How to Get Rid of Love Handles: It’s OK to Hate Them
It’s okay to hate your love handles; here’s how to get rid of them: No gimmicks, nothing fancy; just research-proven approaches that will shrink that unbecoming pudge in your waist.
When I was a personal trainer, men and women would grab a mushy area at the side of their waist and ask, “How do I get rid of THIS?”
My standard answer was, “Slam your legs!”
This always threw them for a loop, because they were expecting the answer to be some form of stomach-targeting exercise.
Now before I go on further, I want to clarify that proper diet is important for getting rid of your love handles — that excess fat that shows prominently from a front or back view of a person’s waist.
However, there are people who control their portions and have a reasonably healthful diet — but still struggle with that love handle look.
They’re not doing the right kind of workout. They’re not slamming their legs — which have the biggest muscles in the body.
It’s simple: Do intense workouts focusing on the legs, and secondarily on the largest muscles of the upper body (back and chest), and you will create a major energy deficit.
These large muscle groups will then be forced to raid the excess fat all over your body — including where it may be disproportionately stored, such as the waistline.
Waist Targeting Exercise Will not Rid Love Handles
Waist exercises such as side bends or swiveling against resistance do not shave off fat because the muscles that control waist movement are small and weak, and thus, require much less energy than your quads or glutes.
Here are several routines that increase resting metabolic rate and force muscles to soak up stored body fat for energy.
Barbell Squat
Barbell squats work multiple muscle groups at once, which means this is a major calorie burner — both during and after the routine.
The back squat. Shutterstock/B-Media
However, these must be done intensely to help shear off fat. Form is very important before you progress upward in amount of weight.
Once you have developed base conditioning for this exercise, use a weight heavy enough to blast your legs within 8-12 reps. If you can do more than 12 reps, then increase the weight.
The goal is to squat low enough so that your thighs are parallel to the floor. If you can’t, then lighten the load until you can squat parallel.
Deadlift
Though this is a simple movement, it also demands textbook form. Like the back squat, mastering form is essential before progressing with resistance.
Pick a barbell off the floor, keeping arms straight, always keeping your hips below your shoulders, and straighten into an erect position.
The deadlift recruits nearly every major muscle group: what a fat raiding exercise!
Deadlift. Shutterstock/sportpoint
Some say an 8-12 rep max for the deadlift is ideal for burning fat, while others say a 5-8 rep max is less likely to result in a form break. Do what works best for you.
HIIT
High intensity interval training can be applied to all cardio equipment.
The work interval lasts 30-60 seconds and is so intense, you can’t go one second longer.
These are alternated with one to three minutes of recovery intervals which are a relaxing, easy pace.
Shutterstock/Den4is
Do these alternations for 20-30 minutes, excluding warmup and cool-down. The end of each work interval should leave you too winded to talk.
Another way to measure intensity is with perceived exertion on a scale of 1 to 10. Level 1 feels like relaxing in a recliner.
Level 10 feels like trying to sprint 100 meters up a hill with a mountain lion in pursuit.
A HIIT interval should rate around a 9 for experienced exercisers; and 7-8 for novices.
Interval training can also be done outdoors or on staircases.
Exercises You’d Never Think of to Rid Your Love Handles
Sled work and the tire flip will quickly exhaust you — which is the whole idea. Short bursts of intense energy are much more effective at getting rid of love handles than are lengthy, paced aerobic sessions.
In between brief periods of pushing a sled or flipping a tire, rest a minute or two by walking around; then repeat for four to six sets.
Shutterstock/Africa Studio
The sled push or pull, and flipping a tire, engage many major muscle groups including the legs.
Ditch the side twists, side bends and boring long sessions of cardio for the exercises described here.
With controlled eating habits, you will then notice your love handles disappearing.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
Does a Fat Dog Mean You Don’t Get Enough Exercise?
Does a fat dog necessarily mean its owner doesn’t get enough exercise?
I once came upon a quote: “If your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.”
This quote isn’t entirely false.
My parents’ dog wasn’t as lean as he should have been. He was overfed and under-exercised.
Neither of them did any structured exercise. The dog was never walked. Instead he was let out into the fenced-in yard to do his business.
People who exercise are more likely to take their dog to a park for Frisbee or ball tossing.
Where there’s a fat dog, chances are, the animal’s owner is not getting enough exercise. This can be taken two ways.
A person who’s devoted to fitness is not likely to allow their dog to get fat.
The lean fitness enthusiast may be very cognizant of how much his pet eats, and may also be making sure the pet gets exercise.
This isn’t to say that those who never work out can’t be capable of monitoring their dog’s food intake.
My aunt never exercised but was very strict about her trim dog’s food intake.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t make sense that a lean fitness enthusiast would allow her dog to get pudgy.
The second consideration is that if a dog is fat, it’s not getting adequately walked or played, which suggests that the owner isn’t a very active individual.
Either way, an overweight dog means that there’s very likely an out-of-shape, under-exercised owner nearby.
If your dog is hefty, take it as a sign that you need to get moving more, and that some of this increased movement should include your pet.
This includes small dogs.
Small canines need exercise just as much as larger breeds, just like small humans need just as much exercise as very tall ones.
Your pet will benefit from aerobic workouts as much as you will.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer for Bally Total Fitness.
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