Reducing Muscular Love Handles

[Key Of David]

I 33 yrs old and stand at 5'9". My weight as of now is 150. I could never get past 145 until I tried HST. My bodyfat has increased somewhat since I've gotten older....esp. around the stomach area....but I am pretty much still a slim guy with that "swimmer's build". I guess you could say I have a toned build. I've always been proud of my body shape although I've always wanted to gain a lot more muscle. My frame is kind of narrow with a nice taper from the top of my torso to my waist.

When I discovered HST I was introduced to stiff-legged deadlifts as an alternative to leg curls to build the hamstrings and I jumped on it. I don't think I did it right and I think I probably built up my hip flexors more than anything else. I've read this builds up the obliques to be out of balance with the rest of the boby as well....and that's what I've obviously done. My question is....how can you reduce this muscle mass? My waist doesn't taper anymore and I don't like the look at all.

 

[Jester]

Don't work those muscles at all, and they should atrophy a bit. Take a longer SD perhaps? Drop the SLDLs totally?

 

[Old and Grey]

SLDL's build up the obliques? Not unless you are doing them off balance! More likely to be a diet problem than an exercise selection problem.

 

[Key Of David]

This is muscle tissue and not fat....unless it could be intramuscular fat? I never had this problem until I did SLDLs though. I also do leg raises and used to do those incorrectly. I don't know what you mean but doing them off balance but I wasn't doing the deadlifts right in the beginning.

I don't know I'm beginning to wonder should I just not work the living crap outta my obliques (side bends?) and kill their size through sheer ultra high repetition.

 

[BoSox]

Quote[/b] (Key Of David @ April 13 2005,9:10)]I don't know I'm beginning to wonder should I just not work the living crap outta my obliques (side bends?) and kill their size through sheer ultra high repetition.

bad logic

 

[Key Of David]

and why?

Maybe I'm just overreacting and the building up of my obliques was going to happen anyway. I've put on more muscle with HST than in any other time in my life and I quit using a belt so obsessively like I used to. Maybe my waist wasn't so much proportional as it was....well....puny and weak.

I don't know....but once I get back into my routine (I've been off the HST routine for some time now) my back will most undoubtedly V out to the way I want it anyway.

 

[supergaijin]

Or take the other route and work more on your lats and give your shoulders more width.

 

[BoSox]

I've never heard of doing more volume to make a muscle smaller, but hey, go for it.

 

[imported_dkm1987]

I tend to agree with O&G, even though the abs and obliques are stabilizers during this type of movement, if your obliques grew that fast from DL, Squats, or SLDL, then I would look at form. Perhaps, as O&G said, it's a balance issue.

I also agree with Bosox adding more volume, even at submax weight, isn't going to help them go away.

 

[Key Of David]

I've read you should try high rep movements to "tone down" the size of something that is off balance. lol

Hey you know the type of false info going around about bodybuilding/nutrition. Its scary!

Well I never do any excercise really off balance, poor form on the SLDLs yes, but not "off balance". I would NEVER do squats off balance....I've seen too many bad backs (which people are stuck with for their lifetimes) to do anything like that.

I guess my waist has just built up a bit due to not using a belt as obsessively I used to and my obliques and abs were extremely underdeveloped.

This didn't happen until I stopped using a belt on all but near maximum poundages and started using HST which I was very consistant with when I was using it.....so obviously I just need to widen my back and shoulders for the good look I should get anyway!

I'm getting back into another cycle and its in the planning stages now so things should get back in balance soon. No worries anymore....but I do appreciate the help guys.