The Jackknife Exercise is one of the best exercises for blasting love handles. Now, you can’t spot reduce one particular area (such as your love handles) but you can strengthen this area effectively and within time, your love handles will decrease.
How to do the Jackknife Exercise:
Lay on the ground on your side. Place your hands by your ears. Simultaneously raise your upper and lower body up jackknifing them together. Hold just briefly and then lower them back to the ground. Repeat until you reach fatigue and repeat on the other side.
Muscle group worked:
Obliques
Target Repetitions for Muscle Growth: 6-8
Target Repetitions for Muscle Tone/Endurance: 8-12
Why the Jackknife Exercise works:
The Jackknife Exercise works so well because both your upper and lower body are coming up and meeting. This engages the lower and upper obliques. I’ve always loved the jackknife exercise especially when I felt like my middle abs were developing but my obliques or side muscles were not.
Tips:
Focus on your obliques through out the exercise. Tighten them even more then necessary. This will help focus the movement.
Important!:
Breath out as your body goes up. Breath in as your body comes back down. It’s important to just briefly come down because if you rest too long, then you are losing the effectiveness of the exercise.
Disclaimer: Talk to your primary care physician before beginning any exercise regimen.
“Focus on your obliques through out the exercise.” should be “throughout the exercise”