Lose those Love Handles!

Are you trying to get shredded and ripped and have the six pack you want, but for some reason that stubborn fat on your sides just chills out and never leaves? Then it is because you have most likely only been performing variations of abdominal crunches and sit-ups, but have not performed and side crunches, or not enough of them to get rid of the love handles and get that perfect slim body completely ripped. Your love handles are your obliques, which are the muscles that make up the lower side of your torso, just above the hips. Higher up underneath your armpits is called your serratus anterior, but that is just for you to know the surrounding muscle group.

Exercises that Eliminate Love Handles

Exercises that are meant to shred away that side fat are usually composed of twisting or side crunching motions. The key to performing this type of workout is to use your legs and upper body as little as possible during any of the exercises being discussed. The reason why is because you want to use your oblique’s as much as possible in order to actually work them out, if not then you will end up exercising your lower back muscles most likely instead.

The first exercise is the standing oblique crunch, which can be performed with a weight plate or dumbbell. Stand straight up with your feet about six inches apart from each other, then while holding the weight crunch down towards your hip and then coming straight back to starting position. You can do this either alternating from one side to the other, or doing one side first and then switching to the next side. Do these for x4 sets of 20 reps, and do not bend at the waist, knees, or use your arms to pull the weight up. Remember; focus all energy on your obliques!

Another great love handle killer is the wood chop. You perform these normally on the cable pulley machine, and with only moderate weight amounts that will allow you to do x4 sets of 15 reps. You want to put the pulley to where it lines up with your oblique’s, and then grasp the handle bar with two hands twisting the weight to the opposite side. Then switch the side to be exercised, and continue this alternation. If it is too easy then you are doing it with too light of a weight setting, and if you are struggling on doing six reps then decrease the weight.

Finally, a good an easy exercise is the standing overhead side bend, which you only need a very light amount unless you want it to be heavy. Grab anything that is straight and light such as a broomstick. The reason for this is because you just need something that will hold the overhead form while you bend down from side to side. Do not cheat yourself and go to fast because you feel silly. Perfect movements and form are going to get your body ripped, but wrong performance just means you just stay the same and pretty much wasted energy that could have been put to good use.