After pregnancy, many women are looking to lose belly fat. But what about the flip side…literally? Do you have unwanted back fat that you are finding difficult to get rid of? Or maybe you don’t know where to begin? We’ve got your back (no pun intended).

To start with, incorporating a healthy diet is important. Pair that with a great strength training workout, not just for your back, but for your body as a whole, will melt away that back fat.

Why not focus on specific targeted workouts to lose back fat? Spot/targeted training (also known as “spot reduction”) doesn’t work. Evidence of this has been shown in several studies. One study compared 40 women in two groups: one with diet combined with abdominal exercises and one with just diet. At the end of this 12-week study, results showed that the difference between the two groups was not significant at all.

All that being said, we are going to look at some back exercises to help get your back into shape. Once again though, make sure you are combining these with a total body strength training and a healthy diet.

Important Note: Always make sure you check with your doctor (and get their approval) before beginning any exercise routine.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

1. Standing beside the bench, put your right knee and right arm on on it, with your left foot on the floor, leg straight.
2. Pick up your dumbbell from the floor with your left hand, bending your arm and raising your elbow up just past your waist. Make sure you keep your back flat and head neutral while performing exercise. Also make sure you don’t twist at the top of the exercise.
3. Return the weight down so your left arm is straight again, while keeping the weight in your hand. Repeat.
4. Begin with 3 sets of 10 reps with a dumbbell weight that is comfortable for you.

Superman

1. Lie face-down on a mat or floor, with your legs straight and arms slightly bent beside your head.
2. While keeping your neck straight in a neutral position, lift your chest and arms off the floor, while also lifting your legs (as they remain straight) at the same time. Hold for about 3 seconds. Lower back down. Repeat.
3. Try to perform 3 sets of 8 reps to begin.
4. Tip: If you want to make it more challenging, add a dumbbell in each hand and pull your arms downwards each time you raise up off the floor. Return arms back to original position and lower. Repeat.

Lat Pulldown

1. Sit down on the seat facing the machine, feet flat on the floor, knees at a 90 degree angle. Make sure you adjust the weight to your comfort level.
2. Rise up and with your palms facing downwards, grasp the bar evenly on either side, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Make sure your palms are facing away from you.
3. With your back straight, pull the bar down in front of your face to your chin, going back into your seated position.
4. Gripping the bar, raise your arms back up while staying seated. Repeat exercise.
5. Try to start with 3 sets of 8 reps.
6. Tip: Always make sure your pull the bar down in front of your chin, and not behind your neck. This can cause strain or injury on your neck or back.

Swinging Kettlebell/Dumbbell

1. With either a kettlebell or dumbbell in both your hands, begin with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly start to bend your knees, moving your hips back (as though you were going to sit in a chair), knees not going past your toes. Swing the weight in between your legs behind your body, then straighten your legs coming back up and swing the weight up to chest level, pushing your hips forward, squeezing your glutes. Make sure you keep your back straight while performing the exercise. Repeat.
3. Try to do 3 sets of 8-10 reps to start.

Yoga

Incorporating yoga into your fitness routine will work wonders for your entire body to get toned in general. Many people don’t consider yoga to be a toning exercise when in reality, you are essentially using your entire body as resistance in many poses. How could you not get toned from that?

If you specifically want to incorporate yoga workouts to lose back fat though, some of the best yoga poses are side plank, downward-facing dog, dolphin pose, locust pose and boat pose. I would highly recommend Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown as one of my favorite yoga toning workout DVDs.

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Conclusion

Again, spot training isn’t going to melt away back fat on its own. Good nutrition and overall body workouts will also need to be incorporated into your regular routine.

However, once you start to incorporate these strength-building exercises in your workouts to lose back fat, you will love the results!