Hi! I have had my love handles since I was not born yet and I think it's time to lose them. I'm losing fat fast on my upperbody, but my love handles don't want to go away. Is there any workouts just to burn fat in that area? My macros are finally where they should be... feeling full off energy... losing fat... and muscle gains are coming... I really don't want to change anything there... I have heard that it's the last place where you start losing fat and there are no good workouts to burn fat there. But is that so or is there something I can do about it?

Thank you!

Can't spot reduce fat, or "tone" that area. As you lose more and more fat, it will slowly go away.

Keep working out and keep your diet on point (yeah - kicking myself here). As you add muscle, the body will find ways to feed the muscle from the fat you have. The love handles didn't come overnight. They won't go away overnight.

Hannes,

The body burns body fat for energy evenly across the entire body. This means the areas with less body fat will lean out faster than the ones that have more body fat - typically the obliques and abdomen in men. Furthermore, there are 2 types of fat receptors - alpha and beta. Beta receptors are found in high density in brown fat and easily release their fatty acids to provide energy. Alpha receptors are found in high density in yellow fat. These receptors are stubborn and constitute stubborn fat deposits. It takes time, a solid nutrition plan, and increasing your growth hormone levels thru exercise and plenty of sleep to unlock these fat stores.

The good news is growth hormone has the master key to all fat cells and can make any fat cell release its energy. The bad news is GH levels vary by individual, decrease as you age, and are very sensitive to diet and sleep. Growth hormone is not released when insulin and blood sugar is high so controlling your blood sugar and getting enough healthy fats are critical to increasing GH levels. Lack of sleep (less than 7 hours a night) also decreases GH and testosterone. Fasting increases GH release. I follow Intermittent Fasting (IF) as an eating protocol. This increases GH by up to 2000% naturally. It is not for everyone and takes patience and dedication but it works.

You can read more about it at www.leangains.com

John

As the others have covered it already greatly. This is - unfortunately - just the way it is.
IF as John suggested is a great way to get rid of the unwanted fatlayers, as well as any High Intensity Interval Cardio.

And of course sticking to a good diet, for longer than just a few days or weeks.
And over time also your lovehandles will say good bye !

Hey Hannes,

I totally agree with @jmboiardi and I myself follow Intermittent Fasting and lost 20 pounds in my first five months plus build muscles, and it helps me maintaining my body fat % even when I am not able to workout due to travelling for work purpose. Also, as @crood suggested HIIT is the best way to get rid of that stubborn belly jelly ;) and you do not require a gym or any equipment for it.

Upgrade to platinum and you can access exclusive contents with Scott's HIIT training variations, diet managements, routines and professional advice.

Cheers!!

I've gone through several cutting phases over the years in preparation for photo shoots and bodybuilding contests. Love handles, lower back, and lower abs is always the last place that I burn fat. There's no magic formula to eliminate fat from that area. You simply have to stay consistent and dedicated to the plan. I have to get pretty damn shredded in order to completely burn those love handles.

Here's where I'm sitting at now... about 5 pounds heavier than my stage weight, but still have love handles. It's amazing what a dramatic difference that last 5 pounds can make with your physique...

There have been times when I have done no cardio/HIIT, there have been times when I've done a boatload of cardio/HIIT, and then there were times when I found my sweet spot of just enough cardio/HIIT to allow me to recover, feel amazing, and burn a bit of extra fat. They all work. Some faster than others, but some can have a negative impact on your overall lifestyle. I found that too much cardio/HIIT ran me into the ground, interferred with my workouts, and made me lazy outside of the gym because I didn't have any energy.

As John stated, IF is something that works for some people. It's definitely a personal preferance, but not mine. I've tried it a couple times and it just doesn't suit my personality or lifestyle. It's worth giving a try to see how you mentally handle it and how your body responds.

Everyone has fat accumulated in different areas where it's hard to get off. It's ultiamtely about diet precision, not exercise. Supplements I know and use with clients work to help the process. I've helpe numerous people burn it right off. If you're interested in specific diet help, send me a message!

unfortunately spot fat reduction is not possible unless you have lypo suction. But what you can do to burn fat is HIIT cardio combined with a weight training program, also make sure your diet is as good as it can be, keep tracking your macros! And try to eat as clean as possible.

You can, at the same time, devote time to abs and obliques. I have started treating them just like any other muscle group. Twice a week I work abs, and twice I work obliques. Once heavy, and once more for volume. It won't make the fat go away faster, but building more muscle makes it almost seem like it does.