In modern life, it can be all too easy to neglect your fitness and develop the affectionately named “man boobs”. While these are more common than you think, getting rid of them is easier than you think.
Keep reading to discover four simple exercises that reduce chest fat, so that it becomes a habit.
Why Does Fat Collect On The Chest?
It would be too easy to simply say that “getting fat causes man boobs”. While that is technically true, it isn’t true every time. What causes man boobs can be different depending on your hormones. As men age, their bodies produce less and less testosterone. This can cause fat to collect in places that it didn’t when they were younger, including over the chest.
On rare occasions, It can be caused by a hormone imbalance known as gynecomastia. This imbalance can be caused by:
- medication,
- alcohol abuse,
- an infection in the testicles,
- or drug use.
In this case, gynecomastia is usually part of a larger health issue and should be addressed as part of a larger medical treatment.
However, for the majority of men, it can be boiled down to lifestyle and eating habits. If you have a sedentary lifestyle or only focus on cardio, your muscles will get weak and sag. Your estrogen levels will creep up, and you’ll notice those dreaded man boobs start to develop.
Exercises That Reduce Chest
There are multiple ways to lose weight and see a visible difference. The first way is to keep your body in a calorie deficit. However, this method will only work for a short period of time and can make life much harder in the meantime.
The best way to burn a chest fan without going hungry is to lift the heavyweights that isolate the chest muscle group. Here are four simple exercises you can do yourself to start seeing results.
1. Push-Up
All kinds of fitness gurus come up with new moves that they claim will revolutionize the fitness industry. However, nothing will ever beat the classic push-up. This will both isolate specific chest muscles and activate the entire muscle group to strengthen the surrounding muscles and joints.
To begin, start in a plank position with your arms completely extended. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your arms directly under your shoulders. From there, lower yourself slowly to the ground and get as close as possible without touching it.
Once you’ve gone as low as you can, push against the floor as hard as you can to raise yourself back up to the plank position.
2. Cable Cross
The cable cross will work your chest and underneath your arms. With resistance equipment, it’s always best to set the weight low until you have mastered the proper form. From there, you can start adding weight over time to increase strength and build muscle.
Set the pulley machine above your head and stand facing it. Grab the pulleys and pull them down toward you. If you have the strength, keep pulling them down until they go across your body in an X shape. Once you’ve extended the pulleys are far as you can, return to your starting position.
Remember to breathe out as you are pulling downward. Your breath out should always align with the hardest part of any exercise.
3. Bench Press
This exercise will involve weights, but it is still a very classic move for building muscle and burning fat. Because you will be using weights, make sure to start small and build your way up. Even if you want to push yourself and lift as much as you can, your muscles and joints may not be able to handle it just yet.
Start by lying on your back with the bar at eye level. Grab the bar, keeping your hand’s shoulder width apart, and lower the bar down to your chest. Once the bar touches your chest, raise it all the way back up until your arms are extended.
Make sure you take a deep breath every time you lower the bar and breath out as you’re pushing the bar back up. Another good habit to make is to pull your shoulder blades back before starting this exercise. Improper form can cause injuries over time as you add more weight.
4. Dumbbell Pull Over
This exercise is done with free weight and is done either on a bench or lying on the floor. Hold the weights above your head and angle them parallel to your body. From here, breathe out as you lower the weights over your head and toward the floor.
If you are lying on a bench, you will be able to lower the weights past your head and get a deeper isolation of your triceps. If you are lying on the floor, don’t worry. This exercise will still benefit you.
Because this exercise targets the triceps muscle, it is incredibly important to not push yourself too hard with heavy weights. The other exercises mentioned above allow you to rest your weights either on your chest or on the machine. However, if you over-extend yourself during a dumbbell pullover by using too much weight, it could cause serious injury to your shoulder joints.
Doing Cardio
Light cardio is also recommended for weight loss. While you won’t lose weight by doing cardio alone, it’s the perfect warm-up to activate your muscles, get your heart rate up, and give you the boost of energy you need to get through your workout.
How To Build Habits
These four exercises can be done anywhere if you have the right equipment. However, the key to losing fat on your chest is to turn this workout routine into a daily or weekly habit.
Habits don’t happen overnight, and lifting beyond your capacity every time is the quickest way to exhaust your muscles and discourage you from going to the gym. To make these exercises effective, make sure to start with smaller weights to get your body used to the movements.
Once you’ve mastered the movements with proper form, you can add 5 pounds every week or two. If you give yourself some grace, it will be much easier to start small and build consistent exercise habits. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It was a collection of small habits people developed over time that grew it into one the greatest civilizations in history. You can do this!