How to Get Rid of Man Boobs
Trying to get rid of man boobs? “Man boobs” aren’t just a funny phrase from sitcoms. If you don’t have them, sure they’re funny. But if you do, it’s likely an upsetting condition you must address. There are a few different reasons why men develop excessive breast fat. No matter why you have this problem, you’re not stuck with your man boobs. There’s plenty you can do about it!
Genetics or Environment?
This question has been used in many a different study scenario, but here we need to look at the causes of the condition. The first cause can be 100% genetic, which is a condition called gynecomastia. The term comes from the Greek words meaning woman and breast. Gynecomastia results in breast enlargement, which occurs physiologically.
There are a few different causes of the condition. Female hormones cause male neonates to react and enlarge the mammary glands. This can occur not only in adolescence but also in the elderly. It is abnormal and often linked to disease or metabolic disorder. In the case of an adolescent boy, once he hits puberty, he will see the breasts shrink and flatten out. This may not be the case if the root cause is being overweight.
Many younger men have taken their time off to hit the gym, develop those pectoral muscles and look like Greek gods by the time they hit early 20’s or so. This takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The right diet, sleep and exercise are all required. Hopefully, the results were achieved 100% naturally, without the use of anabolic steroids, which can cause many different health issues.
Lack of Dedication
So, your 20’s have come and gone. Life has caught up and gotten in the way. The hours spent at the gym have turned into long hours at work, bringing home the bacon and in some cases eating it as well. You may have turned in your protein shake for a McMuffin and the supplements you took by the handful have become Cheetos.
If you do not maintain the same dedication you used to achieve the earlier results the unfortunate result will be loss of muscle mass, gaining fat, loose skin and yes – man boobs as well. Hey, it’s not your fault that time moved on, but you can do something about it.
What to Do
Unfortunately, the metabolism that kept these man boobs away in adolescence has now slowed a bit for those in their 30’s and above. The unfortunate side effect has been making itself known visually.
The first step is a change in diet and eating habits. Meat and potatoes go by the wayside if you want to flatten out that chest. Unfortunately, there really isn’t any specific exercise you can do to target them, just reduce them by overall fat loss.
Surgery however, is a whole other topic and these days more and more men have turned to liposuction as a quick fix. The problem with a quick fix is that it never seems to be the final cure. Take the time to get into shape and be healthy. At this point reintroducing cardio into your routine is going to be the best way to begin battling the man boobs.
Hitting the Gym
Say hello to your old friend GYM. I am sure he has missed you, just perhaps not as much as you missed him. There is no need to get all crazy in a hard-core program at this point. You have reintroduced cardio into your life. You choose to walk down the street to the gym versus driving there, for example. Anytime we can incorporate walking into our day, the better.
You may have the sudden urge to grunt and start lifting the heaviest thing you see. The reality is a few easy exercises are going to give you great results with much less effort. Find the incline bench and do some reps with the weights. This bench focuses solely on your upper body and chest. For the best results in building muscle around your chest is to do fewer reps with heavier weights. Understand that these exercises can’t do much for you if you don’t lose the body fat accumulating on your chest as well.
So, your first goal is to slim down a bit and then focus on muscle building. Do more reps with lighter weights. Use focus and concentration rather than brute force. A nice strong rep is better than five sloppy ones. Don’t forget to work on the other areas of your body that affect your man boobs. You should work on your lower chest, shoulders and upper back. Keeping these areas a little tighter will improve your overall profile and help give you that manly flat chest you remember from your 20′s.
Bench press with Dumbells