heavy vs. reps

[smoothy_ab]

I'm in need of some advice from all of you workout buffs out there. My lower body is always much harder for me to get into shape and lately it's started to get even worse. I have a small torso with very low body-fat but my lower half keeps on getting bigger no matter what. (Unfortunately it also has some embarassing cellulite). For the past few months I've been lifting 6 heavy, 12 medium then 15 light. I've been told that by lifting heavy I will get bigger so I've switched to doing 3 sets of 15 light to medium for lower body. It's not so much that I mind it getting bigger but it's just bulking up - no definition. Since I'm female I realize that it's partly genetics but I'm a firm believer that genetics can be overcome. I eat well, do my cardio and weights and still the fat and cellulite remains on my legs and bum. Any ideas (excercises, diet, supplements)?

[Lee J B]

hi,

Ok some advice i'll give you that i think could help are .. if you lift then what type of lifting do you do .. which exercises .. if its definition you want to be achieving then i suggest you try doing lifts that start to build a good physical frame for example squats , dead lifts , leg press and leg extensions , these are all very very good weight exercises for your lower body and after a while you will soon start to notice some definition. As for the reps, i think you are doing sufficient sets. As far as dieting is concerned try eating as much as a balanced diet as you can cutting down on the saturated fat snacks, you might want to see a doc for help with carb / fat etc balancing. But If you keep doing your cardio coupled with these lifts then unless you don stick it out , you should deffinitly see the fat come off and get some shape in there! ... i wouldnt use supplements just yet , try all you can first and then if nothing still seems to be happening start to investigate them best to go natural first though and work the fat off with hard work

hope this was help , cheers

Hi smoothy. You might want to pyramid your reps. Start with 12. Next set add weight and lower your reps to 10. Add more weight for the final set of 8. This will add more muscle which is good because muscle increases your metabolism which will burn off fat. Women, as well as men, are limited by genetics as to how big they can get. I agree with Lee that you should add cardio three times per week. Try intervals -- they are brutal but they work. Watch your diet by eating clean. Chicken, fish, lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains (oatmeal in the morning is very good for you). Make sure to take EFA's. They are vital to good health. If you are interested in supplements, I would go with Gugglesterones as well as 500 mg of ALA each day. Try some kambuca(sp) tea. Any good health food store should carry it. Get some Carb and Fat blockers to take before you are going to eat a "cheat" meal. This way it will take out some of the bad calories and not deprive yourself from enjoying it. The last thing you need to remember is that changes will take time, but if you are persistent then change will occur! You have a great attitude so good luck and keep us posted on your progress and what you have done to reach your goals.