Lose Those Love Handles With This Boxing Workout

A strong core is essential to boxing, so it’s no surprise you don’t see many pro boxers with love handles. Boxing is one of the most effective workouts to tone and sculpt the entire body, especially your waistline.

What Does “Toning” Mean?

Our idea of ‘toning’ when referring to sculpting the body and getting into shape has two main meanings:

• Increasing the size of the muscles to give them shape
• Reducing the fat layer that is hiding the well-defined muscle

To combat stubborn areas like the hips and back, you need to condition the whole body. But you also need to maintain a healthy diet. That’s right. There’s two components that you need to consider when your goal is to tone and get into shape. Boxing training consists of full-body workouts powered by lean food for fuel, making it one of the best ways to achieve any fitness goal.

How do I tighten my love handles?

Though you can’t “spot reduce,” you can take a multi-faceted approach to target love handles. The fat-burning cardio combined with the muscle-building focus of a boxing workout are perfect for toning.

If you’re looking to tone your love handles, scheduling in at least two or three boxing/kickboxing workouts a week is an excellent start. Stack those boxing workouts with some core work and you’re on your way!

10-Minute Workout For Love Handles

This quick yet intense core workout requires no equipment, just a clear space on the floor. These exercises strengthen the abdominals, obliques, and lower back – all those key muscles throughout the torso that keep your back straight and body balanced. Do this workout at least three (3) times a week, before or after a few rounds on the heavy bag, or whenever you have an extra 10 minutes in your day! Be sure to warm-up before jumping in if you are doing this routine before your main workout.

High Plank (30 seconds)

• Lay flat on your stomach with your palms on the floor next to your shoulders
• Use your arms and feet to lift your torso off the ground into a high push-up position
• Engage your abs to straighten and align your neck, back, hips, and legs
• Adjust your hands to align directly below the shoulders and keep your arms straight
• Hold for 30 seconds

Rest (30 seconds)

Low Plank (30 seconds)

• Lay flat on your stomach with your forearms on the floor, palms down
• Use your toes to prop up your legs and support your torso with your arms
• Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels
• Hold for 30 seconds

Rest (30 seconds)

Mountain Climbers (30 seconds)

• Start in a high plank position
• Use your abdominal muscles to pull your right knee up towards your left elbow
• Keep your arms and back straight
• Lower your right leg back into plank
• Repeat with the left side
• Keep alternating sides for 30 seconds

Rest (30 seconds)

Side Plank (30 seconds each side)

• Lay on your right side, supported by your forearm and elbow
• Place your left leg on top of your right leg
• Lift your hips off the ground to form a straight line from your toes to your nose
• Engage your abs and glutes to maintain your balance
• Hold for 30 seconds
• Switch and repeat on the left side for 30 seconds

Optional challenges and modifications:

• Balance on your hand instead of your forearm
• Stack your feet on top of each other for an added balance challenge; if this is too difficult, you can separate your feet and use both to balance
• Raise your upper arm straight up to the sky

Side Plank with Knee Raise (30 seconds each side)

• From the side plank position balancing on your right forearm, slowly bring your left knee up towards your waist and hold for three seconds
• Bring your left leg back to starting position
• Repeat for 30 seconds
• Switch and repeat on the left side for 30 seconds

Rest (30 seconds)

Side Leg Raise (30 seconds each side)

• Lay on your left side with your left forearm on the floor in front of you, elbow beneath your shoulder, propping up your torso
• Place your right hand palm down on the floor in front of your abdomen for stability
• Keep both legs outstretched
• Lift your right leg straight up as far as you can
• Really engage your oblique muscles to maintain balance
• Lower your right leg back down without touching your left leg and raise it again
• Repeat this motion for 30 seconds
• Switch and continue on your other side for another 30 seconds

Rest (30 seconds)

Scissor Kicks (30 seconds)

• Lay on your back with your hands under your glutes or lower back for support
• Point your toes and extend your legs
• Use your whole core to lift both legs up straight at a 45-degree angle
• Lower your right leg back towards the floor without touching it
• Raise your right leg as you lower your left leg in a ‘scissor’ motion and repeat
• Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed and your core completely engaged
• Continue for 30 seconds

Variation for an added challenge:

Push yourself for one more minute with this variation!

• Instead of a vertical scissor kick motion, cross your right leg over your left then your left over your right and repeat in a crisscross motion
• Continue criss-crossing your legs while using only your core muscles to hold and move both legs back and forth without touching the ground or allowing them to drop
• Repeat for 30-60 seconds

Rest (30 seconds)

Bicycle Crunch (30 seconds)

• Lay flat on your back with your legs bent at the hip and knees to form 90-degree angles
• Place your hands behind your head
• Focus on engaging your core as you bring your right knee towards your chest and your left elbow towards your knee
• Elongate your left leg as you hold the crunch for a count of 3
• Release and repeat with the other side
• Continue alternating for 30 seconds

Cool Down & Stretching

Don’t forget to cool down after every workout. These three stretches are especially effective at relaxing the core and releasing any tension you may feel in the neck and shoulders.

Tip: Adding a few yoga poses to your routine will define those target core muscles even more!

Oblique Stretch (15 seconds each side)

• Sit upright on the floor with your legs outstretched
• Cross your right leg over the left, placing your right foot on the floor next to your left knee
• Place your left arm on the outside of your right knee
• Place your right arm on the floor behind you for balance
• Use your left arm as leverage while you rotate your torso at the waist to the right
• Feel the stretch throughout your right side and back
• Hold for 15 seconds
• Switch sides and hold for another 15 seconds

Cobra Pose (30 seconds)

• Start on your stomach, extend your legs out behind you, and press the tops of your feet into the floor
• Engage your quadriceps and continue to press the tops of your feet into the floor
• Place your hands by your lower ribs and align your wrists underneath your elbows
• Hug your elbows into your sides, roll your shoulders down your back, and lift your chest
• Spread through your collarbones
• Soften your glutes and gaze ahead, lengthen the back of your neck, and keep your spine long
• Hold for 30 seconds

Child’s Pose (30 seconds)

• From a kneeling position, bring your big toes together and spread your knees out wider than your torso
• Fold forward from the crease of your hips and place your forehead on the floor
• Place your arms by your sides or extend them out forward with your palms facing down
• Drop your hips back toward your heels
• Close your eyes and continue to inhale and exhale deeply
• Breathe deeply and hold for 30 seconds

Boxing and kickboxing training, in combination with a healthy diet, will tone and sculpt your whole body. Adding core workouts will add even more definition to your abs and back and reduce the appearance of love handles.

Remember that every body is different. Reaching your fitness goals is a very individual journey, but it gets easier with help from professionals like the trainers at FightCamp. Check out even more workouts including tons of core work on our YouTube Channel or find more about boxing, kickboxing, and fitness on the Blog.

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The Author: Mollie McGurk is a fitness enthusiast who has trained in boxing, HIIT boxing, kickboxing and MMA for over 10 years. Her local boxing gym has hosted champion instructors including the ‘Iceman’ John Scully and Israel ‘Pito’ Cardona. Mollie has also studied personal training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) program.