Blast Your Back Fat: Part Two

Two weeks ago I wrote the Blast Your Back Fat blog post and heard back from lots of you. Many of you wanted to know more about the role of exercise in getting rid of your fat. For instance, does spot reducing work? In my original post, I made it clear that in order to drop those love handles, you needed to activate my three M's: Mind (get that stress under control so you don't stress overeat), Mouth (rein in the calories and eat smaller meals of high quality foods more frequently throughout the day), and Muscle (combine intensity intervals of cardio along with weight training, and don't forget cross training). It takes an integrative approach to minimize fat anywhere on your body.

So, do spot reducing exercises work? No, they don't. It's hard not to look at one part of your body that's stubbornly holding onto extra fat, and not to want to hammer on it endlessly. But that doesn't work. Spot reduction is a myth. You can't work a specific muscle group and hope to drop the fat around it. You'll strengthen the muscle, but the exercises will result in removing fat throughout the body. Look around the gym at guys and gals crunching away on ab balls, but they never seem to drop weight there. Well, it's because they're probably going home and overeating. The great news is that underneath their belly fat, their abs are strong. You just can't see them. As the abs go, so goes the back.

Are there any exercises you can do to tone and shape your back muscles so that as you adhere to a better nutritional program and remove fat, you can look more firm and fit? There sure are. Here are a few of my favorites. You can look in my book Body for Life for Women for specifics for many of these, which you can do at home as well as the gym. For instance, I use tubing (inexpensive and you can buy at any sports goods store) for home and travel workouts. Give them a whirl while also remembering to do your cardio no less than 5 x week, trying to burn 400 caloriess (you can accrue over the day), and using intervals of intensity (see my blog post on Vitamin I - Intensity).

1. Seated Rows:
   
   Gym machine: Sitting on the apparatus with back straight and holding a handle from the cable in each hand. Slowly bend forward keeping the back straight and let the weight of the cable pull you forward, and then draw back to a straight back sitting position. It's like using both hands to row a boat.
   
   Home: Or, take your tubing and wrap it around the leg of a table, bed or heavy sturdy object. Sit on the floor far enough away from the leg so that there is plenty of tension on the tubing, and grab one handle in each hand. Again, with a straight back, allow the tension to pull you forward and then pull back to a full upright sitting position. You should feel a stretch throughout your back. 10-12 reps in 3 sets.


2. One-Arm Rows:
   
   Gym: using a workout bench, place one hand on the bench and the other hand is holding a moderately heavy (you should feel fatigue around the 8-10th rep) hand weight, letting the arm hang straight down. Bend forward at your hips, suck in your stomach, while your back and head are parallel to the floor. Now, retracting your shoulder blade, bend your elbow and pull the weight up until you feel your hand touch your body midway between your breast and pelvic bone. Hold, and then slowly lower your arm down. Repeat 10-12 times, then switch sides. Do this for three sets.
   
   Home: If you don't have a bench, you can do all of this simply using a sturdy chair, whereby you put your free hand on the seat of the chair for stability. It helps to have a mirror so that you can watch alignment.


3. Rear Delt Fly:
   
   Home or gym: Sitting on the edge of a chair or bench, grab a lighter weight in each hand and position hand behind each leg. Now, lean forward from the hips with your back flat. Tuck your chin into your chest. Raise your arms to the sides, gradually bending your elbows as they come up. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Pause at the top of the extension and then slowly lower your arms. In my book I call this the Prone Fly, which can be done lying on your stomach on a bench with arms hanging to each side. Gym: Many gyms have a rear delt machine that's easy to use.


4. Opposite Arm and Leg Rises:
   
   Home or gym:Lie flat on your stomach with your arms extended over your head and your legs straight. Either rest your forehead on the floor or turn your head to one side. Slowly and simultaneously raise your right arm and left leg until it's difficult to keep your pelvis and chest flat on the floor. Lower and repeat with the opposite arm and leg combination. Don't twist or rock your body to make this easier. Stop if you feel pain.

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Blast Your Back Fat

Back fat, muffin top, love handles, fat roll or spare tire - call it what you want, but it all adds up to that rather not-so-lovely vision of extra rolls of fat popping up all over your back, from your bra line to your belt line. It's the kind of fat that makes you rethink buying a skimpy top where the whole world can revel in your rolls. Have a look in the mirror at your back while wearing a form fitting blouse or sweater. There's that back fat poking out along your bra strap lines. And how about the rolls at your armpits, and the back fat shelf line above your waist? Not a pretty picture. And, as opposed to the menopot which is seen primarily after age 40 (see my blog post "Minimize Your Menopot"), back fat can occur at any age in men and women, but is worse after the age of 40. So where does it come from?

Back fat is an accumulation of excess fat that occurs due to one or any combination of factors including:

1. Being overweight or obese at any age (over eating and lack of physical activity);


2. Genetics in which even some slender people tend to distribute more of their fat to the back area;


3. Ethnicity plays a roll (pun intended) in which some groups tend to pack on back fat more than others;


4. Lack of weight training to bring down body fat and increase muscle tone;


5. Being over the age of 40 in which the decline of sex hormones affects distribution of fat throughout the body.

So what can you do about Back Fat? Plenty. Here are the "Rules of the Roll" to blast your back fat:

1. Make an Action Plan. Sit down and write out your goals. Take measurements throughout your body so you know where you're starting. Take pictures for the visual impact. Create realistic goals and expectations (dropping ½-2 pounds per week is the normal range). The heavier you are to start, the more excess fat you'll be removing. Write down your commitment to change. Journal your progress. Develop a support system to help guide you - like our wonderful weight management board on WebMD.


2. Be patient. Back fat is often one of those stubborn places that sometimes takes longer to reduce. Be persistent.


3. Get real. If you're over the age of 40, you may not be able to completely eliminate all of your back fat, but, like the menopot, your mission is to minimize back fat.


4. Hide it while you remove it. Let's not invite trouble in the form of super tight spandex tops. While you're shedding pounds and getting more fit, try to wear looser, comfortable clothes and toss the muffin topping skinny jeans. There are also great elasticized undergarments that help smooth out the rolls.


5. You must do both weight training and cardio to blast back fat. Don't think you can do this with cardio alone. You'll drop some weight, but you need to reshape and redistribute fat and only a combination of weight training and cardio will do that. Lift 2-3 x week and concentrate on building strength and perhaps boosting your muscle mass a bit. Check out my MUSCLE section in Body for Life for Women for easy ways to do this at home gym-free. Check out the WebMD fitness sites for creative ways to strengthen and tone.


6. Eat a back fat blasting diet. Physical activity is key, and equally so is what you put in your mouth. There is no one food or beverage that will magically remove Back Fat. Instead it's all about eating a variety of healthy foods every day. Quality: whole foods and lean proteins build the foundation for removing Back Fat. Quantity: watch your portion size. Almost everyone out there is eating too much relative to their age and gender. If you eat too much, you wear it. Read the USDA label and know what a serving size looks like. Frequency: eat every 3-4 hours from breakfast through dinner. Stop eating 2 hours before going to bed. Try to eat your dinner no later than 8-8:30 PM, and keep it lean (veggies, lean protein). Wake up in the morning feeling truly hungry. Check out my MOUTH section in Body for Life for Women for healthy, easy nutrition options. Scroll onto WebMD's wonderful nutrition sites for endless suggestions and recipes.


7. Get creative and cross train. No one specific exercise is the ultimate back fat cure. You need to draw from a variety of back strengthening and toning modalities. Mix and change it up every 6 weeks to keep it fresh and challenging. Have some fun and get adventuresome. Take up belly dancing, hip hop or twirl around a ballroom. Ballet is a terrific way to pinpoint back flexibility and strength. Don't forget martial arts, yoga and Pilates. Each uniquely singles out the back for a fat blaster workout.


8. Enjoy a win - win. The stronger the back the stronger the abs, and vice versa. You're working the core of the body and what you do for one, helps the other.

Back fat is a fact of life. Don't waste another moment fretting about it. Take action. And remember, here at WebMD, we've got your back!

Related Topics:

• Weight Loss & Fitness with Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP
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