How To Get Rid Of Back Fat: Guide & Exercises

How To Get Rid of Back Fat with Lifestyle Recalibration

It’s hard to live with back fat, but it can be even harder to get rid of it. This blog post will give you the information you need about how to get rid of back fat for good. We’ll discuss what causes back fat and how to prevent it from coming back.

Then we’ll show you how to do exercises that target the muscles in your lower back that are most likely causing your problem areas since they’re not getting enough exercise on a regular basis. Finally, we’ll talk about how long it takes for these methods to work so you know how much patience is needed before seeing results!

What Causes Back Fat?

There are a few different things that can cause back fat, but the most common one is simply living a sedentary lifestyle. When you don’t use your muscles regularly, they start to weaken, shrink and then the body stores fat. This excess weight around your midsection is then more likely to spill over into the area around your lower back.

Another reason people tend to accumulate back fat is because of poor posture. If you sit at a desk all day or slouch when you walk, the back muscles become weaker from lack of use and you lose muscle tone in that particular area from muscle shrinkage.

Genetics can also play a role in how much back fat you have. Some people are just naturally predisposed to have fat distribution in that area than others.

Finally, nutrition is a huge factor when it comes to getting rid of back fat. If you’re eating a lot of unhealthy foods, eating too many calories, and not drinking enough water, your body will start to have fat accumulation in all the wrong places, including your back.

How Much Body Fat Is Normal For Women?

How much fat is considered healthy or normal? You cannot find an exact amount of body fat percentage for women on the Internet, but it varies from person to person. Age is a factor in what is considered acceptable as well. Essentially, most charts lead you to believe it’s okay to have more body fat the older you get. Body fat is an absolute number when it comes to appearance, however. 15% looks the same on a body whether you’re 20 years old or you’re 55 years old. The only difference will be the wrinkles.

Sometimes you see body composition numbers as low as 15% and sometimes as high as 25%, which is considered “overweight” from a health marker standpoint. The range for healthy women most commonly given is 18%-24%, with 21% being average. Men’s ranges are lower at 12%-20%.

As a rule of thumb, if you have visible back fat sticking out over your bra strap when bent forward, then there may be too much overall body fat that needs some attention. It does not mean that you should get rid of all your extra fat completely, but you may want to make some small changes in your diet and exercise habits.

How Unhealthy Is Back Fat?

Excess fat can lead to a number of health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer (especially breast cancer), and more. This does not mean that everyone with back fat will get these diseases, but it is important to be aware of the risks. So if you are looking to improve your overall health, reducing excess body fat and losing weight is a good place to start.

How To Reduce Body Fat

Reducing body fat comes down to adopting healthy habits like eating healthy and including resistance exercise and cardio exercise. The idea of “spot reduction” or localized fat loss is strictly a myth. The goal should be to lose weight and reduce overall body fat.

Diet Tips To Get Rid Of Back Fat

A healthy diet focused on weight loss starts with understanding how many calories are needed to have a rate of healthy weight loss of .5-1% of total bodyweight per week. Losing fat happens when you eat in a calorie deficit and understand what your calorie intake should be on a daily and weekly basis.

To learn how to calculate how to lose fat in a healthy and sustainable way, check out our calorie calculator.

A healthy relationship with food comes from eating nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. Avoid processed foods, eating excess sugar, and a high salt intake.

Back Exercises That Reduce The Appearance Of Back Fat

The goal of resistance training should be to maintain and build muscle since it burns more calories in the long term than just training to burn fat using back fat exercises. There is no such thing as spot fat reduction by attempting to use exercises that target the back muscles. Weight training can be an effective part of a healthy lifestyle and should focus on the entire body rather than just the upper body or what muscle groups are deemed to have fatty deposits.

Following are some back exercises, and each exercise targets back muscles in a slightly different way.

Upper Back Exercises

Chest Supported High Row
  1. Adjust the seat height so that when you grab the handles and pull back, they end up right below shoulder level. Adjust chest pad so that you have to stretch to grab the handles and there is tension in your back when you are sitting up while holding the handles. Pick a weight that is challenging and allows you to complete your target repetition range without sacrificing exercise execution.
  2. Sit with your feet flat on the ground, chest pressed into the pad, grab the handles allowing for tension in your back muscles and for your shoulders to roll forward, keeping the shoulders down, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest.
  3. Initiate the movement by contracting your back to bring the elbows back, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Only continue moving as long as no other body part moves.
  5. Stop at the point right before any other body part has to move.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the back muscles and inhaling.
  7. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution.
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown
  1. Adjust the thigh pad so that when you sit down, your legs fit snugly under while maintaining a 90-degree bend in your knees. Grab the bar with an underhand grip, palms facing up directly above your elbows. Pick a weight that is challenging and allows you to complete your target repetition range without sacrificing exercise execution.
  2. Sit with your feet flat on the ground, grab the bar allowing for tension in your back muscles, keeping the shoulders down, chest up, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest.
  3. Initiate the movement by contracting your back driving the elbows down, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Only continue moving as long as no other body part moves.
  5. Stop at the point right before any other body part has to move.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the back muscles and inhaling.
  7. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution.
Prone Dumbell Row
  1. Adjust the bench so that your back is as close to parallel to the ground as possible without allowing the weights to touch the ground when your arms are extended. Pick a weight that is challenging and allows you to complete your target repetition range without sacrificing exercise execution.
  2. Lay face-down with your feet flat on the ground, chest pressed into the pad, grab the dumbbells allowing for tension in your back muscles and for your shoulders to roll forward, keeping the shoulders down, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest.
  3. Initiate the movement by contracting your back to drive the elbows towards the hips, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Only continue moving as long as no other body part moves.
  5. Stop at the point right before any other body part has to move.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the back muscles and inhaling.
  7. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution.
Banded Bent Over Row
  1. Either loop bands onto something unmoving or anchor them in a door jam using door anchors. Grab the bands with your palms facing down. Walk back far enough to get tension in the band that allows for full range of motion without breaking form.
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, 90-degree bend in the hips. Grab the bands allowing for tension in your back muscles and for your shoulders to roll forward, keeping the shoulders down, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest.
  3. Initiate the movement by contracting your back to drive the elbows towards the hips, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Only continue moving as long as no other body part moves.
  5. Stop at the point right before any other body part has to move.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the back muscles and inhaling.
  7. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution.
Dumbell Bent Over Row
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, bend at the hips to get your upper body as close to parallel to the ground as possible.
  2. Grab the dumbbells allowing for tension in your back muscles and for your shoulders to roll forward, keeping the shoulders down, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest.
  3. Initiate the movement by contracting your back to drive the elbows towards the hips, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Only continue moving as long as no other body part moves.
  5. Stop at the point right before any other body part has to move.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the back muscles and inhaling.
  7. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution.
One Arm Dumbell Row
  1. Place your non-working hand on the bench to support you while putting the non-working leg up as well. Ensure the upper body is parallel to the ground. Pick a weight that is challenging and allows you to complete your target repetition range without sacrificing exercise execution.
  2. Ensure your foot on the working side is flat on the ground, knee slightly bent, allow the dumbbell to hang allowing for tension in your back muscles and for your shoulder to roll forward, keeping the shoulders down, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest.
  3. Initiate the movement by contracting your back to drive the elbow towards the hips, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Only continue moving as long as no other body part moves.
  5. Stop at the point right before any other body part has to move.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the back muscles and inhaling.
  7. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution. Repeat on other side.

Lower Back Exercise

Barbell Deadlift
  1. Stand with the bar directly over the middle of your feet. Feet can be hip to shoulder-width apart and should be flat on the ground. Keeping the back straight, bend at the hips and knees until you can grab the bar directly below your shoulders. Pick a weight that is challenging and allows you to complete your target repetition range without sacrificing exercise execution.
  2. Keeping the shoulders down, core engaged, head facing straight ahead with your chin tucked a fist distance away from your upper chest, grab the bar allowing for tension in your back, glutes, legs, and keep your shoulders back.
  3. Initiate the movement by driving through your feet contracting the legs, glutes and lower back until you are standing tall, exhaling, and keeping everything else unmoving.
  4. Don’t lock your knees or hyperextend your back at the top.
  5. Slowly return to the starting position by relaxing the muscles you contracted in step 3 and inhaling.
  6. Repeat as needed without sacrificing execution.

Lifestyle Changes To Help Lose Back Fat

Get More Sleep

Lack of sleep is one of the most common causes of weight gain. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more ghrelin, which is a hormone that stimulates your appetite. There are also studies that show how inadequate sleep can lead to cravings for high-calorie foods.

In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. If you can’t seem to make this a habit, try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day so your body can adjust better.

Reduce Stress Levels

When you’re stressed, your body produces the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for storing fat in the abdominal area, so when you’re stressed out all the time, it’s harder to lose weight. Not only that, but stress can also lead to emotional eating and make it difficult to stick to a healthy diet.

There are many ways to reduce stress levels, such as practicing meditation or mindfulness, journaling, or spending time outdoors. If you find that your stress is too much to handle on your own, consider talking to a therapist.

Avoid Eating Late At Night

Eating late at night can cause weight gain because your body isn’t able to burn off those calories as efficiently as if you had eaten earlier in the day since you’re typically not active. When you eat later in the day, your metabolism slows down from lack of activity and it’s harder to lose weight.

Try to make sure you stop eating at least two hours before bedtime so your body has enough time to digest the food. Going to sleep full or bloated can disrupt your sleep and make weight loss more difficult.

If you find that you’re still hungry, try snacking on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables instead of unhealthy junk food.

Plan Out Meals

If you plan out your meals ahead of time, you’re more likely to make healthier choices and stay on track. This also helps reduce the temptation to eat unhealthy foods or overeat.

When planning out your meals, make sure there are plenty of healthy protein sources, fruits and vegetables, don’t forget to include plenty of water, and make sure you’re getting enough fiber.

When you know ahead of time what you’re going to eat for each meal and snack, you’re less likely to indulge in unhealthy foods. Meal planning doesn’t have to be hard, it’s just about finding what works best for you and your lifestyle.

In Closing

If you’ve been struggling with back fat, take heart. We want to help you get rid of it for good! To do this, we recommend following our guide above on how to lose back fat (we even provide some diet and lifestyle changes that will help). We offer a variety of programs including one-on-one online fitness coaching which can be tailored to your needs. In addition to back fat, if you’re having issues with facial fat and wondering how to lose face fat, you can check out our post. Contact us today so we can start helping you out!

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