Have you ever scoured the internet for hours trying to learn how to eliminate cellulite without surgery?
You are not alone. A lot of women have a hard time getting rid of stubborn cellulite. And it seems that every woman deals with this to some degree through out their life (some less than others.) I have seen estimates of up to ninety percent of women have cellulite, so if you are reading this you are definitely part of the greater majority.
Why does it seem like such an impossible problem to effectively deal with? Most of the difficulty stems from all the misinformation about “cottage cheese skin” floating around the internet as well as by word of mouth from our friends and family.
There are some medical / surgical procedures to help with cellulite but understandably many women would rather reduce it by natural means.
That is what this article is all about, naturally reducing cellulite. So let’s get to it!
Weight Train More – Specifically HEAVY Lifting
Many women mistakenly focus on cardio to lose fat and reduce cellulite. While cardio is great for the heart, the type of cardio most of us do is not anywhere near as effective as lifting progressively heavier weight could be.
If you are doing high intensity cardio like sprinting, jump roping, difficult swim strokes, etc. then you may be experiencing many fat burning benefits. However, medium to low intensity cardio workouts done over a long period time do not generate very good results for improving cellulite in most women.
Instead try a different approach for at least 3 months. It is likely you will experience a noticeable difference before then. In fact, many women have reported beginning to notice a difference after only 2 – 3 weeks. But it’s good to do it for at least this amount of time to ensure you get good results.
What you should do is stop focusing on cardio and put the majority of your effort into weight training for the next three months.
Work out your legs heavy for at least two days out of the week, and of course work the rest of your body as well. You can design whatever kind of work out you please for your legs but make sure it includes more compound lifts than isolation lifts.
Of course if you are trying to focus your cellulite elimination efforts on other parts of your body then just chose to focus your lifts on ones that work those problem areas more. But for the sake of this article we want to focus on the thighs and buttocks since those are the problem areas most us deal with.
Focus on the following for your main lifts:
- Deadlifts
- Squats
- Lunges (Forward, Reverse, Side)
- Step Ups
- Good Mornings
For your isolation lifts which should make up the minority of your efforts consider implementing the following:
- Leg Extensions
- Leg / Hamstring Curl Machine
- Hip Abduction Machine
- Hip Adduction Machine
- Calf Raises
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Attempt to use increasingly heavy weight from week to week. Don’t make the mistake of using low weight for high reps. Do just the opposite. Lift as heavy as you can while still maintaining good form in your lifts. Focus on lifting difficult weights for low to medium reps. 3 – 5 sets of 3 – 8 reps is a good range. And don’t forget to record your progress, it’s very motivating to visually see that the amount of weight you can move is increasing. It sure helps to take some before and after pictures as well, just remember that it can take a few months to really notice the results.
How Does Lifting Weights Reduce Cellulite?
Honestly, it’s hard to say. I can’t say I have read any scientific studies regarding weight lifting and cellulite, although they may exist. So everything I say here is just theory.
My guess is that heavy weight lifting builds more muscle (no, not so much that you will get bulky, don’t worry about that) and as that muscle grows a bit it pushes outward against your skin and stretches it a bit. Less lose skin seems to result in less noticeable cellulite. So maybe it does not erase it completely but it can sure make it less visible as many women have attested to.
I know most of the advice I gave here seems counter-intuitive. Usually we associate cardio with fat burning and because of that we think cardio is a great cellulite reducer. However more and more women are finding that by laying off the cardio and focusing more on strengthening their legs, they are seeing great results.
Worried about gaining weight if you dial down your cardio? Don’t be. Most women who have gone this route have reported no weight gain, in fact many reported the opposite.
Lifting Heavy Is Not The Only Way To Eliminate Cellulite Without Surgery…
Below are some other cellulite tips and tricks that you may want to consider or investigate further. Remember everyone’s skin and body is different so some people will respond better to certain types of cellulite treatment where another person’s body might not experience any significant results with the exact same treatment. It doesn’t hurt to experiment and see what works for you.
Use Moisturizer
Dehydrated and dry skin can exasperate the unpleasant appearance of cellulite. When you use a daily moisturizer you can further minimize that ripple effect of cellulite. And no, you do not necessarily need one of the pricier cellulite creams for this, although if you have the money it wouldn’t hurt to read some reviews on these and give one a try.
Try Ultra Cavitation
Another thing you could try if you have the money is an ultra cavitation session at a spa or purchase your own machine. Cavitation machines use low frequency ultrasound to break up and destroy fat cells as well as help massage your muscles (added bonus!) Your body then metabolizes the fat cells and removes them through your lymphatic system.
Generally a cavitation session can cost from 200 – 250 dollars for a 3 hour session at a spa. If you plan on doing this multiple time it could really add up fast so another solution to look into purchasing your own machine and learning how to do it to yourself.
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Understand What Cellulite Is
Cellulite is fat… plain and simple. But it’s a little more complicated than that. When you are looking at cellulite what you are really seeing is the fat that is pushing through the connective tissue and callagen and pressing agains our skin. This is why people tend to get worse cellulite as they age (men and women) because their connective tissue begins to break down. It’s “lumpiness” factor simply depends on three things.
- Your Genetics
- The Amount of Fat (Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue – The layer below your skin)
- Collagen and Connective Tissue Breakdown
You genes you can’t really do anything about. Some people are just born with collagen that is not as strong as others. So don’t beat yourself up over that, instead focus on what you can control.
The amount of fat you have is definitely within your control. Eat clean foods as close to their natural source as possible. If you have excess fat, dial down your nutrition and keep lifting weights. Fat loss will follow. Do some research as well on foods that help your skin and collagen because that can indirectly improve your cellulite appearance.
As far as helping strengthen your collagen and skin connective tissue, do some research on supplements to help restore and strengthen these. This could also indirectly help reduce your cellulite by strengthening the tissue that is supposed to be encapsulating your adipose tissue (fat layer) and keep it from pressing against your skin and causing cellulite.
Now you know how to eliminate cellulite without surgery, so go out there and give it a try for a few months. Remember focus on weight training, and implement the other tips if you wish but they are only supplemental, and come back and let us know if it helps! Best of luck to you all.
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