Excess fat on chest can certainly make any man look unmanly and hence getting rid of it as quickly as possible is good not only for your health but also for your self-confidence. Your body plays a vital role in your confidence level and having a toned up body can give you the mental support you might need to fight the odds of the daily life to a great extent. Boys below the age of 14 often have extra fat on their chest, and it is nothing unusual. However, as they age, the baby fat is reduced and the testosterone levels in the body is increased, which naturally results into the loss of the excess chest fat. However, if you continue to have excess fat on your chest even after reaching full maturity, either you are overweight or your chest muscles are not properly toned due to lack of exercise.
At times, excess fat on the chest of men can also be genetical and in that case, you can surely improve the condition by ensuring better weight management and proper toning of the chest muscles but you might not get complete rid of it if you have it in your genes. This article will provide you with a detailed guide on how to lose the excess fat from the chest of men.
Diet for losing chest fat in men
When it comes to losing fat, there is nothing as spot reduction and hence you have to focus on overall reduction of fat in your body. To reduce the total fat content, the diet has a vital role to play. Body weight is directly regulated by diet and hence by modulating your diet in the right way you can certainly reduce the total fat content in your body and at the same time get rid of the excess chest fat.
Check the total calorie
When you are trying to lose fat, your first aim should be to get a diet that is less in calorie. If you take less calorie and burn more, you are sure to lose fat quickly. However, taking a diet that is less in calorie does not mean starving yourself. You have to plan your diet in a way so that it fills your hunger but does not supply loads of calorie to the body and the best way to plan such a diet is to include more foods that are high in dietary fibers and water. Dietary fibers will fill your stomach and keep you satiated for long, without adding a lot of calorie to your body. So, include more of green and leafy vegetables to your diet along with fresh fruits that can keep you filled without making you fat.
Restrict your sugar consumption
Sugar in any form is not supportive of weight loss. Even the artificial sugars work as one of the primary reasons to boost more fat storage in the body. So, when you are trying to lose fat for reducing the fat at the chest, restrict your daily consumption of sugar to minimum. This means getting rid of all those sweets, chocolates, pastries, ice creams. If you have a sweet tooth and it feels really difficult to keep all the sweets out of your diet, devour on sweet fresh fruits.
Check the carbohydrate and fat intake
When you are trying to lose fat from your body, having more fat in your diet is certainly not the right way to go. So, get rid of all the saturated fats from your diet. Red meat is a high source of fat and hence keeping it out of your diet can be actually helpful. Also keep the items like butter, cheese and oils to minimum. Change your daily cooking oil for olive oil to reduce the amount of bad fats in your diet. Carbohydrate is also easily converted into fat in the body and hence for losing fat, limiting the total carbohydrate intake in your regular diet is also vital.
Stop alcohol in any form
Alcohol is often one of the primary reasons of fat storage in the body. If you do not stop banking on alcohol for enjoyment, your chance for successfully losing the excess chest fat is really slim. So, if you want to get rid of the chest fat, get rid of alcohol first.
Along with the above diet changes, also include the below mentioned lifestyle changes in your eating habits to get quick fat loss benefits,
Limit eating out
If you take your daily lunch at the restaurant near your office, no matter how healthy a lunch you expect to have, it is one of the unhealthiest things you are doing to yourself. For people who eat frequently at the restaurants, gaining weight is very common. In order to spice up the taste of the foods, the dishes served at restaurants always come laced with high fat, in some form or other. So, it is best to limit eating out when you are trying to lose the chest fat.
Eat at the right time and in the right way
It is not only the diet that has a direct impact on your body weight, but also how you eat it and when you eat it can affect the burning of the food that you consume. Instead of taking 3 big meals, shift to 4-5 short meals a day and never eat to your heart’s content. Do not take any heavy meals after 5pm in the evening. Keep your dinner light and take it around 7pm. Also do never jump to bed in a filled stomach; you should get to the bed only 2-3 hours after having your dinner.
Exercises for losing chest fat in men
The right diet can be most helpful to lose the excess fat from the body, including the chest fat in men. Doing the right exercises while following the right diet is important to get the desired results because exercises helps in toning up the chest muscles giving targeted effects. The exercises that are most effective to lose the chest fat in men include,
Plyo push ups
For losing the male chest fat, plyo push ups can be most effective. It is a variation of push up that increases the intensity of push ups on the chest muscles. To do Plyo Push ups follow the next steps,
- Get into a push up position on the floor by taking your body weight on your hands and feet.
- Lower your body towards the floor maintaining proper balance till you reach 1 inch above the floor.
- Push up your body in a motion and clap your hand in the mid-air before taking them to the right positions again so that you can catch your body at the right height with your hands.
- You should use the momentum for starting with the next repetition
You should start with 5 sets of 6 reps and then increase as you go.
Dumbbell pull over
Another effective exercise for reducing the chest fat in men is dumbbell pull over. This exercise works out your chest and arm muscles including your shoulders and sides. Including this exercise daily in your exercise regimen can help in toning up the chest muscles quickly. Follow the next steps to do dumbbell pullover,
- Lie flat on your back on the flat bench holding a medium or low weight dumbbell above your chest with your hands.
- Now lower the dumbbell back slowly to bring it behind your head and once you reach the maximum position take the dumbbell back to the starting position.
- Make sure you do this slowly, feeling the stretch in your muscles
- Throughout the exercise your elbows should be slightly bent as shown in the picture You need to do at least 3 sets of 10 repetitions to start with. Increasing the weight over time can also give you better results.
Dumbbell bench press
This is one of the classic and most favorite exercises of your favorite Bollywood stars whom you have praised right from your younger days. Follow the next steps to do dumbbell bench press,
- Lie flat on your back on the flat bench holding two dumbbells in two of your hands at the shoulder level
- Now push your hands up to reach the maximum height and as you reach the height push the dumbbells together for a second
- Slowly take the weights back to your shoulder level
- You should do the exercise slowly enough to feel the strain on your muscles
Start with 4 sets of 6 reps and then increase the sets as well as the weights over time.
Cross over push ups
Cross over push up is another effective exercise for losing chest fat in men. To do this exercise you will need an aerobic step or a flat plank that is 2 inches thick and can take your weight without a crack.
- Get to the push up position with your right hand placed on the step and the other hand on the floor
- Do one push up and then quickly change your hands by taking a step to cross the aerobics step and perform the next push up with your left hand on the step, it will complete one step
You need to do at least 3 sets of 10 reps to start with.
Yoga Asanas for losing chest fat in men
Yoga poses can also be effective to lose the excess chest fat in men. These yoga poses particularly help in losing the chest fat through toning the muscles due to the stretching effects. Some of the effective yoga asanas that men can perform for losing excess chest fat include,
Adho mukha savasana or the downward facing dog pose
To do this asana, lie flat on the floor on your stomach placing your palms at the sides of your shoulders. Now slowly step back with your hands while keeping your feet fixed on the floor till you reach the inverted dog pose. You have to make sure that your legs as well as your torso and arms are fully stretched at the final position. Hold it for 30 seconds and then trace back to the starting position.
Dhanurasana or the bow pose
For performing this pose lie flat on the floor on your stomach and then raise your legs bending them from your knees. Raise your torso upwards and backwards and hold your ankles with your hands. Make sure that your legs are away from each other. Hold the pose for 30 seconds at least and then relax.
Natarajasana or the lord of dance pose
Natarajasana is an advanced asana and you should not try doing it without the guidance of a teacher. To do the Natarajasana you have to balance your body weight on one leg and hold the finger of the other leg with your one hand by bending your body backwards. This asana stretches and tones the chest muscles and can be highly effective for men.
