Waist thickness....

[la_triathlete]

Hey guys,

Im getting ready for my first competition (The Excalibar show in Los Angeles, Dec 1, 2007) and have a concern that my waist might be getting a bit bigger than I would like it to be. I would say that it is about 33-34 inches, even though I only have about 8 or AT MOST 9% bf. Also, my bf is not accumulating around my waist, so that is not the reason for my waist getting thicker. In the past, I did a lot of side bends, but have held off on them for quite some time. Also, I have always done a crap load of squatting, but keep hearing people or posts about how squatting, though necessary for anyone seriously wanting to compete, does have an effect on waist thickness independent of fat accumulation.

So, my question is, are there particular exercises that I should keep away from so as not to increase any waist thickness? Or, are there ways to tweek particular exercises so as not to aggravate my waist thickness? Also, are there particular exercises that would be good for tightening up the waist area without building any more muscle or thickness in the waist area?

Thanks,

LA

 

[Grizzly]

I remember you being pretty light, so maybe 33 is big"ish" for you, but nothing to really worry about, IMO. In my experience, you'll drop a good 2" by losing your remaining bf and water and maybe even an extra inch just from the sheer starvation of a pre-contest diet.

I swear, in the last few weeks of my contest prep, I was losing an inch a week.

 

[la_triathlete]

I remember you being pretty light, so maybe 33 is big"ish" for you, but nothing to really worry about, IMO. In my experience, you'll drop a good 2" by losing your remaining bf and water and maybe even an extra inch just from the sheer starvation of a pre-contest diet.

I swear, in the last few weeks of my contest prep, I was losing an inch a week.

hey Grizzly,

Thanks for the reply. Well, I should have written down some of my measurements (at least the ones I know off my top of my head). I'm ~5foot 8.5inches (don't deny me that extra half inch, LOL) and have done a great job at adding on solid meat on my bones over the last few years since I stopped doing triathlons. Right now, I am weighing in at 201lbs. I'm about to start my last muscle building cycle on June 1. It will be the same cycle I did last year that left me with REALLY good results. As such, by the end of August/ beginning of September when I start to cut down, I expect to weigh in at about 212-213 with about 8-9%bf.

I expect that a cutting cycle and general weight loss will cut down my waist, but I also don't want to do any exercises that my add any thickness to my waist. I am hoping that when I'm fully cut down, my waist will be about 30, at most 31 and I'll be weighing between 183-186lbs. At this point, since this will be my first show, I almost don't care about what my final weight will be. I figure I need to go through the full process and get a feel for it all. Ultimately, when I step out on stage, I just want to feel and look good- regardless of what I finally weigh.

OK, again, thanks for the comments, Grizzly. I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants, and just hanging on for dear life between now and dec 1.

LA

 

[Bob Smith]

LA, good to see you around!!

 

[la_triathlete]

LA, good to see you around!!

Hey Bob Smith- Thanks for the "hello" back to the boards. I've been snooping around for a while, reading, learning, etc, but now that I finally decided to take the jump, and do a show, I'm going to be in need of advice and feed back. I figured you guys would be the best one-stop-shopping.

Hey, if you and other folks don't mind me asking, who around here has actually done a show and gone through ALL the prep? These/ you are the guys I will likely seek support from as I move toward my show.

I have to say, its kind of a lonely road. I've gone through so many lifting partners in the last year, its rediculous. Also, I don't really know of anyone that has gone through the entire process to prep for a show, so I really do feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants.

Anyway, its nice to be welcome back by some friendly faces!

LA

 

[Grizzly]

You sound like you're getting pretty big. Good job! Either way, I still wouldn't worry about my waist measurement if I were you. You're talking 3 more months of lifting heavy. How much could it possibly grow?

Of course, this is coming from a guy who has a 40" waist when he's in good shape, so....

I've gone all the way through the prep for 2 shows. I won't call myself a master or anything, but I'll help you in whatever way I can. And I also managed to get my waist down to 35.25" for the shows. Bigger than you want, but small as hell for me.

 

[oldtimer]

la, I've never done any shows and I'm not even bodybuilder, but I do like lifting weights when I have the time.

I remember the first time I had a waist problem was 4-5 years ago, and I asked this same question on meso, and it seems that suqatting and working the abs out in general contributed to that. I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but that's how I felt anyway.

The bad part is that since then, whenever I put on any weight, I'd immdiately get love handles, even if the fat around them is small, they just look bigger than the rest of my stomach.

 

[la_triathlete]

la, I've never done any shows and I'm not even bodybuilder, but I do like lifting weights when I have the time.

I remember the first time I had a waist problem was 4-5 years ago, and I asked this same question on meso, and it seems that suqatting and working the abs out in general contributed to that. I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but that's how I felt anyway.

The bad part is that since then, whenever I put on any weight, I'd immdiately get love handles, even if the fat around them is small, they just look bigger than the rest of my stomach.

Hey Oldtimer,

So, I've heard the same thing about heavy squatting and some type of ab exercises (side bends in particular). Squats just seem to be such a staple that I can't imagine not doing them. I could see how doing squats on the smith machine could help take some tension off having to use stablizer muscles around my waist, and still allow me to squat.

Can any of you lift mechanic experts throw in your advise on this?

Thanks,

LA