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One of the best things about getting into shape is the fact that you can bulk out your chest. Unfortunately, some men have a harder time doing this than others.
Fat has a tendency to hang around in the chest area, so for many men, it’s incredibly important to figure out just how to lose chest fat.
Chest fat can manifest as gynecomastia – ‘man-boobs’ – or simply a larger upper frame in which muscle is harder to detect. Fortunately, if you’re having a hard time finding out how to get rid of chest fat, there’s still hope.
There are plenty of exercises and changes that you can do to encourage your body to burn chest fat and get it to disappear quicker. Below, I’ll run you through the most effective ones.
Ready to lose chest fat?
Gynecomastia and chest fat – what’s the difference?
Workouts that help get rid of chest fat and build muscle
Alternative solutions to burn chest fat
Causes of man boobs
If you have a lot of chest fat, you might be suffering from the aptly-named problem of ‘man-boobs.’
While boobs are typically associated with the ladies, men who have a higher concentration of chest fat can certainly have big enough breasts that they look like boobs.
There are a lot of things that can contribute to the development of man boobs, including:
- Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia is one of the most common problems leading to man boobs. It can lead to swollen and painful breasts.
This, in turn, can have many causes of its own. More on which below.
- Low testosterone
Low testosterone levels can harm your chest in multiple ways.
Not only can it be the direct cause of gynecomastia, but low T levels can also lead to excess body fat and thus the formation of man boobs.
- Estrogen levels
Men who use a lot of androgenic steroids experience a lot of aromatization, in which testosterone is turned to estrogen.
This can lead to estrogenic side effects like man boobs.
- Unhealthy lifestyles
Men who don’t exercise or eat properly may experience an increase in chest fat as their overall body weight increases.
If you’re struggling with any of the above issues, it’s quite possible that this could lead to the development of chest fat and you should work to address whatever particular issue you’re struggling with.
Gynecomastia and chest fat – what’s the difference?
While gynecomastia may contribute to the development of man boobs, it’s a more clinical diagnosis than simply having chest fat.
It’s good to know the difference between having excessive amounts of chest fat vs. having an actual diagnosed health issue.
Chest fat is quite a common problem for any men who are overweight. Fat simply accumulates in the chest, where it can lead to the development of man boobs.
Gynecomastia occurs more often during puberty when young boys are going through frequent hormonal changes. Gynecomastia can also occur during old age when men are experiencing a drop in their testosterone levels.
Your doctor would be able to determine whether or not you have gynecomastia or simply a buildup of chest fat, but you may be able to determine this on your own as well.
If your breasts are swollen, and not simply large due to holding on to a lot of fat, then you are probably suffering from gynecomastia. The same goes for when your chest area is sensitive, tender, or you feel mild pain.
Suggested read: How to get rid of gynecomastia >>
How to lose chest fat
For this post, I’ll focus more on how to reduce chest fat rather than how you can get rid of gynecomastia. Fortunately for most men, this will be a lot easier.
Diet
Making sure that you have a healthy diet is vitally important for all of your bodily functions.
However, one of the most immediate symptoms of an unhealthy diet will be expressed in an increase in body fat.
One of the best ways to burn chest fat is to make sure that you follow some of the following tips:
- Don’t consume more calories than you burn
Eating foods that are very high in calories, such as refined carbs, sugars, and very fatty foods is a sure way to increase your fat count.
- Make sure that you eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Healthy foods like these contain nutrients that are important for making sure that your metabolism stays healthy.
- Avoid alcohol
Or at least as often as possible. Alcohol can adversely influence your testosterone levels as well as a number of other areas of your health.
Suggested read: The effect of alcohol on your testosterone levels >>
Exercise
If you have high levels of chest fat and already eat a healthy diet, or are unwilling to make changes in your diet, then one of the only ways to reliably lose chest fat is to make sure that you increase the amount of exercise that you get.
One of the best ways to burn fat is cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise causes your body to quickly burn through stored glucose, which it uses as its primary source of energy.
Once you burn through your glucose stores, your body will begin to rely on the energy which your body has stored as fat.
Good examples of cardio exercises are running, cycling, and swimming.
Workouts that help get rid of chest fat and build muscle
While cardiovascular exercise is a great way to get rid of chest fat, there are a number of workouts that can target the chest region more specifically.
These workouts can tone and tighten the region, making it easier for you to burn off excessive chest fat.
High-intensity interval training
HIIT is a mixture of high-intensity cardio and bodyweight exercises which are done quickly.
Between bouts of intense exercises, you will rest for a minute or two before getting back into the exercise.
Because it’s such a high-intensity cardio workout, and because you can include specific weight exercises to strengthen your pecs (I’ll share some examples below), a good HIIT routine is your best way to go.
Dumbbell pullovers
Dumbbell pullovers are one of the best exercises for reducing chest fat.
To do these, lie down on a bench and hold low-to-mid-weight dumbbells above your chest while slightly bending your elbows.
Move the dumbbells slowly behind your head and repeat slowly, feeling the stretch.
No bench or dumbbells?
No problem. Instead of a bench, you can lie down on the floor, a mat, or on your bed.
If you don’t have dumbbells my best advice is to order some (of course).
If that’s not an option, though, then you can use any form of heavy at-home item, from bottles of soda to a spare tire; be creative!
Suggested read: How to exercise at home: 15+ workouts to get you started >>
Incline bell dumbbell press
Incline bell dumbbell presses are a great way to put extra pressure on your chest, which will tone the muscles and target fat in the region.
Sit on an incline bench at 45 degrees, holding mid-weight dumbbells in your hands with a normal grip. Pull them slowly up and down, ideally maxing out between 10 and 12 reps.
This one is a bit more difficult to do at home without an actual bench. If you don’t have a bench you can better stick to the previous one or move on to the next exercise in this list.
Decline pushups
Decline pushups are just normal pushups that are done while elevating your feet on a chair, a bench, an exercise ball, or something similar.
This allows for the exercise to require more strength, thus causing you to strengthen your muscles – specifically your chest muscles – even more.
You can do this exercise anywhere you like, as you don’t need any equipment whatsoever!
Dips
Dips are easy, effective, and you can do them almost anywhere.
Just sit with your back to the couch, place your hands on the couch behind you, and slowly start to press yourself up like that.
If you want to do a more intense version that really targets that chest fat you should try chest dips.
This can be a bit more tricky to do in the house, but not impossible. You just need two parallel surfaces that you can dip in between.
For example, you could use two steady barstools to dip in between, or use the corner of your kitchen counter even!
Diet to reduce chest fat
One of the best ways to reduce chest fat is to develop a diet plan that allows you to burn fat easier.
A pound of fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories, which means you’ll need to burn that many to shed a single pound.
One of the easiest ways to burn fat is to create a calorie deficit in your diet.
This means that you could consume somewhere between 500-800 fewer calories every day, given that you continue to burn the same number of calories that you’re consuming.
In theory, following this formula, you would reduce chest fat in 10 days. A 500 calorie deficit would allow for a pound of fat loss weekly.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to reduce the amount of fat and carbs that you consume.
- Eat less high-fat, fried, or processed foods
- Reduce your overall intake of sugars
- Limit consumption of starchy foods like bread and french fries
It’s really not hard to make healthier choices and to reduce the total amount of calories that you’re eating.
In addition, you can eat a number of testosterone-boosting foods to help increase your T levels.
Suggested read: Testosterone boosting foods you should add to your diet >>
Alternative solutions to burn chest fat
In addition to reducing your calorie consumption and exercising more, you may find that you can burn chest fat from naturally improving your testosterone levels.
Some natural supplements can help with this. TestoGen, for example, is a great T-boosting supplement that contains a number of natural ingredients that can enhance testosterone levels, energy levels, and sexual health with very minimal risk.
TestoGen includes ingredients like:
- Zinc, an important mineral for helping produce testosterone.
- Red ginseng, an adaptogenic herb that’s been used for thousands of years to boost energy and libido.
- Fenugreek, an herb that has been linked to elevated T levels.
These ingredients, and many more, work together to provide your body with an optimal environment for producing more testosterone and helping you lose chest fat.
