Do you have saddlebags? Perhaps, you don’t even know what they are, and yet you see them every time you look in the mirror. Some call the fat deposits that collect around the upper thigh and hip area their saddlebags.
If you have them, you’re not alone. Women across the world have found that it’s one of the most stubborn areas of fat to get rid of. Technically, these areas are underdeveloped parts of your skin that have become soft and allow fat to accumulate.
The goal to get rid of these “bags” is to strengthen the core muscles that hold the skin underneath. Did you know when you increase the muscles in an area of the body, it makes them metabolically active?
It sounds strange, but it activates your body’s abilities to restore and rejuvenate, and it pulls the area inward. Your muscles know how to get rid of extra fat, and you can help this by kicking things into high gear in your workout.
Another major problem with this area is the build-up of cellulite. Some have described it as “cottage cheese” like dimples under the skin. Whatever you call it, it tends to form in fat-laden areas. Thankfully, you have the power to change this unsightly flabby region to a sculpted area in which you are proud.
5 Moves That Melt Your Saddlebags
If you’re serious and want to do something about all those unsightly flabby areas, then you will need to do some target specific workouts. While push-ups are good for some muscle groups, they won’t do much for your saddlebags. Here are five exercises that will target this area of your body with ease.
1. Grasshopper Thrashes
Lie prostrate on the ground with your neck in perfect alignment with the rest of your body. Your forehead should be resting on your arms, which should be crossed. Now, pretend that someone is about to punch you in the gut.
If someone were coming at you, the first thing you would do is clinch those muscles tightly. Now, you want to do the same thing with your rear-end muscles too. The tricky part is you need to lift your legs about 6-8 inches into the air.
Make sure they are separated and not lifted locked together. Now, while your feet are in the air, bring the heels of your feet close together and use your energy to squeeze your buttocks and thighs as you press your feet together.
If you are doing this right, you will feel the burn in these major muscle groups. As you press your feet tight, you will feel those muscles contract. Now, open your feet and return them to the floor.
To be effective, you need to do 15-20 reps like this one. However, you must rest in between each rep for about 20-30 seconds as these muscles need a break. You will feel the pain for a couple of days, but it’s worth the effort for the workout that you give these muscle groups.
2. Lying Glute Release
Start this maneuver by laying on your back on the floor. You want to bend your knees slightly, but you need to keep your feet flat on the ground. Now, take your left knee and loop it around so that your left foot is now resting on your right thigh.
Make sure that your right knee stays bent. Take your hands and place them around the inner section of your right thigh. Now, pull both your legs towards you and your chest area.
If you’re doing this maneuver correctly, you will feel the strain outside the hip area. When you start to feel that muscle strain, then hold the move for about 15-20 seconds.
Now, go back to the starting position and make a move with the other leg. It would help if you did this about 2-3 times on each side for no more than a total of six reps.
3. Solo-leg Hip Raise
Get positioned on the floor lying flat on your back. Now, bend your knees while keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground. Now, extend the right leg so that it’s completely straight while keep the other leg bent.
It would help if you positioned your arms to the side. Tighten your core muscles and press your left heel downward. As you make this motion, slowly lift your hips into the air.
If you’re making this move correctly, your hips should be directly in line with your shoulders. Hold your hips in the air for 1-2 seconds, then slowly lower your middle section back to the floor. Now, switch and do the other side.
Doing this maneuver once on each side counts as a rep, and you need to do 15 on each side. Don’t stop or take any breaks in between switching legs and your reps as you want to stretch these muscles to their limit. It’s all part of strength training that pays off royally.
4. Hip Extension
For this workout, you will need an exercise mat or you can adapt the moves for a bench. Lie face forward down on the bench, and you must allow your arms and legs to hang off the sides. Make sure that your hips are free.
Your neck should be in proper alignment with your back. Now, clench your core muscles by holding onto the bench with your hands. At the same time, squeeze tight your gluteus maximus muscles and then slowly lift your legs.
Your legs will naturally want to separate under the weight from your mid-section. It’s okay for them to be wider than your hips at this point. You want to stretch yourself till you feel your butt and lower back contract, and you can accomplish this by lifting as high as you can.
Once your legs are as high as you can get them, hold the position for 2-3 seconds. Now, release your muscles as you bring your legs back down to hanging at the sides of the exercise bench. Congratulations, you’ve done one rep.
You should do about 15-20 reps in total. Now, you want to rest for 30-60 seconds, and then do these sets three more times. You will certainly feel the burn in your saddlebags if you do this workout correctly.
5. Reverse Hip Raise
You will need a device to do this maneuver. Grab an exercise step, ball, bench, or roman style chair. The goal is to have your core on the item, but your legs and arms can move without issue.
Anchor yourself onto the device using your arms and legs, but then slowly let the exercise bench hold your weight. Release your arms and legs and allow them to dangle from the sides.
You must keep your head and neck aligned so that you don’t develop neck strain while doing this maneuver. Clinch your core muscles and the ones in your gluteus maximus.
Now, slowly lift both of your legs straight up into the air, and make sure they are parallel. If you need to rest your neck on the bench for a minute, it’s acceptable, but you must strive for perfect alignment to keep from developing any strain.
Hold your legs in the air, now bend your knees and then raise your legs again. Each time you bend and straighten your legs is one rep. Do a total of 30 reps then rest for 30 seconds. You should do three sets of these for this part of your workout.
Final Thoughts on Shedding the Weight of Your Saddlebags
Are your saddlebags burning yet? If you did these exercises correctly, you should feel a burning and some heat in the troubled areas. Will these workouts erase cellulite?
No, but there are some cosmetic things you can do for those unsightly skin dimples. The goal is to keep any new cellulite from forming by getting rid of the fat formation. While you won’t see results overnight, with time and dedication, you should see amazing things happen to your saddlebags.
Now, one thing you must keep in mind while doing your workout is that it’s about more than just physical burn. You need to get your body in fat burning gear by eating the right foods that are beneficial for weight training.
Eating foods that are full of carbohydrates and sugars is going to be counterproductive to what you are doing by exercising. You must avoid them at all costs.
It takes a combination of both diet and exercise to mold and sculpt your body into the masterpiece you want. Invest in a good protein powder that can help you build muscle and trim the fat from your body. Also, a diet high in protein and good fats is beneficial for those who have a lot of fat to lose and want it to go quickly.
How long will it take to see results? Within six weeks of performing these dedicated workouts, you should start to see those saddlebags slowly shrinking. Give it time as they didn’t form overnight, so they won’t go away overnight either.
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