You might think that side fat is just a beauty thing. In other words, people want to learn how to lose side fat because they want a slim body to feel good about themselves. But you are wrong. Carrying weight in the abdominal and side muscles is just as much as a health issue, as it is a beauty issue.
Weight in the abdominal and side muscles is a sign of storing visceral fat, which increases the chances of getting heart disease and diabetes. Getting rid of side fat is essential for a healthy life. There are two aspects of how to lose side fat, and one of them is exercise. With that in mind, here are some exercises you can practice at home and some you can go hard-core at the gym.
Exercises for side fat you can do at home
Plank
The ultimate exercise for strengthening your body, plank helps you lose side fat, but also improve your abdominal muscles, low back, and back muscles.
- Get into a push up position
- Make sure your body is forming a straight line from the ankles to the shoulders
- Hold the position either on elbows or hands for 30 seconds
- Repeat several times, and as you get better, increase duration
Forward bends
At first glance, this looks like an easy exercise, but it requires a lot of patience and balance. It is a great way to stimulate both your body and mind.
- Stand straight with feet shoulder-width apart
- Lean forward without bending your knees
- Try to get to the floor with your hands
- Perform 2 or 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Side bends
Unlike previous two exercises, you will need to employ a dumbbell for this one. If you do not have a dumbbell, you can use a plastic bottle filled with water for some weight and resistance.
- Stand straight with feet shoulder – width apart
- Raise one hand up, and put the palm on the back of your head
- Take a dumbbell in your other hand and lower it down
- Do 3 sets of 15 – 20 reps
Superman
If you’ve ever watched a movie with Superman, you’ve noticed the position in which he flies. Well, this exercise is basically you trying to fly like Superman. The exercise is good for your entire core, including back, lower back, shoulders, and side muscles.
- Lie on your stomach and stretch arms and legs
- Raise both legs and arms at the same time, bending your back
- Stay in this position for a few seconds, and then return to the initial position
Side plank
Being that you are trying to lose side fat, you need more than just the regular plank. You can say the side plank is a step forward, because it focuses solely on the side muscles.
- Put body weight onto right arm while in plank position
- Turn the body until the weight rests solely on the right arm or elbow, and right foot
- Make sure you are forming a straight line from foot to top of the head
- Do not allow your body to sink into your shoulder joint
- Hold for 30 seconds on one side, then turn to the other side
Side plank dips
Every exercise has a next level, and side plank dips are exactly that. Once you master the balance of the side plank, you can do dips.
- Get in a side plank position
- Drop your right hip down slightly and then lift it up
- Perform 10 sets of dips, and then switch sides
Russian Twist
Russian twist will help you lose abdominal fat, side fat, and get that flat stomach you’ve always wanted.
- Sit on the ground, with your knees bent in front of you
- Lift your hips up and tuck your bottom slightly under
- You need to create the feeling that your abs have to work hard for you to stay sitting
- Grab a small ball or water bottle
- Lean back, and twist from the waist until the ball nearly touches the ground next to your right hip
- Return to center, and twist to the left side
- Move slowly and deliberately
Oblique Crunches
Everyone can do crunches. But regular crunches become boring, and frankly, they are not as effective. Therefore, you need to mix things up. Oblique crunches are one way to do that.
- Lay on your back, with the feed held up in a tabletop position, forming a 90-degree angle
- Place arms behind the head
- Lift your chest off the ground using only your abdominal muscles
- Keep your elbows out wide from the head, lift and twist as you are trying to get your right elbow to touch the left knee
- Repeat 20 times on each side
Knee lift
You can try this exercise in a standing position if you are not feeling strong enough at first. But if you are in moderate shape, you should have no troubles doing it in plank position.
- Get on the floor in a plank position
- Lift your right knee forward as far as you can, trying to touch the elbow with the knee
- Return and repeat on the opposite side
- Do 20 knee lifts on each side
- If you want to add an extra layer of pressure, twist your knee at a diagonal toward the opposite arm
Swimming
If you do not have a swimming pool, sea, lake, or any water you can swim in your neighborhood, you can always swim at home.
- Get on your stomach, with the arms and legs sticking directly above and below the trunk
- Lift left leg and right arm for 3 seconds
- Lower them and lift the right leg and left arm
- Swim 10 times slowly on each side, and then pick up the speed and flutter arms and legs for 30 seconds
Tips For Success
- Do not focus on a single area of the body. To get rid of side fat, you need to burn fat all over your body
- Incorporate light cardiovascular workout 5 days per week. Just 30 minutes of walking will make all the difference between success and failure
- Try high-intensity interval training, which is basically mixing periods of medium intensity with sprints. You go sprint for 15 seconds, and then 45 seconds of medium intensity
- Try muscle confusion, which is basically using different cardio workout methods to increase fat burning. Mix between swimming, cycling, running, flow yoga, and elliptical cardio workouts. Doing different cardio exercises will also help avoid injury and overtraining
The Hard-Core Workout for Side Fat
Side fat is commonly known as love handles. The belly fat collecting around the torso is a key indicator of poor overall health. This workout is designed for someone who wants to work out in a gym and wants a fast-paced training workout. You need to engage your entire body, but you need to be in a little better shape to go through this routine. It is not for beginners.
Sledgehammer overhead strikes
- Grab a sledgehammer with the left hand on the bottom, and right near the hammer
- Raise the hammer above your head and over right shoulder, and then bring it down toward the center of a tire
- Switch sides, and do 3 sets with 20 res
Deadlift
- Stand with the bar above the center of your feet
- Make sure you have a bit more narrow stance than shoulder width in order to give your arms room
- Grab the bar overhand, bend through your knees to the point your shins hit the bar
- Keep shoulder blades directly over the bar
- Pull, but make sure you keep the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until the hips and thighs are locked
Hanging leg raises
- Grab a bar and hang
- Flex abs and lats
- Slowly raise feet up to the bar, but make sure you keep the legs straight in the process
Battle rope waves
- Stand with feet hip-distance apart
- Keep your knees and hips slightly bent, but your core locked in
- Grip the ends of a rope in both hands
- Allow your arms to hang straight down at the center of the torso
- Lower yourself into a half squat
- In a single movement, explode your body upward, extend your knees and hips, and swing the arms over your head to start and continue the movement
Box jumps
- Stand in athletic position
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart, but at a comfortable distance from a box
- Drop quickly into a quarter squat, and then extend hips, swing arms, and push your feet through the floor to propel yourself onto the box
- Do as many box jumps as you can
Kettlebell swing
- Stand up straight, feet in hip-distance apart
- Grab hold of the handle with both hands
- Keep your palms face down, and arms in front of your body
- Maintain a slight bend to the knee
- Drive the hips back, lower your body, and in a fluid motion, explosively drive the hips forward while swinging the kettlebell
Jumping burpees
- Stand with your feet together
- Bend at the knees and waist, and place your palms of your hands on the ground
- Kick your feet backward, putting yourself into a plank position
- Kick back in, stand back up, and immediately jump in the air
- Land on feet
Do not underestimate the importance of a diet
There is a saying, you cannot out exercise a bad diet. And that is especially true when you want to learn how to lose side fat and belly fat.
Side fat and belly fat are some of the biggest challenges because even the tiniest cheat in your diet will contribute to fat in these areas. Understanding the importance of diet in your effort to lose side fat is crucial. In order to get rid of side fat, you need to put 100% effort. And that is 50% exercise and 50% diet.
Here are tips for a successful effort in losing love handles.
- Go for foods that have a low glycemic index
- Stay away from highly processed sugar, processed foods, and processed flours that have few nutrients, but a high amount of calories
- Each meal should have 50% fruits or vegetables
- Consume healthy monosaturated fats, one that you can find in nuts, seeds, whole grains, olive oil, and avocado
- Consume low-fat dairy, the best example being Greek yogurt, which is high in protein, but low in fats. This will help you improve your weight loss efforts
- Drink 2 to 3l of water per day, or 8 to 12 glasses. If you like more flavor, go for green tea instead of water, but not fruit juices, soda, and dairy drinks