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It is as frustrating as a pimple on prom night and just as sure. Did you ever feel like you're body was out to get you? No matter how many nauseating sets you forced out or how many sleepless nights you woke starved, you uncontrollably gained fat? Or the opposite happened. Your body could do no wrong. You were reckless with your training and eating but effortlessly leaned out? How do we make sense of this metabolic Jeckle and Hyde? The answer is closer than you think.
Until the recent use of dual x-ray absorptiometry and magnetic imagery (MRI), body composition testing was too crude to detect the subtle - yet statistically significant changes that take place in local regions of body fat. Researchers in the areas of body composition using MRI and blood tests, have now determined correlations for certain hormones and where a person stores their fat. A few of the significant correlations include;
The following are instructions on taking at home skin fold measurements of key sites: Site - Sub Scapular
Site - Thigh
Site - Supra-iliac
Site - Abdominal
Site - Triceps
Mid-thigh and triceps fat represents estrogen levels (Nindl BC et al., 2001). Contrary to what the typical health club flunky likes to think, these skin folds change independently, not uniformly, based on fluctuating hormonal states. The good news is that these levels can be influenced by training, nutrition and supplementation.
From highest local fat levels to lowest, the optimal skin fold profile for fitness and bodybuilding should descend like so: Men
Women
*Additionally, the sum of all 5 skin folds should be 60mm or less for both sexes. (Men<14%; Women<18% body fat) What does it mean when the order and the sum meet the above criteria? Everything. I have found that this fat hierarchy accurately predicts those who will have success or fail - even before the first weight is hoisted or the first carb is counted.
If you've taken your skin folds and have the correct order and sum, then screw off, we all hate your guts. Now for the other 99% of you - the reason that you're out of order is likely due to estrogens dirty dealings;
1st Case - The Sum Of Your Skin Folds Is Too High In this case, your excess bodyfat is causing you to produce three times more estrogens from androstenedione - no matter how hard you train or how strictly you diet. Yeah, you read that correctly. See, after you perform a rigorous training session your body secretes a burst of anabolic hormones; androstenedione, epinephrine, nor-epinephrine, growth hormone etc... but what happens after those hormones are secreted is largely influenced by how much estrogen converting enzyme, (aromatase) is present. It just so happens that local body fat produces an abundance of this enzyme. If this is your case, then you must first shut down estrogen production via the aromatase enzyme before any substancial fat can be shed. (see proven methods below) 2nd Case - The Order Of The Skin Folds Is Estrogenic First, realize that if have case 1 then you're automatically in case 2 simply by the power of the aromatase enzyme. In case 2, the trainee is lean enough but either the thigh or triceps measurements, or both, are too high. Predominantly, it is the circulating catecholamines (adrenaline and nor adrenaline) that determine this condition. Whether by nature or nurture, increasing these two chemicals will shift the conversion from androstenedione away from estrogens toward testosterone. Additionally, the catecholamines will work in tandem to help "shrink" the fat cells. That's one reason why the nervous, adrenaline types (ectomorphs), don't store much bodyfat. In any case, "Composition training" along with the following proven methods will "dial in" the correct fat levels and ratios.
Successful bodybuilding and fitness trainees have discovered that along with incorporating the proven methods listed above, certain workouts can alter the regional distribution of fat placement. According to a recent study (Nindl BC et al., 2001), "it is likely that there may be a threshold intensity, volume and muscle mass recruited necessary to produce increases in total and free testosterone for women and men." Author L Rea, author of Chemical Muscle Enhancement and Building the Perfect Beast, suggests that the common denominator here is a greater adrenaline release with a harder workout. His rationale includes an increased partitioning of androstenedione to testosterone rather than to estrogen. Whatever the mechanism, workouts that incorporate multiple joint movements performed with relatively short rest intervals and multiple sets do augment the anabolic index and influence where fat is stored.
The following is a 4 week, 4 day per week training split. Each day is to be performed once per week. Day 1
 ?  Click To Enlarge.B - Romanian, semi stiff-legged deadlift - fig 1 (shoulder width, feet slightly toed out stance)
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C - Lunges, barbell -fig 2 (knee covers the calf)
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D - **Leg curls, lying fig (feet neutral)
E - Rope crunches - fig 3 (use lat pulldown machine)
Day 2
B - Bent over barbell row (knees bent, torso at 45 degrees, pull elbows toward hips)
 ? Click To Enlarge.C - Dips (strap on extra load if possible) D - **Calves-machine heel raise
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Day 3
A2 - Straight arm dumbbell pullover - fig 4 (between deadlifts)
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B - Standing leg curl, foot turned out slightly
 ? Click To Enlarge.C - Close grip chin-ups (grip is 8" apart) D - Shrugs E - Praying mantis - fig 5 Attach two 2.5 lb. plates on an EZ curl bar.
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Kneel on floor. Grasp the out grip of the EZ bar and place the bar on the floor in pushup position. Using an arched back, roll the bar along the floor until your arms are fully extended. Exhale and with a contraction of the abs. pull the bar back in toward the knees.
Day 4
 ? ? Click To Enlarge.This is a hybrid exercise, that is two exercises in one. Stand with feet shoulder width apart toes out slightly. Squat down to a deadlift position and grasp bar with a pronated, shoulder width grip. First pull: Lift bar off floor by extending the hips and knees, elbows fully extended, head neutral,bar close to shins. As the bar raises just above knees, thrust the hips forward and "scoop" the thighs under the bar. Second pull: Explosively, extend the hips & knees and plantar flex the ankles. At full extension, shrug the shoulders then flex the elbows and pull the arms high. Catch: Pull the body under the bar and rotate the arms around & under the bar. Catch the bar in a quarter squat position at the level of the clavicles and then stand up - you are now ready for the push press. Stand erect and chest expanded. Bend the legs until the body is in jump position. Next explosively, dip and drive the bar upward going up on your toes. Let the heels come back down as you lock out the bar with your arms. B - **Barbell straight bar curls (slightly wider than shoulder width grip) C - **Lying triceps extension (use EZ bar, each session alternate inner & outer grips) D - *Seated heel raise
 Click here for printable workout log!
**Indicates forced reps on last set About The Author Don Alessi is the founder of Alessi Personal Fitness Inc. and co-author of the books The Promise & Lose Fat Forever. His clients include various professional athletes, bodybuilders and a number of fortune 500 executives. His specialties are size / strength development and body transformation. For information on custom program design or to purchase a book or audio CD please visit AlessiFit.com
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