Getting rid of saddle bags....

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Originally Posted by indigoiis

Spot reducing is a myth - you can't pick a place on your body, do some exercizes, and have that area get smaller. You CAN tone the muscle in a particular area, but the layer of fat on top can only be reduced in one way - by reducing calories to induce fat loss.

Once the fat is reduced (and you can't pick where it's going to come off - unfortunately for me it decided to come off first in my chest area, taking me down a couple cup sizes) you will see the developed muscle underneath.

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This really makes sense. Exercise increases muscles in certain areas that get worked. Exercise also burns more calories- but burning calories makes you generally lose fat all over, not just in a particular spot. You can't get rid of fat thighs specifically by doing thigh exercises. Thigh exercises will give you bigger/stronger thigh muscles, and if you exercise enough in general to burn more calories than you consume then the fat on your thighs will get less- along with the fat on the rest of your body.
My saddlebags (more like "love handles" fatty lumps on the sides of my hips) have decreased dramatically along with my 20 pound weight loss. I'll need to lose another 10-15 pounds to get rid of them altogether, but then my face might look older I think. :rolleyes: Not sure which I want more.

Sometimes in these longer threads we lose the idea of the original post.
I think Yen has lost her weight, now she needs to build muscle.

Yen - Lots of good ideas here. For myself, I found that cycling was not enough to tone muscles well. When I took up kickboxing, the results were dramatic and I LOVED it! Anything you love will help, especially with toning the glutes and hams as a focus, as usual, the key is finding something you really enjoy!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

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Originally Posted by zencentury

not if you have any back issues.


Hills on the bike are good too. We're not all runners.

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Fair enough :) . The reason I mentioned it specifically though is because running hills definitely emphasizes hams over quads, while biking hills recruits both but still emphasizes quads more. It's still good though ;) .

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Originally Posted by zencentury

Sometimes in these longer threads we lose the idea of the original post.
I think Yen has lost her weight, now she needs to build muscle.

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Sorry, I thought she was describing the stubborn fat deposits on the backs of her thighs ("soft baggy stuff", saddlebags).

Zen goes back to look at original...

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Originally Posted by Yen

I've lost some weight and I look pretty good now

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ok, some weight.

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Originally Posted by Yen

All except the saddle bags, that is. I'm talking about the soft baggy stuff at the back of the thighs just below the butt.:o My legs and arms are getting stronger but I do not see much change there.

Are there any specific exercises I can do at home for this? Or, will they just get better as I continue riding? I just returned to cycling after 20+ a layoff and trying to add mileage every week and I can see subtle changes in all other parts of my legs, just not this part. I also walk.

Jen

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Alrighty then.
She can still do specific exercises ( i think we covered that:p )
they can only help.
They will get better with more riding.
She will lose more weight if she continues riding (and eating right)

To top it off, I don't think she's checked in here lately anyway!:eek:

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Originally Posted by zencentury

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To top it off, I don't think she's checked in here lately anyway!:eek:

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Maybe not, but the good news is we've solved her saddlebag problem! :D

You can be technically "skinny" and have well-developed muscles, and still have saddlebags. And saddlebags are basically a layer of fat. For me, they are the last bit of fat on my body. In most women, the thighs and rearend tend to withhold fat reserves. Losing the fat by reducing calories (whether through exercize or reduced intake) will burn whatever fat stores one might have. Specific exercizes for the thighs and legs will certainly tone the muscle beneath the fat, and will tend to encourage fat loss. But it won't necessarily "burn off" the saddlebags - not right away, anyway.

And no, thigh/leg exercizes certainly can't hurt, but really, any exercize involving increased heart rate is going to help burn fat reserves. If Yen is biking, she will also be building muscle in all the right places.

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Originally Posted by karen

Jen, do you have clipless pedals?

Being attached to the pedals allows us to work different muscles on the ride. This past Sunday, I did just a little bit of riding by pulling my legs UP instead of pushing down and my glutes are STILL a little sore! Hopefully, the gluteus maximus will be more minimus if I keep this type of pedaling up :)

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Wow, it's been almost 2 years since I posted this! Two years and 20+ pounds later (for a total of 50 pounds lost starting 5+ years ago.... very SLOW but steady weight loss). Zen left a message that I just now saw (thanks Zen) pointing me back to this thread.

Since I posted this in 2007, I've bought 2 bikes (Specialized Roubaix, and Surly Long Haul Trucker) and sold the hybrid (I loved it, but it was too big for me from the start).

I do not need to lose any more weight (138 lbs, almost 5'9" tall) and I have muscle tone that wasn't there a few years ago.

And I ride clipless now and I love it.

The saddle bags are still there, but smaller. :rolleyes: I'm in my mid-50s so I need to be reasonable :( yet I know there's still opportunity for improvement.

Also... I've noticed a significant difference in my glutes since I bought the road bike. There's something about that different position that must use more muscles, and I ride the road bike many more miles at a time than I rode the hybrid.

In addition to losing fat to reduce the saddlebag appearance, tightening the muscles (the glutes, hamstrings) that support that spot also helps. I need to work on that area harder than any other because I have a totally sedentary desk job. Fortunately, I walk to/from the vanpool, walk to/from my office, and climb 4 flights of stairs to my office 3-4 times a day, in addition to riding and strength training and other walking I do. But I need to concentrate more on the hamstrings since they get the most abuse (that is -- the least use due to the sedentary job).

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

Sorry, I thought she was describing the stubborn fat deposits on the backs of her thighs ("soft baggy stuff", saddlebags).

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You're correct -- that's what I'm talking about. :)

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Originally Posted by Zen

not if you have any back issues.


Hills on the bike are good too. We're not all runners.

I did something on the stability ball recently (hadn't done it for a while because I forgot about it).
It's going into my regular rotation.
Hamstring Rolls(got the right link this time)
Back Extension
The one I reeaally wanted to show you I couldn't find a photo of.
The starting position is similar to the back extension but roll forward on the ball until your hips are centered and hands are either on the floor or holding onto a chair or end of a weight bench. Raise your feet off the floor (it doesn't have to be far until you start to feel this). Open your legs into a V, bring them back to center, lower and repeat.

If you don't feel stable enough on the ball, you can also do this one with your hips on the end of a weight bench.
The advantage to doing these on the ball is that you're also building core strength. A twofer!

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Thanks a bunch, Zen! I appreciate these links.

And thanks to ALL of you who offered very good suggestions.

Jen