Maybe you haven’t been very active.
Or maybe you’ve had a few hearty, late-night snacks recently. Whatever the reason, now you have to deal with extra fat on your chest. Face it, it’s time to hit the gym and try out these chests exercises!
There might be an underlying reason for excess fat in the chest area, but I’ll get into
that later.
So, the easiest exercise that you can perform at home is push-ups.
They target not only your chest muscles, or pecs, but also triceps and shoulders.
And they’ll firm up your chest area.
But there are many types of push-ups.
You can choose the best ones depending on your overall physical shape and endurance,
or just alternate them for each workout.
1.
Standard push-ups.
Get in a rigid plank position on your toes, with your arms fully extended (shoulders,
elbows, and hands inline) and your feet no more than 12 inches apart.
Now bend your elbows, breathing in, and lower your chest to just a bit below your bent elbows.
Breathe out, pushing back up to the initial position.
That’s 1 rep.
If you’re a fitness beginner, do 3 sets of 10-15 reps and work your way up to 20-25 reps
(we’re gonna use the same number of sets and reps for all types of push-ups).
2.
Wide hands push-ups.
All you have to do here is pretty much the same as the standard.
The only difference is the position of your hands.
Place your hands farther out to each side, wider than shoulder-width.
The bigger the distance between your hands, the more gruelling and effective this exercise
will be.
Choose a distance that’s comfortable for you and slowly work your way out farther.
Hey, when was the last time you did push-ups?
Tell me in the comments below!
3.
Arrow push-ups.
This type especially enhances the pecs.
To perform it, get in a standard push-up position and tuck your elbows in about 45 degrees to
get your body into an arrow shape.
Now continue by doing standard push-ups.
4.
Clap push-ups.
From the push-up position, start lowering your chest.
After your chest gets slightly below your bent elbows, push upward with enough force
for your hands to leave the floor and clap them below your chest.
After the clap, land softly (good luck with that), bending your elbows and going straight
into another one.
After practising this type for some time, you can try to use a more difficult variation.
This time you’ll do the same exercise but clap your hands behind your back.
Don’t forget to warm up your shoulders before doing it.
5.
Chest tap push-ups.
This one requires a good warm-up as well.
From a standard push-up position, lower your body and then explode up in the air to tap
your chest, placing your hands in an X shape.
After that, quickly put your hands on the floor to lower down into the next push-up.
If you want to set your pecs on fire, try to double pat your chest.
6.
Staggered arm push-ups.
Get down in a standard push-up position, but place one hand higher than the other and a
a bit wider than shoulder-width.
Start lowering your torso as close to the ground as you can.
Extend your arms to push upward and reverse your hand position for the next push-up.
Don’t forget to keep your body straight with your head, torso, and hips in line.
7.
Decline push-ups. (that would be my first option: Push-ups?
No thanks, I’ll just watch from here… not really)
For this one, you’ll need a raised surface like a bench, medicine ball, sturdy box, or
(if you’re a first-timer) a curb or step will do.
The higher the surface, the more strenuous the exercise will be.
Now get in a standard push-up position but, place your feet on the elevation you’ve
chosen.
Keep your elbows at 45° and continue, just like with regular push-ups.
Don’t forget about keeping your back and neck aligned the whole time.
Use your glutes and core to help your spine stay straight.
The first three types of push-ups are perfect for beginners.
When you master all of them, you can start doing the rest.
But, of course, push-ups aren’t the only way to rid yourself of chest fat.
Here are some other great gym exercises to speed up fat loss and give you a toned upper
body.
Dumbbell pullovers.
Lay down your torso on the bench with only your shoulders on the surface.
Your hips shouldn’t touch the bench, and your legs should be bent with your feet firmly
on the floor.
Now grasp the dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms fully over your chest.
This is your initial position.
Without bending your arms, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head.
When you feel a stretch in your pecs, bring the dumbbell back to the initial position.
Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.
Incline dumbbell press Lie down on an incline bench set to 45 degrees.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and place your feet firmly on the ground.
Brace your core and lift both dumbbells over your chest, fully extending your arms.
Your arms should be perpendicular to the floor.
The weights should almost touch each other at the top of the movement.
Then lower them back to the top of your chest.
Don’t arch your back or cock your wrists backwards while holding the dumbbells during
the exercise.
Do 3-5 sets of 10 reps.
Incline barbell bench press Load the bar to an appropriate weight before
starting.
Don’t try to lift the maximum you can the first time you try this exercise.
Less is more, so choose the weights that are comfortable for you.
Position yourself on an incline bench set to 45 degrees.
Now grab the bar with your palms facing away from you and remove it from the rack.
Lift the weights above your chest with extended arms, and then lower them slowly to chest
level.
Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.
Chest fly Lie down on the ground and bend your knees,
keeping your feet flat on the floor.
Now take two small dumbbells and lift them straight over your chest.
Then slightly bend your elbows and open your arms wide, out to the side.
After that, bring the dumbbells back together at the top, squeezing your chest.
This exercise can also be done on a weight bench, which will allow you to go down just
another inch or two for a greater challenge.
Do 3-5 sets of 10-15 reps.
Wall ball shots Stand against the wall at arm’s length holding
a medicine ball in both hands.
Push your hips back, bending your knees, and squat as much as you can.
From this position, come back up while throwing the medicine ball as high as you can against
the wall.
Then catch the ball as you lower for the next squat.
Do this exercise for 60 seconds.
Decline Cable fly.
(Yeah, I’m not going to do that either…ha) For this one, you’ll need a high pulley
machine.
Place the pulleys in the highest position and set the desired resistance.
Standing in the middle of the cable stand, grab the pulleys and set one foot in front
of the other with your knees slightly bent.
Pull your arms down at an angle to meet in front of your body, slightly bending your
elbows.
After that, bring your arms back to the initial position until your upper arms are directly
in line with the sides of your body.
Do 3-5 sets of 10-20 reps.
Dips.
You’ll need two dip bars for this exercise.
Make sure they’re parallel, fixed, and stable.
Grab the bars and jump up.
Balance yourself on extended arms.
Now bend your arms, lowering yourself and slightly leaning your torso forward.
Stop lowering when your shoulders are below your elbows at the bottom.
Then lift your body back up.
While doing this exercise make sure your wrists and forearms are in line with the bars to
prevent any pain or injury.
And while your body moves up and down, keep your forearms vertical.
Do 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.
Doing a workout that consists of all these exercises, plus any type of push-ups 3 times
a week will make a noticeable difference.
However, keep in mind that you can’t just get rid of the fat in your chest without dropping
fat from the rest of your body.
So, to blast fat throughout your body faster and boost your metabolism, you should include
cardio training as well, such as jumping rope, running at a moderate pace, using a stair-stepper
machine, or an elliptical trainer.
Sometimes an enlarged chest on a man has nothing to do with not being active or poor diet choices.
And what you believe to be fat might turn out to be an excessive amount of breast tissue.
This could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance when a man’s body produces too much estrogen.
So before starting the workout, make sure to visit a doc to rule out any health conditions.