Exercises for Lower Back Fat for Men – Introduction
What are the best exercises for lower back fat loss?
If you are reading this article, you are probably one of many men carrying excess fat around your lower back and waist.
This fat is often hard to lose and really takes the shine off what would otherwise be an attractive physique.
Unfortunately, and contrary to the title of this article, there are no exercises that can specifically target these stubborn back fat deposits.
Spot reduction is an exercise myth – sorry!
That’s because fat is unused energy, and if you want to get rid of it, you need to consume fewer calories and exercise more to create an energy deficit.
Faced with this caloric shortfall, your body has no choice but to start burning stored body fat for fuel.
No energy or caloric deficit?
No fat loss, period!
That said, there are plenty of exercises you can do to target the muscles that lay beneath your unwanted lower back fat.
While these exercises won’t spot-reduce lower back fat, they will tone and strengthen the underlying muscles and contribute to your overall caloric expenditure.
Combine these exercises with your regular strength training and cardio workouts and a sensible, sustainable diet to whittle away lower back fat.
The Best Exercises for Lower Back Fat
Looking to tone your lower back and waist while losing lower back fat?
Add these exercises to your workout routines!
#1. Deadlifts
The deadlift is one of the most productive exercises you can do with a barbell.
Working virtually every muscle in your body, deadlifts build full-body strength and muscle mass.
As an added benefit, deadlifts burn a ton of calories and stimulate your metabolism to burn plenty of fat, some of which is bound to come from your lower back and waist.
There are lots of different deadlift variations to try, and they’re all similarly effective.
Good options include:
- Conventional barbell deadlift
- Sumo deadlift
- Trap or hex bar deadlift
- Romanian deadlift
- Dumbbell deadlift
- Kettlebell deadlifts
- Banded deadlifts
- Rack pull deadlift
- Single-leg deadlift
Regardless of which option you choose, time spent deadlifting is time well spent!
#2. Kettlebell swings
Like deadlifts, kettlebell swings involve a pronounced hip hinge that works your glutes and lower back muscles.
But, unlike deadlifts, swings are performed quickly, which makes them metabolically more demanding, which could help you lose fat faster.
To do kettlebell swings, hold the weight with both hands in front of your hips.
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Lower the weight between your knees, drive your hips forward, and swing the weight up to shoulder height.
Take care not to round your lower back at any point.
Lower the weight and repeat.
Try this mini-workout to experience the power of kettlebells for yourself!
Every minute on the minute (EMOM), do one set of ten kettlebell swings.
Rest for the remaining time and repeat for ten sets.
#3. Stability ball back extensions
Most gyms have stability balls, and they’re ideal for home workouts, too.
Most exercisers are familiar with stability ball crunches and sit-ups, but you can also use this versatile training tool to train your lower back.
Lie face down on your stability ball so that it’s beneath your hips.
Place your feet against the bottom of a wall for stability.
Put your hands behind your lower back.
Wrap your upper body around the ball and then drive your hips forward and lift your abdomen and chest up, so your shoulders and hips form a straight line.
Take care not to hyperextend your lower back.
Return to the starting position and repeat.
You can make this exercise harder by placing your hands on your temples.
#4. Good mornings
Good mornings are so-called because when you do them, it looks like you are bowing to greet someone.
Like kettlebell swings, this exercise involves a pronounced hip hinge that targets and strengthens your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
Good mornings are a slightly controversial exercise, and some trainers are dead set against them.
However, done correctly, they can be both safe and effective.
To do good mornings, rack and hold a barbell across your upper back and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend your knees slightly for balance.
Push your hips back, lean forward, and lower your torso toward the floor.
Do not round your lower back, as doing so will increase your risk of injury.
Drive your hips forward, stand up, and repeat.
No barbell?
No problem!
You can also do good mornings with resistance bands or even only your body weight.
Place your hands on your temples and push your elbows back.
This, for obvious reasons, is called the prisoner position.
Prisoner good mornings are ideal for home exercisers.
#5. Hand-release push-ups
Don’t worry; we haven’t gone off track and slipped a chest exercise in by mistake!
While hand-release push-ups ARE a pec and triceps exercise, they also work your upper and lower back.
This makes them ideal for time-pressed exercisers and anyone who works out without much equipment.
To do hand-release push-ups, adopt the standard push-up position with your arms, legs, and body straight.
Your hands should be roughly shoulder-width apart with your fingers pointing forward.
Bend your arms and lower your chest, abdomen, and legs down to the floor.
Pull your shoulders back and lift your hands a few inches off the floor, arching your lower back as you do so.
Put your hands back on the floor and push yourself back up to return to the starting position.
That’s one rep – keep going!
#6. Russian twists
Lower back fat often spreads around to the sides of your waist.
While diet and general exercise are what’s needed to shed that unwanted fat, you may also want to train your oblique or waist muscles.
That way, as the fat comes off, you’ll be left with a tighter, leaner midsection.
Sit on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat.
Sit up, so your upper body is inclined to about 45 degrees.
Anchor your feet if necessary.
Extend your arms in front of you.
Without raising or lowering your torso, twist your upper body to the left and to the right.
Turn as far as your mobility allows.
Make this exercise harder by holding a medicine ball, dumbbell, or weight plate in your hands.
#7. High-intensity interval exercise
When it comes to burning excess calories and losing lower back fat, high-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is tough to beat.
HIIT burns more calories per minute than low-intensity steady state (LISS) cardio and also causes a more significant increase in your post-workout metabolism.
HIIT workouts are also shorter.
There are lots of ways to do HIIT, including using a cardio machine like an air bike, rowing machine, sand treadmills, or combining bodyweight or strength training exercises into mini-circuits.
For example:
- Air bike sprint 20 seconds, 40 seconds slow pedaling to recover, repeated ten times.
- 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats done EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) for 20 minutes.
- Sprint 50 meters uphill, walk back down, and repeat ten times.
- Jump rope as fast as possible for 20 seconds, rest for ten seconds, and repeat eight times.
Losing Lower Back Fat FAQs
Got a question about losing lower back fat?
We’ve got the answers!
#1. So, there are no exercises that preferentially target lower back fat?
Spot training is one of the fitness industry’s most hard-to-kill myths.
Body fat is accumulated according to your hormones and genetics.
Some people store fat on their glutes, while others tend to hold it on their thighs or stomachs.
As such, it’s impossible to preferentially target fat deposits with specific exercises.
For example, doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups won’t whittle fat from your abdomen, and lots of triceps pushdowns won’t melt fat from the back of your arms.
The only way to get rid of body fat is to burn it globally.
With consistency and hard work, eventually, it will disappear from all your personal “problem areas,” including your lower back.
#2. What’s the best diet for losing lower back fat?
The best diet for losing back fat is the one you can stick to until you’ve lost all the fat you want to lose.
Extreme and faddy diets usually produce rapid weight loss but are only sustainable for a week or so.
Assuming you lose 1-2 pounds per week, which is a safe rate of fat loss, it could take several months of consistent dieting to finally lose your back fat.
So, instead of looking for quick weight loss fixes, adopt a long-term healthy eating plan.
Focus on real nutrient-dense foods, consuming plenty of lean protein, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.
Prepare as much of your own food as possible, and steer clear of added sugars and commercially processed salty foods.
This type of diet might not be sexy and isn’t “influencer-approved,” but it’s the best way to lose fat and keep it off for good.
#3. Are there any supplements I can use to speed up lower back fat loss?
In the same way that there are no exercises that preferentially target lower back fat, nor are there any supplements.
Losing lower back fat is largely a matter of burning more calories than you consume by eating less and exercising more.
That said, there are a few supplements that may help you lose fat faster or get more from your workouts.
Examples include:
- Protein powder – to make consuming enough protein easier
- Thermogenic pre-workouts – for energy and enhanced fat burning
- ZMA – to increase testosterone production
- Psyllium fiber – to increase satiety and insulin sensitivity for easier fat loss
- Creatine – for faster recovery between sets and workouts and increased muscle mass and fat burning
#4. Do you have a lower back fat workout plan for me to follow?
We don’t have a specific plan for you to follow because every individual’s exercise needs and abilities are different.
But here is a general schedule to get you started:
- Monday – full-body strength training workout, e.g., squats, bench press, bent-over rows
- Tuesday – 20-30 minutes of HIIT cardio
- Wednesday – rest
- Thursday – full-body strength training workout, e.g., deadlifts, overhead presses, pull-ups
- Friday – 20-30 minutes of HIIT cardio
- Saturday – active recovery, e.g., 1-2 hours of hiking, biking, paddle boarding, etc.
- Sunday – rest
Also, try to walk 10,000 steps per day to increase your caloric expenditure.
Do all the steps in one shot or spread them throughout the day as preferred.
The Best Exercises for Lower Back Fat – Wrapping Up
If you came here looking for lower back exercises to burn lower back fat, you will most likely be disappointed.
However, while you may not have found what you were looking for, this is a good thing.
Rather than telling you about a bunch of ineffective exercises that won’t help you lose lower back fat, we’ve provided you with the knowledge you need to burn fat from all over your body.
Spot reduction is an exercise myth, but some people continue to talk about it as if it’s possible.
So, forget about attempting to burn fat from specific problem areas of your body.
It’s a waste (or should that be waist?!) of time.
Instead, train your entire body and improve your diet to lose overall body fat, including your lower back.
That’s the secret to vanishing love handles spilling over the top of your jeans!
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),