HOW TO LOSE CHEST FAT AND GET RID OF “MAN BOOBS”
“Man boobs”… “male breasts”… “man breasts”… “moobs”…
These commonly used terms may sound pretty goofy, but it’s not a laughing matter for those guys out there who are struggling with this issue.
In this post I’ll be giving you the simple, straightforward facts on how to get rid of those annoying “man boobs” for good and sculpt out a lean, muscular set of pecs that you can feel proud of.
No more hiding behind baggy shirts, and no more feeling embarrassed to take your shirt off.
There’s a ton of misleading information out there on this topic (often revolving around gimmicky workout techniques or bogus supplements), so make sure to read this post from start to finish if you want the honest facts that produce real results…
How To Get Rid Of Man Boobs: The Straightforward Truth
First off, the term “man boobs” is actually a phrase that describes two distinct situations.
In order to determine what your best plan of attack will be, you’ll first need to find out exactly what type of “chest excess” you’re dealing with here.
Man boobs can have two basic causes…
#1 – The first is excess chest fat. This is one is pretty self explanatory. It’s a simple increase in body fat that has accumulated around your pec area, causing them to sag and take on a rounder appearance.
#2 – The second is gynecomastia, or “gyno” for short. This results from the buildup of the actual breast tissue itself due to a hormonal imbalance in the body where the ratio of estrogens to androgens increases.
Gyno is commonly experienced during puberty, but can also occur in adult males particularly in the 40+ age category when testosterone levels begin to significantly decline.
There may be some overlap between the two causes, but getting a basic sense of which issue you’re dealing with will help you decide on your best initial course of action.
How To Determine If You Have Gyno Or Chest Fat
To figure this out, you’ll simply need to have a look and feel around for yourself.
If it’s merely chest fat, your “man boobs” will be soft to the touch and will feel just like the excess fat on any other area of your body.
If you’re over weight in general and have normal fat deposits all over your physique which also includes your chest area as well, then that’s another sign that it’s entirely or at least primarily excess body fat that is the issue.
If you’re dealing with gynecomastia, things will look and feel a bit different.
First off, rather than being soft and “jiggly” like normal body fat, that excess tissue on your chest is going to feel harder and firmer to the touch.
Second, your “man boobs” will likely be more concentrated around the nipple area and may have a more “puffy” appearance. You might also feel a hard lump-like mass directly underneath them.
Third, because gyno is caused by hormonal imbalances, it will be most likely to occur around certain ages as I previously mentioned. If you’re in your teens and are going through puberty, or you’re around the 40+ age range, this also increases the likelihood that gynecomastia is coming into play.
How To Get Rid Of Man Boobs If You Have Gynecomastia
In this situation, the fix is going to be a bit more complex.
I’m not going to sit here and feed you silly gimmicks that you’ll find on other websites and tell you that a few chest workouts or some special dietary technique or supplement is going to magically eliminate your gyno completely.
If you’re experiencing the obvious symptoms of gynecomastia and have a fairly significant case of it, you’ll want to speak with your doctor to discuss the possible treatment options.
This usually involves surgical removal of the glandular breast tissue, and you’ll need to assess the situation with a professional to find out if this is appropriate for you.
Now, if your case is mild OR you believe your “man boobs” are a combination of both excess chest fat and gyno (and you aren’t sure how significant the gyno actually is), then you can skip the doctor’s visit and see how well you’re able to handle the situation on your own first.
Proper exercise and dietary habits alone can deliver some noticeable improvements if you’re only dealing with a minor case of gyno (I’ll be discussing this shortly), and you can use that as a starting point and then re-assess once you see what type of results you get.
The good news on all of this is that legitimate causes of gyno are typically NOT what most guys are actually dealing with, and far more often than not the true cause is quite simple as is the solution…
How To Get Rid Of Man Boobs If You Have Excess Chest Fat
In the majority of cases, man boobs are simply the result of excess fat tissue that has built up over time due to poor nutritional habits and lack of exercise.
Your overall body fat levels have increased, and a noticeable portion has ended up on your chest. It’s really that simple.
And if that’s the case, then getting rid of your man boobs is just a matter of reversing those bad habits through a properly structured and consistently implemented nutrition and training plan.
1) Proper nutrition coupled with a few cardio sessions per week will help you gradually burn the fat off of your chest to eliminate that soft and saggy appearance.
2) A proper weight training plan that includes a few chest pressing and chest fly exercises done 1-2 times a week will build up the pec muscles from underneath to give them that hard, defined and “chiseled” look.
Now, the key thing to keep in mind here is this…
There is no way to specifically target fat loss from one exact area of your body over another. This is known as the myth of “spot reduction”.
In other words, the only way to lose chest fat and get rid of man boobs is to focus on losing fat from your entire body as a whole.
As you employ the correct training and nutrition techniques over time, your overall body fat percentage will drop and you’ll lose fat from everywhere, including your chest.
Pumping out sets of bench presses and flys will help you build up the pectoral muscles themselves, but losing the actual fat itself (which is the central cause of man boobs in the first place) simply comes with time as you lose overall body fat in general.
The bottom line here is that any program designed to “get rid of man boobs” is really just a basic fat loss program at heart.
The Basics Of Structuring Your Program
This article is not intended to go into detail on all of the exact specifics behind putting together a complete weight training and nutrition plan, but here are the basic steps you’ll want to follow in order to get started on the right path…
First off, you can check out my Free Bodybuilding Diet Calculator.
This will give you a good starting point when it comes to laying out your daily nutrition plan by showing you your exact needs for calories, protein, carbohydrates and fats.
Proper nutrition is by far the most important factor of all when it comes to eliminating chest fat and leaning down your entire body as a whole.
It doesn’t matter how much time and effort you put forth in the gym; if you aren’t eating correctly to support your fat loss goals, you’ll either severely compromise your results or they’ll be non-existent altogether.
So, use the calculator to determine your individual calorie and macronutrient breakdown, and then base your diet around lean/high quality proteins, minimally refined carbs and healthy unsaturated fats in order to meet those daily targets.
An online database such as CalorieKing.com can help you get a feel for the nutritional profiles of various food items.
I also offer a collection of free bodybuilding meal plans that you can use to get an idea of what a proper day of eating looks like.
Secondly, you need to learn the best exercises and training techniques to properly target your chest in the gym.
A lot of guys make the mistake of thinking that since their goal is to reduce the size of their chest, they should steer clear of direct pec exercises such as presses and flys in order to keep it looking as flat as possible.
The reality is that fat takes up far more space than muscle does, and if you really want to achieve a lean and impressively muscular chest, targeted pec training is a must.
Check out the following post to get the information you’ll need to structure the best chest workout possible:
The 3 Best Chest Exercises For The Perfect Pec Workout
Of course, a proper weight training plan involves working your entire body as a whole and not just your chest.
As a general guideline you’ll want to perform 3-5 total weight training sessions per week, directly hitting each individual muscle of the body 1-2 times per week.
Center your workouts around basic compound movements (such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, chest presses, rows, chin ups, pulldowns and overhead presses) and stick to moderate reps in the 5-12 range.
You should also add in 2-3 cardio sessions throughout the week as well in order to burn additional calories and ensure that you’re maintaining a net energy deficit over time to support fat loss.
Utilize a mix of both aerobic cardio (low intensity sessions in the 45-60 minute range) and anaerobic cardio (high intensity interval-based sessions anywhere from 8-20 minutes in length).
Lastly, if you’re going to use supplements, keep it basic.
Most people way over-value the use of supplements, and at the end of the day they’ll simply provide a very small boost to help you maximize your results.
This is an area filled with a huge amount of misleading information and outright fraud, and I’d highly suggest downloading my complete fitness supplementation guide for some honest, no nonsense guidelines to follow:
Complete Fitness Supplementation Guide
How To Lose Man boobs: Final Word
When it all comes down to it, getting rid of man boobs is a pretty straightforward process.
Although cases of true gynecomastia will need to be treated by a professional, most of the time the issue is nothing more than an accumulation of excess body fat and can be eliminated by simply adopting the proper ongoing dietary and exercise habits.
As you reduce your overall body fat percentage from week to week, that excess chest fat and those annoying “man boobs” will also gradually disappear with it.
There are no secret techniques or special tips that will magically melt away your chest fat over night; it’s just a matter of getting yourself onto a well structured fat loss plan and then sticking to it consistently over time.
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