The back is a part of the body that is important for both men and women. For representatives of the stronger sex it is a symbol of strength and masculinity, for girls it is a symbol of harmony and grace. It must be said that excess weight in the back area is concentrated on its own extremely rarely. Typically, unsightly folds are a sign of being overweight in general. Therefore, in order to lose weight in your back and shoulders, you need to reconsider your lifestyle as a whole and include exercises in your program aimed at working on this area.
Losing weight on your back: useful tips
Excess weight in the back area, although it appears on its own infrequently, is quite difficult to combat. It is located deep under the skin, so many standard exercises simply cannot reach it. Therefore, you will have to try.
Initially, you need to forget about all bad habits. The enemy of your figure is a sedentary lifestyle. Even if you work in a sedentary job, you need to exercise - without this, losing weight and tightening your back is simply impossible. Swimming is very useful for losing weight on your back . It has a beneficial effect on posture and the shape of the back. Water aerobics also gives very good results .
To lose weight in your back, arms and sides, you need to reconsider your diet . The basic rule is the following: you need to burn more calories than you consume. This is achieved in two ways: dietary restrictions and physical activity.
Find out how many calories you need to burn to lose 1 kg of weight!
A little about nutrition. There is no specific diet aimed at losing weight in the back and shoulders. You will lose weight in general, but your back will also go away. It is important to avoid fasting and losing too much weight, because otherwise the skin will hang unsightly, and it was quite difficult to tighten it. You need proper and balanced nutrition, with which you will lose weight smoothly and safely. Its basic rules boil down to the following:
- Stick to fractional meals. You need to eat 5-6 times a day and in small portions. If you want to have a snack, do not deny yourself this, but let the snacks be correct: not hamburgers and chocolate bars, but nuts, fruits, fermented milk drinks, and so on.
- Eat protein foods . Proteins are essential for muscles. In addition, they give a feeling of satiety and require a lot of energy to digest, which has a beneficial effect on weight loss. The best sources of proteins are lean types of meat: chicken, turkey, veal, rabbit, chicken eggs, cottage cheese and other fermented milk products, fish, seafood.
- Love fish. In addition to proteins, it contains healthy types of fats, valuable vitamins and minerals. For those losing weight, it will help maintain the beauty of hair, nails and skin.
- Eat complex carbohydrates such as grains. They fill you with energy for a long time. Porridge is the perfect breakfast.
- Love fruits and vegetables. They have very few calories, but a lot of vitamins that the body needs.
- Avoid a number of harmful foods. These are most sweets, white bread, pastries, sugar, smoked, fatty, fast food. It is recommended to replace frying with other cooking methods, such as steaming, boiling, stewing, and baking.
Drink enough regular drinking water. It will promote weight loss by controlling appetite and normalizing metabolic processes.
How to lose weight in your back: general recommendations
The basis for such a task as removing fat from the back and sides should be physical activity and sports - it is in combination that these measures work wonders, and allow you to lose weight quite quickly. It is quite difficult to lose weight locally in just one area, since the weight usually disappears evenly throughout the body. Well, strength exercises aimed specifically at working it out will help you correct the specific problem area. By the way, by training your back, you can reduce pain in it and improve your flexibility.
To lose back fat, you need to base your program on the following principles:
- Losing weight is impossible without cardio training. They are the most effective for burning fat. To begin with, it is enough to devote 10-15 minutes a day to cardio , gradually increasing this duration as your cardiovascular endurance level increases. An excellent option for cardio exercise is running, cycling, swimming. Also enjoy walking and taking the stairs with your feet instead of the elevator. Cardio perfectly improves metabolic processes and promotes fat burning throughout the body. If we talk about what is good for the back, it could be rowing, boxing or an elliptical trainer.
- Strength training is also very important for building muscle and burning fat. If you want to tighten your back, you should focus on exercises specifically for this area. They will help restore muscle tone, strengthen them, and form a beautiful silhouette.
However, remember that if you are overweight, only strength exercises without cardio will be ineffective, since the muscles under the fat simply will not be visible. Therefore, you need to combine both of these types of activities.
- In a complex of strength training exercises such as dumbbell lifts, bent-over barbell rows, pull-ups, and stretching useful . Gradually the number of repetitions and approaches needs to be increased.
- You also cannot do without proper nutrition. There is no need to starve yourself and follow strict diets - it is better to stick to a properly balanced diet. You need to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. If it is about 500 kcal, then you can lose 1-2 kg per week without much effort. It is important to exclude all kinds of harmful substances from your diet and enrich it with foods that are truly healthy and good for your figure.
Exercises for losing weight on the back and sides: general recommendations
Initially, before planning a training program, consider the following tips:
- Training and nutrition cannot exist without each other - just one component will not give the desired results, so be sure to combine them.
- It is recommended to exercise 3-4 times a week, and the duration of one workout should be at least half an hour.
- During exercise, control your breathing and pulse.
- There's no need to rush. Be prepared that the first results will be visible no earlier than in a month.
- The body also sometimes needs to be given a rest. Muscles need rest for recovery, during which they also actively develop.
A little about the structure of the back muscles. It includes the superficial muscles such as the latissimus and trapezius. They are responsible for the movement of the shoulder blades, shoulders, neck, and the ability to lower the arms down. Deeper are the rhomboid, superior and inferior serratus posterior muscles, which move the shoulder blades and raise and lower the ribs during breathing. There is also the sacrospinalis muscle, which straightens the back and helps the body maintain an upright position.
Doing exercises to lose weight on your back
You can do exercises to lose weight on your back at home or in the gym. The program in these two cases will be different, but in any case it is important that it combines cardio training aimed at general fat burning, as well as strength training aimed at maintaining the tone of the back muscles and tightening it. For cardio, you can use whatever you like: running, swimming, cycling, aerobics, and so on. Exercise for at least half an hour to have time to activate fat burning processes.
Before moving on to the main exercises, do a light warm-up. This can be bending, turning the body, and so on.
Sets of exercises for losing weight on the back can be different. Here is one of them, designed to be done at home. It is recommended to perform each exercise at least seven times. Gradually increase the number of sets and repetitions. The main criterion that you are doing everything right is a feeling of light and pleasant fatigue in your muscles. If you feel very tired, you may be pushing yourself too hard. Now let's look at the exercises themselves that help in losing weight on the back, arms and sides.
Deadlift with dumbbells
This exercise is considered one of the most popular for working out the back, especially its lower part. You need to stand up straight and place your feet slightly apart. Take dumbbells in your hands and place them on the sides of your thighs. Lower your torso down, slightly bending your shoulders. Bend down, trying to touch your feet with your knees. The dumbbells should move from your feet to your hips. As you straighten your back, try not to lean it back too much. Keep it straight, maintaining a natural arch in your lower back. Perform the exercise at a measured pace.
Hyperextension
Hyperextension can be performed on a machine, but if one is not available, it can be done on a regular surface. This exercise works the extensor muscles of the back, promotes weight loss and creates an attractive posture. There are a large number of types of exercise, but the essence is almost always the same. Your arms can be clasped behind your head or extended along your spine.
Now about the actual execution of the exercise. Lie on your stomach. Slowly raise and lower your upper body. Having risen up, stay at the top point for a few seconds. Do not throw your head back, keep your back straight.
Plank
An exercise such as the plank works almost all the muscles of the body, in particular the lumbar and latissimus dorsi muscles. It has quite a few types, but we will consider only one.
You need to kneel, rest on your elbows and palms. Elbows should form a right angle. Straighten your legs and rest your toes on the floor. The body should form a single straight line. Stay in this position for as long as you can. To begin with, 15 seconds is enough, but gradually this time needs to be increased. Then lower yourself first to one knee and then to the other knee. The exercise requires strong muscle tension, so it is recommended to relax after each approach. You need to breathe calmly and deeply, perform movements smoothly.
boat
Works the abs and lower back. The exercise has two types - on the stomach and on the back. The first option is more popular. To perform it, you need to lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward. Your feet should be approximately shoulder-width apart. As you exhale, raise your straight arms and legs at the same time. Try to raise them as high as possible.
"Cat"
This exercise perfectly works the back muscles, stretching the spine, which helps relieve pain in the lower back and promotes relaxation. Get on all fours, resting on your hands and knees. Slowly arch your back up and then bend it down. Do the exercise at least seven times.
Mill
This exercise, familiar to us all, is great for eliminating fat in the lower back area. In this case, all muscles are involved: trapezius, latissimus, lumbar, rhomboid. Stand up straight, while exhaling, bend over and alternately touch the toes of the opposite leg with your hands. The second hand should reach up. Perform the movements quickly so that they resemble the work of a mill. Can be done in several approaches.
How to tell if you have back fat and why it appears
Folds of fat treacherously stick out from under your bra, your sides hang over your trousers - it's time to fight it.
The method of getting rid of them depends on the area in which you have deposits. Where and why fat appears on the back:
- Fat in the upper back can appear due to your body type. Those with a V-shaped figure will have to adjust their diet, as they convert excess calories into fat. Fat deposits on the neck and shoulders are caused by high levels of sex hormones. This happens in women during premenopause and after childbirth.
In women with the “inverted triangle” figure, the same fat is deposited on the upper back and arms that in other women is deposited on the stomach and hips
- The fat fold under the bra is also an overuse of fatty fast food and carbohydrates, especially simple ones. These include all confectionery and white products - bread, pastries, rice, pasta.
The skin of the back under the arms and in the area of the shoulder blades is very thin and even a small excess of fat stretches the skin, forming folds
Folds on the sides have several reasons:
- Sedentary work, when the back muscles do not work at all.
- Thyroid gland dysfunction. This is a serious problem that needs to be resolved only with an endocrinologist.
- Accumulation of heavy metal salts in the body.
- Prolonged stress, in response to which certain hormones are produced that provoke the formation of fat deposits in the lower back.
Folds in the lower back may indicate low levels of the hormone thyroxine.
And finally, folds on the back appear due to general obesity. When choosing ways to get rid of excess fat, you should take into account the cause of its appearance, age and health status.
Exercise with a gymnastic ball
For this exercise you will need a fitball - a large gymnastic ball that can be found in fitness centers and sports stores. It will help strengthen and stretch the muscles of the back and spine.
You need to put the ball on the floor and lie on your stomach on it. Lower your legs and arms freely. You should feel the spine and lower back stretch. You need to lie down like this for a few minutes, while pumping the ball over your stomach. Then you need to raise and lower your body, leaning your stomach on the ball. Your arms can be extended or held below your head, as shown in the photo.
Pull-ups are also good for the back. In the gym, you can use various exercise machines to strengthen her muscles, for example, a block, an incline bench, and so on. Girls should not use too heavy weights - they are more suitable for those who want to increase muscle mass. The hula hoop will also be useful, as it perfectly “breaks” deposits in the abdomen, sides and lower back.
In addition to physical activity and nutrition, auxiliary methods such as body wraps and massage . You can do the massage yourself. It improves blood circulation and metabolic processes, thereby promoting weight loss. For wraps, you can use the same mixtures as for other parts of the body.
Thus, you can lose weight in your back if you approach this issue responsibly and comprehensively. By doing the exercises regularly, you will soon notice tangible results.
Different approaches for women and men
A healthy back is important for everyone. Common to both sexes is the problem of crooked posture due to excess weight. The greater a person’s body weight, the higher the load the spine experiences. Untrained back muscles weaken, begin to warp, and stoop and other spine problems develop.
There are also special reasons for representatives of each sex to pay close attention to their backs. Women’s figures are even visually very different from men’s: representatives of the fair half of humanity, as a rule, have narrow shoulders and backs, and wide hips, which, as is known, is associated with the function of childbirth. And ladies have problems with posture because of their breasts. Those with curvy figures suffer especially from this: the larger the bust, the higher the load on the spine and the more likely it is to stoop. And incorrect posture can lead to serious complications: shortness of breath and even lung problems. Special exercises for the back muscles in the gym will strengthen your back and straighten your posture.
In turn, the average man has a more developed back, a wide shoulder girdle, and narrow hips. This is because men often do heavier work and use their arms, shoulders and upper back. With a weak muscle corset and undeveloped other muscles, men have a high risk of injury during exercise. This can lead to vertebral displacement and other serious consequences.
Based on physiological characteristics, training for women and men will be different. Nature dictates that the female body contains 7–10% more fat mass than the male body. This is due to the influence of the female hormone estrogen. The best solution for losing weight and burning body fat is cardio. There are not many exercises of this type designed to work on the back, more strength elements. But if the goal is to lose weight in the back area, the training complex will need to be diluted with cardio exercises (treadmill, jumping rope, exercise bike, and so on).