We all have parts of our body that we’d like to improve the most. For women, it’s usually their legs, butt or the back of their arms. For men, they’d most often like to get rid of stomach fat or make their biceps bigger.
But there’s one other common “problem area” on a man’s body that tends to bother (and embarrass) them the most. It’s something that guys have been asking me questions about for years.
I’m talking about chest fat… aka man boobs!
The following article will explain exactly what causes this to happen to so many men and (more importantly) how to lose chest fat and get rid of man boobs as fast as you possibly can.
What Causes Man Boobs?
There’s 3 main reasons why a man’s chest looks more like women’s breasts rather than the manly, flat, lean, muscular pecs most men wish they had…
- High Body Fat Percentage:
When the human body gains fat, it stores that fat in a way that is predetermined by your genetics. For certain men, some of their excess body fat is stored as chest fat (blame your parents for that). Not to mention, no matter what kind of genetics a guy has, if you start gaining a lot of fat, your body just starts running out of places to put it and at some point some of it just has to end up on your chest. Just another reason to avoid getting fat in the first place, guys. - Gynecomastia:
This is actually the medical term for “man boobs,” and it’s VERY different than just having some chest fat. Gynecomastia is actually caused by breast tissue, not fatty tissue, as a result of your hormone levels (testosterone and estrogen) being a little out of whack. This is why gynecomastia most often shows up during puberty or older age, which is why guys typically develop their man boobs during their teens or when they are over the age of 50. Gynecomastia is also a common side effect of using steroids (because it screws with hormone levels) and certain diseases and medications. This condition is said to affect over 30% of men, and can be mild (“puffy nipples”) or extreme (full on female-like breasts). - Both:
Yup, sometimes a guy has some degree of gynecomastia (breast tissue) AND a higher body fat percentage (chest fat) that both combine to make this happen.
So guys, now you know what causes this embarrassing problem. Now you need to know how to lose chest fat and finally get rid of your man boobs once and for all.
Before we get to the actual solution, let’s take a look at what DOESN’T work…
Weightlifting May Help, But It Is NOT The Solution
When a guy wants to know how to lose man boobs, his first thought is often that he needs to start working out and doing chest exercises like the bench press (especially the decline bench press for the “lower chest”), dumbbell flyes, push ups, and so on. Why? Because his goal is to get rid of chest fat, and these exercises target the chest. Therefore, a proper weightlifting workout routine will solve everything, right?
WRONG! And there’s 4 BIG reasons why…
- Spot Reduction Is A Myth:
If you think chest exercises will burn your chest fat and get rid of your man boobs… you’d be wrong. The idea that you can target specific areas of fat just by doing exercises that target those areas is a myth known as spot reduction. It’s NOT possible. Exercises train muscles, not the fat covering them. - Changing The Shape Is A Myth:
Then there’s the idea that weightlifting will change the shape of your chest and this will make your “moobs” disappear. Nope, sorry… you can’t change the shape of a muscle. You can either build muscle or lose muscle. That’s it. The shape and/or texture of it can NOT change. - Turning Chest Fat Into Muscle Is A Myth:
Then there’s the idea that you’ll just build more muscle and somehow turn your ugly chest fat into awesome chest muscle. Taaadaaa! Unfortunately, that’s also a big stupid myth. You can NOT magically turn fat into muscle. - More Muscle Reducing Your Man Boobs Is A Myth:
Finally, there’s the idea that you’ll just build more muscle and that will somehow replace, remove, cover, or just reduce the appearance of your man boobs and make it look more like a normal man’s chest. This one is actually part true and part false. Sure, adding some muscle to a flabby chest that is lacking muscle will definitely improve the way it looks. However, the chest fat you are trying to get rid of will always remain ON TOP of whatever muscle you build. So your chest muscles might get bigger and better looking, but your man boobs and chest fat will still be there.
So that’s what DOESN’T work. Now let’s find out what does…
How To REALLY Lose Chest Fat & Get Rid Of Man Boobs
The true solution depends on the true cause of your man boobs. So, depending on what your cause is, here are the solutions…
If You Have Gynecomastia (Breast Tissue)…
The only real option and solution is surgery. No amount of a proper diet or exercise will get rid of breast tissue… only male breast reduction surgery can make that happen. This has actually become an extremely popular type of surgery among men these days, and the results are pretty impressive. I’m not sure if insurance covers it, so it could cost you a few thousand dollars if it doesn’t.
But if you truly have gynecomastia (and not just chest fat… more on that in a second), and it annoys you to the point where you just can’t stand having your man boobs any longer, then it’s definitely something to consider.
If You Have A High Body Fat Percentage (Chest Fat)…
You can’t get rid of gynecomastia with proper diet and exercise, but you most definitely can get rid of chest fat this way.
So if your man boobs are caused by just having too much body fat (and therefore too much fat on your chest), then the solution is simply a matter of just losing fat. Yup, just like anyone else who wants to lose any amount of fat from any part of their body.
Since the human body can only lose fat from itself as a whole in an order that is (again) predetermined by your genetics, you just need to start eating right and working out correctly to cause fat loss to happen. At some point, the fat you are losing will come off from the spot you want it to the most… your chest.
And that’s how to lose chest fat when your problem is strictly a matter of having too much body fat in general. Of course, you probably have a tiny follow-up question…
Which Diet And Workout Is BEST For Getting Rid Of Man Boobs?
Honestly, the other articles I’ve written on this website will show you how to set up your fat loss diet and workout as effectively as possible.
However, if you’d rather just have everything put together for you in the way that is already guaranteed to work as quickly as possible, then I highly recommend The Ultimate Fat Loss & Muscle Building Guide.
This guide contains the entire scientifically proven diet and workout system I’ve used to help countless men build muscle, lose fat and yes… get rid of their man boobs forever. Ready to do the same? Get the details here: The Ultimate Fat Loss & Muscle Building Guide.