How To Get A Toned Back

Do you want to learn how to get rid of back fat?

This post will teach you 15 simple exercises you can do to target your back.

The best part?

All of these exercises can be done at home, and you don't need any experience to start.

Let's get started!

Disclaimer

***READ FIRST***

Although I am a doctor, I am not your doctor. This information is for informational purposes only and should not substitute the advice from your healthcare professional. All kinds of exercise and dietary changes are potentially dangerous, and those who do not seek counsel from the appropriate health care authority assume the liability of any injury which may occur. Please read my full Disclaimer for more information. Also, this post may contain affiliate links: meaning I may receive a commission if you use them.

Ok, moving on.

What exercises get rid of back fat?

There's one very important thing that you need to understand when it comes to getting rid of fat.

Exercise will not directly get rid of fat.

Not in your back, abs, legs, or anywhere else.

That's because fat loss is primarily determined by two things:

Your diet: The more calories you consume, the less likely you are to lose fat. Exercise can help burn calories, but if you don't pay attention to what you eat, fat loss will never happen.
Your genetics: You are unique. Every woman carries fat in different locations. When you begin to lose fat, you may or may not lose it from the spots you desire, at first.

So the key takeaway is this:

You need to focus on both dietary changes and exercise to lose fat anywhere in your body.

These exercises will help you develop lean muscle tone in your back, but they won't help you get rid of the dreaded bra strap fat by itself.

To learn more about how to improve your diet check out – Getting Rid of Baby Fat: A Step by Step Guide For Healthy Postpartum Weight Loss.

So with that said, here are the best exercises to begin targeting your back muscles.

Back Fat Exercises You Can Do Without Equipment (Good For Beginners)

Okay so now let's go over the most effective exercises for the back.

The good news is, these exercises are great for beginners with little to no experience.

Walking

Okay, so the first exercise isn't exactly a back exercise. Instead, it's the most important exercise any woman can do for overall health.

Walking.

Can Walking Reduce Back Fat?

Walking is one of the best ways to consistently stay active and burn calories. It won't specifically target back fat, but regular walking can help you lose overall body fat.

When you combine walking with resistance exercise, in addition to improving your nutrition, this will give you the best chance of losing back fat.

How much walking should you do?

At least 20 minutes a day on most days of the week.

Now let's get to the traditional exercises.

Back Exercises On Your Stomach

Prone Lat Pull down

The first exercise is the prone lat pull down.

This exercise will strengthen your lats, posterior shoulders, and the muscles of your upper back.

Here's how it looks:

Lie face down on the floor.
Raise your arms overhead with your thumbs up toward the ceiling.
Next, retract your shoulder blades (aka scapulae) and bring your elbows down by your sides as if you wanted to place your elbows in your back pocket.
Hold this contraction for 1 second and return back to the starting position.
Keep your glutes engaged the entire time and DO NOT arch your lower back.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions per set

Prone Thoracic Extension

Next up are prone thoracic extensions.

This exercise will improve your thoracic mobility, while simultaneously activating your upper back muscles.

This is one of the best ways to obtain good posture in your upper back!

Here's how to do it.

Lie face down on the floor with your hands cross-linked behind your head.
From here, make sure to squeeze your glutes and engage your core.
Lift your head and upper chest off the mat by arching at the upper back ONLY.
Hold this position for 2-3 seconds and go back down.
Do not let your low back arch at all.
You may have a very short range of motion at first. That's ok. Work within your current abilities.

How many repetitions should you do?

10-12 repetitions per set

Supermans

The next exercise is my favorite, the superman. It focuses on strengthening both the upper and the lower back muscles at the same time.

It's also done from a prone position (lying face down).

Here's how it looks:

Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended overhead.
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
From here, lift both arms straight into the air while lifting both of your feet off the floor as well.
Keep your elbows and knees straight, and hold this position for 1-2 seconds.
Slowly return back to the starting position and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

10-12 repetitions per set

YTW

The next exercise is the YTW. This exercise is great for strengthening the rear delts (posterior shoulder), the lower trapezius, and the rhomboids.

It's also done in the prone position.

Here's how it looks:

Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended overhead, and thumbs facing the ceiling.
Separate your arms to create a "Y" shape, just like the YMCA song.
Lift your arms off the floor by squeezing your upper back muscles together. Hold this contraction for 2 seconds.
Next, bring your arms directly out towards your sides. This is the "T" position. Again, lift your arms off the floor (thumbs facing up) and hold this contraction for 2 seconds.
Lastly, bend your elbows and hold them up close to your side to create a "W" shape. Hold that contraction for 2 seconds and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

6-8 repetitions in each position per set

Towel Slide Pulldowns

The last exercise that you are going to do on your stomach is the towel wall slide. This is similar to the lat pulldown you see in regular gyms.

Any old towel will do.

This exercise will strengthen your lattisimus muscles.

Here's how it looks:

Lie face down on the ground and hold a towel in your hands overhead.
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
Arch your upper back and slide the towel down towards your chest by squeezing your scapulae together.
Slowly return the towel back overhead by sliding it along the floor.
Repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions in each position per set

Back Exercises On Your Back

Now we transition to lying down on our back.

Here are the best back exercises while supine.

Bridge Press Ups

The bridge press-up is a great way to improve your mobility while developing your back muscles.

It is also a great way to train your core muscles.

This exercise does require good mobility – but that doesn't mean you can't train it.

Just work with whatever range of motion you possess.

Here's how it looks:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Place your hands palm down by your head, with your fingers pointing away from your body.
As always, squeeze your glutes and brace your core before each repetition.
Press your hands down into the ground as you lift your butt off the ground.
The ultimate goal is to straighten your elbows completely at the top of the movement.
Slowly return back to the starting position and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

10-12 repetitions per set

Supine Bodyweight Flys

The supine bodyweight fly is one of the best exercises for targeting the posterior deltoids and the upper back.

While it may look simple, don't underestimate how challenging it could be.

Here's how it looks:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Place your arms directly out to your sides with your elbows straight and thumbs up toward the ceiling.
Next, press your fists down into the ground to elevate your upper back off the floor.
Hold this contraction for 2-3 second before releasing the tension.
Repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions per set

Back Exercises On Your Hands Or Knees

These next two exercises are done in the quadruped position.

Quadruped Straight Arm Pulldowns

This next exercise is fun!

It strengthens the lattisimus muscles, as well as your core.

To do it, you'll need a towel and a sleek floor that will allow the towel to slide.

Here's how it looks:

Assume a quadruped position (on your hands on knees).
Place a towel underneath both your knees.
Next place your hands as far out in front of you as you can with your palms flat on the floor and elbows straight.
From here, brace your core and pull your body forward by pressing your hands back and down on the floor.
Pretend as if you are trying to touch your knees with your hands without letting your palms leave the ground or bending your elbows.
Your lower body should slide along the floor towards your hands.
Replace your hands out in front of you again and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

6-8 repetitions per set

Plank Rows (AKA Renegade Rows)

Next up is the plank row, my other favorite exercise. This great exercise will train your entire body, not just your back muscles.

Feel free to do this exercise with a light dumbbell or with just your body weight.

Here's how it looks:

Get into a plank position with your feet together and your hands shoulder width apart.
As always, keep your core tight and your glutes activated.
From here, pick up one hand (with dumbbell if using) and bring it up toward your chest in a straight line.
Next, rotate your upper body and bring that hand all the way up toward the ceiling.
Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and return back to the plank.
If this exercise is too challenging, you can do it from your knees.

How many repetitions should you do?

8-10 repetitions per side.

Standing Back Exercises

In this next section, we will go over back exercises that you can do while in a standing position.

Wall Pulls

The first one is the wall pull.

This exercise will strengthen your rhomboids, trapezius, lattisimus, and your biceps.

Here's how it looks:

Find a sturdy door frame (or a pole) that you can use to support yourself.
Grab the door frame with both hands and straighten your elbows.
The closer you place your feet to the frame, the harder the exercise.
To start, pull yourself toward the door frame until your chest makes contact.
Hold this position for 2 seconds, and focus on squeezing all of your back muscles.
Slowly extend your elbows and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions per set

Bent Over W's

You should be familiar with the W exercise at this point.

To add more intensity to the movement, we will perform it from a bent-over position. That way, we add a little more gravity to the exercise.

Here's how it looks:

Stand with your feet at shoulder-width apart and bend at your waist.
Bend until your back is parallel to the floor, or as far as you can comfortably go.
Do not arch or round your spine.
Your knees should have a slight bend to them.
Next bend your elbows and hold them close to your sides.
From here, externally rotate your arms to create a 'W' shape.
I want you to REALLY SQUEEZE YOUR UPPER BACK muscles hard.
Hold this position for 3 seconds and release.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions per set

Scapular Wall Slides

Scapular wall slides are a little-known exercise that really engages a lot of key back muscles, especially the middle back.

It's also great for improving scapular mobility, which will keep your shoulders healthy.

All you need is a wall to lean against.

Here's how it looks:

Stand with your back against a wall, making four points of contact – your head, upper back, lower back, and butt.
It is important to keep your low back flat on the wall the entire time.
Place the back of your hands against the wall by your head.
Next, slide your arms up the wall as slowly as you can.
Try not to let your elbows, wrists, or hands come off the wall, which is very difficult to do.
Go as far as you can, and then slowly reverse the move back down.
Repeat for repetitions.

How many repetitions should you do?

8-10 repetitions per set

Back Exercises With A Resistance Band

All of the exercises up to this point could be done with zero equipment.

But I think there is one investment you should make to really increase the number of back exercises you can do.

Get yourself a pair of resistance bands!

Bands are such an easy way to add resistance, difficulty, and variety to your training.

The best part?

They are really affordable and lightweight. That means you can take them anywhere and get a great workout in.

This is the set of bands I recommend from Amazon

Now let's get to the exercises.

Band Pull Aparts

The first exercise is the band pull apart. This exercise is really simple, yet very effective at helping to improve your posture, and activate your upper back muscles.

I suggest you start with the lightest band first.

Here's how it looks:

Grab both ends of the band and hold it up by your chest.
Keep your palms facing up toward the ceiling.
Next, pull the band apart without bending your elbows.
Keep going until the band touches your chest
Hold this contraction by squeezing your upper back muscles together.
Slowly release and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions per set

Band Seated Rows

The next exercise is the seated row. This exercise is similar to the one you would do at the gym, but instead, you can do it from the comfort of your own home :).

Here's how it looks:

Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
Place the middle of a band around your feet and grab the two ends.
Keep your back straight and don't let it round.
Brace your core and begin pulling the band toward your waistline.
Drive your elbows back and focus on squeezing your upper back muscles together.
Hold the contraction for 1-2 seconds.
Slowly release and repeat.

How many repetitions should you do?

12-15 repetitions per set

Deadlifts

Last but not least is one of the best exercises of all time.

The deadlift is often regarded as one of the top 5 exercises ever. That's because it trains and develops so many different muscle groups at the same time.

This includes your glutes, hamstrings, core, low back, and upper back.

All you need is a medium-sized band to do it.

Here's how it looks:

Stand on the middle of the band, making sure that there is an equal amount of length on both sides of your feet.
Bend down and grab both loops with your palms facing each other.
Next, straighten your back, and push your butt back so that you can feel tension in your hamstrings.
From here, brace your core, and stand up tall by extending your hips and knees.
It is important THAT YOUR BACK STAY FLAT the entire time.
Squeeze your glutes to finish the lift.
Slowly return back down.

How many repetitions should you do?

10-12 repetitions per set

See The Video Of These Exercises Below!

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Final Words On Getting Rid Of The Bra Bulge

So there you have it. Those are the best exercises you can do at home with minimal to no equipment to target your back.

Don't forget, exercise alone WILL NOT target back fat.

You will need a multi-channel approach to lose excess fat the right way!

This includes:

A healthy diet
A calorie deficit (aka decreasing your calorie intake)
Exercise such as: strength training and cardio exercise
Patience

What other body parts would you like to exercise?

Comment below and let me know!