We’re watching our diet, we’ve joined the gym and we’re trying to get in regular exercise – with summer just around the corner we’re doing our best to get in top shape and tone our bodies. Do you do hundreds of sit-ups every day, sweat for 1 hour on the treadmill and still you can’t get rid of those annoying love handles from your hips? We understand you! The fat deposits on the hips are usually quite stubborn and difficult to get rid of. But don’t worry, because that’s what we’re here for you. We have made ourselves smart for you and will tell you below the best exercises against love handles. So, are you ready to break a sweat? Then declare war on love handles and try our training plan as soon as possible!
What is love handles?
Before we get into the exercises to fight love handles and belly fat, let’s first briefly explain what love handles are. This is excess fat deposits on the hips and abdomen. Love handles or muffin tops are also known as love handles and are a typical problem area for men. However, women can also be affected. The hips tend to store more fat than other parts of the body, and love handles can be a big problem even for lean and well-trained people.
There are actually many factors that increase the likelihood of developing love handles on your hips. These include our age, elevated cortisol levels (too much stress), lack of exercise and sleep, and poor nutrition. If you consume more calories than you burn or need, you will undoubtedly gain weight – and not just in the hips.
Effective exercises against love handles
First, we want to get one thing straight and we’re sorry to disappoint you a bit – it’s impossible to target fat loss and lose weight in just one area. There are people who lose weight relatively evenly, while others always lose weight in the same places, for example. In order to lose fat and limbs, exercises aimed only at the stomach may not be enough. It is therefore best to rely on a training plan that trains all important muscle groups. Our love handles exercises are suitable for both men and women and would be a great addition to any exercise routine.
Side planks with leg raises
Side planks target the oblique and lateral abdominal muscles, making them one of the best exercises to reduce belly fat and love handles. The execution is actually quite simple and with the many variants it never gets boring.
- With your legs closed and straight, throw yourself down on your right forearm.
- Make sure your elbow is under your shoulder and your body is in a straight line.
- Raise the top leg straight up and hold the position for 2-3 seconds.
- Do a total of 10-12 repetitions and switch sides.
- Do 3 sets.
Russian twist version
The classic Russian twist is also an effective abdominal exercise to get rid of love handles.
- Sit on an exercise mat, leaning slightly backwards with your legs slightly bent and your feet planted on your heels.
- Keeping your back straight, turn your upper body to the left and briefly touch the floor with your fingertips.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- During execution, make sure that the lower body remains motionless.
- To increase the difficulty, you can raise your legs slightly off the floor and perform the russian twists with a dumbbell.
Bicycle-Crunches
And what would love handles exercises be without at least one crunch variation? Bike crunches work all your abdominal muscles at the same time and are the perfect addition to your flat stomach workout plan.
- Lie on an exercise mat with your knees bent.
- Cross your arms behind your head and form a slight hollow back.
- Make sure your buttocks and lower back touch the floor.
- Lift and straighten one leg, then lift and bend the other leg while pulling the knee towards your chest.
- Touch the knee with the opposite elbow, making sure the core muscles are engaged the whole time.
- Do a total of 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions per side.
Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises are a very effective exercise for reducing love handles in both men and women, and primarily target the lower abdominal muscles. However, the exercise is quite demanding and rather unsuitable for fitness beginners.
- Hang from a bar with your arms slightly bent, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Tighten your stomach and bend your legs slightly forward and lift them off the floor.
- Bend at the hips and lift your legs up in a controlled manner until they form a roughly 90-degree angle.
- If you have enough strength, hold the position for 2-3 seconds.
- Slowly return to the starting position and do 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
- Bending your legs and bringing your knees up will make it easier to perform.
side bends
So simple and yet super effective – side bends are one of the best exercises for love handles and belly fat for us. This not only trains the stomach, but also strengthens the spine and core muscles.
- Stand hip-width apart and upright with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Tighten your stomach and pull your navel towards your spine.
- Lean your torso to the left and right alternately, being careful not to lean forward or backward.
Der Spiderman-Crunch
The Spiderman crunch is a great abdominal exercise to strengthen your core and obliques and get rid of love handles around your hips.
- Start in the classic push-up position and keep your back straight.
- Support your hands below your shoulder joints and place your feet hip-width apart on tiptoe.
- Then pull your left knee forward towards your shoulder and return to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement with the other leg, doing a total of 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions per side.