defining my chest, losing fat

personman

personman

0
i'm having a lot of trouble gaining definition in my chest. to me it's my biggest trouble spot and insecurity... growing up as a chubby kid and having boobs left me a little insecure about my body.

i'm not what you'd consider overweight. i'm 22, 5'10" and about 174lbs with a muscular build. i work out regularly-- an hour of good cardio, which is usually a combination of running and cycling. during the summer i cycle atleast 50 miles a week. i also lift. other days i swim 30-45 minutes. anything to get my heart going. i eat pretty sparingly and i eat healthy high protein foods. plenty of veggies and not too much meat. usually tuna or chicken if anything. i've only reduced my alcohol intake recently, however i've been taking ephedrine and caffeine heavily for the last few weeks, only noticing how little effect it seems to have.

i have trimmed down a lot since i was 18, about 25lbs in fact. but no matter what i do i can't seem to get rid of my soft chest. i'll just put it this way, in my opinion i have man boobs. i'd like to get rid of all the fat around my nipples and the fatty tissues that extend towards my underarms. so i do a lot of chest excercises trying to get some definition up there. i bench 185lbs and i spend a lot of time working on my upper body. it just doesn't seem to do anything to get rid of the fat there. if anyone knows what i could do or do differently please help. i've spent way too much of my life worrying about this and i'm at the point where, after not seeing change, it's hurting my self esteem more than it used to. i feel doomed to a body that i can't like.
 
Last edited:
Muscle definition is about low body fat. Yes you may lack good pectoral muscle, but it doesn't matter what you have under there if you can't see it. Also you need to focus on strength training more than cardio. It goes Diet>Strength Training>cardio if needed. To much cardio and not enough lifting will just lead to burned up muscle.

So get yourself a routine together and get a good diet going. Read all the stickies in the forum sections of fat loss, weight training and nutrition and its all the info you need to get a great start.
 
You cant spot reduce fat. Fat works, first on last off/last on first off.

you will need to gain size in your chest and lose overall body fat.

Good luck
 
yeah that's just it. that's why i've been doing so much cardio, trying to lose fat overall. is doing 4-5 hours of cardio/wk too much? my shins do get sore from all the running but i didn't think i was overdoing it by any means.
 
personman said:
yeah that's just it. that's why i've been doing so much cardio, trying to lose fat overall. is doing 4-5 hours of cardio/wk too much? my shins do get sore from all the running but i didn't think i was overdoing it by any means.
Click to expand...

You'd be better off with weight training rather then all that aerobic work. Weight training will increase metabolism for days after the exercise session. Aerobic training will not, unless we're talking about HIIT.


theleip said:
Diet>Strength Training>cardio
Click to expand...

I think you mean Diet>Strength Training>aerobic training :D
 
well guys i really appreciate the input. what you've said about increasing the strength training and laying off the aerobics makes great sense. it's actually kind of a no brainer. i suppose i was trying to do it the other way around for fear of gaining too much mass. i definitely don't want to look stacked, however that wouldn't happen overnight anyways.

i worked out today, did a lot of strength training and only ran a lap to two on the track a few times just in between sets. i had just as intense of a workout if not more than when i do straight cardio. i'll stick with this type of routine for the next few months and see how it goes. i still can't believe i had to be coached on such a fundamental thing after working at this for such a long time! thanks all.
 
Its become common thought

Cardio (aerobic training) is for fat loss
Weight training is for muscle gain

However it is totally inaccurate.
 
tonymcclellan said:
You'd be better off with weight training rather then all that aerobic work. Weight training will increase metabolism for days after the exercise session. Aerobic training will not, unless we're talking about HIIT.




I think you mean Diet>Strength Training>aerobic training :D
Click to expand...

I want to give you the stick out tongue icon right now but the pink happiness of it ruins the undertone of my internal sarcasm...aww what the hell :p
 
Whilst I agree that strength training and diet are both essential elements of a fat loss, and certainly more of a priority than cardio-aerobic training (call it what you will :p) I certainly wouldn't say that 4-5 hrs a week is excessive at all. As long as its incorporated alongside good nutrition and a strength programme, it can only help.

Personally, I do about 7 hrs (3 of which are fasted) a week but, I also train with weights 3 times a week and I'm careful about what I eat. (I also love cardio, which makes me a bit of a freak :D)
 
Yeah I have the same problem in chest muscle but as all my fat pockets at the very bottom of my gut, I have no chest at all.I can feel muscle at the top and it's visible but at the bottom(under the nipple) it gently slopes away to my abdomen.
How can work my pecs, especially the bottom part?
Thanks
Cian
 
one exercise i've been doing a lot to isolate my chest is with free weights. you don't need anything too heavy for it. it's already hard enough to do with 35lbs and i'm a pretty strong guy. but see which weight works for you. i only worked out twice last week, but i noticed a difference immediately.

grab two 35lb barbels, and a bench to lay on. all you do is bring the weights from about the level of the bench, or a little lower, to all the way over your chest WITHOUT using your biceps. so keep your arms curled a little bit and use your pectorals to do the work. basically keep your arms in the same bent shape and do not extend them to help bring the weights up high. try 4 sets of 12 and see how it goes. your chest should feel ripped. another good one to boot is simply decline bench press with free weights. use a little more weight though. i do 65lbs in each hand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top