Exercises for muffin top and love handles for seniors

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01/65 easy exercises of get rid of your love handles

Since the fat of love handles sits on the sides of the stomach, getting rid of it could be pretty challenging. Love handles lie on top of the obliques and require an altogether different set of exercises to shed. Being at home and spending most of the time sitting and working might lead to more fat deposition on them. In order to melt your love handles and get a sculpted waistline, there are some exercises which can be easily done, while you are at home.

02/6Triangle pose

Basic twist and turns are what will help in reducing the fat deposited on your sides. In order to do this stretch, just stand with both your legs shoulder apart. Now stretch your arms on both the sides. Inhale and slowly bend your body sideways and touch your left toe with your left hand. Your right hand should be in the air and stretched upwards. Make sure your left and right arm form a straight line, starting from the ground. Keep your neck towards the left side. Slowly get back into normal position and repeat it on the other side.

03/6Russian twists

Probably the most effective exercise to lose love handles is Russian twists. Just sit with your legs stretched in front of your and arms joined ahead of you. Now lift up your legs so that they are not touching the ground. Now twist your torso from side to side along with your hands, without letting your feet touch the ground. This will help in melting the fat deposited on your love handles in no time.

04/6Crab kick

Another exercise to get your waist and abdomen muscles moving is the crab kick exercise. Sit on the mat and bend your knees. Keep your feet together and your hands behind your back with fingers facing backwards. Now slowly push your hips upward and kick your right leg up. Switch your legs one by one and keep kicking. Make sure your hips do not touch the ground during the exercise. Continue for 30 seconds and repeat it 3-4 times.

05/6One hand toe touch

A very simple yet effective sitting exercise, which will help you in getting rid of love handles in no time is this. Just sit and fold on of your left leg inwards and stretch the right one ahead of you. Now use your right hand to touch the toe of your right foot. Hold the position for at least 10 seconds and repeat 3-4 times. This will help in stretching the muscles of your waist, as well the side muscles of your abdomen.

06/6Bicycle crunches

For those who are looking out for quick ways to reduce love handles, try including this exercise in your daily routine. Just lie down flat on your back and pull your leg inwards with folded knees and place your hands below your head. Now lift your right leg and try touching your right knee with the left elbow. Make sure you lift your upper body while doing so. Ease back to resting position and repeat the same with the other leg.

How to get rid of muffin top abdominal fat is one of the number one questions I receive as a personal trainer. I understand why – it’s overwhelming to sort through the conflicting information out there about detoxes, fad diets, and ab exercises that promise to give you a flat stomach by Sunday. 

In this article, I’ll help you bust those belly fat myths by exploring what actually causes a “muffin top” in the first place. Then, I give you a comprehensive, realistic plan to get rid of your muffin top —including a workout that will blast fat using HIIT-style muffin top exercises. Read on!

Skip to Muffin Top Workout

What Causes Muffin Top Fat?

Having excess abdominal fat can be caused by a variety of factors. The most obvious cause of a muffin top is simply carrying extra fat all over. But here are four other factors that can contribute to belly fat, too.

• Genetics: If you’re carrying a little extra fat all over, some of it will logically be carried around your waistline. But the truth is, where your body naturally tends to store the most fat is mostly due to genetics. But don’t use your genetics as an excuse to feel defeated. If you have excess belly fat, you can start by losing fat all over and then toning your abs.
• Poor diet: Consuming a lot of sugary sodas, salty foods, and artificial ingredients will naturally trigger belly bloating in different people. To debloat fast try keeping a food log for a week to write down what you ate for each meal and how your stomach feels afterward.
• Stress: Not only does chronic stress contribute to storing excess visceral fat (fat stored within your abdominal cavity), but being stressed can naturally make you reach for more salty and sugary snacks as a coping mechanism and lead to those love handles.
• Hormones: If you’re entering perimenopause or menopause and finding you have more fat around your middle, it could be a change in hormones. If you are estrogen dominant, you can store more belly fat than you want. Check out this article to learn how to balance your hormones for weight loss.

Related: The One Diet That Actually Works

How To Get Rid Of Muffin Top: 4 Proven Solutions

Now that you know a few main causes of excess belly fat, we’ll cover 4 proven ways to reduce belly fat and get rid of that muffin top plus we’re sharing our muffin top workout:

1. Clean Up Your Diet 

The best muffin top workout isn’t a workout at all – it’s all about the food. You’ve probably heard this phrase by now, but if you haven’t, listen loud and clear: You can’t work off a bad diet. In an editorial by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers say excess sugar and processed carbs— not physical inactivity— are primarily to blame for the growing obesity epidemic.

Excess calories, especially those in the form of sugar and unhealthy fats end up as fat on your body and that includes your belly. The goal is to expend more calories than you take in to lose weight. One way you can do this is by eating clean. 

Eating clean doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all the things you love! The key is to choose primarily whole foods and eat small meals regularly. The best foods to get rid of muffin top fat are whole foods. This means fiber-filled vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and healthy fats. Walk the perimeter of your local grocer or visit a farmers market just to see your options.

And for some inspiration, try these high-protein, low-calorie breakfasts that kickstart your metabolism and prevent overeating later in the day.

2. HIIT Exercises

If there’s any muffin top exercise that will help you lose a muffin top fast, it’s HIIT. High-Intensity Interval Training is a form of cardio that has you work as hard as you can for short periods of time (20-30 seconds) with short periods of rest in between.

HIIT training, or similar styles like Tabata intervals, are more efficient at burning calories and keeping your metabolism elevated long after you are done exercising. So calories will continue to burn even as you move throughout the next part of your day.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both preferably spread throughout the week. This includes a mixture of cardio, High-Intensity Interval Training, and strength training.

3. Get Enough Sleep

You may not immediately connect the dots between sleep and your weight, but research can prove it: study participants who were put on a sleep-deprived diet experienced a 55% reduction in fat loss compared to their well-rested counterparts.

A lack of sleep can change your fat cells by disrupting your body’s ability to properly use insulin. Excess insulin can cause your body to store fat in unwanted places, like your waist, which can cause weight gain, belly fat, and even diabetes.

Adults should regularly get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep to stay healthy,  regulate their mood, and help them meet their weight loss goals. Tip – get rid of the phone in bed habit, it will drastically improve your sleep.

4. Strengthen Your Core the Right Way

Eliminating belly fat around your midsection with better eating and proper exercise is crucial. For more targeted exercises to get rid of muffin top fat, the next step is to work on strengthening your Transverse Abdominus (“TVA”). This is the muscle that sits deep and low in your belly.

By taking time to strengthen this muscle properly, you create a built-in corset that will pull your tummy in, protect your low back and promote better posture—something that will also make you look leaner. Exercise methods such as Pilates are excellent for learning how to make this muscle rock solid. With a strong core, you’ll get rid of your muffin top and be equipped to prevent injuries long-term. 

Top 8 Exercises to Get Rid of a Muffin Top

Now that you know the proper steps to lose those love handles, try this muffin top workout in your home or at the gym to start targeting belly fat. 

This HIIT-style muffin top workout for beginners combines high-intensity cardio training with real core exercises to get rid of body fat, tone and tighten your tummy, and burn calories.

Instructions for a 16-minute muffin top workout: 

• Do each move for 20 seconds. 10 seconds rest in between.
• Repeat each exercise three times for a 16-minute workout!

1. Skaters 

How to do skaters:

1. Start with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart and arms at the sides.
2. Bring one leg behind at a slight angle into a reverse lunge. The front knee will come to a 90-degree angle.
3. Swing the arms in front of that bent knee and leap the back leg forward to switch sides in a skating motion. Arms alternate as you switch sides like a speed skater.

2. Sweeping scissors 

How to do sweeping scissors:

1. Start lying on the mat with arms over your head and legs long.
2. Sweep arms out to sides and bring head, neck, and shoulders off the mat reaching arms long and lifting one leg up and in towards the chest.  Reaching arms forward on the sides of the leg. Roll back to the mat lowering the leg, and repeat on the other side.

3. Lateral Shuffle 

How to do lateral shuffle:

1. Start standing with feet hip-distance apart and sink into a deep knee bend. Bring both hands in front of the chest in guard position.
2.  Start with right foot moving right and left foot following.  Shuffle right for four right-left steps, then move left for four left-right steps.  Continue shuffling right left for the desired amount of time.

4. Plank Side Lift and Lower

How to do plank side lift and lower:

1. Start by laying on your right side with your forearm below your shoulder, body lifted and legs long and feet stacked. Keep body straight, abs tight, and place left hand on hip.
2. Dip your hips down towards the mat and lift back up using your obliques and core muscles.

5. Split Jumps

How to do split jumps:

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart. Hands are in front of the chest hand on the fist. Take a large step forward with one foot and lower your body toward the floor. Both legs should be bent at a 90-degree angle at the bottom of the lunge.
2. Lower the back knee slightly and jump to switch the feet.  While in the air front foot comes back and the back foot comes to the front.  Land in a bent knee lunge. Repeat.

6. Bend Extend Ab Tuck

How to do bend extend ab tuck:

1. Start seated on the mat with arms behind you, hands on the mat, and fingers facing your backside. Sit back on your hands and lift up your feet off the mat keeping the knees bent.
2. Keep abs tight and press your legs out long and lower back down slightly. You should feel your lower abdominals working, then push yourself back up and pull your knees in to return to your starting position.

7. Burpees

How to do burpees:

1. Start in a plank with arms and legs long, hands shoulder-distance apart.
2. Walk or jump both feet between your hands coming into a low squat. Jump straight up as high as possible, land, and come back to your plank position.

8. In In Out Out Plank

How to do in in out out plank:

1.  Begin in a forearm plank position with your body in a straight line and abdominals contracted.
2. Step your left foot out to the left.
3. Step your right foot out to the right.
4.  Step your left foot back to the center.
5. Step your right foot back to the center.

You’re now equipped with the tips you need to get rid of that muffin top: eating right, combining strength training and cardio, getting enough sleep, and using moves specifically designed to target your core. Now get ready to burn off belly fat and work towards a healthier you!

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