5 Best Oblique Exercises for Women to Target Love Handles

Oblique exercises are one of the best ways to target your love handles. Love handles are a sign that your overall health is not good, and the only way to get rid of them is to do targeted workouts that tone the rectus and transverse abdominal muscles.

Basically, you need to focus on exercises that not only help you burn more calories but also build muscle, as that would help burn extra fat. Use these exercises as part of a high intensity training programme to get the most out of them.

Focus on having a healthy diet that's low in fats and has a lot of lean protein, which is important for building and repairing muscles. You should also do a proper warm-up to stretch your muscles before you start exercises.

Let's take a closer look at a few love handle exercises that can help you lose fat and get in shape.

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Best Oblique Exercises for Love Handles

Check out these five oblique exercise for women that specifically target the oblique muscles (love handles) and help you lose fat from the sides of the upper body (core):

1) Mountain Climber

Say goodbye to your love handles. Mountain climbers are one of the best exercises for core muscles, as they strengthen and tighten them. If you add a twist to the exercise, it can obliterate your obliques.

Here's how to do mountain climbers:

• Lie face down on the floor, and quickly move into a plank position with your arms fully extended. Make sure the body is resting on your hands and feet.
• With your torso still, quickly bring your left knee to your chest.
• Wait a second, and go back to where you started. To complete one rep, do the same thing on the other side.
• Do the exercise a few times.
• During the entire exercise, keep your elbows close to the body.

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2) Side Plank

This oblique exercise isolates and targets the oblique muscles, helping reduce fat deposit on love handles. It's a somewhat difficult exercise and may not be beginner-friendly.

Here's how you can do this exercise:

• Lie on the floor with your feet stacked on top of each other on one side.
• Put your lower palm on the floor, and stretch it out so that the torso is at a sharp angle to the floor.
• Raise the other arm up till it's in a straight line with the body.
• Hold the position for 30 seconds, and go back to where you started.
• Do the exercise a few times.

Important tip: Don't let your body fall towards the floor as you do the exercise.

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3) Hanging Leg Raise

This core muscle-training oblique exercise works the abs, obliques, and the quads, as the movement uses all of them. It can help you reduce excess fat form love handles.

Here's how you do this exercise:

• Stand in front of a pull-up bar, and grab it with your palms facing away from the body, shoulder-width apart.
• With the torso still, lift the legs up till they're at right angles to the body. The arms should be fully stretched and parallel to the floor.
• Hold the position for 30 seconds, and go back to where you started. While holding the position, make sure the legs are straight and parallel to the body.
• Wear ankle weights while doing this exercise to make it harder and more adaptable to your needs.

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4) Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell moves are great oblique exercises to get rid of love handles and strengthen the core. The exercise is a great way to get rid of belly fat in general.

Here's how you do this oblique exercise:

• Straighten up, and put your feet further than shoulder distance apart.
• Put the kettlebell in front of the hips, and hold it with both arms.
• Swing the kettlebell up till it's at the same level as the shoulders. In this position, the arms should be fully extended and straight across from the body.
• Wait a moment, and swing it back till it's behind the lower back.
• Do the exercise a few times.

Important tip: The alternate kettlebell raise is a good way to get a more isolated workout.

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5) Russian Twist

This is one of the best oblique exercises can help you lose love handles or extra fat on the sides of your waist. It helps strengthen and tone the obliques, abdomen, and pelvic floor muscles. That gives your torso and lower back more strength and flexibility.

Here's how it's done:

• Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out and feet close to each other. Bend the knees a little so that the legs make an arch with the floor.
• Bend your elbows, and put your arms in front of your body.
• While keeping the torso still, twist the torso to the right, and extend the arms in the same direction at the same time.
• Wait a second, and go back to where you started. Do the same thing on the other side to complete one repetition.
• Do the exercise a few times.

Important tip: To make the Russian twists harder, use a dumbbell or a weighted plate.

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Takeaway

Performing the aforementioned oblique exercises regularly can help you target and reduce love handles. If you pair them with a calorie-deficit diet, you are likely to see results quicker.