Q. I have one major problem area: my thighs, mainly in the back near the buttocks. I have the dimple effect happening. I was wondering what I have to do to get rid of these unsightly cottage cheese thighs. Are there any specific things you could give me to do? I seem to carry most of my weight/body fat in my midsection and my thighs, but I lose from my gut faster than I do my thighs. Why is that? Any thoughts or suggestions would help greatly. Do I need more cardio? I do it 3 to 4 times per week already. Do I need to lift more weight with my legs? How do I make the dimples go away?

Your problem with lower body fat buildup is typical one for women. It happens due to your hormones and body physiology. Basically your body is always trying to prepare itself for childbearing. Men have the same problem with abdominal fat (it's not for the childbearing reason, though, even if they may look pregnant!).

Losing the cottage cheese is going to be a matter of losing fat. There are exercises you can do to tone up the muscle underneath the area and help improve the appearance though. Once you lose the fat, you'll have nicely toned muscle to display.

It sounds like you are doing a good amount of cardio already. If you can, I would recommend trying interval training as a way to improve your fat loss.

To do this, you will essentially alternate between periods of high intensity and low intensity. For example, on the elliptical trainer (or other machine) start with a short warm-up, then set on a relatively high intensity that makes you work hard for 30 seconds to a minute. Then knock it back to the warm-up level for 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat this for 10 to 15 minutes.

This form of training will help boost your metabolism long after your done, causing you to burn more calories during the day..

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For weight training, I would recommend exercises such as lunges, leg presses and leg curls.

For information on exercise technique for lunges, click here.

A word of caution about leg presses - always keep your lower back and hips in contact with the back pad. If you allow those parts to come up off the pad at the bottom of the rep you stand a very good chance of injuring your back.

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Here are some quick nutrition tips that can help you with fat loss:

• Increase your protein intake, e.g. eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, etc. This helps to support your metabolism and muscle mass, which is essential for burning fat.
  
• Cut back on junk food. This will make a huge difference quickly. You don't have to totally eliminate it, just decrease it greatly.
  
• Don't eat anything before a workout. If you do, your body will burn what you just ate rather than fat.
  
• Eat about an hour after a workout. This allows your fat burning to continue until you eat. Don't wait much longer than that though, as you need food to recover.
• Stick to protein and low-fat foods.
  
• Try not to eat late at night. Your body won't have a chance to use those calories and will store them as fat.
  

If you're interested in a DVD workout series that targets this EXACT problem, I highly recommend checking out Joey Atlas's Hip, Butt and Thigh Makeover program. It's VERY powerful stuff and will help you with exactly what you're looking for!

 

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