There are many things a person can do to get rid of back flab. For example, a person may start out by dieting to lose excess weight in an effort to get rid of flab. He may also encourage fat loss by performing cardio exercises, such as running, dancing, or aerobics. Doing exercises that specifically work the back muscles, such as back extensions, pull-downs, and row exercises, may help as well. This combination approach to getting rid of flab may be faster and more effective than choosing one approach by itself.
If an individual is overweight, the first step he may take to get rid of back flab is changing his diet. For example, he may reduce the number of calories he consumes each day or attempt to make better dietary choices in order to lower his calorie intake. For example, eliminating or cutting back on fried food can remove quite a lot of calories and added saturated fat in a diet.
A person may also do cardio exercises in order to burn fat, lose weight, and get into better overall condition. Some cardio workouts work not only the heart and cardiovascular system, but also the muscles. Exercises that specifically target the back may prove helpful as well.
Back extensions may be used to get rid of back flab. They are used to tone the latissimus dorsi, also called lats, which are the largest muscles in a person’s back. To tone these muscles and get rid of back flab, a person will usually lie on a mat or other comfortable-but-firm surface in a face-down position. Placing his hands on the floor, or behind his head, a person then contracts his abdominal muscles and squeezes his back muscles to move his chest off the ground. He then lowers himself back to starting position before repeating the exercise.
Lat pull-downs are also good exercises for getting rid of back flab. To perform this exercise, a person typically starts out sitting in a chair, with a resistance band handy. He holds the band with both of his hands, positioning it over his head and spacing his hands a little more than shoulder-width apart. While keeping his back straight and his abdominal muscles engaged, he then contracts the back muscles on the right side of his body and pulls the right elbow toward his ribs. He then returns to the starting position before switching sides to pull the left elbow toward his ribcage this time.
Row exercises are also good for getting rid of back flab. If a person has the opportunity to row a boat, this can be very good for toning the back. Alternatively, however, a person may choose to do rowing exercises on a rowing machine. Often, using a rowing machine for about 30 minutes a few times a week will help to get rid of back flab. As an added benefit, rowing machines work not only the muscles of the top portion of the body, but also those of the lower body.
