Back fat, love handles and fat bulges coming from under, over and around the bra lines for women can become a girl’s worst enemy. As women, we don’t always want to look like a model, but we certainly desire to be fit, slim and trim, with no muffin tops, fat bulges, or anything else that might attack our self-confidence. That’s why back exercises can really come in handy. The truth is, back exercises for women can not only get rid of those unwanted bulges, but the added benefits of back exercises are phenomenal because they inherit a lot of benefits too. These benefits can vastly improve our quality of life, bust most importantly these exercises can prepare your body and strengthen your body to be able to withstand rigorous exercise routines with which we would normally have a hard time keeping up. So, rather than focus on the visual benefits from exercising the back muscles that we can typically see in the mirror, we are going to focus on the benefits of the muscles that are deep within the back, that you can’t really spot visually or even palpitate from our exteriors. We are going to focus on the core of our cores. Whether we have children to run after and keep up with, a home to take care of, or if you just want to feel better and walk through life a little more gracefully, literally, the following information should be helpful.
The list of benefits that back exercises can provide isn’t a long one, but the benefits that these exercises do have are definitely worth your attention. Any exercise that focuses on strengthening or working on back muscles will definitely improve and strengthen your core, which in turn can reduce back pain, improve posture, improve balance and help shed some of that unwanted back fat. Shape.com, in their article posted to their website, “Important Muscles Women Ignore,” they note that women often ignore the neck and upper back muscle called Trapezius. This muscle is known to run across the upper back, through your shoulders and up your neck. This muscle is often used during daily activities like turning your head, shrugging your shoulders, and hauling around diaper bags or purses all day. Because this muscle is responsible for the shoulder shrug that helps keep your purse or bag on your shoulder, it is also said that is a major reason why this muscle should be tended to and not ignored. When you wear a purse, typically you favor one shoulder, and when you continuously wear a purse or a heavy object on one shoulder repeatedly, over long extended periods of time, including a cross body, the site notes that “this can cause some major muscle imbalances within your trapezius.” (1.) Benefits of working on this muscle and performing exercises that can keep your trapezius in shape can include better posture, loosening and relaxing, allowing for more flexibility when shrugging shoulders, and turning and rotating your head and neck. It can definitely promote better posture and can help build a stronger back, but most importantly, working and strengthening this muscle can allow you to lift heavy objects more easily, which in turn can give you better control with heavy weight lifting in all of your workout routines. (2)
In an article posted to bodybuilding.com, “Ladies: 6 Exercises for Sexy and Shapely Shoulders,” they offer a list of the top exercises to work the trapezius muscle. These exercises include: the seated dumbbell press, front dumbbell raise, front plate raise, the side lateral raise, seated bent-over rear deltoid raise, and the bent over, low-pulley raise. (5)
Secondly, another part of the back muscles often ignored by women, as noted by shape.com is the spinal extensors, or the erector spinae. This section of the back doesn’t just consist of muscle, but it also includes a group of tendons that line and further help support the spine, most importantly, the lower back.(1) The erector spinae itself, consists of three muscles:
The iliocostal muscle: This muscle is furthest from the Vertebra. The iliocostal muscle is responsible for erect posture and bending of the vertebral column to the same side and also aids in laterally flex and extension of the Vertebra column. (3)
The lonhiddimus dorsi muscles include the capitis muscles, that our body uses to keep our head erect and also, these muscles are responsible for head and neck rotation. The Cervicis muscles help keep the cervical spine erect, and the Thoracis muscle aids in our ability to bend backwards and side to side. This muscle also keeps the spine erect and even helps pull our ribs downward, which in turn, helps with breathing. (3)
And lastly, the spinalis muscles are the muscles found closest to the vertebra. These muscles include the spinalis cervicis and the spinalis thoracis. These two muscles work hand in hand, closely together to “extend and laterally flex the vertebral column, such as when you try to stand tall to increase your height.”(3)
As a result, it comes as no surprise that our backs use these muscles and tendons to help our posture, flexing and extending the spine when we bend over and get back up, and these groups of muscles and tendons are most importantly responsible for assisting our spine in staying properly aligned every day. Any exercise that works these muscles will ensure a stronger back as a whole, not just portions of your back. (1) Proper maintenance and strengthening of these muscles can improve or even cure back pain. Found deep in the archives of Pub Med.com, a site devoted to endless scientific studies published to the internet, a study published in 2008, through the “Spine Journal,” called “The Association of Low Back Pain, Neuromuscular Imbalance, and Trunk Extension Strength in Athletes,” literally found a direct link between lower back pain and weak and underactive spinae muscles. By simply working these muscles, you will definitely promote a stronger erector spinae that will positively strengthen and support your core, back, and lower body that can profoundly prevent, reduce and potentially cure back pain while improving your athletic performance. (4)
In an article posted on freetrainers.com, “Erector Spinae,” the page offers seven of the best workouts to improve strength and stabilization of the erector spinae. These exercises include: the cobra plank, deadlifts, superman extensions, hyperextensions, stationary rowing, ball hyperextension and the ball bridge position exercise. (6)
With this information and list of exercises that you can easily incorporate into your daily workout routines, we have no doubt that you will be able to strengthen your back and core in no time. As a result, you will reap many rewards from having the discipline and determination to really focus on what we like to call the “core of your core.” Working and strengthening these deeply rooted back muscles that are often ignored, will not only improve your posture, strengthen your core and prevent future back pains and injury, but at as an added bonus, working these particular muscles will absolutely give you the boost you need when it comes to being able to manage how you lift weights and exercise as a whole. You will also reap the rewards of shedding further, unwanted pounds and start reducing back fat for a sexier, smoother and toned back that you can be proud of.
Sources:
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- http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/important-muscles-women-ignore
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- https://ushcgshots.com/articles/trapezius-workout
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- http://www.musclesused.com/erector-spinae-2/
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- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17088198
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- https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/ladies-6-exercises-for-sexy-and-shapely-shoulders.html
- https://www.freetrainers.com/exercise/muscle/erector_spinae
