Exercises to get rid of man breasts come in three different categories. They are as follows (in order of importance for most people):
- Exercises for fat reduction
- Exercises for hormonal regulation
- Exercises for upper body muscle growth
Unfortunately most people are given only the advice to follow category number 3 – exercises for upper body muscle growth. But even then they are advised wrongly, being told to do high repetition pushups and bench presses in the hope that high reps will help to burn fat around the chest area.
If you have tried this, then I’m sure you have realized that it doesn’t work – well at least not as well as you hoped it would. The notion that you can reduce fat in any part of the body you choose, simply by exercising that part of the body is called ‘spot reduction.’
Although new research is emerging to suggest spot reduction may be possible, the amount of localized fat reduction you get is nothing compared to the amount of fat you would lose from that same area if you spent the same amount of time doing cardio.
So it is best as a beginner, to leave spot reduction aside and focus on methods that will give you much quicker results with far less effort. Below are some examples of exercises to get rid of man breasts from each of the above three categories.
1. Exercises for Fat Reduction
Fat reduction is a key component of male breast reduction. In most cases of male breasts, a guy needs only reduce his level of body fat for his breasts to disappear completely. Since cardiovascular exercises are the best way to achieve this, they are arguably the best type of exercises to get rid of man breasts.
Even in the few cases where fat reduction isn’t enough, it still helps tremendously by making it much easier to get rid of those man boobs.
So whatever the cause of your man boobs, you should always incorporate a fat reduction routine into your regime. Since spot reduction, as mentioned above, is so inefficient, the best way to get rid of fat in the chest area is to focus on generalized body fat reduction. The goal here is to reduce fat from all over the body through cardiovascular exercise.
Steady State Cardiovascular Exercise
Steady state cardio is what most bodybuilders use to get body-fat counts down to single digits, leaving behind a freakish set of abs and well-defined musculature all over the body.
Although new evidence is emerging that high intensity interval training is more effective at burning fat than steady state cardio, the latter still works very well. The main benefit of steady state cardio is that it is easy to adhere to. It isn’t as mentally or physically draining as high intensity training, so you will be able to do it more frequently and more consistently.
Steady state cardio can be as easy as taking a brisk walk. Something that gets you breathless, but not gasping for breath or panting. It is important however, to keep it going for at least 30 minutes, preferably for 40 minutes, and even better if you have 1 hour sessions. This is because during the first 20 minutes of the exercise your body burns only the sugars (in the form of glycogen) stored in your muscles and liver. When these sugar stores are depleted, it then goes on to oxidize fat for energy.
You should do steady state cardio at least 3 days per week, though you will see better results if you do it more frequently. In general there is nothing wrong with doing this form of exercise every day.
2. Exercises for Hormone Regulation
Male breasts are caused by a hormonal imbalance, so it makes sense to incorporate a hormone-regulating workout into your regime.
The two key hormones responsible for male breasts are the female hormone estrogen and the male sex hormone testosterone. High levels of estrogen and/or low levels of testosterone result in the development of breasts in men.
Certain exercises have been shown to increase testosterone levels during and after the workout. These exercises, when performed regularly, will thereby help you to lose your man boobs. Increasing testosterone in your body will signal your body to redistribute its fat-deposition, causing less fat to be deposited in the breast areas, and also in the hips, bum and thighs.
Squats
It’s a well-known fact that resistance training (i.e. lifting weights) in general causes increased levels of testosterone and growth hormone during and after the workout. Studies have also shown that weighted squats cause a higher elevation of testosterone than any other exercise.
This testosterone is taken up by receptors all over your body, leading to increased bone density, increase whole-body muscle growth, increased sex-drive, and most importantly – reduced breast fat. I usually get a funny look when I tell a guy that squats are excellent exercises to get rid of man breasts, but the whole-body hormonal changes that result from this massively taxing exercise really can cause a significant reconstruction of your body’s musculature and fat deposition.
It’s important to know that it isn’t just about pulling out as many squats as you can. To maximize the amount of testosterone released, it’s important to lift a heavy weight while squatting, but not so heavy that you can only perform one or two repetitions at a time. There has to be enough time under tension and enough muscle micro-trauma for high levels of testosterone and growth hormone to be released.
Researchers at Penn State University (and a number of other different studies) have found that doing three sets with a 1 minute rest interval between sets causes a higher release of testosterone than if only one or two sets were performed. This is because doing three sets leads to more muscle damage.
With one set you tend to stop the exercise as a result of either cardiovascular failure or a build-up of lactic acid in your legs causing you pain followed by an inability to produce more muscular contractions.
Having rest intervals with multiple sets allows the lactic acid to be cleared and your cardiovascular system to recuperate, so you can continue causing further microtrauma to your leg muscles. It is the microtrauma of your muscle that leads to high testosterone and growth hormone releases, not the pain or the ‘pump’ that results from lactic-acid build-up.
3. Exercises for upper body muscle growth
Growing muscle in the upper body, especially the chest, shoulders and upper back, gives you more of a masculine appearance, making your man boobs less noticeable.
Contrary to popular belief, the latest research shows that a particular muscle can be shaped in different ways depending on different exercise parameters. Doing wide-grip bench presses will work out more of the outer chest, while doing narrow-grip bench presses will work out more of the inner chest. Doing incline presses will focus on the upper chest, while decline presses will focus on the lower chest.
When it comes to reducing the appearance of man boobs, it is important to focus on all sections of the chest, with a special emphasis on the upper portion. It’s quite common to hear that guys with man boobs should avoid working out the lower chest at all costs, but this is not true. Working out the lower chest can greatly improve the appearance of the chest, but it is important to be working out the upper portion of the chest at the same time.
Chest Dips
This is one of my favorite exercises. The dip is like the upper body squat. Being a compound exercise, the dip also causes a significant elevation of testosterone, albeit not as high as with squats.
Chest dips not only exercise the entire chest (with special focus on the outer pecs, helping to give you a wider appearance), but they are also an excellent workout for your arms and back as well.
For optimal muscle gains, it is best to lift a weight that is heavy enough to make you stop after performing a maximum of 8 repetitions, and a minimum of 6 repetitions. If you find your body weight is too heavy, either get someone to assist you or use your legs to assist your arms by placing your legs on the floor while you push yourself up on parallel bars with your arms. If your body weight is too light, you can increase the resistance by wearing a weighted vest, or by doing what I do, which is to wear a backpack with weight plates inside.
Conclusion…
So there you have it. Three different categories of exercises to get rid of man breasts, and one powerful example for each. So what are you waiting for? Get these chest exercises for men in your routine right now so you can benefit from their effects on reduced breast size asap.
To learn more about the best exercises to get rid of man breasts, including dietary and hormonal tactics, I suggest you click the link to visit How To Lose Man Boobs Naturally.
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