Banish Man Boobs

Are you keeping your chest under cover because you have fleshy flab that feels, um, feminine?  Have no fear: Your voluptuous endowment is not a genetic curse that you’re stuck with. In fact, beefing up your pecs while whittling off chest fat is easier than you might think.

The answer is not to simply pummel away at your pecs with grueling chest exercises. While a chest-blasting routine will make you stronger, it won’t do a thing to decrease the fat that is at the heart of the problem.

The secret to a more sculpted physique is to combine chest-building weight moves with fat-burning cardio. The pec-strengtheners will firm up flabby muscles. The cardio will help you skim the excess fat that surrounds them. You can choose any kind of cardio; it does not have to involve arm movement. Cardio exercise burns fat from all over the body, including your chest and torso.

For fast results, cut calories in your diet by focusing on nutritious, portion-controlled meals. (And lay off the booze and sweetened beverages.) And for even faster results, throw in additional minutes of cardio into your week. In as few as six weeks, you can be flexing a brand new chest!

How to do it:

Choose a weight that is heavy enough to challenge your target muscles, but not so heavy that your joints feel strained. Start with dumbbells that are at least 5 to 10 pounds and gradually work up to using 10 to 25 pounds, depending on the exercise.Perform one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Do this workout two to three times a week, with a rest day in between.

What you need: weights, a stability ball and cardio equipment if you have access to it.

Ball One-Arm Chest Press

Start: Sit on top of a stability ball holding a weight in each hand. Walk your feet forward on the floor and simultaneously slide back to lie on the ball. Keep shuffling your feet until your head, neck and shoulders are positioned securely on the ball. Squeeze your butt and raise your hips to shoulder level so that your body forms a stable bridge from head to knees. Bend your elbows out to the sides, dropping them along the sides of the ball, palms facing each other.

Brace your torso by tightening your abs slightly and push your right arm straight up until it is fully extended, but not locked out. Keep the palms facing inwards. Lower your hand back to your shoulder and repeat, alternating arms. Safety Tip: Punch the weight above your chest, not your head.

Click on workout link above for additional chest exercises.

MSN Fitness

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