5 Tips for Losing Back Fat: An Easy to Follow Guide
Updated January 2024
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Everyone has some body fat, but those who exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet full of lean meat, whole grains, fish, fruits, and vegetables are the individuals most likely to keep their body fat percentage levels low.
Fat distribution and amounts of body fat stored are influenced by certain factors such as genetics and gender. Males and females store fat differently from each other. Women tend to store fat around the hips, thighs, and glutes, while men are most likely to gain excessive fat around the abdomen.
When body fat is discussed, back fat is often overlooked. Living an unhealthy lifestyle that does not include any exercise but contains regular consumption of high-calorie, high-fat foods leads to an increase in back fat and body fat in general. You can influence weight loss with diet and exercise, but are there ways of targeting body fat that has built up in certain parts of your anatomy over time?
Five tips for losing back fat include targeting your back in the gym, following an exercise routine, reducing inflammation and bloating, drinking the right fluids, and staying on top of your eating habits. Being consistent with these tips can help you burn back fat over time.
Keep reading to discover how to implement these tips into your regular routine for desired results!
Can You Target Fat Loss in Your Back?
When it comes to losing weight and burning fat, targeting fat deposits around the body usually proves unsuccessful. The reason is that you simply do not have enough control over where body fat comes and goes. As already mentioned, gender and genetics have a leading role in influencing body fat distribution.
Then there are the obvious lifestyle factors that come into play. If you are genetically wired to produce and store more body fat than the average person, then you need to get active and eat healthily to beat this natural disadvantage. This is why a holistic approach to weight loss is best.
Other factors that influence the increase in body fat production include regular alcohol intake, smoking, thyroid disease, and other health problems.
Fat burners can help remove fat over time, but only when they are accompanied by a healthy eating plan. Even then, these supplements usually target body fat in general rather than back fat or other fat deposits in certain parts of the body.
The best way to control body fat levels is by becoming active and avoiding junk food in your diet. Even when this is done, factors such as age and metabolic rate will still influence where you start losing fat first, and this is why targeting fat in the back isn't advisable.
Males are most likely to lose belly fat first when dieting, while females are most likely to notice a decrease in fat around the hips and thighs. However, you could target specific areas of the body, such as the back, in exercise routines instead. This can help increase muscle mass and also help with toning and general strength building, so you will have a stronger physique waiting to be revealed when the fat does come off.
5 Effective Tips for Losing Back Fat
Target Your Back in the Gym
An obvious starting point in burning back fat and fat, in general, is regular exercise. A gym is perfect for this because specific equipment makes it far easier to work out certain parts of the body.
If you have issues with back fat, then several exercises can be performed to strengthen and build muscle here. You can target your traps, lats, and more, and this can be done whether you choose to exercise on your terms or under the guidance of a fitness instructor. The trapezius is the muscle that extends from the base of the neck, across the shoulders, and down to the middle of the back. It’s an important muscle to keep supple because it can become stiff, and when this happens, it can cause extensive pain.
One example of a simple and effective exercise for targeting your traps is shrugs. All you need is a set of dumbbells (affiliate link) at the weight of your choosing. If you are just starting out, it is important to take things slow and not overload the dumbbells because this can lead to injury. It is important to get your posture right before you start, and you must stand up straight with your legs apart and with a dumbbell in each hand. When you are in this position, just shrug your shoulders! Don’t forget to breathe out with each shrug, and breathe in as you release. You can do these two to three times a week, and make sure to spread them out enough to allow yourself recovery time between workouts. Three sets of repetitions are more than enough to build strength and condition the back.
Upright rows are similar to shrugs, but the difference is that you use a barbell (affiliate link) instead of dumbbells. Again, you must get your posture correct to avoid back and shoulder injuries. Don’t overdo the weights you place on the bar, as you need to be able to comfortably pull the bar to chin height without arching your back.
Upright rows involve standing up straight with your legs slightly apart. The barbell must be held at waist height with your palms facing downwards. You then pull the bar upwards to chest height in one swift motion. Breathe out as you pull the bar up, then breathe in when you release the barbell down. Three sets of ten repetitions two to three times a week can help get results.
The latissimus dorsi is often referred to as your lats and is the largest muscle in the back. It helps to control the movement of the shoulders. When toned, this muscle has a famous ‘V’ shape that spans the width of the back.
Some simple strengthening exercises can help keep your lats toned, such as the seated row. For this, you will need a cable rowing machine or a resistance band. To complete this exercise safely, you need to sit upright with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Extend your arms out and grip the handle or cable, then bend your elbows and pull the handle or cable towards your chest, making sure you keep your back straight and only slightly arched. The pulls should be completed slowly, and three sets of 15 reps two to three times a week will help strengthen the back.
The Superman lift doesn’t need any equipment, yet it still stretches and strengthens your lats. To start, lie facedown on the floor with your arms stretched out in front of you and your legs extended, much like Superman would be when in flight. Stay looking down at the floor to keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Gradually lift your arms and legs off the floor until you feel your back muscles contract. Try to lift your stomach slightly off the floor, hold this position for five seconds, and repeat this eight times. Three sets a day can be completed, or as many as you feel comfortable with, three to four times a week.
Follow an Exercise Routine
Following the exercises mentioned above are all well and good, but if you want to target back fat, you need to focus on burning fat everywhere. This means that you have to work out regularly and exercise the entire body. Adding strength training and cardio to your exercise routine is the best way to burn calories and body fat.
Cardio workouts that include running and jogging increase the heart rate and boost metabolism. This helps to get rid of those unwanted extra calories and also boosts general fitness as well.
Using gym equipment is the easiest way of completing a strength training or resistance training program. Such exercises help to increase lean muscle mass, endurance, and fitness, as well as burn off unwanted fat. Anything from weight training to rowing machine workouts helps to increase stamina and build muscle.
Also, if you are choosing to only exercise at home, be sure to consider our list of recommended at-home workout equipment (affiliate link) to add variety and resistance to your routine!
Such training also helps to kick start the fat-burning cycle that continues even during resting periods, but this will only continue if you exercise regularly every week.
Reduce Inflammation and Bloating
A healthy diet is vital for successfully burning off body fat and losing weight. Therefore, some things can hinder your progress, and these substances should be reduced from your diet.
Alcoholic drinks can stop body fat burning, are high in calories, and stimulate hunger cues that make it hard for you to not overeat. The food choices that are influenced by drinking large amounts of alcohol are usually ones that contain empty calories and little or no nutrition.
Refined carbs found in junk food contain only small amounts of beneficial fiber when compared to complex carbohydrates. These carbs do not feed the beneficial gut bacteria in your digestive system. Instead, they can help unfriendly bacteria thrive, which leads to bloating and diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.
Alcohol and other substances that contain ‘empty’ carbs usually come with a high glycemic index, which means they cause a quick spike in blood sugar levels when consumed. This means that insulin needs to be released to lower blood sugar levels. If this cycle is constantly repeated long term, the increase in insulin can also worsen inflammation in the body. This can also lead to more body fat storage and diseases like diabetes.
Sugar is another source of refined carbs with little nutritional value. It is also high in calories, scores highly on the food glycemic index, and promotes body fat storage, bloating, and inflammation. Bloating makes individuals feel and look fatter than they are, but it is also an indicator that there is something in the diet that needs to be removed.
High sodium intake is common in the U.S., and this is because there are large amounts of hidden salt in the foods you eat. Minimizing or eliminating fast food is a great way to lower your sodium intake and decrease your chances of developing high blood pressure and heart disease.
Drink the Right Fluids
Staying hydrated throughout the day is vital to how we feel. Dehydration can cause nausea, headaches, and fatigue. When it comes to dieting, weight loss, and fat burning, the ideal fluids are those that do not contain sugar or calories.
Energy drinks contain large amounts of sugar, stimulants, preservatives, and other ingredients that are best avoided. They can also cause spikes in blood sugar levels. The sugar and calorie content alone of these drinks can undo all your good dieting work by adding more unwanted calories to your diet. The same applies to fruit juices with added sugars and juice concentrates.
The ideal liquid to drink every day that doesn’t come armed with sugar, calories, stimulants, or additives is water. The U.S National Academics of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has stated that the adequate daily fluid intake is 3.7 liters for men and 2.7 liters for women. Most of this should be water as it is the healthiest option and the best drink for optimal health.
Stay On Top of Your Eating Habits
If you are sticking to an exercise regime, then you are already halfway there to successfully lose weight and body fat. However, an ideal weight loss diet will help get the job done even quicker and will boost your overall health further.
A simple rule is that over 90% of your daily calorie intake should come from nutrient-rich foods, such as vegetables, legumes, grains like quinoa, lean cuts of meat, and organic poultry. Freshwater fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids should also be eaten, as omega-3 fats have been shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and phytonutrients that can help fight diseases such as cancer. Berries are also an excellent low-calorie, antioxidant-packed food and can be snacked on along with nuts and seeds. These can replace chocolates, cakes, biscuits, and potato chips.
While consuming nutritious foods, also aim to eat in a caloric deficit. This means that you are consuming less calories than you are burning. The best way to do this is to start with a 200-calorie deficit and work down to 500 calories until you see results and start shedding pounds. Eventually, you will start to lose fat on your back and other parts of the body you have targeted!
Final Thoughts
The best way to target back fat is to focus on losing fat everywhere. There is no specific diet tailor-made for burning back fat, but there are specific weight-loss diets and exercise regimes that will help you lose weight, burn body fat everywhere, and generally help you feel fitter and healthier!
