How to get rid of back fat under arms

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do about it. Here are your top three strategies for burning off underarm fat.

1. Eat (Slightly) Less

There’s no way around this one: to burn fat off your body — anywhere on your body — you have to burn more calories than you consume.

One way to do that is to follow a structured diet.

Research shows that, when it comes to dropping pounds, it almost doesn’t matter which diet you follow — as long as it requires you to reduce your calorie intake.

To that end, eating fewer calories than you expend needn’t be complicated:

• For some people, cutting soft drinks might do the trick.
• Others might eliminate desserts and sweets.
• Still, others might have luck with intermittent fasting or reducing carbs or eating more produce or a combination of different strategies.

Whatever approach you choose, make it enjoyable, moderate, and sustainable.

White-knuckling through an overly-restrictive “crash” diet is a recipe for failure. Long-term, sustainable weight loss is a gradual process.

Aim to cut around 300 to 500 calories per day from your daily intake, and monitor your clothing fit, appearance in photos, and, if you wish, your scale weight.

But keep in mind the latter won’t be a great indication of changes in body composition if you’re following a strength training program, which can cause you to lean out without seeing much of a difference on the scale.

The reason: muscle weighs more than fat by volume.

2. Exercise

The fat-burning effects of repetitive, low- to moderate-intensity steady-state (think: jogging or easy cycling) exercise level out pretty fast.

This is why you should regularly switch up your routine and keep the intensity high.

Over weeks, months, and years, intense exercise gradually turns you into a better and better fat-burner, capable of accessing and torching more fat cells more efficiently than you ever could as a sedentary person.

At a cellular level, everything from your metabolism to your muscle fibers remakes itself as better, faster, and more efficient at burning fat off your frame.

Focus your exercise efforts primarily on fast-moving strength training workouts using compound movements like squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows performed with little rest between sets.

You’ll build muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness — and torch fat — all at the same time.

3. Build Upper Body Muscle

True, you won’t spot-reduce that underarm fat away, but you might well achieve something much more important.

“Hyper-focusing on one area of the body is a symptom of feeling powerless,” says Kobrinksy. “So for a person concerned about underarm fat, I would give them a skill that would not only change that person’s body but make them proud of something they can do with it.”

For people concerned about the appearance of their upper body, Kobrinsky recommends pull-ups, though other movements — such as the push-up, plank, and inverted row — can work equally well for a novice exerciser.

Will these moves turn you into a super-lean, athletic type if you don’t have the genetics to get there? Doubtful.

But they will build, shape, and tone the muscles in and around your underarms — all the while giving you more confidence and a greater sense of physical empowerment.

Why Do I Have Underarm Fat?

Where you store excess fat is mostly determined by your genetics. So if your parents tend to store fat under their arms, chances are that’s where you’ll store it, too.

Some well-intentioned trainers might recommend exercises for the muscles in that area in the mistaken belief that such movements can “spot reduce” underarm fat.

But your body doesn’t burn fat that way.

“I haven’t seen evidence of spot reduction in my practice,” says Jolie Kobrinsky, NASM, owner of Elektren in Seaside, CA. “It just doesn’t seem to happen.”

Wondering how to get rid of back fat? You're not alone. An average of 2,900 people search for 'back fat exercises' every month, which is why we've decided it's high time for an honest and open chat about the topic. First things first, if you're struggling with excess back fat, chances are it's a totally natural (and common—nearly 3K searches for back exercises a month, people) issue, but back fat could also be associated with insulin resistance, high testosterone and low carbohydrate tolerance, as well as increased risk of diabetes, PCOS and infertility, so if you've been battling with it for as long as you can remember, it might be an idea to see a GP.

But don't let panic set you down the wrong path – if you've only tried to get rid of back fat the same way you've attempted to lose body fat or get rid of belly fat – with unsustainable crash dieting or short-lived exercise routines, that could be exactly where you're going wrong.

The best way to achieve a healthy body composition and deal with excess fatty deposits is by adopting healthy habits that make your life better, not smaller. This means not cutting out any food groups or suffering through a workout you hate (more advice on "back fat exercises" to come), K?

But, and this is very important – back fat, like anything to do with your body – does not determine your worth or beauty. Never has, never will. What is important is maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself, food and exercise. If for you, that includes learning how to lose weight well, which, FYI, includes building strength, then we're here to help you do it safely, for good.

What causes back fat?

'Back fat accumulates slowly over time,' says elite PT and former professional athlete Henry Barratt. 'Each 10 year period, starting from 30 years of age, it becomes more noticeable how hard it is to shift, especially around the "love handles", "muffin tops" and behind the bra strap,' Barratt explains. This is due to something called somatopause, the phenomenon of declining growth hormone levels as women age. Lower amounts of growth hormone make it harder to build new muscle and maintain what we have already. In other words, what were once back muscles, could naturally turn into back fat and upper body fat.

Besides that, lifestyle causes can include:

• Eating excess sugar or salt (which can contribute to inflammation in the body)
• Eating too many calories (understand how many calories your body requires before even beginning to tot up food maths. A widely used approach is counting macros)
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Natural ageing process
• Poor posture, which can make softer areas more obvious to you

Moreover, not using your back muscles can contribute to a loss of strength and tone as, unlike those on the front of the body, the muscles that run along your back – e.g. the glutes, hamstrings and back muscles – can go neglected unless you consciously strengthen them.

Sometimes the issue isn’t fat distribution but posture, which emphasises any lack of tone by allowing softer skin to wrinkle and bulge.

The fact of the matter is that you can’t spot reduce body fat. No way, no how. Neither diet nor exercise will equate to spot losing back fat – and that goes double for those suspect internet sources that claim their "back fat exercises" get results in 7 days.

Rather, to strengthen softer parts and reduce your overall body fat is a process. It's not working to achieve long-lasting results because ultimately, that's a good sign that you're in a healthy routine.

We're going to walk you through how to do it safely and sustainably.

Is back fat unhealthy and how much body fat is normal for women?

In general, back fat isn't unhealthy, no. More often than not, it's a sign of totally natural changes in the body, such as:

• Somatopause (as mentioned above: when growth hormone levels decline as women age and it becomes harder to maintain muscle)
• Ageing
• A change in posture as you age

Luke Worthington, a PT and performance specialist, adds that another case of back fat being totally normal is when it comes down to genetics. 'We all have a predisposition to store body fat in particular areas,' he explained. 'There's no specific reason or cause for storing body fat in one area over another.'

All that said, back fat could, as we've said, be associated with insulin resistance, high testosterone and low carbohydrate tolerance, increased risk of diabetes, PCOS and infertility. It's vital you see a GP if lifestyle changes aren't making any difference to the amount of back fat you have.

How much body fat is normal? It's impossible (and pretty useless) to advise on how much fat you should have on your back in particular, but it could be helpful to take stock of your body fat in total. The Royal College of Nursing advises that a healthy body fat percentage for women aged 20 to 40 is between 15% and 31%. As you get past 40, your ideal body fat percentage might get higher.

'While healthy levels are usually between 15 and 31% for women, this is really individual,' explains Dr Rebecca Robinson, a consultant in sports and exercise medicine.

Remember: women need a certain amount of body fat for proper hormone function – fact. It is also normal and necessary for women to carry slightly more body fat than men.

You can find more information on how to measure your body fat using our complete body fat guide.

What exercises get rid of back fat? 6 best "back fat exercises"

Before we dive in, we'll remind you what we've already said about spot reducing fat in a certain area—not a great strategy. However, if you want to target the muscles in your back, we've got you covered.

'Pull-ups are fantastic for shaping the back as are reverse flies with dumbbells and cables,' advises Barratt. We've rounded up six of the best back exercises to sculpt a strong upper back below. (Hint, if you're Googling "back fat exercises", these will help with muscle build and 'toning' goals.)

These resistance training exercises work to strengthen your posterior muscles, which will not only change their appearance but also help to lower the risk of injury.

How do you get rid of back fat and armpit fat?

What causes under arm back fat?

How do you lose back arm fat fast?

What exercises get rid of back arm fat?