Ahhh, love handles…Is there really anything to love about them? 🤔 Muffin top, spare tire, or whatever you want to call them—I think we can all agree the only thing we love about them is that we love to HATE them! Love handles are a thick layer of abdominal fat that sits on the outside of your obliques (lower side of your torso) creating the shape of a “muffin top”. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to get rid of love handles or a muffin top, you probably already know they are a real pain in the butt to get rid of. Unfortunately, our bodies are unable to “spot reduce” body fat—meaning, we can’t pick and choose where we gain or lose it. When it comes to fat loss (no matter where it is on your body) the only way to reduce it sustainably is to burn more calories in the day than you consume (relative to your current body composition and lifestyle).
There are several factors that determine the appropriate number of calories an individual needs in order to reach their goals sustainably, but the gist of what you need to know is that you can’t “out-exercise” a poor diet.
How to Get Rid Of Love Handles
The best way to get rid of love handles is to increase your aerobic activity (cardio) and eat healthy, nutrient-dense foods.
Step 1: Cardio
Start by doing 30 minutes of cardio every day—whether that is walking, running, swimming, or dancing—whatever type of aerobic activity you enjoy, simply begin and make it a habit. If you aren’t sure where to start, try this no-run cardio workout guaranteed to make you sweat!
Step 2: Diet
You should also eat a healthy and nutritious diet. If you want to see sustainable weight loss, you should slowly incorporate healthier foods into your diet instead of cutting things out “cold turkey”. Sure, doing this can cause you to drop weight quickly, but it can also cause uncontrollable food cravings and binge eating— and in many cases, cause you to gain the weight back. So, next time you head to the supermarket, bring this clean eating grocery list as a guide to help keep you on track and give yourself some freedom to enjoy a cheat meal from time to time! If you enjoy the process you are more likely to make a sustainable lifestyle change and prevent any rebound weight gain.
Step 3: Muffin Top Workouts
Let’s be honest…muffin top fat is super annoying and is in the most inconvenient place (bye-bye skinny jeans! 😭) So, if you want to learn how to get rid of love handles, the next step is toning. Sure, resistance training exercises alone won’t melt the fat off—but once that fat does come off you’ll want to reveal lean and toned obliques. You can maximize toning in this area by doing resistance training exercises and muffin top exercises to ensure that your abs are in check for the big reveal.
This go-to muffin top workout can be done anywhere with absolutely no equipment. Muffin top exercises focus on rotational movements or “contralateral exercises”. This basically means that you’ll see the best results in this particular area of your body if you do exercises where the movement moves across your body.
Muffin Top Exercises
Learn how to get rid of love handles with these muffin top exercises! When completing these muffin top exercises, you should focus on high reps and high intensity. Complete 20 reps of each of the muffin top exercises and 3-4 rounds. You should complete this muffin top workout with 80-85% of your maximum effort—this should be very challenging and your heart rate should be high!
Before starting your muffin top program, boost your energy and metabolism with SkinnyFit Jump Start! To ensure optimal muscle recovery, cool down with SkinnyFit’s Repair and Recover. For best results, use both of these supplements together!
Best muffin top exercises:
- Plank drops
- Oblique crunch
- Burpees
- Russian Twists
- Supermans