Love handles can be tough to get rid of. They’re areas of excess fat accumulation around the hips and abdominal area and can become more pronounced when you wear tight clothing. One of the best ways to say goodbye to love handles is by training and strengthening your obliques. Although it’s not possible to spot target love handles, doing oblique exercises, combined with cardio and clean eating can completely transform your core. Check out 10 oblique workouts for women that you can add to your fitness rotation!
What Are Obliques?
Obliques are muscles on the side of the upper body that assist in everyday movements like turning the body from side to side and picking things up off of the ground. They run along the sides of the waist, from the ribs to the hip bones, and they help stabilize us and keep our torsos protected. They’re actually two muscles: internal obliques and external obliques and are an important part of your entire core. Strong obliques will improve your posture, support your lower back and help with balance. Building strong oblique muscles will help you perform better in exercise, sports, and everyday functional movements.
4 Benefits of Oblique Workouts for Women
1. Improves Balance and Posture
Training your obliques improves your balance and posture. Strong obliques help you stand/sit up straight and also refine your balance for everyday movements, sports and exercising.
2. Decreases Strain on Lower Back
Strengthening your oblique muscles reduces strain on the lower back by distributing the force used while you move around and lift objects throughout your day. This eases stress on your lower back muscles and decreases the risk of any pain associated with the stress.
3. Better Performance
When your obliques are strong and tight, you’ll increase the speed of core movements for sports like tennis, racquet ball and golf. You’ll also be able to more easily do everyday activities like bending, twisting, carrying and balancing.
4. Tighter Upper Body
If you’ve been wanting to tighten your upper body and get rid of your love handles, oblique exercises are a great way to do it. While many women focus on their front abs, obliques are just as important. Keep in mind that incorporating cardio and clean eating into your diet as well as oblique workouts will give you the best results!
10 Oblique Workouts for Women
Lose Your Love Handles | Oblique Workout (With Weights) | Heather Robertson
This workout targets the obliques and lower back to banish love handles. You can’t spot reduce fat in these areas, but you can focus on building lean muscle, which will help you burn fat faster! You’ll need a pair of dumbbells for this workout, which will increase the resistance and intensity of the exercises!
10 Minute Oblique Workout | Stephi Nguyen
This 10 minute oblique workout is perfect to add on after you do some cardio. It includes exercises such as hip dips, side planks, candlestick dippers and Russian twists, and all you need is a workout mat to do it!
Love Handle Workout | 10 Mins Abs and Obliques Burn Home Workout | Chloe Ting
This workout targets your obliques and love handles to help you achieve an hourglass figure. You’ll do moves like wood chop sit ups, cross body swipes, and planks with hip dips to train and strengthen your obliques!
Intense Oblique Ab Workout (Best Exercises) | Holly Dolke
Ready for an intense oblique workout that will create definition and strengthen your core? You’ve come to the right place! She suggests doing a short warm up before (cardio is ideal) and she takes you through the workout with exercises like reverse crunch twists, side plank hops and ab kicks.
10 Min Ab Workout – Side Abs and Obliques | Pamela Reif
This 10 minute workout trains your entire abdominal area, with a focus on your obliques. You’ll do exercises like side crunches, cross crunches and side plank bicycles to really get your muscles burning! You don’t need anything but a workout mat for this one!
20 Minute Waist Shaping Workout | At Home Exercises for Sleek Obliques | blogilates
With this 20 minute oblique workout, you’ll whittle your waist and shape your figure with exercises like accordions, windmills and corkscrews (don’t worry, she demonstrates how to do all of them if you’re not sure what they are!). Get ready to feel the burn from these exercises that will accentuate the natural shape of your waistline.
4 Minute Workout to Tone the Obliques (Side Abs) | Danielle Peazer
In just 4 minutes, you’ll get a great oblique workout with this video! She gives you tips for how to engage your obliques and does a range of exercises both standing and on the ground. You have no excuse not to get a workout in with a quickie like this!
Love Handle Workout (10 Min Oblique Burn) Abs Workout at Home! | MadFit
If you want to get rid of your love handles and muffin top, this workout is for you! It’s a 10 minute oblique focused ab workout that will get your sides burning with exercises like wipers, hip dips and Russian twists.
Oblique Ab Exercises – 11 Line Abs Workout | Vicky Justiz
11 line abs are when you have two vertical lines going down your stomach and you can achieve them with oblique workouts! This 10 minute workout will help you get a flat stomach, a v cut, and serious oblique definition. You won’t be using any weight in this workout, so you’ll just need a workout mat!
30 Minute Ab and Oblique Workout with Jake Dupree | POPSUGAR Fitness
This fast-paced 30 minute workout was designed to strengthen your core and chisel your obliques. The workout also has modifications so you can do it whatever your fitness level! Get ready for a serious burn, because this one’s a doozy!
Ready to banish your love handles? These oblique workouts will strengthen and tone your obliques so you look and feel better!
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