“Love handles” are excess fats that accumulate on the sides of your waistline, spilling over the edges of your pants. Many individuals aspire to tone and tighten this area of their body. Shedding fat around the waist can be particularly challenging as it involves losing fat from all over your body. Low-impact workouts tailored to target love handles can be a game-changer, providing gentle yet effective results.
Many people head to the gym with the primary goal of trimming down their midsection. However, a significant number of individuals face obstacles such as shoulder pain, lower back pain, knee pain, and elbow pain. In my experience as a personal trainer, it’s not uncommon for clients to present with multiple pain issues simultaneously.
If you fall into this category, it’s crucial to engage in exercises that are mindful of your condition. By doing so, you can achieve impressive results while minimizing discomfort. Properly executed workouts may even lead to an improvement in how you feel overall, as they can help strengthen your joints and tendons and address any imbalances or weaknesses in your body.
Let’s explore five awesome low-impact workouts to melt love handles in a gentle, pain-free way. Try doing these workouts a few times a week, and you’ll see a lot of progress faster than you would imagine.
Workout #1: Bodyweight Strength
This is perfect if you don’t feel like going to the gym, don’t have a gym nearby, or simply want something extra you can do when you’re at home, on holiday, etc.
A1) Reverse Lunges, Sets: 5, Reps: 10 per leg
Take a long step back—long enough so that your knees make two 90-degree angles at the bottom—and pull yourself back up with your forward leg.
A2) Pushups, Sets: 5, Reps: 10
Get in a pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Keep your lower back flat, and don’t let your hips sag. Lower yourself and keep your elbows close to your body as you descend.
A3) Plank, Sets: 5, Reps: 30 seconds
Get into a plank position—resting on your forearms and keeping your body straight. Push your forearms into the ground to round your upper back and curl your hips in to keep your lower back flat.
B1) Hip Bridges, Sets: 4, Reps: 12
Lie on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to push your hips up. Repeat. Do not use your lower back you pull yourself up.
B2) Bear Crawls, Sets: 4, Reps: 15 yards
Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips; keep your knees an inch above the ground. Crawl forward by taking a small step with your right arm and left leg simultaneously and alternate. Keep your hips low and your head up.
C1) Wall Sit, Sets: 3, Reps: 30 seconds
Start with your back against a wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. Slide down into a squat position by keeping your back against the wall and shuffling your feet forward. Keep going until you have a 90-degree angle at your knees. Hold this position for time.
Workout #2: Resistance Band
One of the best tools to help you enhance any workout—without any pounding on your joints and ligaments—is an exercise band. They’re extremely lightweight and tiny, so you can throw them in your bag, and they come in a variety of resistances so you can continually increase the difficulty and keep making progress.
A1) Band Squat, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Stand on one end of a band with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly out. Place the other end behind your neck with the loop in front of your body. Start the movement by sitting backward and spreading your knees apart. Descend below parallel while keeping your lower back flat. At the bottom, drive through your heels and keep your knees apart.
A2) Band Good Morning, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Stand on one end of a band with your feet hip-width apart. Place the other end behind your neck with the loop in front of your body. Push your hips backward with a slight knee bend, keep your back neutral, and descend until your torso is almost parallel to the ground. Drive through your heels and return to the start position.
A3) Band Bent-over Row, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Stand on a resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart and with one end in each hand. Bend your knees slightly and bend your hips until your torso is almost parallel to the ground. Keep your lower back flat, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and row.
B1) Band Pullapart, Sets: 3, Reps: 15
Grab an exercise band about shoulder-width apart held at chest height. Keep your elbows locked. Start by squeezing your shoulder blades together and pulling the band apart until your arms open 180 degrees. Do not arch your back.
B2) Band Face Pull, Sets: 3, Reps: 15
Set a cable rope attachment above your head. Grab the ends of the rope in each hand with your palms facing each other and start the movement by squeezing your shoulder blades down and back. Pull the rope toward your nose. For more range of motion, attach two cable rope attachments to the machine and hold one rope in each hand
B3) Band Bicep Curls, Sets: 3, Reps: 12
Stand on an exercise band and grab the ends with your hands. Curl the bands without swinging your body or leaning backward.
Workout #3: Strength Training
This is your classic strength workout you can do in practically any gym. It requires just a few pieces of basic equipment, but it’s designed so that you’re not doing extreme ranges of motion.
A1) Barbell Hip Thrust, Sets: 4, Reps: 8
Lie with your shoulders on a bench, your body perpendicular to a bench, and your feet on the floor. Rest a barbell with weight plates on your hips—using a thick pad to cushion the barbell on your hips—and drive your hips to full extension. Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes at the top. Lower the barbell back to the ground and repeat.
A2) Single-arm Cable Rows, Sets: 4, Reps: 8 per arm
Set a cable handle to chest height. Grab the handle, take a step back, and stand facing the cable. Start the movement by pulling your shoulder blade toward your midline and row without twisting your torso. Once you finish all your reps, switch sides.
B1) Pushups, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Get in a pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Keep your lower back flat, and don’t let your hips sag. Lower yourself and keep your elbows close to your body as you descend.
B2) Dumbbell Scaptions, Sets: 4, Reps: 10
Grab two dumbbells and hold it at your sides. Stand tall with your shoulder blades squeezed together and your glutes tight. Raise the dumbbells to your sides and slightly in front of you (about 30 degrees in front of you). Repeat.
C1) Single-arm Farmers Carry, Sets: 3, Reps: 20 yards per arm
Grab a heavy dumbbell with one hand, keep your chest up and shoulder blades squeezed, and walk. Repeat on the other side.
C2) Stir-The-Pot, Sets: 3, Reps: 8 in each direction
Get into a plank position on a stability ball. While keeping your torso still, move your forearms in a circle. Then, switch directions. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and don’t let your lower back sag.
Workout #4: Cardio Circuit
A circuit is a great way to increase the number of calories you burn because you move between exercises while pushing yourself to the max for a short period of time. Then, you give yourself enough rest to push yourself hard again, so you’re always maintaining a high level of work.
A1) Battle Ropes, Sets: 5 to 10, Reps: 20 seconds, Rest: 40 seconds
Grab both ends of a rope and move them as fast as you can in any direction you want.
A2) Sliding Mountain Climbers, Sets: 5 to 10, Reps: 20 seconds, Rest: 40 seconds
Place both feet on a slide board or separate sliding discs. Get into a pushup position. Keep your core tight and run as fast as you can on the slide board. Keep your head up and your hips low.
A3) Bear Crawls, Sets: 5 to 10, Reps: 20 yards, Rest: 60 seconds
Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips; keep your knees an inch above the ground. Crawl forward by taking a small step with your right arm and left leg simultaneously and alternate. Keep your hips low and your head up.
Workout #5: Cardio Intervals
Use this as a “finisher” at the end of a regular workout. You’ll pick one of three pieces of equipment, all of which are easy on your joints while still packing a punch. In just a few minutes, you’ll burn many calories and boost your metabolism like crazy.
Rowing Machine, Versa Climber, or Airdyne Bike, Sets: 10 to 15, Reps: 20 seconds, Rest: 40 seconds
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Low-Impact Workouts to Melt Love Handles
What are low-impact workouts?
Low-impact workouts are exercises that are gentle on the joints and suitable for all fitness levels. They involve minimal jumping and are less stressful on the body compared to high-impact activities.
Why choose low-impact workouts to target love handles?
Low-impact workouts are effective for targeting love handles because they often involve controlled movements that engage the core while reducing the risk of injury. These exercises can help strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles, which can contribute to reducing love handles over time.
What are the best low-impact workouts to melt love handles?
1. Pilates
Pilates is a low-impact exercise that focuses on core strength, stability, and flexibility. It can help improve posture, strengthen the core muscles, and target the obliques to reduce love handles.
2. Yoga
Yoga combines stretching, strength, and balance exercises that engage the core muscles and promote body awareness. Poses like plank, boat pose, and twists can help tone the midsection and reduce love handles.
3. Swimming
Swimming is a full-body, low-impact workout that can help burn calories and strengthen the core muscles. Different strokes like freestyle and butterfly engage the abdominal muscles, helping to trim excess fat around the waist.
4. Cycling
Cycling, whether outdoors or on a stationary bike, is a great low-impact cardio workout that also engages the core muscles. It can help burn calories and increase overall fitness, which may contribute to reducing love handles.
5. Barre Workouts
Barre workouts combine elements of ballet, Pilates, and yoga to create a low-impact, high-intensity exercise routine. These workouts often include core-centric moves that target the waistline and can help shrink love handles over time.
