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What's inside
This 7 day muffin top challenge gives you a 15 minute workout for your core and sides, plus three daily habits. The habits matter as much as the workout, and here is why.
No set of exercises melts fat off one spot in a week. Core work makes the muscles under your muffin top stronger. The layer of fat on top shrinks when you eat a little less and move a little more, every day. This challenge does both, so week one sets you up for change over the weeks that follow.
The challenge at a glance
| Length | 7 days, then repeat or move to the next step |
| Workout | 15 minutes on days 1, 2, 4 and 5; 20 minutes on day 6 |
| Active rest | Days 3 and 7: a 30 minute walk |
| Daily habits | Steps, protein, an earlier kitchen close (below) |
| Equipment | None. A mat or towel |
| Level | Beginner friendly, with harder options |
The 15 minute muffin top workout
Do each move for 30 seconds, then rest 20 seconds. Go straight through all six moves. That is one round. Do three rounds.
| # | Move | Easier | Harder | How to do it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Standing side crunch | Slow pace | Faster, add a knee lift | Hands behind your head. Lift one knee out to the side and bring the same elbow down to meet it, squeezing your side. Alternate. |
| 2 | Dead bug | Legs only | Opposite arm and leg, slow | On your back, knees over hips. Press your lower back into the floor and lower one leg toward the floor without your back lifting. |
| 3 | Bicycle crunch | Feet on floor, small twist | Full bicycle, slow | Shoulders lifted, rotate one elbow toward the opposite knee as that leg bends in. Slow beats fast here. |
| 4 | Side plank | From your knees | From your feet, 15 seconds per side | Elbow under shoulder, body in a straight line, lift your hips off the floor. Switch sides halfway through the 30 seconds. |
| 5 | Mountain climber | Hands on a chair, slow step | Fast, from the floor | In a high plank, drive one knee toward your chest, then the other. Keep your hips low. |
| 6 | Squat to reach | Shallow squat | Deep squat, reach high on tiptoe | Squat down, then stand and reach both arms overhead, stretching your sides. |
Why these moves. Your “muffin top” sits over your obliques, the muscles along your sides, and your deep core. Moves 1, 3 and 4 work the obliques directly. Moves 2 and 4 train the deep core that holds your waist in. Moves 5 and 6 raise your heart rate and work your legs.
The 3 daily habits
These are the part most muffin top plans skip. Do them every day of the 7, including rest days.
| Habit | Day 1 target | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walk more | Your normal steps plus 2,000 | Daily movement adds up fast, and every bout counts, even a brisk 5 minute walk after dinner |
| 2. Protein at every meal | A palm-sized portion, three times a day | Helps you feel a little fuller after meals and keep muscle while you eat a little less (1.4 to 2.0 g per kg a day for active people) |
| 3. Close the kitchen 2 hours before bed | Pick a time and stick to it | Removes one easy window for mindless snacking |
Track all three on paper or in your phone notes. A check mark per habit per day. Seven days of check marks is the real win of this challenge.
Your 7 days
| Day | Workout | Habits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muffin top workout, 3 rounds | All 3 |
| 2 | Muffin top workout, 3 rounds | All 3 |
| 3 | 30 minute brisk walk | All 3 |
| 4 | Muffin top workout, 3 rounds | All 3 |
| 5 | Muffin top workout, 3 rounds (try one harder version) | All 3 |
| 6 | Muffin top workout, 4 rounds | All 3 |
| 7 | 30 minute walk, then check in | All 3 |
Day 7 check-in. Measure your waist at your belly button, first thing in the morning. Write it down. Do the same every week. Weight on the scale can jump around from day to day; the tape measure and how your jeans fit tell you more.
Will your muffin top be gone in 7 days?
No, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. Here is what the research actually shows.
In one study, people did ab exercises five days a week for six weeks. Their ab endurance improved, but their belly fat and the tape measurement around their belly did not change. In another, people trained only one leg for 12 weeks. They lost fat, but it came off their arms and trunk, not the leg they trained.
There is one twist. A 2023 study of 16 overweight men found that swapping part of a running session for ab work on machines took off slightly more trunk fat than running alone, with the same calories burned. That is a small study in men, but it suggests core work combined with cardio may tip the balance a little. It is one more reason this plan pairs the two.
What reliably shrinks a muffin top is losing body fat overall, steadily, over weeks. Week one is where you build the habits that make that happen. Stick with them, keep measuring, and look at the trend over several weeks.
After day 7: weeks 2 to 8
- Repeat the 7 days, adding one round to each workout every week, up to 5 rounds.
- Add one cardio session. In overweight adults, intervals and steady cardio cut body fat and waist size about equally; intervals just take less time. Pick what you will actually do. Our HIIT workouts for women and best cardio for weight loss guides have options.
- Set up your eating. If you want a structure, try our 1500 calorie meal plan.
- Want more moves? Our love handle workout has 10 more exercises for your sides.
Questions
Why not just do 100 crunches a day?
Crunches mainly work the front of your abs, not your sides. And as the studies above show, more ab work on its own will not remove the fat.
Is a muffin top the same as love handles?
Mostly, yes. Both describe fat over your sides and lower back. Some people use “muffin top” for the front and sides above the waistband.
My lower back hurts during bicycle crunches.
Keep your feet on the floor, make the twist smaller, or swap in more dead bugs. Pain means stop.
I just had a baby. Can I do this?
Get your doctor’s okay first, and ask about abdominal separation (diastasis recti). Some of these moves may need to wait.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, recently postpartum, injured, or have a medical condition, check with a doctor before starting a new exercise or eating plan.
