Forging fitness through words
The purpose of this website is to help people get into the physical shape they want to be in. As many of us do, I too have spent countless hours in the gym pushing myself to the limit. Well, while those efforts were indeed rewarded I found that I was still having difficulty making the gains I really wanted. Moreover, I found that there were “trouble spots” that I had difficulty targeting. For example I would wonder, “how do I develop my v-muscle?”, “how do I get a chiseled jawline?”, “how do I get rid of this stubborn fat behind my triceps?”, or “how do I increase my vertical to jump higher?”
Through creative processes, research, and experiments in the gym I have structured my own ways to deal with these trouble spots and wanted to publish my work in a place that others may also benefit from it. Additionally, I wanted to have a resource for me to post all about the rarer things I have learned about bodybuilding, training, and nutrition as well. Here is the result! This is my corner of the internet where I post everything related to health, fitness, and physical development.
Maybe you have the same trouble spots, maybe you have different trouble spots, or maybe you have never even considered them before. Whatever the case may be, this collection of works serve as a resource to any individual who is looking to get more out of their time at the gym. Do keep in mind, however, that even if you have never stepped foot in a gym you can still benefit from taking a poke around! Part of my joy in writing these is knowing that I have the opportunity to impact you as a reader and inspire you to want to better yourself. So even if you have never lifted a weight or rarely strap up for a jog, perhaps you just need the right guidance to help you get your foot out the door! The point I am trying to make here is that I intend for my articles to reach and help all people regardless of age, weight, gender, and/or physical condition.
So whether you are a beginner just contemplating a workout regiment, a seasoned veteran who wants to keep in shape more effectively, or an elite athlete looking to maximize your edge against the competition, take a look around and see if you can’t find the advice you need to reach your goals (and if not, e-mail me!).
Everything I write here is my own original content and I sincerely hope you can gain from my own research and experience. Furthermore, I would love to work with you on issues that you personally have. My friends are always asking me for solutions on how to solve their own trouble spots, usually my guy friends will say, “Chase, how do I broaden up my shoulders?” while the girls ask, “how do I tone my inner thighs?” and if I am perfectly honest, I didn’t have an answer for them right away! It took patience and time to work with them on how to achieve the answers to those questions. But there are solutions so do not be afraid to send me an e-mail if you don’t find an article here that helps with your unique problem! You never know, maybe it will inspire a full article and end up helping others who also share your woes. Each one of the friends I mentioned above, as well as I, have walked away with a better understanding of our own bodies and of fitness in general. PhysicalBLUE is an outlet to write and share those experiences with the world in the hopes that others may benefit as well.
To begin, learn about all you need to know at PhysicalBLUE 101.
Happy reading,
Chase Founder – PhysicalBLUE
Hey, I am 17 years old and I am not to fat and not to skinny, but I have a really huge bottom i workout but, only my legs ( hams, claves and quads) I was wondering if there are easy ways to get my bum normal size, it just sticks out when im walking and because of it I buy low shirts and never tuck in my shirt.
Hi Jashan,
Glad you mentioned something, lets see if I can help.
Without knowing further details, let me first explain my general deductions for your situation:
When you are younger and developing, the human body creates a “one-time” unique fat placement. Most people refer to this as ‘baby fat’ but it is probably better to call it ‘under-20s fat’. This is where a lot of self-esteem and self-conscious issues arise in people who feel they have unchangeable qualities, however, I have worked with a lot of people like this and it is possible to get passed it. In your situation, it sounds like you have developed these fat stores around your gluteus maximus or ‘gluts’ (butt muscles).
Now, if you take no action to solve this one of two things could happen:
1. As you continue to grow, you may hit a growth spurt or a change in muscle development and the ‘big bum’ may fix itself, or
2. You see no change and are still unhappy with it.
Assuming you are worried about #2 and/or want to do something about it now there are a couple things you should do:
1. Start working out your gluts using compound movements (squats, deadlifts, squat thrusts, plyometrics) or even isolated workouts. You may not like it, but Yoga is a great method of limbering out your body. Check out some stretches for your gluts as well and do them regularly. This will take work but overtime your body will lengthen the muscle and burn away some of that area.
2. This will be tougher but it is really the only sure fire way to get rid of ‘baby fat’ and that is to experience extreme (healthy) fat loss. What happens is, generally speaking, ‘baby fat’ is a reference to the last fat stores that your body burns; think of human fat deposits as ranked in different priorities. When the 1st priority fat is burned up, it has to go to the 2nd priority, then the 3rd, and so on. And ‘baby fat’ refers to the LAST priority fat. This means you will have to burn up all stores and ultimately, the baby fat too (the fat around your gluts), THEN, when (or if) you decide to put back on weight, people usually regain fat in different places than before.
Hope this helps!
Hang in there Jashan.
Chase
Hey Chase,
First off, great blog, really informative!
You mentioned ‘baby fat’ in your response to Jashan, and I was wondering if it’s true that baby fat will naturally disappear as you get older? Also, is it possible that baby fat disperses/disappears unevenly? I have discovered that some parts of my body (cheeks, for instance) store more fat on one side than the other, creating an unsymmetrical appearance.
Thanks for any thoughts
Hi Chubs,
Thanks for the comment!
Regarding your first question: as I mentioned above, ‘baby fat’ is an oversimplified reference to last-priority fat deposits in your body. This means that if your body needs energy, it will use other fats before it taps into those ‘baby fat’ areas. This is why extreme fat loss is sometimes needed to get rid of those areas – it is a sure fire way to get it gone. As for ‘naturally’ disappearing I suppose you mean can it happen without deliberately targeting those areas, which absolutely can happen. As someone continues to grow, they tend to develop different habits, sometimes they get active in different ways, find a new hobby and so on, when this happens, your body may be engaged or targeted in different ways that start to melt off that fat. If you were more referring to a growing individual, going through puberty or becoming an adult yes you absolutely find people who had problems when they were younger that they no longer have.
Tying into this somewhat is the answer to your second question: unlike the majority of the exercise community, I believe in what is commonly referred to as ‘spot reduction’. This refers to the ability to lose fat in one place disproportionately from other places on your body. The generally accepted view is that in order to lose fat in one place, you must lose it in all places. Though total fat loss will indeed achieve it, it is my experience that you can absolutely burn localized fat in one area by being extremely accurate. Ever see a beer-bellied mechanic with chiseled forearms? Think about it. So yes, assuming spot reduction can work then perhaps somehow your cheeks have developed in a different way. Since it is a very unique situation, if you want to go about fixing this you will have to analyze your habits. Do you chew a lot with one side? Do you have any habitual quirks that you do with your jaw or face? Is your bone structure symmetrical? Try to identify if there are any unbalances that may affect this and do your best to even it out – you got nothing to lose by trying! On top of that, if you are very dedicated to being rid of it, you can try to go through some fat loss or try some facial workouts (I list some in my jawline article).
Hope this helps, let me know if I can answer any other questions!
Chase
Chase,
This is such a great website. I am impressed by your knowledge and passion to help others.
You can respond to individual needs and concerns, yet anyone who reads this can also benefit from your personal and helpful suggestions.
Liane Koester
Thanks Liane, I appreciate it!