Want a shapelier back so that your bra fits better? These 5 exercises target that extra back fat that you may be struggling to get rid of. If your form of exercise is only cardio, time to start rethinking your workouts and moving some weight!
1. Twisting Cable Row – Click Here
This is a fantastic exercise because it uses the whole body together. Focus on your breath when you do it! This exercise can also be done with a resistance band, by wrapping it around a stable object.
2. Cable Pulldown – Click Here
This is a great isolation exercise for the upper and mid back muscles. This exercise can also be done with a resistance band, by wrapping it around a stable object.
3. Renegade Row – Click Here 
Holding a plank and doing a row at the same time, is not an easy task! Every muscle in your body is firing as you do this movement.
If you’re just starting out, you can also begin by using no weight at all.
4. Reverse TRX Row – Click Here
Don’t have a TRX? Head to a local park and use a kids jungle gym bar.
5. Cardio Intervals
This one is not specific to the back muscles, but it will target the whole body in a completely different way then you’re used to.
Cardio intervals are so much more effective and less stressful on the body than steady state cardio and it’s an amazing way to boost your body’s metabolism and fat burning power.
WHY STEADY STATE (AEROBIC CARDIO) TRAINING SUCKS!
Aerobic training refers to training where your heart rate remains relatively unchanged and throughout the exercise.
Your metabolism is greatly related to how much muscle you carry. But aerobic exercise breaks muscle down. Yes, you may be burning calories while you do the aerobics, but once you’re done, that’s it! No other real benefits except an endorphin rush and feelings of exhaustion.
Your body has the ability to adapt quickly as it gets fitter. So a 5k run which was once difficult becomes easier and easier and you really need to either run a longer distance to achieve the same results or you simply need to run faster. The problem is that your body will begin to adapt to that new speed too. Now what?
The idea is that you are working in a way that your body is not getting used it so that you are always challenging your body and not breaking down muscle.
WHY INTERVALS (ANAEROBIC CARDIO) ROCKS!
With aerobic activity (discussed above) your body will go back to it pre-workout state in as little as a few minutes, depending on how hard you were working.
With anaerobic cardio sessions, however, it can take several hours to bring your body back to its pre-workout state. In other words, it boosts your metabolism even once you stop doing the work. How awesome is that!
THE CATCH!
The problem with how most people perform intervals is that they just don’t push themselves fast or hard enough during the pushing phase. You really need to give it your all for anywhere between 30-60 seconds. Meaning that you feel you simply could not push for even one more second!
THE BONUS!
Cardio intervals can be done on any cardio machine, outdoors on flat terrain or incorporating hills. If you do them right (meaning you really push yourself when you should), you can get them done in as little as 20min. You can think of intervals as the most efficient way to do cardio!
TRY THIS!
Equipment: Any cardio machine at the gym or just head outdoors and get on your bike, run or skip rope if you’re good at it. Ideally, you want to switch it up often, so that you keep your body guessing.
- Warm up 4-5 minutes.
- One Round: Perform 1 minute as fast as you can (a level 9 or 10 intensity – on a scale of 1-10) for 60sec
- Recover at a moderate pace for 60sec (a level 6-7 intensity). You should still be working but not feeling like you’re in your warm up phase.
That’s one round. Repeat for approx 18min or 7 rounds and then cool down for 2 min to bring the heart rate down.
PS – don’t forget to love yourself no matter what! These exercises are to help you get stronger and feel healthier. You are awesome even if you think your bra doesn’t fit perfectly!
Daniela
