How To Lose Chest Fat: Best Exercises, Diet Tips, And More - Greatist

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Hey, My Eyes Are up Here! How to Lose Chest Fat — Fast

Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, Fitness — Written by Julia Reiss on January 27, 2020

How to lose chest fat naturally
How to personalize your plan
Best exercises
What causes chest fat?
Bottom line

On a quest for perfect pecs? Losing fat from your chest is no easy undertaking, but it’s certainly possible. You just have to be willing to put in the work, eat right, and have a little patience.

Fat burning 101

Losing chest fat is no different from losing fat anywhere else on your body, and there’s no way to lose fat from your chest only — it comes as part and parcel of total-body fat loss. Here’s how fat loss works if you’re gonna perk up those pecs.

You’ve gotta burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat. It’s just math — more specifically the Forbes equation. You can attain a caloric deficit through diet, exercise, or both.

Figure that most of us eat between 1,800 and 3,000 calories a day. You don’t need to do anything drastic. Dropping 500 calories from your daily intake amounts to a total weight loss of 1 pound per week, and those pounds add up fast.

Two months in, you’ll be down nearly 10 pounds. The key is consistency: Making small changes every day always leads to better, longer-lasting results than starving yourself or crash dieting.

Not all caloric deficits are created equal

Even if you’re cutting calories, it’s important to make sure the ones you’re eating are working for you, not against you. It also helps if you actually like what you’re putting in your mouth.

Reducing your intake of carbs and unhealthy fats is typically a good place to start. Cutting back on starchy and greasy foods and replacing them with fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products has been proven to maximize weight loss efforts.

Fresh produce contains water and fiber that help you feel full on minimal calories. Talk about a win-win.

Consider the keto craze

If you want to go all in on low carb, the keto diet can be especially effective. A keto diet is essentially a very low carb diet that limits carbs to 50 grams or fewer per day, with moderate protein and relatively high fat intake.

While it may sound counterintuitive to eat fat in order to lose fat, fats and proteins can satisfy hunger, which means you eat less overall.

The point of the keto diet is to put your body into ketosis, a state in which it burns fat instead of carbs for fuel — but only once it has used up any stored sugar in your liver and muscles.

If you struggle with moderation, it may be best to track your calories. Like most things these days, there’s an app for that — in fact, there are many:

You can try our very own calculator for a quick and easy way to determine your daily caloric needs for weight loss and maintenance.
Lose It! offers an impressive calorie database of over 7 million foods, as well as a tracker for activities and workouts.
MyFitnessPal gives users a food log that counts not only calories but also macronutrients. You can also use it to track your workouts and chat with other users to share experiences and swap recipes.
MyNetDiary may have a smaller food database (800,000 foods), but it’s great for finding support and sharing tips. Plus, it can scan barcodes of packaged foods, so you can keep tabs on calories as you shop.
Noom offers a more personalized approach by determining your individual calorie needs and also features educational information and biometric tracking.

Feel the burn in and outside the gym

You don’t necessarily need fancy equipment to work out your chest, but you do need commitment. While working out won’t banish chest fat all by itself, it can definitely tighten the area.

Here are some exercises to consider if you want to target those pesky pectoral muscles:

Bench press

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You’ll need weights and a bench for this exercise. To prevent injury, start low and work your way up in weight — don’t be a hero. We’ll be using a barbell in this description, but you can also do this exercise with dumbbells.

Lie with your back flat on a workout bench with the bar against your chest. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart. Slowly press the bar up until your arms are straight, but don’t lock your elbows.

As you lower the bar back down, try to keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle. Let the bar brush your body before pressing it back up.

Push-up

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Ah, yes, the good old-fashioned push-up — no weights required and highly effective.

To do a proper push-up, start in plank position with hands under shoulders and feet shoulder-width apart.

Keep arms tight to your body as you lower slowly to the floor. Raise your body back up by pressing into the floor. Repeat, and try to increase the number of reps each time you work out.

Dumbbell pull-over

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For this exercise, you’ll need a set of dumbbells and a bench.

Start lying flat on the bench. Hold the dumbbells straight up, over your chest — the dumbbells should be parallel to the floor. For safety’s sake, keep your thumb firmly wrapped around the bar. No one likes a dumbbell to the head.

Slowly lower the weights over your head toward the floor, but don’t go past your ears. Then, bring them back up to the starting position. Repeat.

Remember: Start with lighter weights and work your way up. There’s no shame in asking someone to spot you, either.

Cable cross

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You can do a cable cross on a machine at the gym or with exercise bands at home. The cable cross pinpoints the area of your chest that’s under your arms (near your armpits).

If you’re using a machine, set the weight to your desired resistance. For tightening and firming purposes, it’s better to do as many reps as you can with a lower weight.

Start with your hips square and back to the machine. Pull the handles towards you until they cross and form an X shape.

Cardio exercises

It’s probably safe to say no one likes cardio, but it’s in your best interest to kiss and make up if you want to slash calories and burn fat. For optimal results, aim for 20 to 40 minutes four times a week.

On the bright side, the world is basically your oyster when it comes to the kind of cardio you choose. Some ideal options include:

biking
elliptical
stair-climber
jumping rope
running at a medium pace (outside or on a treadmill)

Boobs — they’re not just for girls

Men may sometimes find themselves with a little more cushion for the pushin’ in their chest area. Yes, we’re talking about “man boobs.”

In some cases, excess chest fat in men can be the result of low testosterone levels, or gynecomastia, which causes swelling of the breast tissue. It doesn’t affect your health and is totally safe.

Gynecomastia typically affects infants, young men in puberty, and those between the ages of 50 and 80. It’s a fairly common condition too — nearly one-third of men experience it at some point.

Gynecomastia may have nothing to do with diet or exercise. It can be a side effect of many medications, including:

ulcer medications
antidepressants
steroids
antibiotics
cancer treatments
anti-anxiety medications

Excessive consumption of alcohol or other substances (including marijuana, heroin, amphetamines, and methadone) can also cause gynecomastia. So just say no.

This one’s for the ladies

Losing chest fat is a fairly equal-opportunity affair. The same rules apply to men and women looking to slim down up top.

It’s totally doable

While there are no quick fixes, burning chest fat is a perfectly feasible goal, as long as you put in the effort and have realistic expectations.

Remember:

You can’t lose fat in one part of your body alone, but with the right combination of diet and exercise, your best chest is waiting to be discovered.

5 sourcescollapsed

Champagne CM, et al. (2011). Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3225890/
Cuhaci N, et al. (2014). Gynecomastia: Clinical evaluation and management.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3987263
Dulloo AG, et al. (2017). Passive and active roles of fat-free mass in the control of energy intake and body composition regulation. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.256
Masood W, et al. (2019). Ketogenic diet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/
Samra RA. (2010). Chapter 15: Fats and satiety. Fat detection: Taste, texture, and post ingestive effects. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53550/

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Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS, Fitness — Written by Julia Reiss on January 27, 2020

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Fat burning 101

Not all caloric deficits are created equal

Consider the keto craze

Feel the burn in and outside the gym

Bench press

Push-up

Dumbbell pull-over

Cable cross

Cardio exercises

Boobs — they’re not just for girls

This one’s for the ladies

It’s totally doable

Remember:

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