Back Fat. How Do You Get Rid of It?
Back fat.
Women know exactly what we are talking about here. Back fat is that stuff that bubbles up over your bra around the back of your shoulder and armpit. Back fat and how to get rid of it is a concern often raised by women. It requires a two-part attack, of toning the muscle and also leaning out the area so muscle contours can be seen instead of soft and mushy fat.
Our muscles are what give our body a desirable shape. Once we know the muscle that is responsible for giving a particular part of your body it’s shape, we can target this muscle to give it firmness, or increased tone. Then we look for ways to decrease the fat that covers this muscle, so its sculpted shape gives you the lines that are desirable.
What muscles need toned to improve back fat?
While there are a number of muscles that make up the appearance of a toned back, the largest back muscle is called the Latissimus Dorsi or “Lats”. It is a fan-shaped muscle that starts in your low back and then ends up just below your shoulder joint on your arm. It makes up the posterior wall of your armpit. It is an important muscle for the appearance of woman from behind, as it gives our body a “V” shape, with contoured width at shoulders and narrowness at the waist. When this muscle is toned, it gives the appearance of a smaller waist.
The Lats are responsible for motions of the arms such as pull-ups, or rowing. It is a very strong muscle and one of the many muscles that make up the “core”. Because this muscle is one of the stronger upper body muscles, many women do not adequately challenge this muscle. If you using small 3-8 pound hand-weights to tone your Lats, you are not stimulating this muscle enough. Even the weakest of women can usually perform a rowing motion with 12+ pound dumbbells, and you must challenge a muscle if you want results. Keep the small dumbbells for your shoulders, which is a small muscle group, but get the heavier ones out for the Lats if you want to rid yourself of lower back fat.
Exercises for back fat area.
You cannot write an article on how to get rid of back fat, or a back fat workout, without mentioning the Rhomboids. These are muscles that lie between your shoulder blades, and when contracted, squeeze the shoulder blades together. This is great for posture too! If your mother ever told you to stand up straight and pull your shoulders back, these are the muscles that gave you that motion. For that reason, rowing movements would be included in the list of back fat exercises. Here is an example of rowing with a rubber band.
The most important part to get rid of back fat.
FAT KNEES.
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Lean out! As you are putting a bunch of effort into toning your back, you will not get rid of bra bubbles without leaning out. That means losing the fat that is covering the muscle. The stuff that bubbles over the bra, and the stuff you can pinch is fat. It is as simple as that. I probably do not need to tell you the importance of healthy eating habits along with an active lifestyle. There simply are no shortcuts here. You cannot be hitting the wine and chocolate multiple times per week and expect the bra bubbles to disappear. Sorry. The truth hurts, but in all my years as a personal trainer, I have always pledged to maintain honesty.
So we return to the original question….back fat. How do you get rid of it? Toning and shaping the muscles of the back are very important, but leaning out, which gets rid of the soft stuff covering the muscle is crucial!