Bid Adieu To Muffin Top With These 10 Best Muffin Top Exercises 

The main factor is an unbalanced diet. If you’re consuming an excessive amount of calories, you’re contributing to fat storage around the midsection. If you wonder what is a muffin top and the best muffin top exercises keep scrolling.

Unfortunately, for women, the common areas where the fat gets cozy are the abdomen, hips, buttocks, and upper arms. Given the fashion quotient, we have to live up to, due to several reasons like job, relationship, desire, or peer pressure, we may have to address our fat deposits as fast as we can. We want to look cool in those jeans and crop tops, right? But a muffin top ruins it all. Certain attires require more than guts to carry them. Some areas of our bodies are highlighted while wearing certain dresses like the arms with a sleeveless top, or legs with a miniskirt. Fat in those highlighted areas makes many of us self-conscious.

Muffin Top Exercises: What Is A Muffin Top?

A common fat issue that is centered around the midriff is the muffin top. The phrase comes from the top of a muffin that goes beyond the cup. A muffin top is the spillover of body fat and flab that goes over their pants to form a pouch that you can grab with your hands. When you wear fashionable low-waist attires, muffin tops will show.

Though it is nothing to be ashamed of, we may well be branded as someone who does not know how to choose our wardrobe. From a health point of view also muffin tops are seen as a sign of a lack of health awareness as the fat around the midriff is quite dangerous. It heralds a whole range of diseases including type 2 diabetes(1), hypertension, cardiometabolic conditions, sleep apnea, heart disease, etc.

Muffin Top Exercises: Reasons For Muffin Top

There are multiple reasons for a muffin top. It ranges from genetics to your diet. Genetics do play an important role in the tendency to accumulate fat and its location. Midriff is a common location for many, unfortunately. Culprit number two is the sugary diets we crave- the extra spoon of sugar in our daily coffee or the sugary snack which comes after every meal or the chocolate which is our comfort food! Stress and sleep deprivation also contribute to muffin tops by spiking cortisol levels, thereby adding more fat to the midsection. Hormones- the fluctuations, perimenopause(2), etc. also are culprits when it comes to muffin tops. Depression and work pressures will also contribute to muffin tops by making you take refuge in high-calorie comfort foods.

How To Get Rid Of Muffin Top?

Making a few lifestyle changes and following a few muffin top exercises can actually bring a change in your body.

Muffin tops can vanish in more than one way. Exercise and dietary regulations are the cardinal way by which you can get rid of those not-so-lovable love handles and muffin tops! 

Following Diet With Muffin Top Exercises

Those high sugary comfort foods, salty snacks, sodas, and junk food loaded with extra cheese and fat can contribute to the muffin top. We know it, but it is hard to resist it. The key to this is moderation. Fitness icons like Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lopez- all do indulge their cravings. But they eat in moderation and work out lots and consistently. 

We should aim to eat clean. By eating clean, experts mean eating a lot of fiber-rich veggies, fruits, nuts, and healthy bites with no unprocessed fats, gluten, or oils. We could use an air fryer or bake dishes with less oil. Cutting down on sugary snacks and replacing them with servings of fresh fruits will help. Avoiding red meat, fat-ridden pizzas, and burgers will also help. Salty chips, sauces, kimchi, and pickles are best avoided to get rid of muffin tops.

Muffin Top Exercises

The best way to get rid of a muffin top fast is through HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)(3) workouts. Though there is no specific exercise for muffin tops, as spot reduction is a myth, we can focus on overall fat reduction and spot sculpting. Exercises like fast walking will help crunch the midriff. If you want something fun, you could try kickboxing as well. Getting on with a 75-day hard challenge is also great not just to get rid of the muffin top but also for the whole body, which will help in keeping the muffin top situation under control. This Andy Frisella plan is great for bringing in discipline and consistency in workouts.

Other ways to avoid muffin tops are to stay away from stress and to get good sleep at night. You can also check if any medication like hormone replacement or birth control pills is contributing to your muffin top and consult your doctor regarding the same.

10 Best Muffin Top Exercises!

1. Butt Lifts Muffin Top Exercises

Let us start with the easy ones. This is similar to the sethubandhanasana in traditional yoga. This tones your lower abs, muffin top, obliques, and your buttocks. Those with spinal issues or previous injuries should exercise caution while doing this exercise.

1. First, lie down straight on the floor on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Now lift your butt up until your shoulders and knees are in a straight line.
3. Lower down again.
4. Do 10-15 reps.

2. Hip Twists Muffin Top Exercises

This is a plank variant muffin top exercise. It tones the legs, obliques, and abs. Senior citizens or those with weak elbows should seek a medical opinion before doing this.

1. Get down into a forearm plank with your body straight and your elbows directly under your shoulders.
2. Now twist your hip to the left side and touch your left hip to the floor, and then twist to the right to touch the right hip to the floor.
3. Do 15-20 reps

3. Rolling Planks

Rolling Plank is another variation of the best muffin top exercises that tones the entire midsection – the planks. The variant will double as a cardio. You should take care not to rush this exercise and concentrate on the stretch you are getting. Make sure you retain the core posture throughout the exercise. Senior citizens and those with elbow issues should seek a doctor’s advice before doing rolling planks.

1. Lie down in a standard plank with your arms straight and abs tight while making sure that your hands are directly under your shoulders.
2. Now roll to your right side into a side plank and come back into the plank.
3. Now roll to your left side into a side plank and get back into the plank.
4. Keep alternating the sides and complete 10 rolls on each side.

4. Candle Stick Dips

Easy and uncomplicated muffin top exercises. Great for toning the muffin tops, spot on!

1. Get on your knees. Make yourself comfortable with your spine straight and abs tight. You can use a cushion under your knees if you want.
2. Make yourself stable and stretch your right leg to your side, ensuring that your knee is straight and not resting on the floor.
3. Now raise your hands straight overhead with your fingers tightly together
4. Bend at your waist to your right and go as low as you can and try to be parallel to the floor.
5. Rise up straight back into the starting position.
6. Do 10 reps on both sides

5. Bicycle Crunches

One of the familiar yet super effective muffin top exercises. Senior citizens with spine issues should take a medical opinion.

1. Lie down on the floor on your back.
2. Now lift your feet with your knees bent so that your calves are parallel to the floor.
3. Put your hands behind your head to support your head and neck.
4. Bring your left knee towards your right elbow while straightening the right leg out. Keep the right leg off the floor.
5. Now, bring the right knee to the left elbow and straighten the left leg out 
6. Keep alternating and do at least 20 reps.

6. The Russian Twist

Russian Twist is one of the result showing muffin top exercises to get rid of the muffin top. It strengthens your abs, tones your oblique muscles, and muffin top. You can do it with or without a kettle, your call. Senior citizens with spine discomfort or injury should do it only after a doctor’s advice.

1. Sit on your butt with your feet pressed into the ground and knees bent.
2. Lean back as much as you are comfortable. 
3. Join your hands or grab a kettle or dumbbell.
4. Now swing your hands from side to side, moving your torso with each swing.
5. Do 20 rounds.

7. Hip Dips

Another plank variant, the Hip Dips are one of the best muffin top exercises that are amazingly effective in toning those obliques and muffin tops. Senior citizens with any elbow, hand, or leg weakness or vulnerabilities should refrain from doing this exercise.

1. Get into the plank position with your abs tightened.
2. Lower into the forearm plank by bending your elbows and coming down on your forearms.
3. Now roll to your right side into a forearm side plank and stack your left leg over your right. Rest your left hand on your hip.
4. Now dip your hip towards the floor and lift back.
5. Do 15 dips on each side 

8. Sumo Squat With Alternating Leg Check

This is one of the advanced muffin top exercises, but it works great on shedding your fat at the midriff to get rid of the muffin top.

1. Standing up, keep your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width with your toes pointing out, and bring your hands in front of your chest with your palms facing out. 
2. Keeping your chest lifted, sit your butt down into a deep squat, pressing your knees out in line with your toes. Slowly get up by driving your weight through your heels.
3. Now that you are standing up, lift up your right knee and crunch your obliques down as the right elbow meets the outside of the thigh. Keep your weight centered and your chest lifted. 
4. Repeat the squat five to ten times.

This is quite high intensity. Senior citizens with leg or knee issues should be careful about their stability.

This exercise is recommended as a doable exercise for senior citizens for muffin tops.

Standing with your legs akimbo, you can bend sideways. Repeat this on both sides. You can carry a dumbbell in your hand to the side you are going to lean to. You can do this 20 times on each side, easily.

9. Criss Cross Crunches

A standing-up variant of the bicycle crunches and muffin top exercises like these with different variants can help to reduce those extra inches on your mid-body section.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands behind your head.
2. Now bend your left leg and lift your knee as high as you can. Rotate your torso to the left and bring your right elbow to touch your left knee.
3. Repeat on the opposite side. You can do as many sets as you are comfortable with. 

10. Alternating Superwoman

I have rechristened the ‘alternating Superman’ to ‘ alternating superwoman’- because that is what we are! 

1. Start by lying face down with your arms and legs fully extended.
2. Lift one arm and the opposite leg off the floor, and hold for a count of 3.
3. Now repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

You can do at least 10 sets and gradually increase the reps.

The number of reps should depend on your comfort levels. You should stop doing the muffin top workouts if you experience shortness of breath or any discomfort. Make sure you wear comfortable, loose breathable clothes while exercising. Always make sure the room is airy enough or you should opt to do exercises outside. You should also make sure that you are hydrated enough while doing the exercises. You should not exercise when you feel hungry or tired. Turn on some upbeat music and do your moves. You should slowly and gradually increase your reps.

FAQ

Wrapping It All Up….

You need not feel ashamed of your body and make sure you give a ‘get lost’ to anyone whose body shames you. You can consider the health issues which are heralded by a muffin top and work out those 10 best muffin top exercises to get rid of the muffin top listed for you. In the meantime, it is great to have some curves to flaunt. Here’s to a healthy us, the non-muffin top way! Stay healthy and fab, girlies.