Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 741 of 3212

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Tom and Dan:

Since I read your email I have made a conscious effort to tilt the 
pelvis, "suck it in," and straighten my posture when I stand or walk 

as a tensing exercise. I've not done it 100% of the time of course, 
but so far so good. What I've noticed today is that when I'm not 
doing the above, my lower back hurts slightly. I'm thinking that's 
good since I assume I work those muscles when I tighten the abdomen. 
Right? When I said I do toning exercises, I mean slow upper and 
lower ab crunches, and oblique crunches...that type of thing. Is 
that going to get me where I want to go or am I spinning my wheels? 

--- In , Dan McVicker <pirateman2k@y...> 
wrote:
> Gwen, Tom and Reinhard,
> 
> >it might just be a problem of 'sucking 
> >it in,' although that is a bad description of what
> >takes place.
> 
> Strengthing the transverse abdominus--the
> "sucker-inner" muscle. That any better? No? Darn. 
> 
> I think you hit the nail on the head, Tom, as usual.
> At a "normal" bodyweight, you shouldn't have flab
> hanging around, which leaves two distinct possibilites
> in my mind. (Note that this is a long eMail which
> basically says that you should try Shovelglove. So if
> you don't feel like reading it... just go take a look
> at Shovelglove.)
> 
> 1. You have weak abdominal muscles (despite "toning"
> exercises). As Tom said, and I'll reiterate, I
> reccomend Pavel Tsatsouline's Bulletproof Abs book.
> It's expensive, but good. (Actually, if I could only
> have one of Pavel's books, I'd get Power to the
> People! as I reccomend below). In short summation of
> that book's principles, do harder exercises for fewer
> (5 or less) reps, 1-5 sets. Learning "Vaccums" would
> be good, and power breathing also might work. You
> might be able to find links to these on the internet.
> 
> 2. You have a bad (very bad) ratio of muscle to fat.
> This is what's called "skinny-fat"... undermuscled and
> overfat. If you've been a chronic dieter, this is a
> distinct possibility. In the case of extreme calorie
> deprivation, your body wants to rid itself of the most
> metabolically active (read: hungry) tissues while
> preserving fat tissue. This happens a lot with
> experienced dieters. Lumberjacks and Couch Potatoes,
> anyone?
> 
> There's two ways out of this particular hell. The
> first one is to cut calories even lower (as you're
> doing) and increase exercise more (as you're doing).
> What's going to happen is that your metabolism is
> going to shut down even more... but yes, you'll lose
> the last few pounds. Then if you ever slip... bang,
> the fat starts piling back on. Obviously, I don't
> reccomend this solution.
> 
> The second solution, especially since you're already
> at a healthy bodyweight, would be to start trying to
> build muscle more seriously--something more strenuous
> than "toning" exercises. 
> 
> I know this initially sounds like a bad idea, but
> here's the thing. Being "bulky" is mostly accounted
> for by the number of calories that you consume. I've
> worked with a few women on diet and exercise, and a
> big fear is that they're going to bulk-up like
> bodybuilders. None of them ever have, and all of them
> have commented on how much "tighter" they look and
> feel. Truth be told, few women have the genetics to
> bulk up too much, and further, they don't consume the
> requisite number of calories to do so. (Not to mention
> the requisite amount of Anabolic Steroids that all pro
> bodybuilders, male and female, take.) 
> 
> So here's another option. Continue your diet at a
> point where you are maintaining your weight. Maybe
> ramp up your protein a little bit (don't have to go
> overboard... maybe switch to some beef jerky instead
> of the granola bars) and start doing more serious
> strength-building. Here's what will happen. Slowly,
> over time, though your body weight will remain stable,
> you'll add muscle and lose fat. This will not happen
> in a month, it probably won't happen in three, but if
> you stick to it for 6 months to a year, you will see
> results without having to go through bizzare
> gyrations, exercise and dietary manipulations, or any
> other stuff. Maintain your level of cardiovascular
> exercise, and you're home-free. 
> 
> Yes, there are faster ways, but they get both weird
> and complicated. Fast. 
> 
> Best book on this topic would be Power to the People!
> also by Pavel Tsatsouline. He outlines a 20 minute
> program that will cost about $150-200 worth of
> equipment (olympic set of weights... and maybe a mat
> to protect your floor). You perform the program five
> days a week, twenty minutes per day. 
> 
> If you want to go even lower tech, I highly reccomend
> Reinhard's own exercise program. Start with a light
> sledge and work up. Reinhard wins the contest on both
> equipment cost ($50 or so for each sledge) and time
> (14 minutes, five days a week). As for the results,
> you'll have to judge for yourself, but I'm pretty
> certain that Shovelglove will attack the problem from
> all sides: you will add muscle (resistance training),
> lose fat (diet), and tighten your abdominals (again,
> resistance training), all in one go. Plus, the program
> itself is completely free. Can't get a better deal
> than that. 
> 
> I guess this is a long winded way of saying: give
> Shovelglove a try, because no matter what the problem
> is, Shovelglove will help it. 
> 
> Anyway, that's my semi-professional opinon.
> 
> Dan 
> 
> 
> 
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