As a woman, you may be concerned with having excess fat on your upper body, especially on the chest, back, arms or stomach. Too much fat in these areas can make your clothes fit poorly, cause body rolls or make you generally self-conscious. However, with the proper exercise regimen, you can lose weight on your upper body and the rest of your frame to be healthier and look good.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise is essential if you want to lose weight on any part of your body, regardless of your gender or your specific problem areas. Cardio burns calories and you must burn calories to lose weight and fat. While you can't target your upper body for fat loss, you can perform exercises that elevate your heart rate and use large muscle groups to burn fat from your entire frame. Popular choices include jogging, running, cycling and swimming. Commit to a routine of at least 30 minutes, five times a week to see results quickly, recommends the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Targeted Cardio
Though you can't target one area of your body from which to lose weight, you can perform cardiovascular activities that tone your problem area while you're burning fat all over. For slimming down your upper body and giving your chest, arms and back some definition, you can use the elliptical and rowing machines. Swimming and even power walking while holding weights can give your upper body an extra workout.
Interval Training
To burn fat faster from your entire body, you can incorporate interval training into your normal cardio routine. This is done by switching up the pace of your chosen workout. So, if you're using the elliptical machine, you may want to work out at a moderate pace for five minutes, then kick it into high gear for a minute or two. Then switch back to the moderate pace. This increases your metabolism and helps you burn fat from your body, including the upper portion, faster.
Strength Training
Strength training does not burn calories or fat. However, it's important to tone your upper body as you're losing weight to ensure you have proper muscle definition. This can prevent sagging skin as well. A few exercises you may wish to practice at least twice a week for 20 minutes include bent over rows, triceps dips, bench presses and pushups, according to the CDC. Don't forget the rest of your body as well with situps, leg lifts, squats and lunges.
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