Exercise for Love Handle: Simple Moves to Burn Off That Extra Fat around Your Waistline

If you are wondering which is the best exercise for love handles, you have come to the right place. Getting rid of love handles can be quite a challenge, but we are here to help you get rid of that fat and get that sexy waistline.

If you don't know what love handles are, they're those areas of extra fat that sit over the hips. Love handles are not caused by tight clothing on their own, but they can become more noticeable when combined with other factors, such as tight clothing.

In this article, we will discuss the causes of love handles, the best exercise for them, and some easy exercises to get rid of love handles.

Causes of Love Handles

Exercising love handles can work to reduce and tone them down. (Image via Pexels/Kindel Media)

Fat retention is the underlying cause of love handles in most people. In general, the accumulation of fat cells occurs when the body takes in an excessive number of calories or when you don't burn off the same number of calories that you take in.

It's possible for fat to accumulate in any part of the body; but there are certain factors that increase the likelihood of fat getting retained in the hip, lower back, and abdominal regions. High cortisol level can cause fat accumulation around the belly, but so can age, lack of physical activity, poor diet and even sleep deprivation.

There's no saying whether love handles are due to a single cause or many, but exercising love handles regularly and eating a well-balanced diet can help you get rid of them.

Best Exercise for Love Handles

Choosing the right kind of diet is essential for you to get rid of love handles. (Image via Pexels/Andres Ayrton)

If you're looking for the absolute best exercise for love handles, the side plank has to top the list. However, remember that these only work when done in conjunction with other exercises and a low calorie diet.

Side plank is one of the best oblique exercises for women to target love handles. Alterations to the standard side plank can increase or decrease the difficulty of the exercise.

Get comfortable on your side first. Make sure your elbow is in line with your shoulder and forearm is flat on the ground, perpendicular to the body, as you prop yourself up on just one arm.
Just pile your legs on top of each other till the body is in a straight line from head to hips. Raise your hips while keeping your knee on the floor.
Consciously contract your buttocks (gluteus muscles), and hold the contraction for thirty seconds to one minute.
Keep your abs tight to help stabilize the body while you do the move.
Make a U-turn, and do it again.
Raise your knees off the ground, and rest your body weight on the forearms and sides of your feet for a more difficult move.

Hip dips can also be incorporated in this exercise for love handles. While maintaining a side plank position, gradually lower your hip by an inch or two and then raise it back up. Continue doing that for a minute or 30 seconds.

Side plank is the best exercise for love handles that you can do (Image via Pexels/Airam Datoon)

Do 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps of each of the following exercise for love handles.

1) Glute Bridge

This exercise for love handles actually works out your glutes more, but it also employs the core muscles.

Assume a prone position with the knees bent, arms by your sides, and palms flat against the floor.
Raise your buttocks and lower back slowly till the body is in a straight line from thr knees to the shoulders.
Hold this position for as long as you can (at least 30 seconds) or till you feel the muscles in the abs and glutes starting to give way.
Relax your muscles, and slowly return to the ground.
Do that ten times.

2) Bicycle Crunch

The next best exercise for love handles is bicycle crunches (Image via Pexels/Anna Shvets)

This exercise for love handles gives the core a good workout. While it's tempting to try to speed through your bicycle crunches, moving slowly and deliberately is the key to getting the most out of this exercise.

Place your hands behind your head and knees bent as you relax on your back.
Engage your ab muscles, and raise your shoulders and head off the floor. Keep your knees bent and shins parallel to the floor as you raise your feet off the ground.
Move your left elbow towards your right knee in a slow, controlled motion. Extend your left leg straight in front of you as you twist your body.
Gently rotate 180 degrees, bringing your right elbow back towards your left knee as you return your left leg to a bent position. Stretch your right leg out in front of you as you twist your body.
Perform 15–30 reps.

Excess fat, particularly around the hips and lower abdomen, can lead to the development of love handles.

As part of a larger effort to lose body fat, increasing physical activity and adopting a healthier diet can help reduce the size of love handles, but this process can be slow. You should also do specific exercise for love handles, as that can help you target those areas more.