FWIW, a little jiggle in the booty is a good thing.

I had the same problem. Then my last aerobics instructor told me I have been working the wrong leg muscles to get the results I want.  Put some ankle weights on and do some hip extensions or plan leg lifts lifting your leg back and to the side.  Reverse lunges,  or butt and leg lifts on the ball work great too.  Squats using a ball up against the wall work great  too.