10 Love Handle Workouts

 

Love handles, also known as side fat or muffin tops, refer to the excess fat that sits on the sides of your waist and lower back. While you can't target fat loss in just one area, you can tone the muscles in that region through specific exercises, along with proper diet and cardio. The best approach to losing love handles is a combination of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and core-focused workouts that target the obliques, abs, and lower back.

Here’s a list of the best love handle workouts that will help strengthen your core and sculpt your waistline.

1. Russian Twists

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis

Russian twists are a dynamic exercise that engages the obliques and helps tone the sides of your waist.

How to Do Russian Twists:

1. Start Position: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Lean back slightly while keeping your back straight.
2. Movement: Hold a weight (optional) in both hands or clasp your hands together. Twist your torso to the right, then to the left, while keeping your core engaged.
3. Twist: Touch the floor or just outside your hip on each side to complete the twist. Keep your feet elevated for a more challenging variation.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 20-30 twists (10-15 per side).

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2. Side Plank

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, shoulders, transverse abdominis, glutes

Side planks are one of the best exercises for targeting the obliques and strengthening the core. They help reduce love handles and improve core stability.

How to Do a Side Plank:

1. Start Position: Lie on your side with your legs extended, feet stacked on top of each other, and your elbow directly under your shoulder.
2. Lift: Engage your core and lift your hips off the ground so your body forms a straight line from head to feet.
3. Hold: Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, focusing on keeping your body in a straight line. Switch sides and repeat.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 30-60 seconds per side.

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3. Bicycle Crunches

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, rectus abdominis, lower abs

Bicycle crunches not only engage the entire core but are also effective in targeting the obliques, making them ideal for love handle reduction.

How to Do Bicycle Crunches:

1. Start Position: Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees lifted so that your shins are parallel to the floor.
2. Movement: Bring your right elbow toward your left knee as you extend your right leg out straight. Twist your torso as you perform the movement.
3. Switch: Quickly switch sides, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee while extending your left leg.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 15-20 reps per side.

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4. Mountain Climbers

Primary Muscles Worked: Core, obliques, hip flexors, shoulders

Mountain climbers are a high-intensity exercise that burns calories and strengthens your entire core, including the obliques and lower abs.

How to Do Mountain Climbers:

1. Start Position: Get into a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Drive Knees: Bring your right knee toward your chest, then quickly switch and bring your left knee toward your chest. Alternate legs in a running motion, keeping your core tight and hips level.
3. Speed: Perform the movement quickly while maintaining control, engaging your core throughout.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 30-45 seconds.

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5. Heel Taps

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, transverse abdominis

Heel taps are a simple but effective exercise that targets the obliques and helps tone the sides of your waist.

How to Do Heel Taps:

1. Start Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keep your arms by your sides.
2. Crunch and Reach: Lift your head, shoulders, and upper back slightly off the floor and reach your right hand toward your right heel, then your left hand toward your left heel. Keep alternating sides.
3. Engage the Obliques: Focus on using your obliques to perform the movement rather than swinging your arms.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 20-30 taps per side.

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6. Side-to-Side Leg Raises

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, lower abs, hip flexors

This exercise is excellent for engaging the lower abs and obliques, helping you target love handles while also strengthening your core.

How to Do Side-to-Side Leg Raises:

1. Start Position: Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and your hands underneath your glutes for support.
2. Leg Raise: Lift your legs up to about a 45-degree angle, keeping them straight.
3. Side-to-Side: Move your legs to the right, then to the left in a controlled motion, forming a “U” shape with your legs.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 12-15 reps per side.

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7. Woodchopper (with Dumbbell or Resistance Band)

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, core, shoulders, lower back

The woodchopper is a rotational exercise that simulates chopping wood, effectively engaging the obliques and helping to reduce love handles.

How to Do a Woodchopper:

1. Start Position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell or a resistance band with both hands.
2. Twist: Starting with the weight or band at your right hip, twist your torso and swing it diagonally across your body to the left, finishing the movement above your left shoulder.
3. Return: Bring the weight or band back to your right hip in a controlled motion, engaging your core throughout.
4. Switch Sides: After completing one set on the right, switch sides and repeat.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 10-12 reps per side.

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8. Plank with Hip Dips

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, transverse abdominis, core, lower back

This variation of the plank adds a twisting motion, which helps engage the obliques and work the muscles around the love handles.

How to Do a Plank with Hip Dips:

1. Start Position: Get into a forearm plank position with your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Dip: Rotate your hips to the right, bringing your right hip close to the floor.
3. Switch: Rotate your hips to the left, bringing your left hip close to the floor. Keep alternating sides while maintaining a strong plank position.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 15-20 dips per side.

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9. Windshield Wipers

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, lower abs, transverse abdominis

Windshield wipers target the obliques and help tighten the entire core, especially the love handle area.

How to Do Windshield Wipers:

1. Start Position: Lie flat on your back with your legs extended upward toward the ceiling and your arms stretched out to your sides for support.
2. Lower Legs: Slowly lower both legs to the right side, keeping them straight, until they’re close to the floor (without touching it).
3. Switch Sides: Return your legs to the starting position, then lower them to the left side. Keep alternating sides.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 10-12 reps per side.

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10. Standing Oblique Crunch

Primary Muscles Worked: Obliques, core, hip flexors

This standing exercise targets the obliques while also engaging the hip flexors and lower abs.

How to Do a Standing Oblique Crunch:

1. Start Position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands behind your head.
2. Crunch: Lift your right knee toward your right elbow as you perform a side crunch. Squeeze your obliques at the top of the movement.
3. Switch: Lower your leg and repeat on the left side, lifting your left knee toward your left elbow.

Reps and Sets:

• 3 sets of 15-20 reps per side.

Conclusion

Love handles can be challenging to get rid of, but with these targeted exercises, you can strengthen and tone your obliques and core muscles. Remember, spot reduction isn’t possible, so it’s important to pair these exercises with cardio, a healthy diet, and overall strength training to see the best results. Incorporating these love handle workouts 3-4 times a week will help you sculpt your waistline and reduce excess fat around your midsection.