How to get rid of stubborn back fat in 3 simple steps – including the best diet and moves you can do in your living room

BACK fat can feel impossible to shift.

And with 1,500 Brits Googling it every month, it’s clear people are looking for solutions.

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The flab in this area often builds up under the armpits and on top of the back, which can give the appearance of rolls. 

It’s also common for bra wearers to have excess fat bulging out from under the bra straps and down to the lower back, giving us those much-maligned muffin tops.

The reason many of us get it, is down to muscle atrophy - where the muscles have weakened due to lack of exercise. 

But for those who workout often and still have back fat, it may simply come down to genetics. 

“Unfortunately, we don't get to choose where our bodies store excess fat,” explains Nutrivita nutritionist Riya Lakhani–Kanji.

“For some, it might be the belly, for others the thighs, and for some of us, it's the back and under the armpits. 

“This distribution is also influenced by hormones, age and gender, which explains why some of us tend to store fat under our armpits.”

But it may be worth focusing on back training to see if building muscle in the correct muscles helps shift the fat.

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Personal trainer Steve Chambers, who has worked with celebrities including Gemma Atkinson and Cath Tyldesley, says: “The concept of ‘spot burning’ – the belief that you can magically burn fat from just one area of your body by performing thousands of just one body part-specific exercise – is a myth.

“The only way you are going to banish fat from your back is to reduce your overall levels of body fat. 

“To do this, you need to incorporate tried and tested strategies into your dietary and workout regimes that will see your overall body fat levels reduce – including on your back."

Step one: Watch your diet

Steve says: “If you want to reduce the fat around your back, then you need to reduce the number of calories you eat."

You probably already know that if you are overweight, you could make some dietary changes.

If you want to lose significant weight, it is recommended to reduce calories by roughly 600 per day, the NHS says.

But that will be difficult if you have no idea what you are eating at the moment.

Read labels on shop-bought foods or use an app or cookbook in which the recipes have pre-calculated calories.

If cooking from scratch, weigh foods and input them into an app like MyFitnessPal.

You can try this for just three to four weeks and get a good idea of which foods are high and low calories.

There are also some easy changes you can make today.

Increase your vegetable and fruit intake, reduce portion sizes and limit processed foods that typically contain high sugar and fat, such as biscuits and doughnuts.

Try Sun Health's 8 week plan to lose weight with small adjustments to the diet week-by-week.

Step two: Compound exercises

Steve says to reduce overall body fat, your best starting place is to do compound exercises.

He says: "The best exercises you can do in the gym to blast away fat are something called compound exercises.”

Compound exercises are moves that work for multiple muscle groups at once and are hailed as the best for burning calories and building muscle.

According to Steve, the best big moves are squats, deadlifts, split squats, and bench presses.

They get your heart racing and burn fat, and also provide ample stimulus to grow your back muscles.

“These big compound moves will also give you a burst of adrenaline and the release of feel-good endorphins, leaving you both looking and feeling great,” Steve, who is the co-manager of Ultimate Performance, continues. 

“If you lift weights three times a week, I would dedicate two sessions a week to big compound moves like the ones I’ve described, and dedicate one session to specifically working on the muscles in your back.”

Squats

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• Stand with your feet a fraction more than hip's length apart.
• Go into the squat position as if you were going to sit down - keep your heels on the ground, shoulders back and spine neutral.
• Once you have come down so the thighs are parallel to the floor, squeeze your glutes (bum) to stand back up, pressing down into the heels.

Split squats

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• Start with your feet hip-width apart.
• Step your right foot back and lower yourself to the floor so you are in a lunge position.
• Come back to the top and repeat for a set amount of reps.
• Then swap sides. To make it harder, rest the back foot on a bench or chair that is about knee height.

Deadlift

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• There are variations of the deadlift. But to start, use dumbbells. Hold one in each hand, palms towards you.
• Stand shoulder-width apart.
• Tighten the core, push your hips backwards and lower the dumbbells to the floor with a slight bend in the knee.
• You should feel it in the hamstrings and glute.
• Drive back up by pushing the hips forward.

Chest/bench press

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• Lie on a flat bench.
• Hold two dumbbells (or a barbell) with palms facing forward.
• Lower the dumbbells either side of your chest with your elbows at a 45 degree angle.
• Push back upwards and repeat.

Step three: Train the back

At least one day per week, train your back with these exercises.

In the gym, try using weight-lifting straps, which tie around the wrist and then around a dumbbell or barbell.

They help you to lift heavier weights by giving you more grip, and preventing forearm fatigue from distracting you.

IN THE GYM

Cable row

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There are several different versions of the cable row machine.

Some will have a seat, possibly even with a chest support, while in other versions you sit on the floor.

Avoid using cable attachments that are narrower than shoulder-width, as they restrict your range of motion during the movement.

1. Sit on the machine (or floor) facing the weight stack with your feet on the foot supports (or base of the machine), and knees slightly bent. 
2. Reach forward and grip the cable attachment.
3. Sit up as tall as possible with your arms fully extended reaching out in front of you.
4. Keeping your torso still, pull your elbows back towards your waist while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Keep your elbows tucked in.
5. You have reached the end of your range of motion when your elbows cannot travel any further back without your shoulders rotating inwards and upper back rounding.
6. Pause for a moment and focus on contracting (squeezing) your upper back muscles. 
7. Reverse the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
8. Repeat for the desired number of reps. 

Renegade row

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1. Assume a position of starting a press-up, gripping a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other.   
2. Place the dumbbells directly under your shoulders, with feet hip-width apart.  
3. Tighten all of the midsection (abs, glutes). Make sure everything is locked and steady: knees, hips, shoulders.  
4. Very slowly, use one hand to bring the dumbbell towards the chest at the same side of the body. 
5. Once at the top, pause for a second, trying to keep the whole body completely still.
6. Reverse the movement, also very slowly, until your hand is back on the floor.  
7. Repeat with the other hand. 

The goal is to minimise any movement of the hips – be it up and down or sideways. 

If a strict execution of the exercise (hips staying still) feels too challenging, widen your foot position. Then progress by bringing feet closer together. 

If keeping your feet in one place seems difficult, try to place a light object between your knees or ankles and hold it lightly throughout the set.  

Lat pull-down

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1. Sit at the lat pull-down machine and use a cable attachment with either a neutral or overhand shoulder-width grip.
2. Sit with your upper thighs securely positioned under the padding.
3. Sit up as tall as possible with your arms fully extended above your head, but avoid shrugging your shoulders up by your ears. 
4. Keeping your torso still, pull your elbows down towards your waist while squeezing your shoulder blades back together. 
5. You have reached the end of your range of motion when your elbows cannot travel any further without your shoulders rotating inwards and your upper back rounding. 
6. Pause for a moment and focus on contracting (squeezing) your upper back muscles. 
7. Reverse the motion, under control, to return to the start position. 
8. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Incline dumbbell row

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For this you will need an adjustable bench with a 30 degree incline setting, or the closest setting possible.

1. Select your dumbbells and place them on the floor at the head of the bench.
2. Lie face down on the bench, making sure that your chin clears the top edge. 
3. Bend your legs and drive your feet into the floor.
4. Pick up the dumbbells one at a time and let your arms hang fully extended by your sides, with your palms facing inwards. 
5. Press your hips into the bench, lift your chest slightly and look at the floor just in front of you. 
6. Pull your elbows back towards your waist while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Keep your elbows tucked in.
7. You have reached the end of your range of motion when your elbows cannot travel any further back without your shoulders rotating inwards and your upper back rounding. Your elbows should not move past the front of your shoulders. 
8. Pause for a moment and focus on contracting (squeezing) your upper back muscles. 
9. Reverse the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
10. Repeat for the desired number of reps. 

Upright row

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This exercise will target the upper fibres of the lats and rear delts, which will help pull the shoulder blades back and improve posture. 

1. In a standing position, pick up your dumbbells with an overhand grip (so that your palms are facing your thighs).
2. Keep your torso still and your shoulder blades pinched together. Lift the dumbbells up by driving your elbows up and out. 
3. Lead with the elbows and ensure to keep them higher than your hands. The dumbbells will be just above chest height.
4. Pause at the top for a full and deliberate contraction.  
5. Lower the weight back to the start position and pause momentarily without losing tension before repeating. 
6. Focus your attention on the humerus (upper arm) and elbows and not the forearms and hands.

AT HOME

Personal trainer Alanna Derrick, who works with Jiu-Jitsu brand Gold BJJ, explains that there are plenty of easy moves to do from home that don't require a gym.

Reverse flies

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Get a large resistance band in a weight that suits you. The thicker the band, the more resistance it will have.

This one, on Amazon for £6.99, is 5-15lbs and an easier band for this exercise. Two cans of baked beans will work too.

1. Lie down on the floor on your back and hold the band above your chest. 
2. Squeezing the shoulder muscles pull your arms out so they reach 90 degrees against your body, and the band is stretched out.
3. Slowly return to the start position and repeat. 
4. Do 60 seconds, rest, and repeat three to five times.

Superman 

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1. Lay flat on the floor on your stomach with your arms and legs outstretched.
2. Lift your arms and legs to the ceiling at the same time, keeping your stomach to the floor but upper back lifted.
3. Repeat 10 reps, rest, and repeat three to five times.

Plank with lateral arm raise

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This one is easy and builds ab muscles too. 

1. Start in a straight-arm plank with hands directly below the shoulders and feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. 
2. Keep the hips as still as possible and lift one arm up to shoulder height.
3. Return it to the start position, then lift the other arm to shoulder height. 
4. Try to do 10 reps on each side, rest, and do three to five times.
5. Use cans of beans to make it harder.