One of the biggest complaints most people have when trying to get in shape is the stomach area, specifically belly fat commonly known as ‘love handles’. Not many people love these fatty areas that accumulate on the sides of the stomach around the external obliques.  Here I explain 3 of the best exercises to lose love handles…

The problem is that the standard stomach exercise won’t eliminate ‘love handles’, crunches and sit-ups have no effect on them. The only way to eliminate them is to use exercises geared at working the oblique muscles.

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Before beginning this or any fitness routine consult with a fitness professional to avoid injury and always warm up before starting a work out.

Exercises to Lose Love Handles Fast

The Side Bend

Although this is a simple exercise, don’t doubt its effectiveness in helping to lose those love handles fast.

To start, stand tall and straight with the feet shoulder width apart. Bend the knees slightly then lower the upper body to one side and then to the other side.

Do not lean forward or backwards, only side to side.

The Torso Twist

This is an excellent exercise to follow the side bend as you are already in the standing position. The torso twist is also quite effectual at eliminating those ‘love handles’.

From the standing position, with feet still shoulder width apart, twist the torso in a slow motion from one side to the other side.

Be sure to use the torso to twist, not the hips or the exercise won’t work. Keep the upper body straight and don’t bend. Focus on using the oblique muscles to do the twisting.

Side Crunch

For this exercise and the one following it you will need to lie down on the floor, use a mat or towel to soften the floor if necessary. Lie on one side, either one is fine as you will switch to the other one later on.

Using the right side as a starting point put the right arm across the waist area – the right hand should wind up resting on the left side of the body. Now, bring your left hand up and touch the tip of your ear, the elbow will now be pointing straight up.

Next, raise your left leg up about twelve inches while at the same time lifting your shoulders off the floor.

Squeeze the oblique muscles as you are lifting and hold the position for a few seconds. Slowly lie back down. Do a set then switch to the other side.

Seated Knee Drop

While still on the floor seat yourself on your hipbones. This is different than sitting on your butt. Use your hands to stabilize your body by putting them on the floor behind you. Next, put your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent and ankles together.

Next, let the knees move down to the right, although your feet will roll as well, they should stay on the floor. Continue to lower the knees until they are around six inches above the floor.

Hold this position for one or two seconds then move the knees back upright and to the left with the same procedure.

The key to this exercise is to focus on using the stomach muscles and not the body’s natural momentum to lower the legs, a slow, deliberate pace will help accomplish this.

While these are some of the best exercises to lose love handles fast you must also remember that your diet and fitness regime must also be aimed at burning fat, otherwise no amount of exercise to your external obliques will give good results.

For further information on how to lose love handles fast, I suggest you checkout the best guide I've read so far on the subject by clicking the link below:

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People who are trying to obtain a flat stomach have many different options, many that are wrong and many that are right. Choosing the wrong abdominal workout routine can lead to poor or no results or even pain and injury to the back or other muscles.

Before doing any fitness routine be sure to consult a fitness professional, stretch and warm up and keep the following titbits of important information in mind:

Knees Should Be Kept Up

To prevent injury to the back, the knees should be kept bent with the feet flat on the floor. The knees should be center aligned and pointing up. If the knees are not centered and are slanted to one side, the vertebrae become compressed which leads to back injury and pain. Any exercises that cause pain and can lead to injury should never be included in your abdominal workout routine.

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Traditional Sit-Ups

Many people don’t realize that the traditional sit-up has little or no effect on the stomach muscles and it often included in their abdominal workout routine. Regardless of how it is done, the hip muscles are absorbing most of the strain and the arms are usually doing most of the work, which is useless in obtaining flat abs.

In addition, most people do sit-ups in a very fast motion, which means that the body’s momentum is actually doing the work, not the stomach muscles. Rather than wasting time with sit-ups, do crunches for much better results.

Leg Lift- Straight

The straight leg lift is another ‘old school’ stomach exercise that I would not include in my abdominal workout routine. They offer little if any benefits to the stomach. Instead, the back muscles do all the work and in the end can be strained or injured.

Over Exertion

More than fifty reps of any stomach exercise is futile. If fifty reps don’t garner the results desired, then one hundred reps won’t either. If the exercise is becoming too easy, move to a more complex one that works even more muscles.

Sleeping

Sleep plays a large part in an abdominal workout routines. The sleeping position at night affects the exercise the next day. If you sleep in a position that makes you wake up with pain in the back, chances are you aren’t going to be able to work the abdominal muscles the next day.

Avoid sleeping on the stomach, this position makes the back arch and hurt the next day. Try sleeping with a pillow between the knees while lying on the backside. This will keep the back in alignment and help prevent back pain, which in turn allows for working out the next day without pain.

No Resistance

Abdominal fitness routines require some type of resistance in order to produce results. Resistance can come in the form of an exercise ball, a resistance band or even gravity. Exercises that do not have any resistance produce little or no results. For example, standing broomstick twists have no resistance, while this is a good warm up exercise; it is not directly beneficial to a flat abdomen.

Proper Technique

When it comes to exercising, technique is very important. Improper techniques can lead to pain and injury which prevents further exercise. Investigate and learn about new exercises before diving into them and always consult a fitness professional before starting a new program.

If you take all these points into consideration when choosing a new abdominal workout routine then you will see much better results.

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