We know that you hate the phrases ‘bra bulge’, muffin top’, ‘love handles’, etc. But you know what? They love you so much! That is why you always find it extremely tough to get rid of that pesky back fat.
Oh come on! It doesn’t mean that you can never do it. Get rid of the band of chub that clings to the back and creates a fold above the waist line. And obviously reducing back fat needs you to follow the right ways and we are here to help you figure it out.
But let’s begin with knowing what causes the back fat so that we can swerve past it.
What Causes Back Fat?
There are many causes of back fat but common among the list are overweight, lack of exercises and diet regimes. Other causes include hormonal imbalances, medical conditions, genetical disorders and constant intake of medicines.
[Also Read: Exercises To Get Rid Of Back Pain]
A medical study revealed that the level of thyroxin and insulin decides the area of fat accumulation. Low levels of thyroxin cause bulging flab and it might be tricky to get rid of the accumulating fat. But do not give up ladies! We are right here so go through rest of the article and you will know how to lose back fat in the most efficient manner.
Types Of Back Fat:
By the way did you know that there are two types of back fat? Annoyingly Yes!! It’s the lower back fat and the upper back fat. Let us understand a little bit about both to relate our case strongly to either or to both.
- Lower back fat
The accumulation of the fat right above the buttocks line is popularly termed as lower back fat and creates an odd bump that taints your svelte look. This fat melting takes up one’s spirit and energy for sure.
- Upper back fat
The bra overhang or the excess weight causing the folds right below the bra line is often referred to as upper back fat. Burning this fat involves a full body workout and that’s quite achievable. And we will guide you right through it.
How To Lose Upper Back Fat:
The fat line right beneath the bra band needs intensive workout to burn. Here are few suggestions for you
Upper Back Fat Exercises:
1. Cardio Workout – Your Rescuer!
Yes! Exercises to get rid of back fat includes cardio workout. If getting rid of back fat is something you are very serious about, just swear by your cardio workout. It not only helps in burning extra calories, but also plays a key role in enhancing energy and stamina. Some of the basic yet most powerful back fat cardiovascular exercises include jogging, brisk walking, swimming, cycling, etc. These can raise your heart rate significantly and speed up the fat-burning procedure by making you sweat. You can bump it up by following a 45 to 60 minutes’ session every day for 5 days a week.
2. Interval Cardio Training
If you want your cardio session to be more intense, interval training can be of your great help. It creates an ‘afterburn effect’ by alternating between the exercising and recovery periods. As a result, you are able to burn as much as 200 additional calories all through the day (including the sleeping and resting time).
3. Tone Up with Strength Training
Well, strength training is mostly intended for increasing muscle mass. But while strengthening your muscles, you can also melt down that unwanted fat from your back area and tone the back perfectly. All you need to do is to practice certain movements that can expose the strong muscles lying underneath the layers of fat tissues in your back. It will sculpt your whole back region including your shoulders and your obliques.
Here are a few ways to get rid of back fat:
- Make use of exercise ball and practice back extensions, opposite limb extensions, upper back lifts, superman ball lifts, etc.
- Improve your posture and balance out your body with simple moves like reverse fly, rowing, tipple plank row, etc.
- Take a 5-minutes break from your busy schedule and perform a combination of a variety of exercises and weight-lifting. Each move should not take more than 30 seconds and the quick session should end with a long stretch.
4. Target Your ‘Problem Areas’
When it comes to taming back bulges, nothing can be better than target exercises. Just focus on the problem areas of your backside and you will end up replacing those flabs with lean muscles. As the name suggests, these exercises can ‘target’ different portions of your shoulders and upper back and help you build up muscles there. Some of the effective target exercises for getting a shapely back are:
- Push And Touch: Targets your shoulder and upper back muscles.
- Bent-Over Circular Row: Works on the muscles of your upper back and mid-back areas.
- Crisscross Reverse Fly: Aims at building muscles in your shoulders and upper back region.
- Elbow Kiss: Intended for muscle build-ups in your shoulders.
Practice Yoga Asanas Regularly:
How can we ignore the importance of yoga in beating that ugly back fat? No matter how intense cardio you do or how much effort you put in strengthening your muscles, you just have to rely on the simplicity and efficiency of yoga poses. Yoga positions can miraculously transform your body. The best thing about practicing yoga is that the rest of your body also gets perfectly toned, while you might be trying only to get rid of the bra bulge.
We have listed down a few yoga asanas that will give you excellent results in losing back fat:
- Side Fierce: Tones up your upper back area.
- Warrior 3: Get defined shoulders and a sexy back.
- Half Moon: Tightens up both sides of your torso, while melting away your back fat.
- Straight-Arm Triangle: Another simple pose to be practiced for upper body-toning.
Lifestyle:
The lifestyle tips would be the same for losing both the lower back fat or the upper back fat. Ensure your sleep schedule is intact and you maintain healthy eating habits.
Diet Tips To Lose Upper Back Fat:
Exercises and yoga practice can certainly give your body that necessary push, which is required for eliminating back fat. But unless and until you make some changes in your eating habits, you can’t be successful in your fight. From picking healthier items to cooking fat-burning dishes, everything can help you take your back fat off. All you need to do is, make some changes in diet to lose weight. Following are some vital tips that you need to remember about your daily diet:
The Must Haves Include:
- Low calorie diets like cucumber, zucchini, chicken breast, turkey legs etc., would help slim down the back.
- Fresh fruits especially blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and green and leafy vegetables are the best option.
- Sweet potatoes are one helpful food to lose back fat. They digest slowly and keep you full and energized for a longer period of time.
The Foods That One Must Avoid:
- Keep a close eye on your fat intake and try to consume healthy fats instead of the unhealthy ones.
- Keep sugary drinks, soft drinks, sports drinks, etc. at bay and reduce the quantity of added sugar in your food.
- Avoid refined flours, processed meat etc., to avoid inflammation which indeed makes it difficult to lose the fat.
How To Lose Lower Back Fat:
Below are some effective exercises for those who want to know How to lose back fat.
Lower Back Fat Exercises:
1. Running Or Brisk Walking:
An intense cardio like a 20-30-minute running or a brisk walk will help in losing those extra ounces of fat effectively. While the brisk walking might take time to show results, the running will help shed those kilos right above the waistline.
2. Skipping, Cycling Or Swimming:
Try an interval training which might include skipping, cycling or swimming. Pick a workout that suits your body and perform an intense workout for 3-5 minutes. Then perform a slow or low-intensity exercise to balance the equation. The constant variation between the low and high intensity workout will deliver great results.
[Also Read: How To Get Water Out Of Your Ear After Swimming]
3. Stability Ball Leg Extensions:
Lie face down on the stability ball with hands behind your head. If you have difficulty holding onto the position, rest your feet against a wall. Now squeeze your glutes and lift your torso up until your body is in a straight line. Hold for a couple of seconds and return to the original position. Continue doing it for 10-15 repetitions. This will exert pressure on the lower back and helps in toning and strengthening of it.
4. Wood Choppers:
This is an effective exercise to lose the love handles. You can either pick a dumbbell or a medicine ball but start small with the weight and work your way up gradually. Stand with feet wide apart and hold you’re the ball just outside of your left ankle and squat a little. Now pull your arms past your right shoulder and twist your torso along with it. Now return to the original position. Continue these steps moving from left to right and right to left for best results.
5. Rowing machine:
Seat yourself on the rowing machine in your gym and strengthen the back of yours with a rigorous workout. Let the intensity of the workout burn those excess pounds hanging above the waistline.
Yoga To Lose Lower Back Fat:
1. Side Planks:
If you are a workout freak, then you must be aware of the side planks and their benefits. But for those of you who are new to this exercise, learn that it is the best form of yoga to get into fine shape.
Support your body on your elbow and line yourself to one side with the hips resting on the side. Raise your alternate arm up towards the roof and gently lift your hip off the floor. Maintain this position for a count of 30 and bring down your hips. Perform 10 repetitions on either side.
2. The Bridge:
It is an excellent workout for the hips and the lower back. Lie on your back and lift your hips up. Hold yourself in the position and squeeze in your butt. This will work great on the lower back and helps strengthen it too.
3. Bow:
It works splendid on the back. Lie flat on your stomach and bend your knees and reach out to your legs. Hold the ankles firmly and inhale deeply and lift your thighs and feet up. Hold this pose for 5 complete breaths and let it go.
Lifestyle:
The way you conduct and disciple yourself during the entire weight loss program states your zeal to lose the excess fat. Following a strict regime might tire you out and it is important to pay attention to your lifestyle too.
Skipping of appropriate sleep can lower the level of leptin which inhibits hunger. Schedule your sleep hours well and trim the fat that disrupts your image.
Take a smaller plate while serving yourself food so that you feel you are having a plate full meal. This is a psychological way of dealing with hunger and fat trimming.
We all are addicted to the smaller screens and hence we advise you to switch off the TV while eating so that you focus on the quantity and quality of food that you are consuming.
Diet Tips To Lose Lower Fat:
Here are the foods that one must have
- Fill in with fibers like oats, broccoli, sprouts, black beans etc.
- Switch over to lean sources of protein like meat and eggs.
- Make yourself a bowl full of soup that is rich in proteins, vitamins and loads of vegetables.
- Add starchy veggies to your diet to feel full and kill your hunger. You can include veggies like corn, potatoes, zucchini, yams, peas etc.
- Or make yourself salads like avocado shell salad, or chicken salad to satiate your taste buds.
Here is a list of foods that one must avoid
- High calorie drinks
- Deserts and treats
- Go easy on salt intake
Precautions For Back Fat:
- Stop living sedentary life and add some physical activity to your everyday life. Be it a sport or workout session, keep yourself on the move for a specific bit of your time.
- Eat smart, eat clean and healthy to avoid the fat depositions on the back.
- Make changes to your lifestyle like sleep regimes and stress reliefs to avoid putting on weight.
- Hydrate yourself plenty.
- Drink green tea or cinnamon green tea on regular basis to avoid the bloat and the bulge.
- If you have trouble losing the fat, shop for appropriate clothes that will help conceal it well.
So these were some of the workouts on how to lose back fat. Achieving a sculpted back is essential to look sexy and gorgeous. Why don’t follow these 5 methods and start your journey too? We know you can definitely get a fat-free, beautiful back.
All the best!