Cellulite.

Just mentioning the word can get any man in trouble.

It sucks.

It’s hard to get rid of, in fact, most would say it’s impossible to get rid of.

While not impossible, the unfortunate truth is that it’s very difficult to get rid of. Your nutrition and training may be going great, you’re losing weight, feeling good, you look in the mirror and there it is…cellulite…still there…like a birth mark that just won’t go away.

What is cellulite?

No, it’s not an accumulation of cottage cheese under your skin.

To be honest, Scientists and Doctors still don’t really know what cellulite is, nor do they know exactly what causes it. However, what we do know is that it only affects certain types of fat cells, and it has more to do with the degeneration of connective tissue and collagen fibres than just the fat cells themselves

What causes cellulite?

Again, there is no definitive answer on this as of yet, however, we do know that estrogen does play a major role in the formation of cellulite.  Look around…do you see lot of men with cellulite? No, the majority of people you see with cellulite are female (guys get off way too easy).

If we take a look at the diagram below, we can see that the problem arises from unhealthy connective tissue that is a result of enlarged fat cells.

So, we now know that estrogen, enlarged fat cells, and unhealthy connective tissue all play a key role in the formation of cellulite…however, I know what you’re thinking, just get to the point…how do I get rid of this damn cellulite?!?!?!?

The 5 Step Process to Start Reducing Cellulite:

I’ll say it again, it’s not going to be easy to get rid of cellulite for good, its going to take hard work, persistence, and consistency; with the right game plan, it is possible though.

Here’s your game plan.

Step 1: LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS

We already stated that cellulite forms due to unhealthy and damaged connective tissue as a result of enlarged fat cells. When you train a certain body part through strength training, you increase the blood flow to that area immensely.

Blood is full of nutrients that will help repair, and recover connective tissue cells (hence why we get swelling when we sprain our ankle etc.). You’ve probably heard of the “pump” everyone gets from lifting heavy weights…that “pump” is an accumulation of blood and looks cool for your average bro down at World’s Gym, but it can also play a significant role in decreasing cellulite.

For this reason, your weight training program should place special importance on your cellulite affected areas (legs and butt), while still training everything else.

An example weekly schedule would look like this:

Monday – Upper Body Strength

Tuesday – Sprints + Full Body Weights

Wednesday – Off

Thursday – Sprints + Full Body Circuit

Friday – Lower Body Strength

Saturday – Off

Sunday: Off

A Sample Training Session

This would be an example of Friday’s strength session:

A1: Barbell Front Squats – 5 sets of 5, 5, 3, 3, 3 reps

B1: Barbell Deadlifts – 4 sets of 4 reps

C1: DB Split Squat – 3 sets of 5 reps each leg

C2: Barbell RDL – 3 sets of 6 reps

C3: Med Ball V-Up – 3 sets of 10 reps

Step 2: SPRINT FOR CARDIO

Again, when we talk about the importance of increasing blood flow to the cellulite affected area theres no better way to do that than using the best exercise nobody does…SPRINTS!

Not treadmill sprints, not HIIT on a bike…real sprints! (you know, the kind your body was meant to do.)

You are also going to get the added benefit of increasing your metabolism for the next 24-48 hours post exercise, which will burn more calories and contribute to greater fat loss along with a caloric deficit.

A Sample Training Session

This would be an example of Tuesday’s sprint session:

A1: 90 yard sprint

A2: DB Push Press x 10 reps

A3: DB Plank Row x 5 each side

Perform each exercise 3 times with no break – then take a 3 – 4 min break before proceeding to repeat this two more times with different exercises.

Step 3: CALORIC DEFICIT FOR FAT LOSS

It’s simple, Calories are King. You’re never going to lose body fat if you’re not in a caloric deficit daily. When your body does not get enough calories, it will use fat cells as fuel.

A simple formula for calculating how many calories you should consume for fat loss is: Bodyweight x 10-12 (150 pound female should consume 1,500 – 1,800 calories per day for rapid fat loss)

Step 4: EAT MORE PROTEIN

Protein plays a significant role in keeping your connective tissue healthy (sorry bro’s, brotein isn’t just for building muscle). Go take a gander in your local Shoppers Drug Mart at all the over-priced anti-aging skin creams, what do most of them promote as the key ingredient? PROTEIN!

Another benefit of eating more protein is the added affect it has on calorie burning. There’s something called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), when you eat a calorie, your body must use energy in order to digest it. 20 – 35% of every gram of protein you eat basically disappears before getting absorbed, whereas carbs and fats are only 5 – 15%.

The bottom line? Eating more protein will help you burn more calories.

• The minimum amount of protein you should be consuming per day is 0.8 grams per pound of body weight (150 pound female should consume a minimum of 120 grams of protein per day.
• Don’t consume more than 20-25 grams of protein per meal
• Get your protein from a variety of sources (fish, meat, poultry, eggs, whey)
• If you don’t want to count it, make sure you eat a palm size of protein at every meal

Step 5: GET 6 – 8 HOURS SLEEP

As we mentioned earlier, we know that estrogen plays a major role in the formation of cellulite – there’s no better way to help regulate hormones than making sure you get 6-8 hours of sleep on a consistent basis.

There you have it, your 5 Step Cellulite Solution that will get you on the road to eliminating cellulite for good.