There’s nothing to love about the excess fat at the sides of your waistline. The muscles underneath that layer of fat are known as your obliques. Although their function is to rotate your torso, it’ll take more than torso rotations to get rid of the side fat. Reducing fat in one area of your body isn’t possible. Instead, focus on losing weight from your entire body, and as the fat reduces, so will the fat around your middle.’
Here we give you a set of exercises which will effectively reduce side fat and give a slim torso.
Side Plank Hip Dips:
The Side Plank Hip Dips is a good exercise to work the oblique muscles that lie beneath your side flab. Working and tightening these muscles will create a slimmer waistline. Lie on your right side on the floor or exercise mat.
How To Do It:
- Support your upper body on your right elbow, place your left hand on your hips, stack and extend your legs.
- While exhaling, contract the muscles on the right side of your abdomen to lift your hips off the floor.
- Pause at the top of the movement then slowly lower back to the floor.
- Complete 10 to 20 repetitions then repeat the exercise with your left side.
Side Bend with Dumbbells:
How To Do It:
- Stand up straight while holding a dumbbell on the left hand (palms facing the torso) as you have the right hand holding your waist.
- Your feet should be placed at shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
- While keeping your back straight and your head up, bend only at the waist to the right as far as possible.
- Breathe in as you bend to the side. Then hold for a second and come back up to the starting position as you exhale.
- Now repeat the movement but bending to the left instead. Hold for a second and come back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and then change hands.
Around the World Obliques:
How To Do:
- Stand with your legs wider than shoulder-width apart, toes turned out just a little bit, tailbone tucked.
- With a very light weight in your hands extend arms up straight above your head as far as you can.
“It should really feel like a stretch,” says Stokes. Then, bend from the hips and reach your body as far as you can to the right, hips and shoulders square forward. - At the last second when you can’t reach any more, rotate toward the floor.
- Twist your body back to face front, exhale and pull back up to center.
Side Crunch:
How to Do:
- Lie on your right side with your legs extended.
- Cross your right arm across your waist, and place your right hand on your left side.
- Bring your left fingertips behind your ear, with your elbow pointed toward the ceiling.
Heel Touches:
How To Do:
- Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your arms by your sides.
- Crunch up by raising your chest towards the ceiling.
- From here, reach for your right heel with your right hand.
- Then reach for your left for your left heel with your left hand.
- Continue alternating for a total of 15 reps per side.
Russian Twists:
- Start seated with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding one dumbbell with both hands in front of chest. Keeping the spine long and the abdominals tight, lean back slightly and lift the feet a few inches off the floor. (To modify, keep the feet on the floor.)
- Slowly twist the torso to the left and bring the dumbbell beside the left hip. Return to center, and then slowly twist to the right and bring the weight beside the right hip to complete one rotation.
Oblique V-Up:
Oblique V Up is an effective exercise for targeting the oblique muscles. It also engages the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis muscles as well as the hips and lower back. Oblique V Up will develop stability, mobility and flexibility in the hip and trunk. This is especially important in physical activities that require you to maintain a rigid torso position such as sprinting.
How To Do:
- Lie on your side with your legs extended and your left arm resting in front of you.
- Prop up your upper body with your right forearm against the floor.
- Raise your legs about 4-6 inches off the ground.
- But don’t raise your upper body to meet this movement.
- Focus on your obliques as you raise your legs. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
- Switch sides and repeat for 4 reps total.
Rotating T Extension:
Beginning in a plank position, have your legs straightened, toes touching the hands placed palm down. Starting with your right arm, twist your torso over to the right side and place your left foot on top of your right. Pause with your right arm extended toward the celling and then return to the beginning plank, repeating for 10 to 15 reps and then once again switching sides.
