Last Updated on October 21, 2021
If your love handles make you insecure and you want to see lower back bulges melt away, these love handle exercises are for you!
I wasn’t genetically blessed with a tiny, curvy waistline…
When I was 40 pounds heavier my love handles were always a huge source of insecurity for me.
It’s NOT fun seeing your back fat popping out from your yoga pants, jeans, underwear, and bikini bottoms, is it? NO, it’s not.
Virtually all of my clients don’t like their love handles very much either. That’s why I’m sharing the best exercises for love handles with you!
If your love handles make you insecure, these exercises will help you! They’re the exact same exercises I recommend with my personal training clients and do myself because they work!
HINT: See the love handle exercises in action below the workout made with the love handle exercises.
So. Many. Ladies. I’ve been working with lately want love handle exercises to shrink their waistlines.
They want an itty bitty Kim-K style waists and more bubble in their booty.
Here’s the deal…. you can squat your brains out and do crunches til the cows come home.
BUT if you want to truly see your booty pop and waistline shrink you have to – I repeat HAVE TO – do love handle exercises.
See the difference? Same size booty… but it pops more when the love handles are minimized.
This is a top trainer trick to help you make your booty pop. No squats required.
That’s exactly why I put together today’s love handle workout for you.
In it, I included 6 different love handle exercises you can rotate into your routine – or do them all together for a complete lose-your-love-handles workout.
All you need is a set of dumbbells and a willingness to lose your love handles. Ready?
Workout with the Best Love Handle Exercises for Women
What makes these love handle exercises the best?
Getting rid of fat from the love handle area can be tricky. The muscles in the lower back attach to the spine and pelvis in different directions. Some of the muscles run up and down. Some are diagonal.
I’ve found that the best exercises for love handles target and tighten the lower back muscles from all different angles and directions. Hint: that’s what these exercises do and why they’re the best!
When these exercises are done together in one workout, they cinch all of the muscles in tight like a waist trainer, reducing the appearance of love handles and the waist. WOO!
That’s how we’re going to target, tone, and suck in all the muscles that wrap around the love handle area like a corset. I’m going to demo the exercises for you below.
See how I’m moving in different directions to target the area around my waist and lower back?
The Best Exercises for Love Handles
Wood Chop Exercise
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your knees slightly bent. With a weight in your hand, start with your arm across your body, holding the weight with both hands next to the opposite hip. Bring your arm up and diagonally across your body. This works the muscles on your sides where your love handles are. Make sure you are using your core to move the weight, not just your arms.
Windmill Love Handle Exercise
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold weights as shown. Bend to the side the weight is on and try to take the weight to the floor, and then come back up. If you place your hand on the side that you don’t have the weight on, you should be able to feel the muscles engage.
Side Plank Exercise for Love Handles
Lay on your side using your elbow for support. Make sure your elbow and shoulder are in a straight line. Spread your palm out to allow for better support. Put your feet on top of each other and lift up. Hold the position for as long as you can.
Superman Exercise
To do the superman exercise, lay on your stomach with your hands and legs extended. You’re then going to lift both your upper and lower body so that your upper torso and your legs come off the ground. Repeat until you feel the burn. Once you feel the burn, do 5 more.
Bicycle Crunch Exercise
Lay on your back with your hands behind your head. Bring your legs up to a 90-degree angle. Bring your right knee towards your chest and crunch up to meet it with your left elbow and back down. Repeat with the other side.
Russian Twist Exercise
Sit on your bottom with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Lift your feet up and lean back slightly. While holding a weight, twist to one side and dip the weight down towards the floor. Return to the start position and immediately repeat the movement on the other side.
Here are the love handle exercises again in order so you’ll know how to do the workout (See more info on how to do the workout below)
Pin these Love Handle Exercises to Pinterest so you’ll have them forever
Lose your Love Handles Workout
- Warm up for 5-10 minutes.
- Repeat each exercise, 15 times, to complete 1 set.
- If an exercise is shown only doing one side (like the wood chop exercise for example) make sure you do 15 reps on BOTH sides.
- Do 5 full sets – of all 6 exercises – to complete the workout.
- Cool Down with some light stretching.
- I recommend doing this workout twice a week along with my Total Transformation Program.
LOVE HANDLE WORKOUT NOTES
- I used an 8-pound weight.
- If 15 reps are too difficult with 8 pounds you can use 5 pounds. If it’s too easy you can use 10 pounds or more.
- Whatever amount of weight you choose, make sure you can still do the exercises with proper form as shown.
- One rep with proper form is better than 10 reps with sloppy form!
These love handle exercises only work, if you work it. So work it! You’re so worth it!
Did you feel the burn? What exercise was your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know. I love hearing what you think!
Hugs and Love
Your Coach and Biggest Cheerleader
xxoo
P.S. If you liked this workout, try this Workout Targets the Love Handles. This Workout Helps get Rid of Love Handles, too. My Hourglass Workout! It’ll help you sculpt and little waist and boost your buns. When you slim down the waist and boost the glutes, it can help make the love handle area look smaller.
P.P.S. These exercises train the muscles in the love handle area… but it’s impossible to spot reduce fat. To reduce your love handle fat faster, it’s best to follow a meal plan and complete workout program.
Results using my Total Transformation Program
Check out Nhu’s results after just 30 days working my Total Transformation program.
There’s not a whole lot to love about love handles. It’s looks so ugly to have love handles and these workout seems ladder to get rid of it. I am surely going to try it.
Love this workout!! Thanks Christina
Hi,
I found your videos on YouTube and love them. I’ve lost 31 pounds and have been exercising but see little change. I love the way you explain how the muscles connect and doing exercises that work them all. How do I get printed copies of your exercises, not just this one but all of them?
Thanks so much, I can’t wait to get started.
Melissa Mello
Hi Melissa : ) All of my exercise programs include an exercise ebook with images and instructions. Or you can print out the Pinterest graphic if you want. xo
Is this workout still recommended if you suffer from sciatic pain in your lower back? What changes to this plan or form tips can you give to reduce strain?
That depends… would these moves trigger pain? If so, then nope! Pain = Problem and everyone reacts to moves differently based on their unique injury/physical ability. I typically default to plank core movements for my clients with sciatic distress.
I talk all about it in this post: https://www.christinacarlyle.com/how-to-get-abs-without-crunches/
Great post christina. Time for mine to get rid of those love handles fast.
You got this! Make sure you sign up as a CC VIP so you’ll get access to my free resource library and new workouts every week. Here’s a link so you can sign up for free. https://www.christinacarlyle.com/become-a-vip/
Hi Christina! I’m very glad to have come across one of your videos on youtube! I feel very confident and happy to know there is someone(you) who actually explains the exercise and simplifies it in a way that I can actually stick to it! I have set my mind right to lose weight and am anxious to start. I’m only 3 months pregnant with my third child and am feeling crappy about not losing the weight prior… 🙁 i have suffered (am suffering) from emotional eating and stress and lack of sleep, my youngest is almost two so it makes sense why I’m up a few times a night. Well, I have changed my eating habits and am doing my best to lighten up mine and my husband’s dinner portions(he doesn’t know it, of course he gets up for seconds) .. So I feel a lot better mentally in that sense. Although, I am bloated and want to exercise at home even before the warmer weather comes back so I can continue jogging with my kid(s). I feel good to do this workout except the bicycle crunches may not be safe at this time, I was wondering if there’s an alterative? I am glad you are doing this for us who need help losing weight and boosting our self esteem. Thanks. Ps if you have any tips on how to eat less carbs while dealing with pregnancy cravings.. That would be great.
You’ll have to ask your Dr. for your exercise limitations. I recently shared a video on how to stop sugar and carb cravings that you may find helpful.
How many calories would you say this burns?
It’s impossible for me to say. Calorie burn changes depending on your current height, weight, and intensity used…
I can’t reach the floor when I do the windmill exercise, barely halfway to the floor at that! Is this normal? I am not bending forward, just to the side. I feel like I’m not doing it right. 🙁
I address that in the video. Follow the step by step instructions and you’ll be fine. xo
This workout is amazing! Thank you Christina!
You’re welcome! xo