As with most exercise routines there are two ways to go about things, there is a right way and a wrong way. Never has a statement been more true, especially when it comes to doing exercises for love handles. Controlled movements, focus, proper form and consistency is a recipe for a flatter midsection. Not properly warming up, incomplete routines and rushing through your sets is the wrong way to work out. Not only does this lead to incomplete results/improvement but it can also lead to serious injury.

When doing abdominal exercises or any other exercise, make sure you consult with a professional, warm up properly, and try following these simple tips.

1. Keep Your Knees Up, Remember Proper Form
When your doing crunches, make sure you keeps your knees bent and have your feet flat on the floor at all times. This will ensure that your knees are centered and pointed upward. Keep them centered and up, not to one side. If you drop or lower your knees to one side, you are unnecessarily compressing your vertebrae, this in turn could lead to a serious back injury.

2. Sit-Ups, Decide What Works Best
Most people don’t realize that the traditional sit-ups really dose very little to work the abdominal muscles. Even when done properly, most of the strain centers in on the hip muscles. There is a normal tendency to pull the torso up with the arms, which of course is not the main focus for this exercise. To compound things, most people have a tendency to do sit-ups very quickly. This quick pace increases momentum forcing the torso up and down rather than any muscle group. Incorporating the crunch is a better alternative to old school sit ups

3. Straight Leg Lift
Traditionally this “stomach exercise,”actually works your lower back more than any muscles in the midsection. Actually,  this is just another way to put strain on your back, which again could lead to injury.

3. Doing Too Many Reps
Very rarely is there a need to do more fifty reps of a stomach exercise. If fifty reps is not giving you the results you expect, then doing more than that will not help. As you build on your strength, should need for a bigger challenge, jys step up to a more difficult exercise.  That’s always a better alternative to adding reps.

5. Sleeping
Yes, even how you sleep has an effect on your stomach exercise routine. If you sleep in a position that cause back pain, it will make it much more difficult to work on your midsection in the morning. Sleeping mostly on your stomach is a main cause of back pain, as it forces your back to arch, often resulting in irritating back pain. One alternative is to sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees. This not only helps keep your spine straight but will prevent serious back pain. Start your day and workout with a pain free morning.

6. Lack of Resistance
All abdominal exercises need resistance to be effective. That resistance can come from a resistance band, an exercise ball, or yes even just gravity. Exercises that do not use any resistance, such as standing broomstick twists, are not truly beneficial to the core muscle group. A bit of good news…this particular exercise will not do any harm and is actually a very good warm up to your normal routine. Just make sure you realize that this will not flatten out your stomach.

As we know, exercises for love handle relies on proper exercise technique. Our goal here is to provide you with a few tips to help you avoid wasting time and potential injury.

Be sure to research thoroughly before beginning a new exercise for love handles, and always consult your physician before beginning any physical fitness routine.