Side Boob Fat? 5 Best Exercises to Get Rid of It

Hate your side boob fat and want to get rid of it? We all have those stubborn and troublesome parts on our bodies that can seem impossible to lose.

The crazy thing is even if you do lose weight that doesn’t mean you’re going to lose the stubborn fat under your armpit. It’s frustrating that you can be fit pretty much everywhere else but your side boob fat doesn’t seem to want to go away…

I had one lady tell me she was jealous of women who could run in tank tops without their arm rubbing against their side boob fat and chaffing. She even told me she was afraid to cut her hair shorter because then there wouldn’t be anything to hide her side boob fat.

This dreaded side boob fat is actually quite common. If you’ve had trouble losing this side breast fat then you’re going to have to try a different approach.

Here I’m going to show you what’s causing it, why you aren’t able to lose it, how to make it disappear, and the best exercises to lose the side boob fat fast.

Side Boob Fat Causes

side chest fat

If you’re plagued with this fat under your armpit then you have your genetics to partially thank.1 This side boob fat is known technically as the axillary tail of the spence, which is a fancy name for auxiliary breast tissue.2

Your genetics are most likely wired to store excess fat in this side chest area, which is going to make it a lot more difficult to lose it. But don’t worry too much as long as you follow my plan below you’ll be able to get results.

Despite genetics, the big cause of having too much body fat. The problem with most people who try to get rid of this armpit fat is they just try to lose weight.

But when most lose weight they’re losing a lot of muscle too which could lead to a higher body fat.3 To tone and tighten the side breast fat area you’re going to have to improve your body composition.

Tone up this stubborn area will require lean muscle on your body. Just “losing weight” is rarely going to be the answer since you could still be skinny fat.4 The trick is also lower your body fat by burning fat and building muscle.

Most women have an average of 25-32% body fat. If you want to lose your side boob fat I’d try getting it at least below 25%.5 This will increase the leanness of your body making it easier to tone and slim down the side breast fat.

So even if your genetics might not be favorable for getting rid of this armpits fat it doesn’t mean you’re doomed for the rest of your life. For getting results your diet, exercise, hormones, and lifestyle all play a much bigger role.

Why Spot Reducing “Doesn’t Work”

spot reduction doesn't work

You’ve might have already heard by now that spot reduction doesn’t work very well.6 Spot reduction is the theory that doing certain exercises for stubborn body parts will result in losing fat from that particular area.

But this has been proven to not be effective for losing fat from stubborn areas like love handles, belly fat, and flabby arms. This is largely because you still have too much overall fat on your body.

If the fat that is in your armpit and spills out to the side of your bra then it’s stubborn chest fat. But if it’s breast tissue fat then it’ll be a good idea to also try finding a better fitting bra.

So if you just lost weight but didn’t lower your body fat you would end up skinny fat with a flabby and saggy body. You can see why toning and tightening your body by improving your body composition is key for getting results.

This is why most people fail when they’re trying to get rid of these troublesome areas on the body. The real and only way to drop the fat at armpit is to lower your body fat.

And then the trick is to also add in targeted exercises that help to tone up the side breast area.

Muscle takes up much less volume than fat so you’ll be leaner and tighter without worrying about bulking up since you’re also lowering your body fat and losing excess weight.

How to Get Rid of the Side Boob Fat

get rid of side boob fat

So now that you know just “losing weight” isn’t the answer it’s time to get into direct tactics. If you’re really overweight then you’re going to have to lose this excess weight.

Using the simple plan here you’ll not only drop pounds but also lower your body fat. Then as you burn off body fat add in targeted exercises to tone up the side boob area.

But if you don’t have much weight to lose (10-15 pounds) then you might not see a huge fluctuation on the scale.7 This is because as you lose body fat you’re also replacing it with some muscle.

Muscle weighs something too so it could easily throw off the scale and make your weight look deceiving. I’ve seen far too many people become discouraged at their “lack” of results due to the deceiving scale.

A far more accurate way to track your progress is to measure your body fat, inches, and how your clothes fit. Also taking before and after pictures will give you a more accurate view of your progress.8

The only thing is it’s hard to measure your body fat percentage accurately. A trainer at a local gym can measure it for you and some smart home scales can also measure your body fat.

Now here are some tips to lose excess weight and lower your body fat…

Reduce Calories

In order to lose weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake. When you consume fewer calories than your body needs, your body will start burning stored fat for energy, causing you to lose weight.9

Diet is more important than exercise for weight loss because the number of calories you eat matters more than the number of calories you burn.

Exercise is an important part of weight loss, but if you’re eating more calories than you’re burning, you won’t lose weight no matter how much you work out. The good news is that dieting doesn’t have to be restrictive or boring — there are plenty of healthy foods that can help you lose weight without depriving yourself.

For women, try cutting your daily calories to 1200. This will put you in a calorie deficit which will promote excess weight loss. This number can be adjusted depending on the person but it’s a good starting point.

Eat a High Protein, Low Carb Diet

Fat loss through dieting is best achieved by eating a high protein, low carb diet.10

When you restrict carbs, your body starts burning stored fat for energy. When you eat sugars, carbs, and starches you’ll have an insulin spike. This insulin promotes the storage of the food you just ate into body fat.11

So unless you’re burning the carbs off right away it’s best to restrict them in your diet to 50 grams per day.

Protein takes more energy to digest than carbs or fat, so you end up burning more calories overall when you eat protein-rich foods.12 Your body will also need protein to build muscle for tightening up your side breast area.13

A high protein diet is more satisfying and helps you feel fuller longer, which can help reduce overall calorie intake. Try to get at least 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily.

If you have trouble meeting this daily protein requirement try taking a low-carb protein shake.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is not a diet, per se, but rather a pattern of eating alternating between periods of eating and not eating. The most common approach is to fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8-hour window.

Intermittent fasting helps to regulate insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body to store fat, so by keeping insulin levels in check, intermittent fasting can help promote fat loss.14

With intermittent fasting, your body will be forced to burn through its glycogen stores, which encourages the body to start burning fat for energy. Working out while fasting (even just walking) is a great way to speed up your results and burn even more fat.

Eat Low Inflammatory Foods

Inflammation is a normal immune response that helps protect the body from infection and injury. However, when inflammation persists, it can lead to a variety of health problems, including weight gain.15

When the body is in a state of chronic inflammation, fat cells are more likely to become inflamed and to resist insulin. As a result, the body is less able to process sugars and fats, leading to weight gain.16

Additionally, chronic inflammation can alter hormones and increase stress levels, both of which can contribute to weight gain.17 By eating low inflammatory foods, you can help to reduce the amount of inflammation in your body and promote fat loss.

Low inflammatory foods include lean meats, vegetables, good fats such as omega-3 fatty acids, and low sugar fruits like berries. These foods help to reduce inflammation by decreasing cell damage and by helping to regulate the immune system.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease the size of fat cells and increase their sensitivity to insulin. They lower inflammation, increase fatty acid oxidation, and thermogenesis leading to weight and fat loss.18

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5 Best Side Boob Fat Exercises

Now that you know the best dieting strategies to quickly lose excess and burn body fat… it’s time to get into the best exercises to target the side boob fat.

Doing these exercises alone will only work to tighten and tone the side breast area if you’re already thin and have low body fat. But as you make progress by losing weight and body fat you’ll be able to get rid of the side breast fat by using these targeted exercises.

Wide Pushups

wide grip pushups

A wide grip pushup is a great way to work your chest and triceps.

  1. Start by lying on your stomach with your palms flat on the ground slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Your feet should be together, and you should keep your back flat as you push yourself up and extend your arms.
  3. Hold for a moment before lowering yourself back down to the starting position. Repeat for desired number of reps.
  4. An easier modification is to do this exercise from your knees.

Dumbbell Flyes

dumbbell chest flyes

To do a dumbbell pullover, you will need a a stability ball (or a weight bench) and two dumbbells.

  1. Sit on the ball with your feet flat on the ground. The roll onto your back so your upper back is now resting on the ball.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended straight above your head. Bend your elbows and lower the weights down to the side of your body.
  3. Keep your back pressed against the ball, hips high, and your arms extended straight as you lower the weights. Pause for a moment before lifting the weights back to the starting position.

Dumbbell Pullovers

dumbbell pullovers

To do a dumbbell pullover on a ball, you will need a stability ball and two dumbbells.

  1. Position the ball so that it is underneath your upper back.
  2. Lie down on your back with your head and shoulders off of the ball, and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended straight over your chest.
  3. With a slight bend in your elbows, lower the dumbbells down back behind your head.
  4. Then, raise the weights back up over your chest and extend your arms straight overhead. Repeat for 12-15 reps.

Dumbbell Press to Fly

dumbbell chest press to fly

Mountain Scaler Push-ups

mountain scalers

Workout Plan for Side Boob Fat

So now that you know the best exercises for armpit fat you’ll need to know how to put it together in a workout plan.

The trick is going to be to combine HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) with these above-targeted exercises. HIIT workouts will burn the most fat while also building muscle.

You can do HIIT workouts anywhere with minimal equipment. These style of workouts involve short periods of intense exercise followed by rest. HIIT workouts are also much faster than normal workouts and can be done in under 30 minutes.

Below is just a sample workout plan you can use that implements both HIIT and targeted exercises. It’s the best strategy for burning lots of fat, building muscle, and toning up the chest area.

  1. Jump Rope x30 seconds
  2. Mountain Climbers x30 seconds
  3. Dumbbell Flyes x30 seconds
  4. Wide Pushups x15
  5. Jumping Jacks x30
  6. Burpees x10
  7. Dumbbell Press to Fly x12
  8. Band Side Pull-Downs x10/side
  9. Stair Runs x30 seconds
  10. Dumbbell Pullovers x20

5x Total

Then after completing a HIIT + targeted exercise workout you can follow it up with cardio. Your body will have burned off glycogen (stored carbs) during the workout and is now burning more fat stores for fuel.

I like to do at least 20 minutes of Zone 2 cardio (65%-75% max heart rate). You can go for a brisk walk, jog, ride a bike, swim, use an elliptical, climb up stairs, walk around a hilly park, etc.

FAQ

How do you get rid of side chest fat?

Most make the mistake of just trying to lose weight to get rid of it. Now, this can help but it’s hardly ever the solution. You’ll need to lower your body fat throughout your entire body while adding in targeted exercises to help tone up the area including back fat.

Conclusion

We all have those troublesome parts on our bodies that stubbornly refuse to go away. This side chest fat is more common than most think and even men with man boobs can suffer from it. I know we’re all supposed to love every part of yourself but there’s also nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself too.

Unfortunately, most go about getting rid of these stubborn fat spots the wrong way. This is why few ever get results or it’ll take them a crazy amount of time to do it. But by lowering your body fat while tightening up the area with targeted exercises you’ll slim down this side boob fat once and for all.

At the end of the day, there’s no magic pill that’s going to do the work for you. The more consistent and committed you are to following a plan for getting rid of them the sooner you’ll get the results you want. Most toss in the towel far too soon and never end up getting rid of them.

Doing these side boob fat exercises will also help to tighten your breasts and prevent sagging due to weight loss. Most women’s breasts start to sag in their mid 30s to 40s as they enter pre-menopause when their collagen levels drop. But taking a collagen peptides supplement can help to firm up this sagging skin too.

Hopefully, now that you know what works for getting rid of this stubborn side boob fat you’ll be able to follow the plan till completion. Trust the process and keep following the plan to get the results you’re looking for.