The #1 Best Exercise for Getting Rid of Love Handles
Love handles have a pretty adorable name, but for people who are self-conscious about them, they're far from cute. Love handles—fatty areas between the waist and hips that can appear more pronounced in tight clothing—are often a stubborn spot for a lot of people when it comes to fitness and their body image, and toning the area can be tricky for some.
That said, let us preface the following with the fact that all bodies of all shapes and sizes are beautiful. And yes, that includes yours. But if you're insecure about having love handles or want to rid yourself of them for health-related reasons, read on.
"Most people tend to gain weight around the stomach area and hips, and this can be dangerous, as the fat deposits in the abdomen can be directly connected to the [risk] of cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and heart attacks," senior coach and AFPA-certified personal trainer Tracy Thompson from Total Shape tells Parade. "Despite love handles being a stubborn area to slim down, the good news is that it is not impossible. By combining consistency with exercises and good nutrition, you may be able to burn down those love handles."
Find out exactly how certified personal trainers recommend getting rid of love handles.
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The #1 Best Exercise for Getting Rid of Love Handles
Certified personal trainers agree that if you're targeting love handles for toning, mountain climbers are one of the absolute best exercises you can do. Here's what to know about the move.
How to do mountain climbers
No, you don't need a backpack or a parka for these—just a comfortable floor or mat and your own body weight!
Josh York, trainer, founder and CEO of GYMGUYZ, explains how to do mountain climbers: "Starting in a plank position, bring your knees up, almost running in place, being sure to maintain your plank position."
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Experts agree that mountain climbers work in several ways to help nix love handles.
"Mountain climbers are a great exercise to activate your obliques as well as other core muscles to reduce love handles," Adaeze Merenini, ISSA Master CPT, for Crunch Fitness, says. "When performed slowly, they help to develop strength."
"Mountain climbers help burn fat as well as sculpt the obliques and abs," Merenini adds. "Mountain climbers combine planks with running, so fat is being burned while carving out the abdominal muscles."
Related: How To Do the Daisy Keech Ab Workout
More Ways To Get Rid of Love Handles
Aside from mountain climbers, there are plenty of ways you can target your love handles.
"The most recommended exercise for addressing love handles is a combination of cardio workouts and targeted oblique exercises. This approach helps burn excess fat while toning the muscles around the waist," Seth Forman, trainer at Kayezen, advises. "Results vary, but with commitment, improvements can be seen over several weeks."
"Your body needs resistance and weight to gain strength and to lose fat, so incorporating equipment like ab wheels, resistance bands and medicine balls is an easy way to add in a little extra burn and, conveniently, this is all equipment you can train with at home," York advises. "Cardio is an essential part of the equation for burning fat."
York recommends doing three to four sets of 15 to 20 reps for all of the following exercises—plus your trusty mountain climbers—to target love handles:
Broomstick twists
Hold a broomstick or resistance band between your hands and place it over your head and on top of your shoulder. Twist from side to side.
Side lunges
Be sure to track your knees over your toes.
Medicine ball rotational squat and twist
A combination of a wood chop motion with a squat, this exercise will get your heart rate up while challenging your oblique muscles.
Ab wheel with burpees
Combining the dynamic movement of a burpee with the core workout from an ab wheel will engage your whole body with a particular burn on your core.
Russian twists
Thompson loves Russian twists to combat love handles because they specifically target your obliques and are easy for beginners—and you can increase the intensity and add more weights as you get more advanced.
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