Love handles are very stubborn and hard to get rid of. This sort of fat gathering at the sides of your torso is an indicator of overall poor health, but it is also an indicator of very high levels of estrogen and progesterone. While you can reduce your overall body fat with shredding diets and by balancing your hormone levels, you can also do targeted exercise in order to reach your goals even faster.
Under your loves handles, there are muscles called 'obliques'. And contrary to popular belief, crunches are not the most effective exercises to reduce the fat covering your obliques. Combining a little bit of dietary adjustments with high-intensity exercises can be more effective than crunches.
Russian Twists (4 x 15)
This strength exercise engages and strengthens your core, by hitting your abs and recruiting smaller muscles in the movement as well. For this exercises you will need a weight plate.
- Lie on the floor, bent your knees and place your feet under a fixed object or have someone hold them.
- Raise your upper body so that it create a V-shape with your thighs.
- Fully extend your arms in front of you, holding a weight plate with both your hands.
- Twist your upper body with an explosive movement to the right until your arms are parallel to the floor.
- Hold for a second and return to your starting position.
- Switch sides and repeat!
Sledgehammer Swings (3 x 20)
This exercise hits your abs and recruits other muscles into it. This exercises develops work capacity, builds core strength and enhances your grip. For this exercise you need a tire and a sledgehammer.
- Stand about 2 feet away in front of the tire with a staggered stance, and grip a sledgehammer with both hands.
- Bring the sledge up as your dominant hand slides towards the head of the sledge, and allow your hand to slide down and join your left hand as you swing down.
- Slam it against the tire as hard as you can and control the bounce.
- Switch sides and repeat!
Plank Hip Dips (4 x 20 sec)
This plank variation is more dynamic and it engages your entire core. It will hit your obliques and it will enhance your stability and flexibility.
- Lie prone on your elbows, with toes and forearms on the ground. Keep your body straight and keep your head down or slightly ahead.
- Slowly dip your hips to one side and go as far as you can without touching the floor.
- Hold for 20 seconds while contracting your abs and lift back up.
- Switch sides and repeat!
Rope Waves (4 x 30 sec)
This compound exercise engages your core and recruits your upper body muscles into the movement. It is a very effective exercise for enhancing both stability and flexibility.
- Face the ends of 2 anchored ropes extended side by side and grasp a rope end in head hand.
- Stand with your feed wide apart and bend your hips and knees.
- Slightly lean back as your raise the ropes to start the wave.
- Whip the ropes downwards and upwards with a rapid movement.
- Repeat!
Jumping Burpees (4 x 15)
This dynamic exercises is an advanced burpee variation that engages your core and provides you with a full-body workout. For increased intensity, speed up your execution.
- Stand upright with your arms to the sides.
- Bend over, squat down, and place your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Hold your upper body straight and kick your legs band.
- Land on your forefeet with your body straight, in a plank position.
- Do a push-up by lowering your body to the floor and then raising it back up.
- Keeping your torso straight, pull your legs forward under your body and return your feet into the starting position.
- Powerfully jump up and land in the original position.
- Repeat!
These are not your usual exercises for abdominal fat-loss, but they are definitely the most effective. So take it easy at first, in order to learn the movement and develop a rhythmical tendency towards performing it. This will help you with your posture and form as well, to ensure that your execution and technique are perfect.
Remember to keep your spine neutral at all times, and just a quick tip: suck your stomach in as you perform this exercises to get rid of love handles! This way you will strengthen your core and stimulate muscle growth and toning around your abs and waist. If you do this correctly, you will see some amazing results in no time!
