The process to losing your love handles is more than just exercise. It also requires a good amount of attention to your diet and your lifestyle. Yet, before you get into those features of the book, it is necessary to begin working your abdominal muscles correctly so that you can begin to tone those muscles.
As mentioned, performing exercises properly will make all of the difference in how successful each movement is at toning your muscles.
Talk With Your Doctor
Before you begin this or any other exercise regimen, make an appointment with your doctor. Talk with them about your health and what your physical exercise goals are. This way, they can rule out any potential health risks that you may experience during the exercise regimen. Always get your doctor’s okay before starting any type of workout regimen.
Of course, your doctor can also provide you with necessary information that can help you to lose those love handles including a good understanding of why they are on you in the first place. Meeting with your doctor should not be avoided.
Here are several exercises that you should start with.
Crunches With Raised Legs
As mentioned earlier, raising your legs off the ground when doing crunches is a crucial step for working off those love handles. In a standard crunch or sit up, the legs would be on the ground, which encourages not only your abdominal muscles to relax but also for your hip muscles to do all of the work. This is not what you want.
Instead, position yourself in such a way that you are lying flat on your back with your legs propped up. Use a small bench. You don’t need to create a perfect 90 degree angle with your knees, by try to get close to it.
Place your heels on the bench elevating your legs. Your feet should not be flat, but up in the air, while only your heels are touching the bench. From your buttocks to your head, you should be lying flat on the ground.
When you lay in this position, you should be able to feel the muscles that run across your hips feeling loose. That is exactly what you need to make happen.
· Position your body in a straight line, with only heels touching the bench.
· Your lower back should remain flat on the floor.
· Raise your ribcage off the floor up towards your pelvis. Get as close as you can to the legs, but do not strain yourself.
· Lower yourself slowly. Repeat this motion until you are too tired to move on.
Note: You can place your hands behind your head for support. You can not pull with your hands or arms on your neck or head. Your abdominal muscles must do the work of picking your body up off the ground. Also, keep your elbows out, not facing your legs.
Bend Over Twists
Another great exercise for your abdominal muscles is one that you do standing up. Again, you want to target the specific muscles in your body that are located in the region of your abdomen.
This exercise will work your oblique muscle groups and will tighten up the waistline as well. Here is how to perform this simple exercise.
· Stand with your hands behind your head. Remember not to force the movements of your body with your hands. They are there for support only.
· Your feet should be spaced even with your shoulders, facing forward. Bend your knees slightly.
· Twist your upper body until the right elbow is pointing straight up, into the air. You will be twisting your abdominal muscles, not your hips. The hips must remain straight with the legs.
· Immediately after twisting with the right arm up, twist in the opposite direction. Now, your left elbow is facing straight up.
· While you move through this exercise, keep your abdominal muscles tight. Flexing these muscles will make sure that they are being used.
· Continue until you are tired.
This exercise may be difficult to perform at first, especially if you have a large sized abdomen. Yet, soon the muscles will be able to do more and more. Don’t skip it as it can help to strengthen more than just your abdominal muscles, but will work on strengthening your back. Strong back muscles can help you to avoid injury and overuse during other functions.
Of course, never strain too far with this exercise or with others. Straining can tear the actual muscle and cause considerable pain and in physical trouble. You should only move as far as your body wants to go.
Elbow/Knee Sit Up
Another useful exercise that will help to tone the muscles in the abdominal region is the elbow to knee sit up that extends the elbow to the opposite knee, unlike a standard sit up that elbows touch the same side knee.
Remember, you want to twist and turn those muscles in the abdominal region. Doing so will help you to strengthen them, rather than your hip muscles or others.
In fact, this particular exercise will work with your rectus abdominis and the external and internal oblique. It can help virtually all muscles in this region of your body to strengthen, helping you to lose those love handles.
Here’s how to safely perform this exercise.
· Lie flat on your back. Your legs should extend straight out in front of you. Your hands should lay behind your head loosely.
· Bring your right knee up, while leaving the other flat on the ground.
· As the knee rises, twist your body so that your left elbow touches it.
· Do not use your hands or arms to move your head, only your abdominal muscles should twist here.
· Repeat with the opposite side of your body, the left knee to the right elbow. Continue to do this, one side after the other, until you tire.
When you are performing this exercise for the first few times, it may be difficult to actually touch your elbow to your knee. That’s okay. Simply move in that direction as much as possible. Never strain as you do not want any injury to take place.
These three exercises are exactly what you need to improve your abdominal muscles. These should be the core of your workout regarding muscle building in this region of your body.