Best Workout for Saddlebags – “Problem Areas” series

Workouts, recipes, motivation, tips, and advice all right to your inbox! Subscribe to Tone-and-Tighten.com using the black bar up at the top of the page.

“What’s the best workout I can do to get rid of my saddlebags?”

I like to think that I’m pretty proficient in fitness lingo. Muffin top, love handles, cankel’s, etc., are all “Problem Areas” that I have heard about. Full disclosure, however, I have received this “saddlebags” email a few times from T&T readers and had to ask my good friend Google what it actually means! Saddlebags is extra fat primarily concentrated around the areas of your hips, thighs, and backside. Unfortunately, this is a common place for a lot of people to store “excess”; fortunately – there’s a lot that you can do about it! Today I have dialed up my favorite exercises two tone and tighten saddlebags into sleek and sexy hips. Keep reading to see the workout and goodbye forever saddlebags!

As with all the posts in this “Problem Areas” series, I have to start with the caveat that it’s really impossible to spot treat for a certain area. This workout is going to be killer for the muscles in your hips, but, and legs, but the effects will be dramatically increased if you supplement with some great cardio and proper eating.

Warm-up: 5–10 minutes running around the block, up-and-down the stairs in your home, and even marching in place with my knees are all great message to warm up.

The workout

Star Lunges

Lunging in different planes of movement is a great way to mix up the exercise and kick on different muscles by moving in different ways. Perform a forward lunge on the left, then return to the starting position. Now lunge on to the left foot 45° in front of you and then return to the starting position. Now perform a side lunge and return to start. Lunge backwards at a 45° angle on to the left foot. And finally finished with a rear lunge. That counts as one repetition.
10 reps on each leg

Circuit 1

Side Plank with Hip Dip
Get in a side plank position. Let your hip fall to the mat and then pull it up as high as you can towards the ceiling.
Repeat 10 times on each side and move on to Sidelying Hip Abduction

Sidelying Hip Abduction (AKA the “Jane Fonda”)
Lay on your side with your hips “stacked” one right on top of the other. Use the muscle in the side of your hip to lift your entire straight leg up towards the ceiling and slowly return to starting position.
Repeat 15 times on each leg and then go back to Side Plank with Hip Dip

Repeat Circuit 1 three times and then move on to Circuit 2

Circuit 2

Just to completely tap things out here at the end – try this little combo:

Donkey kick
Down on all fours, keep your right knee bent as you extend it behind you. The bottom of your foot should be flat to the ceiling at the top of the move.
Perform 10 reps on the right leg and then movement mediately into…

Quadruped hamstring curl

Still down on all fours. This time the right leg extends straight back behind you. Use your butt muscles to keep your leg in this spot and perform a hamstring curl.
Perform 10 reps on the right leg and then move immediately into…

Fire hydrant

Still down on all fours. Now you’re going to take your bent right leg straight out to the side as high as you can take it. Return to the starting postion.
Perform 10 repetitions on the right leg and then repeat on the left