It's a cutesy name, but if you are sick of the flab that is hanging off either side of your abdomen, there's really nothing actually cute about love handles. They aren't particularly easy to get rid of either.

While losing weight definitely helps, sometimes it seems like those love handles are awfully stubborn and depending on how your body is shaped and where and how it likes to retain fat, you can get pretty skinny without getting rid of them permanently. 

But thare are some exercises to get rid of love handles that you can do that should make a bid difference relatively quickly. So here's a few of the best exercises that are recommended.

The muscles that you need to target are called the obliques. These muscles lie along the sides of your stomach. Other mid-section exercises such as crunches and sit-ups have very little impact on your oblique muscles. So you need to focus on good exercises for the obliques themselves. Here are two of my favorites.

• With your knees bent and your feet kept flat on the ground, you want to lie on your back. Cup your fingers gently just behind your ears. Don't hold your head. Just rest your hands there.
• Lift your knees until they are above your hips. At the same time, lift your head and shoulders a few inches off of the ground. This is your starting position.
• Straighten your right leg out and up, to about a 45 degree angle. At the same time, twist your upper body to the left and touch your right elbow to your left knee, then return to the starting position.
• Straighten your left leg out and up. At the same time, twist your upper body to the right and touch your left elbow to your right knee, then return to the starting position.
  
• Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times on each side while performing the moves carefully and with intent. Don't rush through the reps.

You can also try doing The Bicycle with some extra weight. Check the video to try it out.

There are many slight variations for doing oblique crunches and this is one of them. I've also included a few videos to show some different variations you can try. Just pick one that works best for you.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat against the floor. Gently rest your fingers against the sides of your head.
• Cross your legs, placing your left ankle on top of your right knee. Then lift your head and shoulders a few inches off of the floor. This is your starting position.
• While contracting your abdominal muscles, twist your upper body to the left. Imagine you are trying to touch your right elbow to your left knee. Hold for a second, and then return to the starting position.
• Repeat this exercise about 10 to 15 times, twisting to the left side. Then change positions, resting your right ankle on your left knee, and twisting your upper body to the right another 10 or 15 times.

Be sure to check out the videos as well for other ways to do oblique crunches.

Both The Bicycle and the Oblique Crunches are the best exercises to get rid of love handles, so try and work them into your usual abdominal work-out.

As long as you continue to also eat a healthy diet and stick to a good fitness regimen of strength training and high intensity cardio work-outs you should start to see those love handles gradually disappearing until they are completely gone and all you have is solid strong and sexy abdominal muscles.