Having a sexy back takes work but it is achievable! Improving your posture will immediately make your back look longer, straighter, and more toned. You can further boost your back’s appearance by doing exercises that strengthen and tone your chest, shoulders, and back muscles. Lastly, know how to take care of the skin on your back so that it has a healthy glow.Do back, chest, and shoulder exercises 3 times a week. This section lists some popular exercises for getting a sexy back by strengthening your back, shoulders, and chest.
You’ll need dumbbells (5 to 10 lb for women, 10 to 20 lb for men), a workout mat, and running shoes.
Do the cobra pose. This is a popular yoga pose that stretches and strengthens the chest, shoulders, and upper and lower back:[1]
Lie face down on the mat, with your elbows bent and hugged in at your sides, and your hands palm down, in line with or underneath your shoulders. Your legs should be stretched straight back, with the tops of your feet flat against the floor.
As you inhale, slowly straighten your arms to list your chest off the floor. As you do this press the tops of your feet and thighs, and your pelvic bone into the floor.
While your chest is lifted your tailbone should draw down towards your pelvic bone, and your stomach should be firm. Your buttocks should be firm but not flexed to the point that they are hard.
Draw your shoulders away from your ears so that your shoulder blades melt down your back. You should feel a lift through your sternum, without your front ribs pushing forward. Think of the back bend as being distributed evenly along your whole spine.
Hold this pose for 15 to 30 seconds. If you feel comfortable with it, you can lift your legs up as well. For an added punch, you can lift your arms off the floor and hold them straight out in front of you, moving into a superman pose.
Exhale as you return to your starting position (lying face down on the mat), then repeat 9 more times (for 10 reps total).Tone your upper back with shoulder shrugs. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand with good posture. Your feet should be hip-width apart. Throughout this exercise your arms should hang naturally at your sides.
Lift your shoulders towards your ears, as though you are shrugging. Hold for 3 seconds, and then slowly lower them back down.
Repeat with 2 sets of 10 repetitions.Do kneeling reverse flies.These will help tone and build muscle in your back, arms, and abs:
Kneel on all fours, being sure to keep your hands aligned under your shoulders, and your knees aligned under your hips. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Flex your abs (this will pull your stomach in and make it feel firm), and then steady yourself in preparation for lifting your right arm out to the side.
Keeping a slight bend in your elbow and your palm facing down, lift your right arm out to the side until it is even with your shoulder.
Lower the arm back down slowly, and repeat 14 times (for a total of 15 reps) before switching to your left side.
Do 2 sets of 15 reps on each side.Do the bird dog exercise.[4] This will help work your upper and lower back, as well as your legs and core. You don’t need weights for this exercise.
Get on all fours, with your knees aligned under your hips and your hands aligned under your shoulders. Your neck should be long, with your face (and eyes) pointed downward. Make sure you feel steady and that your weight is evenly distributed between your arms and knees.
Tense your ab muscles as you slowly slide your right leg backwards and lift it off the floor so that it is straight out behind you, at a height that is in line with your hips and back.
At the same time as you lift your right leg, lift your left arm up and hold it out straight out in front of you.
Hold the position for 10 seconds before slowly returning your arm and leg to the ground.
Repeat with the right arm and left leg. Alternate the sides so that you have between 5 and 12 reps on each side.
Your back should stay in the same position (straight, not dipped or hunched) during the entire exercise. If you can’t hold it steady while you raise your arm and leg, start with just the legs until you’re feeling more secure.
Once you’ve mastered this, you can try the challenging bird dog plank variation, in which you lift opposite arms and legs while in a plank position (as opposed to being on your hands and knees).Don’t forget about the classics. Classic moves like pushups, planks, and sit-ups will help build your core, improve your posture, and strengthen and tone your back.
You might even do these during some of your breaks at school or the office, if you can find a quiet place to do them.
You can do wall pushups (a standing variation of floor pushups) just about anywhere.Go swimming. Swimming is great because it gives you a cardio workout while strengthening and toning your muscles. It’s a great option if you have any joint or muscle problems as it is low impact.Be smart. You want to challenge yourself by doing at least 5 of these exercises 3 times a week, but you also don’t want to overdo it. Give yourself a break in between workout days so that your muscles have time to repair themselves.
If you want more of a challenge, try increasing the reps or the weight for each exercise.Reduce Stress. Stress increases the production of glucocorticoid, which can lead to skin abnormalities.Two surefire ways to reduce stress are to get enough sleep and to exercise regularly.
Adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Teens should get between 8.5 and 9.5 hours of sleep a night.
Change your diet. A healthy diet might not automatically equal great skin, but it can definitely help.Follow these tips to reduce your susceptibility to acne:
Don’t eat too many carbs. Healthy carbs are okay, but even then, eat them in moderation. Definitely avoid white flour, bread, cookies, sugary soda and other junk foods.
Minimize your dairy intake. It’s okay to have small amounts of cultured, whole milk dairy products containing natural probiotics (e.g. yogurt and kefir), but avoid cheese and ice cream as much as you can.
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This include salmon, flax seeds, walnuts, and spinach, among other things.
Eat your fruits and veggies. These are natural sources of antioxidants, zinc, selenium, vitamin A and fiber, which can all help with acne.
Try to get as many of your vitamins and nutrients from food instead of supplements, as supplements are not always as effective. In fact, supplements can even be dangerous as they can lead you to take too much of a certain nutrient.Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water keeps your blood circulating and helps flush out internal toxins. There is little research to prove that toxins cause breakouts, but experts still recommend drinking plenty of water.
To figure out how much water you should drink, divide your body weight in pounds in half. That’s how many ounces of water you should drink each day.If you’re 150 pounds you should drink at least 75 ounces of water each day — more if you live in a hot climate or have an active lifestyle.
Sexy back takes work but it is easily achievable
