FROM Becks’ pecs adorning the front cover of Men’s Health, to David Corenswet bulking up to don the iconic Superman suit, a number of male celebs seem to be proudly sporting rock-hard chests of late.
Men can feel a lot of pressure to tone their chests – and from a certain age, this gets harder. But , personal trainer and founder of training app 12Reps , has the solution – and it starts with as little as five press-ups a day.
David Beckham appeared on the April edition of Men’s Health sporting very toned pecs
Idris Elba maintains his muscled physique with kickboxing and strength exercises
David Corenswet is the latest celeb to don the iconic Superman suit and he built an enviable physique to do so
In reality, some softness around the chest area is not uncommon.
have what’s known as ‘man boobs’ – often shortened to ‘moobs’.
There are two main reasons why men might accumulate some flesh up top, according to Will.
The first is having weak chest muscles.
“When chest muscles are weak, fat builds up there,” Will tells Sun .
Hormonal fluctuations can also be the cause – namely, decreasing levels of the male hormone testosterone coupled with a rise in the female hormone oestrogen.
“As men get older, their bodies change,” Will explains.
“After age 40, testosterone drops fast and the body starts making more oestrogen.
“This makes men tired and less active and causes man boobs in older men.”
Aside from age, what you eat can also mess with your hormones, the PT adds.
Frequently reaching for sugary snacks and will of course cause weight gain, but it could be driving up your oestrogen levels too.
“Some medicines can also cause man boobs,” Will says.
“Talk to your doctor if you take and have this problem.”
Or you may have a medical condition called , which is an excess amount of breast tissue.
Will says: “If you are over 50 and have man boobs, don’t worry. This is normal as you age.
“But you can still fight it with exercise and good food.
“If you build your chest muscles and lose some fat, the man boobs can go away.
“You are never too old to get stronger and healthier.”
Will has a fair amount of experience in this area.
Jake Gyllenhaal is no stranger to getting ripped for roles – he’s pictured here in the movie Southpaw
Zac Efron has undergone a dramatic body transformation in the last few years, seen here in the film Bad Neighbours showing off a chiselled chest
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, pictured alongside Efron in Baywatch, arguably has one of the most distinctive physiques out there
Will Duru, personal trainer and founder of training app 12Reps, breaks down five exercises for killer pecs
“Having trained many male clients, the one thing most clients always say they want to build quickly is their chest, shoulders and arms,” the PT says.
“I think this is because these are the most visible muscles that grab attention when you walk into a room.
“These muscles make you look strong and confident.”
Want to sculpt your moobs into pecs?
Here’s how Will recommends you do it – from five exercises to make your muscles pop, to fat loss tips and the mistakes you didn’t even realise you were making.
GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST
IF you’re looking to strengthen your chest, your first order of business is to – or try some .
You can simply start off by doing some push ups at home every day.
“Start with five push-ups and add more each week,” Will says.
When you’re ready to head to the gym and try out some equipment, you can start incorporating dumbbell presses and cable flys, which we outline below.
If you want to start seeing results, aim to do these exercises three times a week.
But avoid ego-lifting, Will warns. Get your technique right before reaching for heavier weights and your body will thank you for it.
Here are Will’s five best exercises for transforming your into pecs.
1. Body weight press ups (narrow stance)
Can’t sink all the way to the floor? Try a modified push-up until you build up your strength
START standing with your feet shoulder width apart. Slowly go down onto your knees and move into a high plank position.
This is a narrow-stance press-up, so keep your elbows tucked into your ribs as you lower your body until your chest almost touches the floor.
Then explode upwards, fully extending your arms until they are straight.
“This is great for building your chest without any equipment,” Will says.
Do four sets of these, with 10 to 12 reps each.
To finish off, see how many reps you can do in one minute.
Can’t sink all the way to the floor in your push-up? Try these instead:
- Wall push-ups: Stand an arm’s length away from a wall, place your palms at shoulder height and bend your elbows before pushing back up.
- Knee push-ups: Get on your hands and knees, with your body in a straight line from your head to knees, and do a press-up.
- Bench push-ups: Put your hands on a bench or chair with your toes on the floor and do a press-up.
“Start with five of each and do them every other day,” Will says.
“When these get easy, try regular push-ups. Go down as far as you can. Get lower each week.
“Take your time. Getting stronger takes weeks, not days.”
2. Loop band bent over row
Step on your resistance band, grab both ends and pull
GET a resistance band and stand on it with both feet, grabbing hold of each end.
Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
Pull on the band, squeezing your shoulder blades together and bringing your hands up towards your ribs.
“This helps build your back muscles, which makes your chest look bigger,” Will says.
Do four sets of 12 reps.
For an extra burn, do the maximum amount of reps you can in one minute.
3. Dumbbell incline chest press
Hold your dumbbells at chest level and then push up
LIE on a bench that is tilted up.
Hold dumbbells in both hands at chest level. Push the weights up until your arms are straight before lowering them back down slowly.
“This targets the upper part of your chest,” according to Will.
The trainer notes: “Don’t try to lift heavy weights right away. Focus on doing the exercise right.
“Good form is more important than heavy weight. Control the weight up and down slowly. This burns more fat and builds more muscle.
“Try 5kg or 10kg dumbbells first.”
Do four sets of this, with 12 to 15 reps each and a minute’s rest in between.
When 15 reps gets easy, add more weight- about 2kg at a time.
4. Dumbbell incline narrow press
This time hold your dumbbells together as you push up and down
DO the same movement you did for the incline chest press, but this time hold the dumbbells together.
With the weights held together, push them upwards until your arms are extended before lowering them back down to your chest.
This works your chest and triceps at the same time. Keep your elbows close to your body when you press up.
Do four sets of 12 reps.
5. Cable chest flyes
Hold the cables at chest level and bring your arms out wide
Bring your hands in front of your chest like you’re hugging someone
SET the cables at chest height and stand in the middle
Hold a handle in each hand with your arms out wide.
Bring your hands together in front of your chest like you’re hugging someone.
“This really works your chest muscles hard,” Will says.
Do four sets of 12 reps.
Your starting weight can be 7.5 or 10kg.
BOOST FAT LOSS
A SCULPTED chest isn’t just about pumping weights.
If you’re looking to lose fat on your chest, you probably need to shed some body fat overall, Will says.
This means taking a look at what’s on your plate, cutting down on carbs and upping your protein intake.
You may be wondering: does this mean you have to give up booze too?
Not necessarily, says Will.
1. Cut carbs
To help carve out your pecs, try eating less bread and switching to whole feat versions
WANT chiselled pecs?
You’ll need to cut down on white bread and pasta, according to Will.
“In the fitness world, these two foods are considered high-glycaemic index (GI) foods that will spike your insulin levels every time you eat them.”
High GI foods are digested quickly, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, which triggers the pancreas to release a significant amount of insulin to bring the blood sugar back down.
“High insulin levels means you can’t process carbs or fats for energy,” Will goes on.
“When your body cannot use food for energy, it stores everything as fat. This makes you gain weight even if you don’t eat much.
“To fix this, eat less sugar and carbs and exercise more. This will lower your insulin and help your body burn fat again.”
Try eating only once or twice a week, choosing whole wheat and brown versions of bread, pasta and rice.
2. Tipple trade-off
You don’t need to give up booze to shed fat – but steer clear of calorific pints
YOU’LL be glad to know that you don’t have to swear off booze altogether to get rid of your man boobs.
But be smart about what you choose, Will says.
“Avoid drinking high-calorie alcohol like pints and sugary cocktails every week,” he advises.
“Instead, have a glass of or a gin and tonic. These have less calories and sugar.
“You can still enjoy a drink but pick the better options.”
3. Cardio kick
Weights will help you grow muscle but cardio will help boost fat loss
WEIGHTS will help you build muscle but for , it’s important to get some cardio in too.
Aim to do cardio sessions at the gym at least once or twice a week, Will advises.
“This can be a simple incline walk on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes, a 5k run for 35 minutes, or a 10-20k bike ride.
“Pick what you enjoy most so you will stick to it.”
4. Step up
Get your steps in – it’s free and easy to work into your day
AIM to keep moving outside of your gym sessions too.
Do between steps per day.
“This will help to keep your metabolism up and keep you burning calories,” Will says.
“Walking is free and easy to do anywhere.”
Will advises you to grab opportunities throughout the day to up your step count, from walking home to finding good spots around your office or home to stretch your legs on your lunch break.
5. Protein punch
Make sure you’re eating enough protein daily, to help build muscle and keep you full
“BUILDING muscle is the key to keeping you lean and athletic-looking in the long term,” Will says.
“Having muscles gives your body the ability to burn calories at rest.
“The more muscle you have, the more you could be burning calories while you’re having a glass of wine with the family.”
You’ll of course achieve this if you’re strength training at the gym two or three times a week.
“Consistency is the most important thing. Do it every week and you will see results,” Will says.
“The 12reps app can make it very simple for you by personalising your strength program.”
But you should also be upping your , by eating non-fatty cuts of meat, fish, eggs, beans and nuts.
You should have at least one 1.2 grams per kg of bodyweight, the PT notes.
If you weigh 70 kg, that works out to about 84 grams of protein per day.
“Protein will help you to maintain lean muscle mass and keep your body fat low,” Will says.
Make sure you eat more veg and fruit too.
COMMON MISTAKES
“AFTER a decade of watching people train at the gym, there are two things people always get wrong,” Will says.
The first is “exercise technique on barbell squats and press-ups and equipment like rowing machines”.
“They try to before they learn the right way to do it,” the PT states.
Remember his earlier advice about working your way up to heavier weights.
The second mistake is “people doing 30 minutes of cardio before doing strength training”, Will goes on.
“This is completely wrong because you have really exhausted your muscles before lifting and you don’t have the same force to push or pull the weights which means you’re leaving gains on the table.
“Always do your weights first when you have the most energy.”
