Gynecomastia Exercise

Gynecomastia, the appearance of breasts on males, is a fairly common--and often embarrassing--condition that affects a sizable percentage of men. While there is no way to reduce actual gynecomastia through exercise, it is possible to reduce deposits of chest fat, the cuase of pseudo-gynecomastia, thereby reducing the apparent severity of your condition. Through time, consistency and dedication, you can reduce the impact that gynecomastia has on your life.

Gynecomastia

• Gynecomastia is commonly known as "man boobs," and is the condition of a male having partial breast development. Gynecomastia occurs frequently in adolescent males due to the high levels of hormones involved in puberty, usually resolving of its own. If you believe you are affected by gynecomastia, you should visit a physician so that he can properly distinguish between real gynecomastia, or actual growth of breast tissue, and pseudo-gynecomastia.

Weight Training

• Whether you have gyencomastia or pseudo-gyencomastia, weight training can help your condition by developing your chest and thereby reducing the appearance of gyencomastia. The best exercises for developing your chest are incline, decline and flat bench-pressing with both barbells and dumbbells, chest flies performed with dumbbells, push-ups, and cable-crossovers, which are nothing more than chest flies performed on the cable machine (see Resources section). In performing your anti-gyencomastia training, emphasize development over pure strength by performing these exercises in the range of five to 12 reps per set, with three to four sets per exercise. You do not need to perform all of these exercises during every chest workout--simply pick two or three and rotate in different exercises each month to keep your body guessing.

Cardio Training

• The second component of combating gyencomastia with exercise is the inclusion of cardio training. To fully remove all traces of pseudo-gynecomastia you should have a fairly low level of body fat. Thus, you will have to perform some kind of cardio training to help your body melt additional fat.

  When performing cardio, more is not always better. The most efficient type of cardio for your purpose will likely be interval training, as you can do it quickly and burns a maximum number of calories. Interval training is merely alternating between moderate- and rapid-pace cardio at designated time periods. You can perform interval training on the track, on the treadmill, outside, or on any piece of cardio equipment in the gym. A good pace to set for a beginner at interval training is 45 seconds off (going at a slower pace) and 15 seconds on (going as fast as you possibly can). Perform between 10 and 20 intervals for a quick fat-burning workout that will minimize your existing gyencomastia, allowing you to improve your psychological well-being and regain control over your life.