10 Best Exercises for Man Boobs That Actually Work

Feel stuck with man boobs no matter how much weight you lose? These targeted exercises will help you build a firmer chest, boost confidence, and feel good in your own skin.

Stubborn “man boob” fat can crush your confidence and make it feel like you haven’t made any progress at all. You could have lost 100 pounds through hard work and dieting, but the puffy chest fat that remains can be demoralizing.

When the man boobs just won’t go away… they seem so noticeable through your shirts and can make you feel self-conscious even as the rest of your body shrinks. Looking in the mirror and that sinking feeling of the frustration of putting in all the hard work, but not seeing the results where you want them the most. It’s like this is the one part of your body that’s stuck.

But you’re not stuck, you just need a smarter approach. This guide will walk you through the 10 best exercises to get rid of man boobs that will strengthen your chest, rev up fat burning, and tighten and tone where it matters the most. These exercises are beginner friendly, science-backed, and can be done at home.

So let’s get started with getting rid of those man boobs today…

Will Man Boobs Ever Go Away? Here’s How to Make It Happen

Man boobs (“moobs”) is known medically as gynecomastia and is basically a chest enlargement due to excess fat. But it can be reversed with fat loss and building muscle mass in the area with targeted exercise.

Some causes that may contribute include:

• Hormonal Imbalances – Higher estrogen and/or lower testosterone can influence fat storage patterns in men
• Excess Body fat – Higher body fat percentages often lead to more fat stored around the chest area
• Certain Medications – Some medications such as steroids, anti-androgens, and certain antidepressants, have been associated with changes in hormonal levels.
• Substance Use – Alcohol, marijuana, and anabolic steroids have also been linked to hormonal shifts and increased fat storage

Fat distribution patterns based on your genetics could also influence man boobs. Everyone stores fat differently due to genetics.¹ Some men naturally hold more excess fat in their lower belly and love handles.

But just because you may have genetics that can promote man boobs doesn’t mean you can’t get rid of them. Focusing on overall fat loss and weight training with targeted chest-building exercises will tone and tighten while reshaping the area.

For many, stubborn fat areas are often the last to go, but they do shrink consistently when using the right approach and exercises. So some patience may be required, but that doesn’t mean you can start getting fast results too.

If you’re already a leaner person who works out but still has stubborn fat in the chest area, check out my best exercises for chest fat.

How These Exercises Will Finally Lose the Man Boobs

While targeting your chest area is essential to tighten the area, you also need to burn overall body fat. Spot reduction isn’t very effective unless you’re also losing total body fat. And then can you use targeted exercises to get rid of the man boobs.

Your chest area will begin to look tighter and more defined as you strengthen and build up your pectoral muscles with these targeted exercises. At the same time, by reducing your total body fat, you’ll be able to shrink the fat layer covering your chest, revealing the toned muscle underneath.

The exercises below target your chest muscles to increase muscle mass. They also trigger a higher calorie burn and boost fat-burning hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. Together, this approach replaces loose flab with muscle, tightening and toning up the chest area fast.

Now let’s get into the 10 best exercises for man boobs…

Mountain Climber Push-ups

Combining mountain climbers with push-ups is a full body fat burner that uses intensity and full body movement with high chest muscle activation. The push-ups will directly strengthen your pectoral muscles and build up the muscle to improve the shape of your chest. And the mountain climbers will cause a higher calorie burn, combining the two gives you the best of both worlds.

1. Start off in the push-up position with your hands under your shoulders, your body in a straight line, and your abs tight (like someone is going to punch you in the stomach).
2. Do 4 mountain climbers by driving one knee towards your chest and quickly alternating to the other leg for four reps total (Right-left, right-left).
3. Then, lower yourself into a push-up. Keep your elbows slightly tucked in towards your body at about a 45-degree angle, and lower your chest until it’s just above the floor.
4. Push yourself back up into the top starting position plank and squeeze your chest muscles at the top.
5. Repeat and keep up the pace for a high cardio and chest burn. Be sure to stay in a controlled motion when doing the push-up for maximum muscle tension.

Divebomber Push-ups

Divebomber push-ups create intense activation of the chest and shoulders through a full range of motion. This stretching and squeezing of your pectoral muscles under tension will stimulate your pecs harder than just doing standard push-ups. Divebomber push-ups are a lot harder and take longer per rep, so they’ll have more time under tension than traditional push-ups. This also creates a higher calorie burn.

1. Start off in the pike position with your hands and feet on the ground, but your hips should be raised up high like an inverted V or like you’re doing a downward dog stretch.
2. Lower your head as you scoop your chest low to the ground, moving forward and down like you’re diving under a bar. Be sure to move slow and controlled, especially in the diving part, to maximize mechanical tension in the chest. Keep your elbows tight as you lower to engage the chest more.
3. Then finish in an upward-facing dog or cobra position with your hips dropped and your chest up, your lower back arched, and your arms straight. Really try to squeeze your chest in this position for peak muscle contraction.
4. Reverse the movement by pushing your hips back up and return to the pike position.

Spiderman Push-ups

The Spider-Man push-up directly targets your pecs, shoulders, and triceps, helping to build muscle under the fat. The spider movement of bringing your elbow to your knee forces your core to work harder, which then increases total body tension and calorie burn. Burning calories and fat and replacing it with muscle in your chest is the key to getting rid of man boobs.

1. Start in the push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, your body in a straight line, and your abs tight.
2. Slowly lower yourself into a push-up, bringing your right knee towards your right elbow on your way down. Keep your foot off the ground as best you can and aim for a smooth, controlled motion.
3. At the bottom, go low enough with each push-up to fully stretch your chest muscles and increase mechanical tension. This promotes growth and fat burning.
4. Then, push yourself back up into the starting position in a slow motion, and at the top squeeze your chest muscles to maximize the contraction.
5. Repeat on the other side by alternating the knee with each repetition.

Dumbbell Chest Press to Fly

The dumbbell chest press to fly maximizes muscle activation, as the pressing movement builds strength in your chest. And the fly-style lowering phase stretches your pecs very deeply, placing extra tension on the chest muscle. This enhances stretch under load, promoting faster muscle growth and helping to replace flabbiness in the chest.

1. Set up an adjustable bench at a 45-degree angle, grab a pair of dumbbells, and lay back on the bench. Arch out your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades back together and into the pad.
2. Place the dumbbells directly overhead with your palms facing each other and your arms straight over your shoulders. Squeeze your pectoral muscles at the top to maximize muscle contraction.
3. Then, in a wide sweeping movement, slowly lower the dumbbells out in a reverse flying motion. Try to get your elbows low at the bottom to fully stretch out your chest before bringing them back in and repeating the pressing movement.

You can check out my other 13 best dumbbell chest exercises for more exercises that target your pectoral muscles using only dumbbells.

Plank to Push-ups

The plank to push-ups exercise activates your pectoral muscles, building them to firm up and make them tighter. Moving between a plank and a push-up position makes this exercise a dynamic, higher-calorie-burning exercise than simply just holding still.

1. Start in a standard push-up position with your hands under or slightly wider than your shoulders, your body in a straight line and your abs tight.
2. Lower down to a plank position by dropping one elbow at a time to the floor. Be sure to go slow and controlled during this transition to maximize mechanical tension in your chest and triceps.
3. Then, push yourself back up into the push-up position by pressing up one arm at a time.
4. Do one full push-up by lowering your chest to just above the floor and then pushing yourself back up. This is where you’ll maximize chest activation so squeeze your chest at the top to maximize muscle contraction and activation in your chest.
5. Repeat by continuing to alternate the leading arm in each rep to make sure it stays balanced. Try to keep your hips steady throughout the movement to minimize swaying.

Atomic Push-ups

Atomic push-ups are a push-up that’s immediately followed by a squat thrust, just like a burpee, but without the jump up. This is excellent for a guy trying to lose man boobs because they blast fat, build upper body muscle in the chest, and boost the metabolism.

1. Start off in the push-up position with your hands under your shoulders, your body in a straight line, and your abs tight.
2. Slowly lower yourself down to perform a push-up. Keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle towards your body.
3. Briefly pause at the bottom and feel a stretch in your chest before pushing yourself back up into the starting position by extending your arms. Squeeze your pectoral muscles here at the top to maximize muscle contraction.
4. Then immediately do a squat thrust by quickly jumping both feet up forward towards your hands. Keep your hips low during the thrust, and don’t let them pop up too high.
5. Quickly kick your feet back out to return to the push-up position. This is one repetition. Repeat for the desired amount of reps.

Dips

Chest tips heavily target the lower and outer parts of the pecs. This is exactly where fat tends to build up with man boobs. This helps build a denser, firmer chest to lift up the chest, making it look flatter and tighter.

I’m using Lebert Equalizers to do this exercise, but you can also use dip bars at the gym or sturdy chairs at home. Be careful if using chairs, and make sure they’re stable and won’t collapse.

1. Set up the Lebert Equalizers bars about shoulder width apart and make sure they’re stable on the ground.
2. Lift the bars in the middle and lift yourself up with your arms fully extended. Slightly bend your legs behind you, and you can cross your ankles.
3. Lean your torso forward to shift emphasis from your triceps to your chest muscles, especially the lower pecs.
4. Lower your body slowly down (2-3 seconds) until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor. Go deep, but don’t overextend at the bottom. Feel a deep stretch in your pectoral muscles.
5. Push yourself back up by pressing through your palms. At the top, squeeze your chest to enhance muscle contraction. And keep your torso leaning forward.

Band Flyes

This standing resistance band fly is a fantastic exercise because it specifically isolates your chest muscles, especially the inner and middle chest. The resistance band provides constant tension throughout the entire range of motion and intensifies when your hands meet, resulting in higher muscle activation. This helps to promote better chest muscle growth and firmness while also staying low-impact and joint-friendly.

1. Attach the resistance bands by anchoring them behind you to a secure anchor about chest height, such as a door or a pole.
2. Hold one handle in each hand and step forward to create tension in the band.
3. Stand in a staggered stance by placing one foot in front of the other. Press the bands forward in front of you so your palms face each other, and slightly bend your elbows.
4. Bring the bands back in a wide circular motion, keeping your chest out, and your shoulder blades back squeezed together. Bring them back until you feel a stretch in your chest.
5. Then, bring your arms back forward together in the same circular motion as you’re hugging a tree. Squeeze your pectoral muscles together to maximize the contraction in your chest.

Band Punches

With every resistance band punch, you’re training your pecs, creating constant tension in the muscle the whole time. Punching fast against resistance raises your heart rate quickly, this combines cardio and strength training exercise in one. This creates a higher calorie burn, so you’ll have faster full body fat loss, which is much needed if you’re trying to lose man boobs.

1. Anchor the resistance band behind you at about chest height. Hold one handle in each hand and step away from it until you feel resistance in the band.
2. Stagger your stance with one foot in front of the other. Keep your knees soft, abs tight, and in an athletic position.
3. Punch forward with one arm quickly by extending your right arm forward, pressing the band straight out in front of your chest like a punch. Keep your palm down and arm at shoulder height.
4. Return your arm back to the starting position and switch sides by punching forward with your left arm. Keep alternating in a smooth, controlled rhythm.
5. Focus on the chest contraction with every punch by squeezing your pecs as you press forward. Keep tension on the band throughout the movement, and don’t let it get slack between reps.

Burpee Push-up Ladder

Combining the burpee and the strength building of push-ups will create a very high calorie burn to torch chest fat fast. This exercise targets the chest intensely while also creating a metabolic afterburn effect, where your body will continue to burn calories for hours after.

It looks like this:

• Rep 1: Burpee + 1 push-up
• Rep 2: Burpee + 2 push-ups
• Rep 3: Burpee + 3 push-ups

1. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your abs tight. Drop into a burpee by squatting down, placing your hands on the floor in front of you, and kicking your feet back into a push-up position.
2. Do a push-up by bringing your chest down towards the floor so it’s only an inch away. Feel the stretch at the bottom, and be sure to keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle towards your body.
3. Then jump your feet forward, back towards your knees, and explode back up with your hips lower than your shoulders and your back straight as you can. Add a small jump at the top when you explode up.
4. Repeat, but add one extra push-up for each round. Try to go as high as you can (e.g., up to 5-10 rounds) or you can do a pyramid, (e.g., go up to 5 and then back down from 5).

Maximize Your Man Boob Fat Loss: Tips to Speed Up Results

Now that you know the best exercises, let’s also look at smart training strategies to accelerate fat loss and chest sculpting. Here’s a list of evidence-based and practical exercise tips to maximize the man boob fat loss.

Maximize Mechanical Tension

Mechanical tension is the amount of force your muscles experience under the load. This is especially true when lifting a challenging weight through a full range of motion. It’s one of the most powerful stimuli for muscle growth.²

By maximizing mechanical tension with these targeted exercises, you’ll build muscle in the chest faster to tighten up the area and improve its appearance even before all the fat is gone.

More muscle = tighter, firmer-looking chest = less man boob appearance

• Use challenging loads or weight that fatigue you in 6 to 12 reps.
• Focus on slow, controlled reps, especially during the lowering phase, aka the eccentric phase. This causes more microscopic muscle tears that your body has to rebuild, bringing better results.³
• Get a deep stretch in the chest at the bottom and a full contraction at the top of each exercise.
• Avoid rushing through your sets. Mechanical tension needs time and load to work.

Increase Time Under Tension

Time under tension is literally the amount of time you’re doing the exercise. The more time under tension, the more muscle activation, especially in the chest, with these targeted exercises. This increases the exercise’s metabolic demand.⁴

Slow down your reps, especially in the lowering phase. Focus on around 3 seconds during the lowering eccentric phase and 1-2 seconds on the way up. This will keep your muscles stressed longer and increase mechanical tension on your chest muscles.

Shorter Rest Periods Between Sets

Reducing your rest between sets keeps your heart rate elevated. This helps to improve fat loss and metabolic conditioning.⁵ Try to keep your rest periods 20 to 40 seconds between sets and no more than one minute between sets at the most.

Lactic acid buildup (lactate accumulation) also gives you better results by causing more metabolic stress. Lactic acid is the burning sensation you feel in your muscles during an exercise.

By having shorter rest periods, your body won’t have time to fully clear the lactate. This also helps to release growth hormone, which helps with fat burning and muscle repair.

Focus on Full Range of Motion

A full stretch and squeeze of the muscle leads to greater mechanical tension and full chest muscle engagement.⁶ This is why proper form matters when doing exercises, especially when you’re trying to target stubborn fat chests and build muscle in the man-boob area.

A full stretch at the bottom, when you go deep into a push-up, causes your pectoral muscles to stretch under load. This stretch creates passive tension that activates more muscle fibers, especially in your lower and outer chest. Key areas where man boobs tend to collect fat.

And when you squeeze your chest at the top of a push-up, you create peak active tension in the muscle. This increases muscle activation, especially in lagging muscles for those who have man poops like the pecs.

This higher muscle engagement causes more tension, which creates more muscle growth and fat burning in the area.

Train With Compound Movements

Compound exercises using multiple joints throughout the movement will activate more muscle groups at once. This torches more calories and spikes testosterone and growth hormone, which are both key for targeted fat loss.⁷

An example would be to combine deadlifts with one of the push-up variations above. Complementing non-competing exercises like this will allow your lower body to rest after deadlifts while you target your chest with the pushups.

Supersetting or back-to-back exercises and full-body circuits will keep the intensity high and the rest low. Both are great for burning fat and building muscle at the same time.

Train Close to Failure Without Losing Good Form

When you do these targeted chest exercises, do your best to go near failure for maximum muscle fiber recruitment.⁸ This enhances growth and post-exercise calorie burn due to the Afterburn Effect.

Near failure is about 1-3 reps before you can’t do anymore. But you also do not want to lose good form, so be sure to focus on your form and push yourself, but not to the point that your form gets sloppy.

Why Diet Still Matters for Losing Man Boobs

There’s a saying amongst trainers that you can’t out-train a bad diet. And it’s true.

You’ll need to continue to lower your overall body fat if you want to lose the man boobs. The problem with just losing weight is that you also lose muscle mass which causes the man boobs to stick around even though you’ve lost a lot of weight.

So, by following the targeted exercises above, in addition to some smart dieting strategies, you can increase muscle mass in the area while reducing your overall body fat and the fat in your chest.

Foods to Limit for Better Fat Loss & Hormone Support

While no single food will directly cause or cure gynecomastia, some research suggests that dietary habits may influence hormone balance and overall fat storage.

Reducing certain foods and focusing on a nutrient-dense diet may help support better body composition and chest appearance.

Some foods contain compounds that may influence hormone activity, including those that can mimic estrogen in the body. While the overall impact of diet on gynecomastia is still being studied, limiting certain foods may help support healthy hormone balance and body composition.

• Ultra-processed junk foods (such as chips & sugary snacks): These are often high in calories and low in nutrients, which can contribute to excess fat gain.⁹
• Highly processed soy products (such as soy protein isolate): Some studies suggest that excessive intake may influence hormone levels.¹⁰ Though moderate soy consumption appears generally safe for most people.
• Alcohol (especially beer): Alcohol can affect hormone metabolism and is also calorie-dense, which may contribute to fat build-up.¹¹
• Foods with BPA-containing materials: BPA exposure has been linked in some research to potential hormone disruption.^12,13 Opt for BPA-free packaging when possible may be beneficial.
• Added sugars and refined carbs: Diets high in sugar and refined carbs can spike insulin levels and encourage fat storage, including around the midsection and chest.¹⁴

CLICK HERE: Get the Food List Cheat Sheet ➔

Prioritize High Protein Meals

Protein boosts metabolism and is needed for muscle growth.¹⁵ It also helps you burn more fat and calories, even at rest. A high-protein diet also curbs hunger, making it easier to lower your calorie intake.¹⁶

Aim for:

• 0.8 grams per pound of goal body weight.¹⁷ If your goal weight is 180 pounds, then you should consume about 144 grams of protein daily.
• The best high-protein foods: lean meats, eggs, whey protein, fish, cottage cheese

If you struggle to meet your daily protein needs, consider using a low-carb protein powder. This makes it easy to quickly get a lot of high-quality protein. Just make sure it’s naturally sweetened and contains no additives or fillers.

Below is the low-carb protein powder I use and recommend:

Keep Your Body in a Caloric Deficit

It’s true that calories play a big role in losing unwanted body fat. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume.

But I don’t recommend starving yourself since this can cause rebound binge eating. It’ll also elevate stress levels, which could cause you to gain more weight. It’s best to gradually lower your calorie deficit.

• Use a moderate deficit (300-500 calories/day below maintenance)
• Focus on satisfying satiating whole foods that are high in fiber. Veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts), lean proteins, healthy fats will help to avoid cravings.

Stay Hydrated & Limit Liquid Calories

Dehydration slows fat metabolism because the body needs water to mobilize and burn fat. The lipolysis (fat breakdown) reaction process utilizes water to convert triglycerides (fat stored in cells) into free fatty acids, which the body then burns for energy.

The less water in your body, the slower lipolysis will be. This causes fat to be burned less efficiently. Even mild dehydration (just 1-2% of body weight) can reduce metabolic rate.¹⁸

Your muscles are 75% water, so if you’re dehydrated, they’ll have weaker muscle contractions and fatigue faster. Dehydrated athletes cannot work out as hard and intensely, which will limit calorie burning and muscle activation.

Try to drink at least half your body weight in fluid ounces daily (180 lbs = 90 oz).

Use a water bottle you’ll consistently carry and use and check the bottle size. If it contains 20 oz of water, then after doing the math, you’ll know to drink about 5 of those a day.

Stick with: Water, green tea, black coffee (supports fat burning and hydration)

Try adding C8 MCTs to your morning cup of coffee with a keto coffee creamer. Your liver quickly converts these C8 MCTs into ketones, flipping a metabolic switch and helping trigger fat burning.¹⁹