How to Lose Love Handles With Smart Abdominal Toning

To lose love handles, it is essential to have a program that combines smart diet, portion control, aerobic exercise, and abdominal toning exercise. While many people focus on abdominal exercise to lose love handles, it's actually the least important component. If you don't get rid of the fat covering your abdominal muscles, then you can do toning exercises until doomsday and you will never see them.

So with smart eating and cardiovascular exercise you will get rid of the excess fat, and then your strength and toning exercises will be the final piece of the puzzle.

As part of your toning program, you want to tone up your upper abs, the lower abs, and the sides of your abdominals, which are your obliques. To balance everything out, you also want to tone the muscles of your lower back.

The following are four effective exercises to help you tone your abs:

Upper Abdominals Crunches

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head.
2. Raise your head and shoulders off of the floor, keeping your lower back in contact with the floor. Keep your elbows back and neck straight as you lift your upper body. Feel the tension in the stomach muscles. Hold for 3 seconds.
3. Lower your shoulders slowly, and repeat.

Lower Abdominals Crunches

1. Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head, fingers touching but not locked.
2. Raise your knees up to your stomach, keeping your legs together, and your lower back in contact with the floor.
3. Return your legs back to the starting position with your feet on the floor. Repeat.

Twisting Crunches

1. Lie on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head, fingers touching, but not locked.
2. Carefully lift your head up and place your hands behind your head without locking your fingers together.
3. Twist to the left, at the same time bringing your right elbow up to touch your left knee. Remember to keep your lower back in contact with the floor at all times.
4. Twist to the right, at the same time bringing your left elbow up to touch your right knee.

The Swim

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs straight and your arms stretched out in front of you. Pull your stomach in as if you are trying to pull your belly button to your spine.
2. Lift your left arm and your right leg off the floor, keeping your right arm and left leg on the floor. Lower your arm and leg back to the floor.
3. Now lift your right arm and your left leg off the floor, keeping your left arm and right leg on the floor. Lower your arm and leg back to the floor.
4. Speed up the pace and you imagine that you are swimming.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that most people complete eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise for maximum results. A repetition is completing the exercise described once in a controlled manner.

After you complete the recommended number of repetitions, rest for a minute or two, and then perform another set. You may perform up to three sets of each exercise. As you perform each exercise, imagine pulling your belly button in towards the floor. This will ensure that you get the most out of every repetition.