Dearynight98:
I personally am not a fan of apron bellies and want a rounder one. Will toning it help lift belly fat?
From what I can gather this comes down to 3 things that are frequently spoken about in these forums:
1: Subcutaneous vs Visceral fat. A "ball belly" is mostly fat around the organs which is defined as visceral. Visceral fat does correlate with more health issues in high quantities including type 2 diabetes. However gaining more visceral fat over subcutaneous can be affected by diet there is also another event to consider:
2. Genetics. Genetics affects fat distribution a lot. Age and hormonal balance also affect this. Cortisol is correlated with visceral fat and it also seems that genetic predispositions make it more or less likely for you to have different fat distributions. What also seem common in men is that higher androgenic hormones (testosterones) increase visceral fat and again, testosterone in many individuals is affected by diet and exercise, particularly anaerobic exercise. However you must consider that hormone levels "correct themselves" ie the body tries to make what it considers a balanced level which again points to genetics. This can be affected by diet and supplementation and diet leads on to point 3.
3. Collagen. A long apron belly (pannus) can be caused by a mix of subcutaneous fat and loose skin. Looser skin is correlated with collagen levels which again are affected by genetics, age and diet and to an extent damage due to hydration. For the latter.point just with any skin, long term elasticity [what many marketeers refer to as tightness] can be improved by a good balanced diet and by the use of moisturizing creams on a regular basis. Further to this good blood flow from a well functioning vascular system helps to get those nutrient to where they are needed, and smoking doesn't help this.
With all these in mind, as much as certain exercises can help with vascular health and with increasing testosterone (which will likely aid with a more androgenic form), there are many many factors to why gainers end up shaped as they are and to state the obvious, feedism isn't something approached in life sciences often.
Finally i would note that there is a bit of research to suggest jogging increases the sagging of adipose pockets (breasts etc) due to physical stresses on the skin through cyclic loading.
Read up on the forums at what other gainers have had luck with for visceral fat vs subcutaneous fat (there's a lot re heavy cream).
Good luck with with achieving the body you want
