For many men, this is their worst nightmare. Man-boobs (or moobs for short) are surprisingly common, with a review from the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine stating that 50% of men in the US have them. Don’t panic though, if you have them, or fear that you might be developing them, there are a few things you can do straightaway to get rid of them.
Why do men get moobs?
There are a couple of reasons why men develop man-boobs. The first is simply being overweight, and fatty tissue being stored over the pectoral muscles. The second is due to a medical condition known as gynecomastia, in which the body produces an increased amount of estrogen and a reduced amount of testosterone.
Often caused by taking certain medications that affect the body’s hormonal levels, this type of man-boobs are best discussed with your doctor.
Exercises that reduce man-boobs
So, you’ve got a little extra fat on your chest and you don’t want that anymore. That can be fixed. Unfortunately, there’s no way to spot-reduce fat deposits in specific areas of the body. That would make life much easier. So the only way to reduce the appearance of man boobs is to work on reducing overall body fat, while increasing the size of your chest muscles to compensate.
The best way to do this is with a combination of cardio and weight training, all the while cutting back on your calories.
1. Cardio that gets rid of man-boobs
In order to burn fat you’ll need to create a caloric deficit. In other words, you burn more calories than you eat throughout the day. Cardio is the way to do that, and depending on your fitness levels there are several different options for you.
Steady-state cardio
This is a simple as performing an activity that raises your heart rate for a period of time. It can be any type of exercise from running to riding to swimming; so long as your heart rate is at 60% to 70% of your max heart rate (Max Heart Rate = 220 – your age).
Tip: Consider equipment like the rowing machines and the cross trainers for your cardio workout as both engage the upper body as well as the legs, and can help add some definition while burning calories.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT has a few advantages over steady state cardio:
- Kick starts your metabolism
- Burns a lot of calories
- Burns calories even after your workout
- Can take as little as 20 minutes
However, it’s called high intensity for a reason. If this is your first time working out in a while/ever, the intensity of a HIIT workout might be enough to make you never want to workout again.
Tip: Structure your HIIT sessions around the 1:3 ratio. For example, 30 seconds of hard work followed by 90 seconds of light work/rest. Repeat about 8 to 15 times.
2. Weight training that gets rid of man-boobs
Weight training not only helps you to build muscle, but will burn calories at the same time. And while it often doesn’t burns as many calories as cardio at the time, weight training increases your metabolism so that you’re burning more calories and reducing fat throughout your day (and even in your sleep).
Working your chest muscles will add some more definition to your chest, reducing the appearance of man boobs much quicker than just performing cardio alone.
Seated chest press, cable crossovers, bench press, incline flyes, even simple push ups work your chest muscles and can help reduce the appearance of man-boobs in time.
Defeat the dreaded man-boobs!
Don’t let man boobs scare you. With a little work and effort, you could see them disappear before your very eyes. And if you’re starting to notice signs of man-boobs developing, take action now to stop those moobs in their tracks.
If you would still like some extra help achieving this or anything else, why not get in touch with one of our fabulous gay personal trainers. They can design you a training and nutrition program to suit your individual needs.
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