Sensible Fitness: How to Get Rid of Bra Bubbles
Back boobs, back fat and bra bubbles. Call them what you will, but our fitness guru tells us how to get rid of those pesky fat bumps that billow around our bra straps.

 
Question:
I store fat in my upper back below my armpits. It looks gross when I go sleeveless. Do you have any tips to tighten up that area? —Marci

Answer:
I know exactly what you are talking about: the fatty area on your back that bulges up over your bra. I refer to this as “bra bubbles.” You certainly can improve the appearance of this area so that you don’t have to be self-conscious of the sleeveless or the swim suits.

Muscles are what give our body a desirable shape and fat is what gives our body an undesirable shape. Once we know the muscle that is responsible for giving a particular part of your body its shape, we can tone it up and look for ways to decrease the fat that covers the muscle so that its shape makes you shine more brightly.

The posterior, or backside, of your armpit is made primarily of a back muscle called the latissimus dorsi. It is a fan shaped muscle that starts in your lower back and then ends up just below your shoulder joint on your arm. This muscle is an important factor in the appearance of a man or woman’s back because it gives the upper body a “V” look, with width at shoulders and narrowness at the waist. (I have included a video of the latissimus dorsi’s anatomy at the end of this column.)

The latissimi dorsi, or “lats,” are responsible for the motion of the arms, such as pulling down or rowing. They are very strong muscles and are some of the many muscles that make up your “core.” Because these muscles are some of the strongest upper body muscles, many women do not adequately train them. If you use small three- to eight-pound hand weights to tone your lats, you are not stimulating this muscle enough. Even the frailest of women can usually perform a rowing motion with 12-plus pound dumbbells, and you must challenge a muscle if you want results! Keep the small dumbbells for your shoulders, but get the heavier ones out for the lats!

I have also included a video link for an incline dumbbell row, a great exercise to tone your lats, to give shape to your upper back, and to help rid you of the bra bubbles. I like this exercise because your body is supported, making it safer for the injury-prone lower back. The downside of the exercise for women is that you have to lie on your chest and this can sometimes be uncomfortable, depending on the width of the supporting bench. 

Because your lats are responsible for many motions of your arms and trunk, there is not a single exercise that is a cure-all for bra bubbles. You must have an arsenal of exercises to target the muscle from various angles. The incline dumbbell row is just one tool in your toolbox of back exercises. And finally, a very familiar tip from your fitness guru, you cannot have a thick layer of fat covering this muscle. A healthy diet and cardiovascular exercise is mandatory to stay lean! 

Click here to view a Webcast video of Doug targeting the latissimus dorsi. Click here to view a Webcast video of Doug demonstrating the incline dumbbell row. 

Doug Gibson
		About the author:
		Doug Gibson is a columnist for Cincy Chic and President of Sensible Fitness Personal Training Center in Blue Ash, Ohio, which specializes in women’s fitness programs. E-mail him at doug@sensiblefitness.com.
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Last update: 01-07-2008 07:55

Published in : Magazine Items, Health