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Hi Raphael,
Thanks so much for all your articles and tips! I’m a 29-year-old male, and I have a problem with unsightly body fat on my chest. I can’t even wear t-shirts because of this issue. I recently joined a gym and have been going for one month.
I’d like to get your tips about which equipment I have to use to reduce my chest fat. My body weight was 176.3 pounds when I joined the gym and it’s now 175.2. I’m performing regular exercises in the gym such as the treadmill, cycling machine and the stair-climber machine. Thanks for your valuable tips. — Raja T.
Raja,
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my articles and tips.
There are several things you’ll need to do in order to reduce your troubled chest area.
I don’t know your height, but I suspect you need to lose overall body fat. In other words, it’s not possible to lose in only one area of the body such as the chest, so you have to focus on total body fat reduction. As your scale weight and body fat reduces, you’ll begin to see your chest look much tighter.
You didn’t mention anything about strength training with weights. Adding a strength-training program will make your chest tighter and much more in line with the way you wish it to appear. Simply performing cardiovascular exercise is not enough.
I’m providing a workout for you. Make sure to work your entire body with weights on three non-consecutive days per week (for example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Select one exercise for each muscle group (aside from chest) and perform three sets of 10 challenging repetitions on each set.
I’m providing the chest exercises and descriptions, and then I list the other muscle groups with exercises that I want you to perform. Please ask a trainer at your gym how to perform the non-chest exercises listed. Follow this exercise order:
1. Dumbbell Chest Press (works entire chest area)
Start
• Lie on a flat bench with your spine in a neutral position. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest level with your upper arm parallel to the floor and your elbows facing outward.
Movement
• Contracting the chest muscles, press both arms upward above the chest until the arms are almost fully extended with a slight bend in the elbows. Slowly return to the starting position.
Key Points
• Exhale while lifting the weights. Inhale while returning to the starting position. Do not attempt to lower below parallel because it places undue stress on the shoulders. Do not use momentum — make sure to contract the chest muscles when lifting.
2. Dumbbell Incline Chest Press (focus is on upper chest area)
Start
• Lie on your back on an incline bench with your spine in a neutral position. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at chest level with your elbows at a 90-degree angle facing outward and palms facing forward.
Movement
• Contracting the chest muscles, press both arms upward above the upper chest area until the arms are fully extended with a slight bend in the elbows. Slowly return to the starting position.
Key Points
• Exhale while lifting the weight. Inhale while returning to the starting position. Do not lower past parallel because it can place excessive stress on the shoulders. Do not use momentum.
3. Machine row for back
4. Dumbbell shoulder press
5. Dumbbell curls for biceps
6. Triceps pressdown
7. Leg press
8. Ab crunches
Continue your cardiovascular workouts, but try to increase the intensity just a bit more so you’re building a good sweat. Also, perform the strength training exercises before the cardio sessions.
The above workout along with a balanced nutrition program will not only solve your chest issue but also give you a leaner and tighter body.
You’ll need to be patient and it may take several months to really see changes, but you will see them. Best of luck, Raja, and be prepared to buy some t-shirts in the coming months!
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