The Best Exercises to Reduce Man Boobs

A broad, powerful chest all but defines masculinity, enhancing not only confidence and appearance but overall strength and athleticism. Hormone imbalances may trigger breast development in men, but more times than not, poor diet and lack of physical activity cause it. Improving your diet to reduce fat intake and performing certain chest exercises can turn those soft man breasts into hard pectoral muscles.

A man doing a bench press at the gym. (Image: Ibrakovic/iStock/Getty Images)

Bench Press

A staple of many workout routines, the bench press works your chest, front delts and triceps. It involves lying on a weight bench beneath a racked barbell with your feet positioned flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart for optimum balance. Grip the barbell with your hands at a comfortable width apart, lift the bar off the rack, and lower it to your chest until it touches your pecs.

Push the bar back up until your arms are fully extended. Since it works more than one muscle group, the bench press will reduce man boobs quicker than most other exercises. Performing the same exercise on an inclined bench will target your upper chest and inner pectoral muscles.

Dumbbell Press

Begin this exercise lying on a flat bench, except use two dumbbells instead of one long barbell. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, and press them up until your arms are fully extended. Lower the dumbbells all the way back down with a slow, controlled motion before pushing them back up again.

By using dumbbells, you gain a greater range of motion and more stretch throughout your chest. The supporting muscles in your arms must also fire to keep the individual weights balanced, helping build arm strength as well.

Dumbbell Pullover

Position your body perpendicular to the weight bench so only your shoulders and chest are resting on it, while your knees are bent and your feet are flat on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Hold one dumbbell in both hands, grasping it beneath the inner plate so it hangs lengthwise, and suspend the weight above your chest with your elbows slightly bent.

Lower the dumbbell over your head and behind you until your upper arms are parallel to your chest. Raise the weight back up to the starting position with a controlled movement. The extended range of motion targets your entire chest, but especially your lower pecs.

Bar Dips

Few exercises blast chest muscles as hard as bar dips. Most health clubs have a dip machine, which is basically a sturdy station with two handles suspended above the floor. Position yourself between the two handles, using them to suspend your body in the air. Bend your knees slightly, and cross your ankles behind your back. Slowly lower your body and then push yourself back up. Move in a slow, controlled motion. If you don't have access to a dip machine, use two stable chairs or even the end of a weight bench to simulate the same movement.