Man boobs: How to banish them once and for all

Words by Gavin Newsham.

From swimming to sunbathing, sex to sartorial matters, those men beset by ‘man boobs', or ‘moobs’, suffer in a way that most other men can’t really comprehend.

Yes, while the nicknames might suggest something funny, even trivial, having an enlarged chest can lead to an array of problems for men, from low self-esteem and lack of body confidence to problems forming relationships.

Generally speaking, there are two principal reasons why you might have ‘man boobs’. The first is what’s called ‘gynaecomastia’ where breast tissue in a man’s chest is naturally enlarged, giving the appearance of having breasts. This is usually attributed to a hormone imbalance when oestrogen levels rise and testosterone falls and often requires surgery to correct.

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For many men, however, it will be the result of ‘pseudogynecomastia’ whereby excess body fat, caused by being overweight or obese, simply accumulates around the chest. It’s particularly common among older men when it becomes harder to burn calories and build muscle as new layers of fat build up around the stomach and the chest. If you are unsure as to which form you have, it’s best to see your GP before you commence any kind of treatment or new diet and exercise regime.

In terms of pseudogynecomastia, what you eat and drink is key. It goes without saying that eating too many fatty foodstuffs will have consequences but it will also create an imbalance of the hormone leptin in your system, limiting how much testosterone you produce and, in all likelihood, compounding the problem.

Carbohydrates and sugars should be consumed in moderation and avoid beer if you can as it can also promote the growth of breast tissue.

But as top personal trainer Luke Worthington explains, you can take the battle to your man boobs with the right diet and a tailor-made range of exercises.

“When it comes to exercise selection, it is actually impossible to ‘spot reduce’ body fat through exercise,” says Worthington. “Where we store it first and lose it from last is really a function of genetics but when it comes to preserving the lean muscle in the chest area exercise selection can be very important.”

Worthington suggests a three-pronged approach, the first step being weight loss through and energy deficit or, put simply, consuming fewer calories than you burn off. Try to keep it manageable though. “A 20% reduction should ensure that the plan is sustainable and that you preserve as much of the lean tissue as possible,” he says.

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Next, try some resistance training. While you will be losing weight thanks to the energy deficit, the goal here is lose body fat while preserving the lean muscle beneath it. “Think use it or lose it,” adds Worthington. “If you’re continuing to stress the muscle through regular resistance or strength training then you’ll have more chance of retaining that valuable lean tissue.”

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Finally, it’s essential that you ensure that you take on sufficient protein as it’s easy to fall short of the required amount needed to preserve lean tissue, especially when you’re reducing your calorific intake. How much protein do you need? Well, you should be aiming for between 1.5g and 2g per kilogram of body weight each day which, as an illustration, means 140-180g of protein for a man weighing 90 kilograms (around 14 stones). But it needs careful consideration. After all, just one egg only contains around 7g of protein.

But, as Luke Worthington explains, it’s imperative that you maintain all three elements to maximise your chances of success.

“If we reduce calories too aggressively, or if we don’t maintain our resistance training and hit our protein targets then we can start to use stored proteins – our lean muscle tissue – as fuel either as well as or instead of body fat. So we can lose ‘weight’ but not reduce body fat which can actually make the problem appear worse.”

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Get your best chest: Make your man boobs a thing of the past

To understand what you need to do to reduce your man boobs, you need to know what the muscles in the chest actually do.

First is horizontal flexion, or helping to push the arms in front of you.

Next is adduction, or bringing the arms together in front of you.

Finally, there’s vertical extension, that is pulling the arms down to the waist from an overhead position.

So, make a realistic training program that considers all three of these key actions:

1. Horizontal flexion with a dumbbell bench press

The use of dumbbells allows for a greater range of motion than a barbell and causes greater load to be taken by the chest muscles versus the shoulder.

Perform four sets of 4-6 repetitions.

2. Adduction with a dumbbell

This movement can be stressful to the elbow joint so begin with a lower load and carry out higher repetitions.

Perform three sets of 12-15 repetitions.

3. Horizontal extension with a kettlebell pullover

Kettlebells are usually a more compact and easier to handle object than dumbbells so you can worry less about stabilising the object and more on the muscles you’re trying to work.

Perform three sets of 8-10 repetitions.