Banish Ugly Back Flab: 3 Exercises! :

An eDiets member (Laura) once asked me for a workout that would focus on reducing her back flab and tightening her back muscles. She felt her back looked flabby and was uncomfortable with the unsightly fat that seeped through the back of her bra.

I get hundreds of requests for improving the abs, hips, butt and arms , but hardly ever get one for improving the back. This request brought a smile to my face.

When someone begins to realize the importance of the back muscles from a practical and cosmetic standpoint, they have advanced to the next level of their fitness evolution . When properly developed, it is absolutely amazing to see the beauty and artistic perfection of the multitude of back muscles.As I always mention, the ultimate key to a beautiful back and tight body is the combination of proper nutrition that places one in a slight caloric deficit, exercise and consistency. Luckily, Laura already had the nutrition part humming along with her eDiets program. She is also lifting weights twice per week and performing cardio three times per week.

All I needed to do was provide a specialty workout that she could perform twice per week along with her current program.

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From a practical standpoint, building strength in the back, particularly the lower back, helps to prevent injury. How many times have you heard someone tell you they have a bad back? I hear it almost every day.

I’m providing a simple, yet practical understanding of the major back muscles. First I’ll briefly describe each major area of the back and then I’ll give you an exercise with one of our totally cool animations so you can practice on your own. The exercises focus on the major areas, but, in reality, there are even more isolated areas of the back.

1. Latissumus Dorsi -- The Latissumus Dorsi muscles (also known as the lats) are the largest muscles of the back. The lats are large, fan-shaped muscles. If you spread your back and touch the outer end of each side of the back, you’re touching your lats. The function of the lats is to pull the arm down toward the pelvis. When properly developed, the lats will actually make your waist look smaller. Now, there’s some good incentive.

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