WHEN YOU THINK about a lover’s touch, your brain might jump to a pair of hands lingering around the hips—which explains the origin of the term “love handles.” It’s a cute nickname, but you’d probably describe the love handles themselves as anything but “cute.”
The term has become associated with the unwanted fat that sits on top of your hip bones. For some people, curvy hips are embraced. If you’re a guy, though, housing extra fat in this area might make you a bit uneasy—not to mention that it can be downright uncomfortable if you’re a frequent wearer of dress pants or jeans.
If you’re looking to get rid of those pesky bundles of fat that lie atop of your hips, that’s okay. If losing your love handles is what will help boost your confidence and make you a healthier, happier version of yourself, you do you. There’s no shame in that—embrace your motivation and get moving. Know, too, that you’re not alone in feeling this way. While fat distribution is inherently genetic, it’s common for men to gain weight along their midriff.
“Many men are concerned about how to lose weight in their midsection. I let them know that their body has an android distribution, or male-like, weight distribution,” says Fatima Cody Stanford, M.D., M.P.H., obesity medicine physician at MGH Weight Center, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and a Men’s Health advisor. “This is standard in men, but it does lead to health problems.”
While there’s no way to lose fat only from your midsection—at least without medical intervention—there are several ways to bring down your overall body fat which will pull from all areas. It’s going to take a bit more than just adding in an ab routine to your workout plan, though. Optimizing exercise and nutrition, and paying attention to sleep and stress management will start the weight loss journey, says Cody Standford. If those things are all accounted for, surgery may be a last ditch effort—“it all depends on the severity of the problem.”
What Are Love Handles?
Love handles are what most people commonly call the bundle of subcutaneous fat that lies just above your pant line, sitting directly under the skin. That’s actually good news, because it means it’s not the dangerous kind of fat, called visceral fat, that can sit on your organs and put unnecessary (and life-threatening) pressure on them. Adipose fat, such as the love handles, can act as energy deposits. When our bodies lose other energy intake (food), we can use these deposits to power our bodily functions.
Even though our bodies have good intentions when collecting these love handles, it doesn’t mean they’re impossible to lose. But it will involve a solid calorie deficit and some effort in the gym.
There are a few shortcuts you can take, but they’re extreme, and not something that we’d generally recommend. Liposuction is one of these options. More recently, men have turned to non-invasive treatments, the most popular of which feature either freezing or heating the stubborn fatty areas off the body. These treatments are expensive and might be a bridge too far, unless you’re really desperate.
Besides, by cutting corners, you’ll miss out on the fitness gains you’d make along the way using other methods, which will hopefully become a reason you’re training, regardless of the aesthetic payoff. If getting rid of love handles without special treatments is your goal, you’ll have to work hard—but you’ll have to work smart, too.
One method that is not smart and won’t work is spot reduction. The theory is that if you focus all of your attention on one specific area in your training (for instance, doing hundreds of crunches for you midsection), you’ll be able to burn off the fat in just that area. But that’s not how your body works. What you can do is lose fat more generally, then build up muscle where you might not have had it before—but for that to work, you’ll have to do that smart, hard work.
Top Tips to Get Rid of Your Love Handles
Here’s a plan to ditch your stubborn love handles from former Men’s Health fitness advisor Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S.
Find the Right Intervals for Exercise
Studies have shown that interval-based exercise programs, most specifically high intensity interval training (HIIT), are more effective for burning off your love handles than steady state cardio. Instead of running for miles on end without any clear goal, fine tune your work and rest periods to strip away the fat.
So what type of interval program should you use? You can use a jump rope, or apply the principles to running or weight room work. Ballantyne recommends this setup to banish that pesky midsection fat:
After a thorough warmup, alternate between 20 seconds of hard exercise and 40 seconds recovery. Repeat that pattern 6 to 8 times. Afterwards, finish with 5 to 10 minutes of cooldown exercise.
If you have extra time, do 10 minutes of regular cardio pace.
Don’t Overload on Cardio
Jogging can only do so much.
Even though Ballantyne recommended cardio for a cool down, he’s wary of its effectiveness when performed alone. Extended periods of steady state cardio, like jogging, won’t do much to cut down your spare tire. “It’s not going to work as well as interval training,” Ballantyne said.
This is related to another issue, according to Ballantyne: Many guys don’t have enough muscle in the first place. Losing love handles, like bodybuilding, is a game of illusion. Muscle on your chest and back can essentially “hide” excess fat in your love handle area.
“So most guys are “skinny-fat,” and then try to lose love handles with cardio only, and basically become even smaller versions of themselves—but still skinny-fat,” Ballantyne said. “It’s better to use intervals and weight training to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time—which IS possible—and change your body’s overall appearance.”
Rethink Your Core Training Routine
“Ab exercises like crunches are generally a waste of time,” Ballantyne said. The problem is, you’re only working the muscles around your lower spine with crunches and situps.
Instead, you should build up your core with moves that focus on spinal stability, like planks and hollow body holds. Check out this quick video about the way your core muscles function for an idea of what you should be aiming for:
Want a smarter core workout in general? Check out Epic Abs, the program from MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. that inspired this video.
Build Yourself Up While Slimming Down
While you’re cutting down your midsection, do yourself a solid and work on some other areas of your body that can take attention away from your ample hips. Build up your pecs, lats, deltoids, and traps to create the illusion of smaller love handles.
“Most guys don’t have enough muscle to focus on just losing weight,” Ballantyne said, “so every guy must build some muscle in these areas.”
How can you build the muscle and lose fat at the same time? You’re hoping to “culk,” so you should start by training hard, eating properly, and sticking to a consistent program.
Ballantyne also recommended a plan based around two to three total body workouts per week. Use five exercises per workout (one lower body, one upper push, one lower body single leg, one upper pulling, one total body ab exercise). Do that as a circuit three times through, with eight to 12 reps per exercise. Finish with interval training.
Get Out What You Put In
If you want advanced results, you have to do advanced things,” said Ballantyne. “Such as cutting all the processed carbohydrates from your diet. One cheat reward meal per week—that’s cheat MEAL, not cheat DAY.”
Replace breakfast cereals and grain carbs with fruits, vegetables, and nuts. “Losing your love handles isn’t going to happen if you insist on treating yourself to a Frappuccino, Pepsi, and a slice of pizza every day,” he said. “It means eating meals of lean protein, fiber-rich vegetables, and snacking on apples and nuts between meals.”
“It’s diet. It’s just too easy for most guys to cheat, Ballantyne said. “They have to realize that they have to have more discipline if they want results.”
Work With Professionals
We don’t need to tell you that losing weight is no walk in the park. Accomplishing your goals will take a balance of overhauled nutrition, exercise, and recovery practices to complete the equation and finally shed some of those pounds. You might find it tough to do any of those things on your own.
Working with a professional can help provide some much needed accountability and guidance. Doctors who specialize in weight loss, nutritionists, dietitians, and personal trainers can all help you get to where you want to be. They can tailor your workouts and meal plans to better match your genetic makeup and goals. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if the task feels daunting.
Cori Ritchey, NASM-CPT is an Associate Health & Fitness Editor at Men’s Health and a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You can find more of her work in HealthCentral, Livestrong, Self, and others.
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