Exercises to Get Rid of Love Handles (permanently)

Love handles or muffin top are delicious names but is a common problem area in both men and women’s bodies. Although you tried endlessly to lose them, do you still feel that you are chasing the roadrunner? So, let’s do some correct killer exercises to get rid of love handles permanently this time and be informed about what are we doing wrong!

Why do we have Love Handles?

They strip down your confidence to wear your favorite body-hugging outfit. I have been there, done that. Believe me, I’ve tried to do it all. I was constantly asking myself, why can’t I lose weight or get rid of my love handles? 

Sometimes, I even started thinking that I have a medical condition and even had many body checkups to see if i were okay. 

Before making time to do exercises to get rid of love handles, we should admit that we are the wrongdoers when it comes to our bodies. 

I used to eat a lot of candy, cake and different types of high calorie foods and those damn love handles appeared right before my eyes. Even then I was thinking, what am I doing wrong? 

Despite the fact that love handles do pronounce a lot more fat around the hip area when we wear tight clothing, it is not all about your appearance. It can also be an indication of bad health. Love handles, or the fat accumulated around the abdominal and hip area can also give the illusion of hip dips which are not actually there.  

There were literally days and nights that all I could think about was my love handles and how they made my booty look disproportionate. 

There might be several factors to support love handles to be hung around your body.  

First main factor is not moving your body enough. If you sit on a chair all day and eat, you might wanna rethink that.

The other factor is the diet. If you are a sweet tooth or a junk food junkie, the chances are you’ve got more fat around hip area than the others.  

But, in some cases, lack of sleep, stress or rarely some underlying health problems can also cause love handles.

First Things First 

But first of all, DO NOT PANIC! You know about Cortisol, the stress hormone, right? If you stress too much you won’t get any of the benefits from any exercise or food. Don’t ever think that this love handle, that double chin or that arm fat is making you less beautiful.  

THEY DON’T! But, it is crucial to take care of your body and maintain a good health. Why waste your hard earned money for health issues that you can address by yourselves?  

It is important to limit your workout to a maximum of 1 hour, because the longer your exercise will be, more stressed you’d be about all the things you need to get done after.  

Before jumping into the exercises to get rid of love handles, let’s prep you up good!

Preparing for a Workout

Hold on there, tiger! Don’t just walk outta the bathroom and start crunching on the floor. You need to follow some simple rules in order to get the best out of your workout. Please skip this part and go straight down to the killer exercises to get rid of love handles if you are already familiar with the drill.

1. Have a good night sleep before you start your workout whether you have a morning or evening workout session. Have at least 7 hours of sleep to save your energy to workout. If you didn’t get enough sleep your moves will be sloppy and the whole time you will be light- headed. Not to mention, you need a better slumber to repair your micro-tears caused from the workout you had the other day. If you don’t sleep, no results. Period!
2. Get something to eat 1 to 2 hours prior to have the energy to perform the exercises. Especially, if you have gastritis or a tender stomach, don’t work out on an empty stomach.
3. Stay hydrated before and throughout the workout.
4. Use correct footwear and undergarments such as sports bras and supporter underwear to support your movements and prevent injury.
5. Always remember to warm up 5 to 10 minutes before starting the workout.

No matter the cause is, these correct exercises can help you reach your weight goals, kick them troublesome fat outta your life and keep a good physical and mental health. Let’s go!

Best exercises to get rid of love handles

7. Bicycle Crunch

A lot of us are familiar with this exercise, although it is really difficult to do 40 Bicycles crunches in a row. But, if you manage to do it then the results would be great.

1. You should first lay on your back, keeping your head and hips straight. Then take your hands off the ground and keep your fingers lightly on the sides of your head
2. Don’t pull your head upwards with your hands keeping them under your head. Just keep them very lightly with elbows out just to allow the head elevation.
3. Then lift up your legs with bending knees in a 90 degrees angle.
4. Now start touching your right knee with your left elbow and left knee with your right elbow. You might not be able to touch your knees with your elbows, but trying so, you can have the full range of motion.
5. Keep your head and shoulders off the ground the whole time. Try to stretch your legs as far as you can when you elongate them parallel to the ground.
6. Don’t forget to keep a steady pace.

A lot of people try to hold their breath during oblique exercises. But this is wrong. Be sure to breathe properly, especially when doing a workout like this you need to oxygenate those core muscles the entire time. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Bicycle crunches are not only among the best exercises to get rid of love handles, it is a great exercise to strengthen your core muscles as well. 

Try to do 30 reps in a row and add in a couple of sets of these to your workout and you’ll start to notice the difference in no time!

6. Windshield Wipers

NO: I am not kidding! Seriously! You are going to wipe those windshields with your legs. 

YES. That’s right! 

You are going to mimic the movement of windshield wipers in your vehicle, but this time you are laying down on your mat.

1. Keep your hands spread apart wide on your sides and lift up your legs 90 degrees and move them from side to side slowly.
2. Take your legs down to the side as far as you are comfortable and start moving them to the other side.
3. Support your movement by lightly gripping the ground with your hands. But don’t try to completely rely on it as you need to give the full focus to your oblique and leg muscles.

This exercise can be a bit tricky. Therefore, try to avoid it if your back starts to hurt. If it is caused by the solid floor then try keeping a layer of towel or cloth under your hip. Do 30 reps of this movement and you’ll feel the burn. Oh yeah!

5. Side Leg lift with a Crunch

This exercise is so good for the side oblique muscles. It can strengthen and support you to lose excess fat around that hip area.

1. You simply need to lay on your side keeping your body straight in a line.
2. Then support your head with the hand on the ground.
3. Lift your leg upwards as far as you can and crunch to the side simultaneously.

Don’t make wobbly movements. Take control of your legs and keep them steady as long as you can. Try to stretch your legs without bending your knees. This small change will feel totally different on your side body. 

You can modify this exercise to a simple leg lift if your neck hurts while crunching. 

If not, balance each side with 30 reps of these and make those hips sexier!

4. Plank Hip Twist

One of my personal favorite exercises to get rid of love handles are Plank Twists. They are great and fun at the same time. Bonus, they are a challenge!

1. You have to come to a half plank position with keeping your elbows on the ground.
2. Keep your body straight and parallel to the ground. Give all of your attention to your oblique muscles and position your body properly with the support of your feet.
3. Now, with your hip, twist from one side to another as down as you can.

With time you’ll be able to reach the ground and touch it with your hips. 

For a better support, try clasping your fingers together. 

Plank Twists have two advantages. They work as a regular Plank exercise, strengthening your oblique muscles and the twist gives you that hourglass waist you’ve always dreamt of. 

Do 30 reps of these and you’ll see a real twist at the end!

3. Side Plank Dip

As far as I experienced, this is another killer exercise to get rid of that pesky side abdominal fat.

1. Lie down on your side and stretch your legs keeping your body in a straight line.
2. With your elbow’s support try to elevate your body from the ground and reach up as much as you can, and then come back down.

This move directly targets your side abdominal muscles and take your heart rate up like crazy if done correctly. 

If you feel it’s too difficult for you, try to keep one foot in front of the other.

If you need to modify this exercise, you can bend your knees and lift your hips upwards keeping your hand on your side. 

Believe me, modifying this exercise won’t make it a walk in a park.  

Doing these 25 or 30 reps each side can also take you one step closer to that hourglass figure.

2. Russian Twists

This is another top exercise to strengthen the obliques and according to my research it is among the greatest exercises to get rid of love handles.   

1. Sit down on your mat on your back and place your legs in front of you with a bit of an angle.
2. Then tilt your body back and balance yourself with the help of your back, while keeping your legs above the ground.
3. Then imagine trying to touch the sides of the ground with your arms twisting your body.
4. Breathe properly and maintain a steady pace. Keep your legs and neck steady.

If this is too hard for you, keep your legs on the ground and move your hands side to side twisting your torso. 

But, if you are one of them who seek a challenge like myself, then hold a weight which is suitable for you and perform the exercise. 

30 reps of these will make you say, “Oh, those russians..”

1. Cardio

Yes yes I know. Old school cardio. But, listen to this, I guarantee you if you do at least 30 minutes of cardio everyday, your love handles will be gone just like that. I clearly understand that with the current life-style taking a walk or a jog is kind of tricky. 

But, it ain’t without a prize. 

My best suggestion is to hop onto the elliptical machine or a treadmill for 30 minutes if you cannot do either aforesaid exercises. 

If you get bored easily, there are tons of cardio workouts for men and women from easy to intense levels available on youtube that you can follow along. 

Choose fun cardio rather than generic stuff. My best solution is dance cardio or tabata. 

If you are into sports do whatever you prefer such as Badminton, Tennis, Swimming, etc. 

I had a massive difference adding cardio 3 times a week to my workout schedule.

Conclusion

Like everyone else, I am going to say it too. 

You won’t be able to lose weight if you constantly eat high calorie, processed  or sugary foods. 

I won’t tell you to cut out sugar completely out of your diet, but I can guarantee you that, otherwise you won’t see the results you expect. 

Not only, it makes you gain more weight but can make you a diabetic faster than you think. 

There might be thousands of exercises to get rid of love handles, but without a healthy diet, those love handles gonna hold on to you a little longer. 

Eat a lot of  fruits and vegetables to satisfy your food cravings and take more protein rich food such as eggs. 

Drink 3 liters of water a day to help you lose more weight. 

Be mindful of what you consume, but don’t stress out too much and make your life unpleasant. 

By now you might know that you cannot spot reduce fat. You have to burn fat from all over your body. That’s why I have included cardio exercises along with the best exercises to get rid of love handles.

I can reassure you that a combination of cardio and these exercises to get rid of love handles can get you in great shape in less than a month. 

I keep my workouts limited to 4 to 5 days a week. It’s a moderate, consistent and a stress free schedule. 

Try these workouts consistently and let me know your results. What is your favorite exercise from these? Is there any other exercises which are far more effective? Let me know your experiences. 

Until then good luck!