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.
1. 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.
2. Dumbbell Side Bends:
How To Do:
Stand up straight while holding a dumbbell on the left hand 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.
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.
4. 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.
5. Plank Knee Drive:
How To Do:
In either the low (elbows touching the ground) or high plank.
Bring your right knee out and try to touch your right elbow.
Gagnon suggests doing 10 to 15 reps per leg to start and always remember.
To bring your body back into the original plank position before the “drive.”