Love handles—those frustrating bulges that peek over the waistband of your favorite jeans—are a common target for anyone on a fitness journey. While tackling this particular area might seem daunting, incorporating the right high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts can lead to significant improvements. To uncover the most effective exercises for trimming down love handles, we reached out to fitness experts for their insights.

But first, why do love handles appear, and why are they notoriously hard to shift? Felicia Hernandez, an NASM-certified personal trainer and community engagement lead at Eden Health Club, sheds some light. “Love handles develop when your body accumulates excess fat around the waistline, often due to consuming more calories than burned, combined with factors like stress, inadequate sleep, or hormonal fluctuations,” she explains. “For men, cortisol and insulin resistance contribute to love handles, while women often face this issue during perimenopause, when estrogen levels fluctuate significantly.”

Why Do Love Handles Form?

It’s important to understand that your body burns fat as a whole rather than targeting specific areas, which can make reducing love handles particularly tough. However, Hernandez notes that combining HIIT with strength training and maintaining a healthy diet can effectively reduce excess fat in the midsection, often one of the first areas to show results.

HIIT stands out as one of the most efficient metabolic strategies available, offering a dynamic and effective way to achieve your fitness goals, including bidding farewell to those stubborn love handles.

What Makes HIIT an Effective Fat-Loss Tool?

HIIT is one of the most productive metabolic tools you can use.

“You’re working hard for short bursts, followed by recovery, and that contrast spikes your heart rate and oxygen consumption,” Hernandez tells us. “The result? Your body continues to burn calories after finishing your workout through a process known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption).”

Blending HIIT with steady-state cardio helps you torch more calories during shorter workout sessions while preserving lean muscle, which boosts metabolism and reduces body fat.

“The training method teaches your body to maintain calorie expenditure during periods of rest,” Hernandez adds.

9 Best HIIT Exercises To Melt Love Handles

Below, experts break down the best HIIT exercises to eliminate love handles. In order to see noticeable results, perform HIIT workouts two to three times a week.

“The number of sessions provides enough intensity for results without causing excessive strain on your body,” Hernandez says. “HIIT functions as a stressor that produces beneficial effects yet requires your body to recover from its impact.”

“Keep in mind that consistency and progressive overload are key to seeing results with HIIT workouts,” notes Ronny Garcia, CPT, Blink Fitness.

Jumping Jacks

1. Stand tall, feet shoulder-distance apart and arms at your sides.
2. Jump up while raising your arms overhead and jumping your feet out wider.
3. Jump your feet back in and lower your arms to the start position.
4. Perform jumping jacks for 30 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds.
5. Repeat for 3 to 4 sets.

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Mountain Climbers

1. Assume a high plank—legs extended behind you and hands placed below your shoulders.
2. Engage your core.
3. Quickly bring your right knee toward your chest before bringing it back behind you.
4. Bring your left knee up toward your chest.
5. Perform 3 sets of 40 seconds.

Burpees

1. Place your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Engage your core as you lower into a high plank, placing your hands on the floor and kicking your legs behind you.
3. Do a pushup.
4. Jump your feet back up to your hands.
5. Explosively jump up, reaching your arms overhead.
6. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

High Knees

1. Stand tall and place your feet hip-width apart on the floor.
2. Alternate bringing each knee and the opposite arm up toward your chest like you’re running in place.
3. Do high knees for 3 sets of 40 seconds.

Side Plank Hip Dips

1. Lie on your side with your bottom forearm on the ground and top hand resting on your hip or fully extended.
2. Stack your feet.
3. Lift your hips off the floor so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
4. Use control to lower, or “dip,” your hips toward the floor.
5. Press back up to a side plank.
6. Do this exercise for 3 sets of 12 reps per side.

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Russian Twists

1. Sit on a workout mat.
2. Bend both knees and lift your feet off the floor.
3. Lean back slightly so your upper body forms a 45-degree angle with the ground.
4. Keep your hands clasped at the front of your chest.
5. Engage your abs as you twist to your left side, then back to the center, then to the right.
6. Perform 15 to 20 twists per side.
7. Rest for 15 seconds.
8. Repeat for 3 to 4 sets

Bicycle Crunches

1. Lie down flat on your back on a workout mat.
2. Place your hands at the back of your head.
3. Bend your knees and lift your legs off the floor so they form a 90-degree angle.
4. Crunch up as you bring your right elbow toward your left knee and extend your right leg.
5. Then, crunch over to the other side as you bring your left elbow toward your right knee and extend your left leg.
6. Perform 3 sets of 20 reps per side.

Squat Jumps

1. Begin standing tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend both knees as you lower into a squat.
3. Activate your quads, hamstrings, and glutes as you push yourself upward into a jump until your legs are extended.
4. Use control to descend into a squat.
5. Do squat jumps for 30 seconds.
6. Rest for 15 seconds.
7. Repeat for 3 to 4 sets.

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Plank Shoulder Taps

1. Assume a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and body straight.
2. Lift your right hand to tap your left shoulder.
3. Place your hand on the floor.
4. Tap your left hand to your right shoulder.
5. Continue to alternate.
6. Perform 3 sets of 20 reps.