Lovehandles and running

jimbod

I have been running for a couple of months now and am doing 8km runs about 3 times a week at a constant pace and am in decent shape. Was wondering is it better to do a lesser run with sprints in the middle or is it better the way I am doing it at the moment?
I have tightened up but can’t seem to shake the lovehandles(they seem like the last to go), any tips on this?I do the odd day of sit-ups but not much happening.

david_the_great

jimbod wrote: »

I have been running for a couple of months now and am doing 8km runs about 3 times a week at a constant pace and am in decent shape. Was wondering is it better to do a lesser run with sprints in the middle or is it better the way I am doing it at the moment?
I have tightened up but can’t seem to shake the lovehandles(they seem like the last to go), any tips on this?I do the odd day of sit-ups but not much happening.

running wont get rid- i know that much

try sit ups (crunches) with your legs in the air- you will see results almost immediately- but make sure you stretch before u do or it will take days to recover

Colm_OReilly

Please ignore advice that says sit ups/crunches will spot reduce bodyfat.

You're body adapts very quickly to exercise, and has probably adapted quite well to the demands of the runs you are currently doing.

My first suggestion would be to incorporate a weights training day(s) into your routine - deadlifts, squats, presses, etc.

If you really like running and want to keep at it, try varying the running distance, 5ks, 10ks if you like the "long" element of it. Though you'll receive a lot more benefit doing sprint work, like a couple of 200m/400m/800m/1K runs until you can no longer recover adequately (one way is to do a 400m run, wai til your HR drops to 120, go again, repeat until you can't recover to 120 in 2 minutes, but there's plenty of others)

Time yourself! The simple act of recording what you're doing and looking to improve will help you immensely. Even if you're not very competitive, you'll still work harder knowing there's a score being kept.

And lastly, but definitely not least, is diet. Can you make improvements here? Cut down on sugars/grains? You could post your typical days diet here and we could see if there's any glaring deficiencies.

Col

aye

david_the_great wrote: »

try sit ups (crunches) with your legs in the air- you will see results almost immediately- but make sure you stretch before u do or it will take days to recover

you cant spot redcue fat.
sit ups arent going to help you lose your love handles.

if you are running the same intesity everytime, your body will have adapted and the result will slow down.

yes interval training will assist in help you lose the body fat, as it speeds up your metabolism.
jogging for 1 mins, sprinting for 30 secs and repeat.

lifting weights to build muscle will also assist in this, as muscle is more metabolically active than fat.

and have a look at the stickies on diet.

jimbod

Thanks for the advive guys, much appreciated. My diet is pretty decent but without a doubt there are some things that I need to improve on like snacks such a cheese and chocolate and obviously beer is a big factor.I would have a good few pints on a fri or sat or both.

However for my age(20) it is not a bad diet, I eat porridge every morning, mostly a brown bread sambo at lunch and then a dinner that varries(chicken stir fry, rice dishes, currv etc.)A couple of snacks are had after dinner. At weekends this slips and this is something I need to look at.

As I say I am in decent shape and happy with my weight, there are just certain areas that I would like to tighten up on and preferably do this quickly.

Canis Lupus

Love handles at that height and weight???? You sure you're not looking at your bony hips protuding?