love handles

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rtierney794
rtierney794 Posts: 32 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
what is a great exercise to work the love handles? I am a little "wide" and would like to lose those lol

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  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    Cardio is the best way to burn the fat, which will get rid of love handles. You can't "spot reduce" and area.
    But you can build some muscle there to tighten things up when the fat is gone. Google "oblique abdominal muscles" for a complete list of exercises. There's 2 basic kinds, and you need both. One is crosswise - left elbow to right knee, for example (like the old "bicycle" crunches). The other is like side bends, pulling your ribcage toward your hip sideways.

    On good exercise that works all the abs at the same time is the plank. It's like a push-up position, except you're on elbows instead of hands. Hold for as long as you can (usually 10-15 sec for starters) then rest for 30 sec or so before repeating. Do this 3-4 times a day, holding longer as your strength increases. (If you start feeling it in your back, it means you need to tighten your abs more).
  • heatherisms
    heatherisms Posts: 16
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    Great information! Thank you! :D
  • rtierney794
    rtierney794 Posts: 32 Member
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    Thanks for the information!
  • swisspea
    swisspea Posts: 327 Member
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    I recently came across an amazing yoga move to help this area! My boyfriend noticed it actually, we are close to completing a one-year long distance situation in order for me to finish my degree, and when we were last together in March, he was rubbing my back and said "those little lines on your back are gone! Where did they go? I liked them, they were like braile."... he's adorable as those were stretch marks, and I hadn't realized that they were gone till he said! It was very exciting.

    I don't know the proper names for them, but Ive included some photos to show you. The first pose involves you lying flat on your stomach, pulling your arms from the back of you (straight back towars your feet) and lifting your chest (neck and head) off the ground (looking straight forward), with your chest lifted, lift your legs off the ground a few inches, and holding as long as possible. http://www.bikram-yoga-noosa-australia.com/Poorna-Salabhasana.htm

    I don't have a photo for this one, but it's pretty easy. It's best to start on all fours (hands right below your chest, knees right below your hips) and stretch doing cat/cow first http://creativesoulinmotion.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/cat-cow.jpg. Then, lift your left leg straight back behind you (keeping your hips as square to the floor as possible). Lift that leg towards the cieling as much as you can, and extend energy through the heel, then lift your right arm off the ground and extend it forward, so you just have opposite knees/hands on the floor supporting you. Hold this pose for a few breaths, then switch sides.

    Good luck!
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Cardio is shrinking mine. It started with Zumba and now I'm doing Turbo Fire. With all the twist & turns and punching in both these exercises, I'm seeing decent results

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