How to Get Rid of the Fat in Your Upper Back

Upper back fat can cause unsightly bulges and ridges along a woman's bra line. Men like to reduce back fat to accentuate their latissimus dorsi muscle, also known as lats or wings. Spot reduction, or getting rid of fat on one particular area of your body, is not possible. Truestarhealth.com states that just exercising one body part in the hopes to reduce local fat is unrealistic. You have to train your entire body so that you reduce overall body fat, including fat in your problem areas.

Instructions

• 1

  Replace your three standard meals of the day with five to six smaller, healthier meals. Consume a meal every three hours so that your metabolism constantly has to work to process food. Frequent eating keeps cravings and hunger at bay.

• 2

  Eat healthy foods and get rid of any processed, fried, sugary or fattening foods. Make lean protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber and unsaturated fats the main contents of your diet. Eat foods such as vegetables, fruits, chicken, turkey, whole-wheat bread, olive oil, raw nuts, brown rice, beans and legumes. Avoid calories from alcohol and make water your main beverage of choice, since it keeps your digestion healthy, flushes out toxins, prevents bloating and fills you up.

• 3

  Perform cardiovascular exercise to increase your metabolic burn. Walk, jog, bike, swim or work out on a stair-climbing or elliptical machine. Keep boredom at bay by incorporating different kinds of exercise such as aerobics classes or exercise DVDs. Exercise three days of the week for up to 45 minutes per day.

• 4

  Add strength training exercises to your workout. Strength training breaks down your muscles to repair and restore them, and uses up a lot of energy. Your resting metabolic rate will increase, which results in fat burn. Train all parts of your body on alternate days so that your muscles have plenty of time to restore themselves in between workouts.

• 5

  Target the upper back with toning exercises so that once the fat has been reduced, tight, toned muscle will show. The following exercises target the muscles of the back.

  Bent-over rows: Place your right knee and right hand on a bench so that you are in a bent-over position. Hold a dumbbell in your stretched left arm with your palm facing inward. Inhale and pull the dumbbell toward your ribcage, bringing your left upper arm parallel to the floor. Exhale on the exertion and lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise and complete as many reps as your fitness level allows before switching arms.

• 6

  Perform the reverse fly exercise with dumbbells. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and lean your upper body forward so that your back is slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stretch your arms out to the sides. Inhale as you lift your arms parallel to the floor so that your elbows and shoulders are at the same height. Exhale and lower the weights back to their starting position. Repeat as many sets and repetitions as your fitness level permits.

• 7

  Get plenty of sleep at night so that you have sufficient energy for your next workout and won't feel fatigued. Sleepfoundation.org recommends anywhere from seven to nine hours per night.