Today was my off day from the gym, but since I had an hour to kill in town I decided to get in a very light workout at the Y.
As you know, one of my main goals in weight training is to drop body fat. This goes back to the famous aphorism that you can't out-train a poor diet. If you refuse to pay attention to the quality of your nutrition and the foods you put into your mouth, you are never going to attain the low levels of body fat that you desire long term. In the two years since I began training, I've probably added 10-15 pounds of muscle but dropped only, say, 5 pounds of body fat. This is because you simply cannot make up enough calorie burns via exercise, even the most intense forms of exercise, to overcome poor food choices. Now, does that mean that exercises like dumbbell curls and pull ups don't have a place in your workout program if you want to lose fat? Of course not. In fact, with a good nutrition plan in place, these exercises become even more effective since they complement the losses you are already making because of your improved diet.
Not to mention the fact that every one of these exercises helps to improve your work capacity, stamina, endurance, and heart muscle.
The most common area of fat storage on a man's body is his love handles. I am no exception. This is one of the most stubborn areas to drop fat from. The good news that I have to keep reminding myself of is this: you don't have to be perfect right now to get this area to look better if you are really eating as well as you should and not indulging in way too many sweets to get your fat levels down to a level that's required for maximum muscle gains. The key to getting rid of body fat around the waist is to realize that, like all body fat, it too can be done with persistence and a few important strategies. Take a close look at how you're eating. Nutrition will always be the number one priority when it comes to losing body fat. Keep in mind that in men, waistline fat is the last thing to go. Don't give up just because you don't see the fat loss in your love handles yet. I haven't and neither should you. Realize it's coming but that it's just going to take a bit more time.
