Time to get rid of those love handles my fellow adrenaliners!
Beach season is right around the corner and we need a concerted effort to shape up that mid-section. As mentioned in a previous post I will be releasing ab challenges every Thursday. If you follow along with these challenges and not miss a single week AND follow a solid nutrition plan you will be sitting well for that first stroll on the beach.
One of the biggest fallacies to hit the fitness world is the idea of “spot reduction”. It means that you can lose fat in just one part of your body. Love handles are the perfect example. Your total body fat rises and accumulates just above your hips by your low back. You think, “I just need to blast these love handles with workouts right?” Wrong. The ONLY way to reduce those love handles and give your self the sexy midsection you want is to reduce your total body fat.
So Why Should I Even Do A Love Handle Workout?
Great question. Strengthening your midsection will help with muscle definition. Once you lose the body fat you will see every curve and outline of your abs and oblique muscles.
The love handle workout that I created is challenging. There are ways of modifying each exercise to make it easier but I recommend trying the standard exercises first.
If you would like to get straight into it, here’s the workout video:
Give Me The Full Details On The Workout Bro…
Ok, so the workout will last a little over 5 minutes long. HOWEVER, I recommend going through it at least twice. If you do it 2X a day for the next 7 days you will have given your entire core a monster workout and be ready for next weeks ab challenge.
For this workout, you will do each exercise for 45 seconds and then rest for 45 seconds. This is what it looks like…
5 Minute Love Handle Workout:
Time to complete 1 set: 5 minutes
45 sec Side Plank Crunches (left side)
45 sec Half Plank Twists (left side)
45 sec Side Plank (left side)
–45 sec Rest–
45 sec Side Plank Crunches (right side)
45 sec Half Plank Twists (right side)
45 sec Side Plank (right side)
–45 sec Rest then repeat 1, 2 or 3 times–
Done. 🙂
My Love Handles Are Still Showing… What Next?
Real love-handle vaporization occurs in the kitchen. I’m going to break this process into two steps.
Step 1: Basic Elimination List and Inclusion List:
These are foods that you need to eliminate from your diet or at least drastically reduce in order to drop those love handles and in fact reduce your total body fat. The inclusion list includes foods that you should be eating regularly.
Elimination List: Avoid These Foods At All Costs
Artificial sweeteners
Candy
Flour
Milk Products
White Potatoes
White Rice
Sugar
White Bread
Pasta
Cereals
Cookies
Chips
Deep-fried foods
French fries
Pizza
Tortillas (all kinds)
Fruit Juices
Jams
Jello
Soft drinks
Inclusion List: Eat These Foods
Protein: Eggs, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Legumes (lentils, black beans, kidney beans, etc.)
Grains: Steel Cut Oats, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat
Vegetables: All vegis. Try to get an abundance of color
Nuts: All nuts and seeds
Oils/Fats: Coconut Milk, Oils (Olive, Flax, Peanut, Grapeseed, Coconut, Safflower)
Fruit: All kinds (yet limit ripe bananas, melons, pineapple, raisins because they have a high glycemic value)
Step 2: Advanced Avoidance List:
For all of you adrenaline masters that have already obtained a high control of your diet but still can’t seem to lose those love handles, limiting the below foods for a time being will help you drop extra fat throughout your body.
-All Nuts
-All Seeds
-All Fruit
If you choose to go the “Advanced” route PLEASE take a multi-vitamin because the above foods have needed nutrients. I use a well known quality vitamin from Metagenics called PhytoMulti Vitamin
I would love to hear your thoughts below? What do you think of the workout? Too hard? Too easy? How many times did you go through it?
-Todd
Hey Todd,
thanks for your great workouts, been doin them now since August, put on some 8 kg till now and feeling absolutely great 😀
I’ve kind a question: are there any exercises that especially target the lat beside pull-up variations?
Keep pushing your limits!
Hi Mike,
Slow handstand push ups and extended push ups (where your arms are way out in front of you) work the lats too. 🙂
hey todd y do u say we shouldnt b including milk nd its products?
Most be are allergic to dairy, commercial milk has hormones in it and can cause inflammation. 🙂
Hi Todd,
usually I`m not the commenting-type, more of a silent viewer, but I saw how much energy and dedication you put into these videos and I wanted to let you know, that all this greatly appreciated by me.
I did karate for 10 Years, but I quit. After less then two months I decided that it was time to continue strengthen my body, but I was not able to pick up fighting again and I was never really the gym type. In my eyes, fitness studios and co simply pump up the muscles, but I wanted to rebuild the agility and the speed of my former competition self.
I started with some minor bodyweight workouts, but then i discovered your homepage and dived right into your 3 month workout.
Today I`m almost finished with the 3 month workout and regained my former abilities.
At the end of the month i will do this lovehandle workout besides one other workout (not sure which one yet..).
So i got some follow-up questions:
For how many weeks re you going to post these workouts?
And should i do them every day, 2 sets, or every thuersday ?
Ok, that`s all. I hope I will see alot more from you in the future and wish you great sucess with expanding this community.
Markus
Hi Markus,
I sincerely appreciate the comment. It helps keep me motivated!
Those are great questions. I answered them in today’s workout so you can click here to check it out. Basically do them 3X per week and follow the nutrition advice.
Glad to have you part of the SOA squad!
Todd
Todd- tried them yesterday. Great challenge and will have to work
Up to 45 seconds- can do 30 seconds only for the moment
Great job Cecilia, That will be a great goal to work up to.
Looks like an excellent workout. I will most certainly give it a try. thank you
Awesome Stuart!
Holy cow!
You like it? 😉
Wicked workout bro! Keep ’em coming.
Thanks Bryan! I definitely will!
Sweet! Can’t wait to try it out!
Let me know what you think!
Hi Todd! Great video, great workout. I notice as I do these that the longer I hold myself up I experience a straining pain in the muscle at the front of my shoulder. What am I doing wrong? Thanks and God bless!
Hi Lisa,
First thing that comes to mind is a strength issue. If your delts and rotator cuff need work than this will begin to hurt first. The next thing that comes to mind is stretching. Did you stretch fully?
Very interesting exercices. Will try them one of these days us my doctor has asked me to strengthen my abs and low back because of a slipped disk
Great Paco! Its definitely more of an advanced routine so make sure you are ready.