Love Handle Workouts That Work

If you’re a football fan, instead of a football player or if you are a couch potato instead of a couch mover, or if you are living proof of a particular law of physics – “A Body At Rest Tends To Stay At Rest”… chances are pretty good, that beer gut you’ve developed and those oh-so-flabby love handles you’re sporting are there to stay, unless you implement some emergency love handle workouts.

So – Are you going to do something about it?

Look, over time, your metabolism has slowed down and you right along with it.  And if you are like I was, then your food intake actually increased at times and the “quality of your food” didn’t improve.

So, what to do? What to do?  Exercise dude!  You need some serious core strengthening, specifically love handle workouts that will swing your body back into shape.  Not only that, you need upper body and total body cardio as well.

Sorry, you can’t rely on just workouts for love handles and belly fat, because our bodies don’t really work that way. You need to improve your diet and increase your overall muscle mass in order to burn calories and prevent them from turning into another tire.  Only then, will really burn love handles.

That said, in addition to getting some good cardio (like interval training) and some good weight lifting in, you can strengthen your core and get ripped-up six pack abs with some effort… ok some serious effort.

Now, some specific love handle workouts that will go straight to those abdominal muscles include some of my favorites – Focus on oblique’s.  When completely developed, this muscle group will be your six-pack abs.  Before you begin, check with your doctor.  Whenever you push the weight – exhale, and always focus on proper technique.

Love Handle Workouts - Ride the Bike

Ride the Bike. Lie on your back, with your hands along the side of your head. Raise your right knee and your left elbow, and touch at the halfway point – basically above your mid section.  Then return to a nearly flat position and do the same movement with the left knee and right elbow. Repeat this process as if pedaling a bike.  Do not strain your neck and don’t touch the floor.

Crunch the Ball. Ok, so get yourself an exercise ball – a big one.  With your back on the ball, perform crunches.  Again, do not strain your neck, and try not to fall off the ball.  In the beginning your twitcher muscles might not be able to keep you on the ball without a spotter.

V-Ups. My middle school gymnastics coach gets the nod for this terror of the torso.  Lay on your back, with hands extended along the floor so you are full length stretched out… feels good at this point.  Now, (and this will take a lot of practice before you are strong enough, and your twitcher muscles and balance are developed enough to do it) raise both hands and both legs simultaneously toward the ceiling and toward each other until they touch (keeping everything straight – you will form a V with your body) and then go back down to the ALMOST the original starting position – only come down to a few inches above the floor (hands, head and feet) and repeat.  Like I said, you will feel awkward, you will fall over, you’ll accidentally sit up, etc., until you develop some balance.  Hang in there – it’s worth it.

Love Handle Workouts - Vertical Leg Crunch

Vertical Leg Crunches. This is basically a crunch with your legs pointed toward the ceiling. These love handle workouts require you to raise your shoulder blades off the ground and repeat.  A variation of this is to place your legs onto ball, or onto a chair, etc.

A second variation, is to raise your hips off the floor slightly, return to the floor and repeat – while keeping your feet up in the air.

UPDATE: You can find out more about the Truth About Six Pack Abs, by reading my post in this blog - click here.

Click Here for Plank Workouts.

Some of my favorite love handle workouts are PLANKS – we also call them TV watchers at home since we do them at commercials all the time.  And the best part – no exercise equipment – no treadmill, no workout ball – just a great home workout.

Stomach. To start this stomach workout, lay face-down on your stomach.  With your feet together, push up onto your forearms/elbows.  It’s like a regular push-up but on your elbows.  Hold your entire body very rigid.

Can you hold it for the entire commercial?  We like to have contests with each other.  This is terrific core exercise and will strengthen your back and your oblique’s (love handles).

Love Handle Workout - Side Plank Extended

Side. With the side plank ab workout, there are several variations, but the basics are enough to get you started and will definitely help you in your quest to reduce love handles.

Laying on your right side, lift up onto your right forearm/elbow and place your left arm down the side of your body (as it would be if you were standing).  Then, lift your torso off the floor so that you are forming a straight line with your body – feet to head.  Only your forearm and side of your feet should be touching the floor.  Be very straight and hold.  Switch and do the other side.

Once your balance is good and core strength has improved, you can add some variations to your workout. Try holding your top arm upright, overhead or straight out while doing the same thing with your top leg.

Full Arm Extensions. Raise yourself off the floor to a fully extended push-up position.  Beginning with your right hand, raise it quickly above your head.  Return it to the floor.  Then raise the left hand above your head and return it to the floor.  Repeat.  Hold your body as steady as possible.  You may find spreading your legs a bit will help with your balance in the beginning.

Criss-Cross. Once you’ve got the basic planks working well  and you want to step it up a notch.

Hold yourself in a full push-up position and rapidly force your right knee forward and then toward your left elbow, and return to the floor.

Then, perform the same with your left knee.  Repeat this alternating move rapidly and get a good cardio workout too. Keep pumping them!

As with all exercises, especially love handle excercises, it is critical that you always maintain proper workout technique. You must hold your core (back, oblique’s, upper and  lower abs, back, neck and head) steady and strong.  If your torso is allowed to swing around in the air, you will not help yourself and you could actually injure yourself.

There are no love handle workouts or any other form of exercise on earth worth doing if your technique is bad.  Always focus on good technique with fewer reps or shorter time, vs. sacrificing quality workout technique for more reps/weight/time.

UPDATE: You can find out more about the Truth About Six Pack Abs, by reading my post in this blog - click here.

Click Here for more Love Handle Workouts.