Whenever you have excess fat, you increase your chances of suffering a life-threatening condition. For example researchers found that people who were overweight were 22 percent more likely to suffer an ischemic stroke than normal weight people, according to Reuters Health. To single out fat on your back, you need to take a similar approach to losing fat at any location on your body. By adding back exercises into your plan, you will build metabolically active muscle and give your back a leaner appearance. Target all areas of your back with exercises.
Step 1
Reduce your caloric intake and choose healthier foods. Eat smaller portions with your meals and eliminate all the foods that are loaded with empty calories. These include cupcakes, hot dogs, cheese fries, pork chops, onion rings, ribs and candy. Fill up on nutrient-dense foods instead like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, beans and low-fat dairy products.
Step 2
Utilize a rowing machine or elliptical trainer to reduce your body fat. Both of these machines cause you to continually use your back muscles while you burn fat throughout your whole body. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of cardio to lose weight and maintain weight loss. Work out on three nonconsecutive days a week.
Step 3
Elevate your shoulders to do shrugs. Shrugs work the trapezius which is at the top of the back. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding dumbbells at your sides. Keep your arms straight as you raise your shoulders straight in the air as high as possible. Hold for a full second, lower your arms slowly and repeat 10 to 12 times.
Step 4
Lie face-up on a weight bench to do bent arm pullovers for your upper latissimus dorsi muscles. The lats run from the mid to upper back and they flare out to the sides. Position your shoulders perpendicular on the bench, hold a barbell above your chest with your hands shoulder-width apart and bend your elbows 90 degrees. Maintain this bend as you lower the bar over your head and toward the floor in an arcing motion. Lift it back to the starting point and repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions.
Step 5
Place a dumbbell on the floor on the right side of a bench to do one arm dumbbell rows. These work your lats and rhomboids which are found in between your shoulders. Kneel on the bench with your left knee, place your right foot behind your body and place your left hand on the front of the bench. Bend forward until your back is approximately parallel to the floor and grab the dumbbell with your right hand. Keep your back straight as you pull the weight up to your hip. Hold for a second, lower the weight back down and repeat. Perform 10 to 12 reps and switch sides. Keep your arm tight to your side as you pull the weight up.
Step 6
Rest a barbell across your shoulders to do good mornings for your lower back. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the bar behind your neck with a wide grip. Keep your back straight as you bend forward at the hips. Stop when your back is almost parallel to the floor, bend back up and repeat 10 to 12 times.
Tips and Warnings
- Do three to four sets of your back exercises and do them three days a week on your non-cardio days.
Things You'll Need
- Rowing machine
- Elliptical machine
- Dumbbells
- Weight bench
- Barbell
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