Exercise tips to reduce love handles: 5 best workouts to strengthen your waistline

Reducing love handles typically requires a combination of targeted exercises, overall fat loss through diet and exercise. (Image: Canva)

Love handles are often more noticeable when someone is wearing tight clothing or when they're in certain positions, such as sitting down. The technical term for love handles is oblique fat. Reducing love handles typically requires a combination of targeted exercises, overall fat loss through diet and exercise, and lifestyle changes such as managing stress levels and getting adequate sleep.

Here are five exercises that can help target the muscles around the love handle area as suggested by Mumbai-based fitness trainer and diet coach Marcelle D’souza.

Russian twists: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the floor. Hold a weight or medicine ball with both hands and twist your torso to the right, bringing the weight towards the ground next to your right hip. Then, twist to the left, bringing the weight towards the ground next to your left hip. Continue alternating sides for a set number of repetitions.

Side planks: Start by lying on your side with your legs straight and your elbow directly beneath your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to your heels. Hold this position for as long as you can, aiming for 30 seconds to a minute on each side.

Bicycle crunches: Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your legs lifted, knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Bring your right elbow towards your left knee while straightening your right leg, then switch sides, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee. Continue alternating sides in a pedaling motion.

Mountain climbers: Begin in a plank position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from head to heels. Drive your right knee towards your chest, then quickly switch legs, bringing your left knee towards your chest while extending your right leg back. Continue alternating legs as if you're running in place.

Woodchoppers: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weight or medicine ball with both hands. Start with the weight over your right shoulder and twist your torso to the left, bringing the weight down and across your body towards your left hip. Then, reverse the movement, twisting to the right and bringing the weight up and across your body towards your right shoulder. Repeat for a set number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Remember to combine these exercises with a healthy diet and overall exercise routine for best results.