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Love handles can make you to feel self-conscious, and can be difficult to eliminate. It can also be tempting to target just those problem areas, focusing entirely on exercises in the hopes of spot-reducing. However, this can be a major mistake.
According to Robert S. Herbst, personal trainer and weight loss & wellness coach, this type of spot-training is a mistake when you are trying to reduce the appearance of love handles.
Herbst explains, "As we all know, you cannot spot reduce. In order to lose fat in one area, you need to lose overall body fat."
With that in mind, although it may be tempting to focus solely on Russian twists and side planks, you'll only get so far with these exercises.
Instead, he suggests more full body exercises: "The best way to [lose overall body fat] is to lift weights, performing compound movements such as squats, lunges, bench press, and deadlifts, which use the major muscle groups."
Incorporating cardio into your regular routine can also be an effective way of reducing the appearance of your love handles.
These types of full body exercises can yield real results in your attempts to reduce your love handles.
He explains, "These raise the metabolism and also build new muscle, which is also metabolically active, so you burn fat."
This does not necessarily mean to stop you flat abs and toned side exercises. Instead, it's important to do both.
Herbst continues, "You can do exercises that sculpt the muscles underneath the fat, so that when the fat is burned off, the area will be toned and strong."
