Work outish advice

[Artha]

I figured I'd ask here, because there's a few of you who seem to know a bit about weight lifting.
I'm tired of having man boobs. They're not giant or anything, but I'd rather get rid of them than have them get bigger. I have 2 ten pound weights. How can I use them most efficiently to get rid of the offending pectoral fat?

[Edited on 9-25-2003 by Artha]

[longshot]

10 pound weights are not going to do it.

If you aren't interested in joining a gym, or buying an dumbell and bench set, then I would do pushups.

Aerobic workouts will do very little to change the shape of your body... make your man-boobs hurt!

[Artha]

No car, and no money, so gyms and such really aren't an option.

Push ups, you say? Crap, I hate push ups.

[More Lean]

all you have to do is lie on the floor, pinch your shoulder blades together, hold your arms out away from you and lift them up above you

you will work your chest and lose your boobs

just be careful and dont let them fall on you or you could die

[longshot]

Originally posted by Artha

Push ups, you say? Crap, I hate push ups.

If it was easy, we would live in a manboob-free world!

Do like three sets, with a minute rest between each set. Try to push yourself as far as you can.

Do them slowly, feet together, with a straight back. Try and hold for a count of one in the down position. I'm sure the military people here can give you more specific advice on form, but this is a good start.

Remember, you are trying to get rid of man boobs, not set a pushup record. Doing 50 shit pushups and still having manboobs solves nothing.

Use good form!

edited to fix formatting

[Edited on 9-25-2003 by longshot]

[Artha]

Hey, if I do these push ups while I'm chopping garlic or subduing mighty melons, I can kill two birds with one stone!

[Tsa`ah]

Crap...

Ok. With a pair of 10lb. dumb-bells it's going to take lots of reps.... lots off reps.

With dumb bells you're going to need to do a circuit.

First start out with a bench press. Flat backed, with your knees cocked so the bottoms of your feet are flat on the ground as well. (assuming you don't have a bench) One 'bell above each shoulder, and push them up slowly and let them down slowly. Breath in when bringing them down, out when pushing them up. 50 of those.

Move directly into a military press. Sit up in a chair, spine straight. 'Bells above the shoulder, same thing as a bench press except we're pushing straight up. 50 of those.

If you can manage the position, an incline press. Basically sit at a 45 degree angle, spine firm and do a bench press... except you're going to be pushing the 'bells at a 90 degree angle. 50 of those.

There's three bench type exercises there. Do one and move directly to the other without pause. When you get to the third (incline press) take a breather... no more than 2 minutes, no less than 1. Then start the cycle again. Try for 2 cycles the first week, 3 the next.

When you are able to get through 3 cycles, then we go for what is called negative failure. With a 10lbs weight, it takes much for negative failure. Basically, just keep doing one type of press until you can't push the weight up anymore. That could be 100-500 reps... never know until you find the failure point. Do reps to failure until you either feel you are hurting yourself (never train injured) or just aren't seeing results.

The butterfly More Lean suggested is ok, if you want to defined cleavage; it's not going to do anything for the minor pectoral region.

Push-ups are great for the chest so long as you do them correctly and do them religiously.

Start out with standard push-ups; work them into your circuit. Just make them more extreme as you progress.

Start out with just your tripod position, feet and hands. Work some books or platforms into the regime (a 6-inch platform of books under each hand). Adding a platform increases your arc of resistance and how far your pecs are being stretched during the push up. Eventually work yourself up to 3 chairs. Feet on one chair, and one chair under each hand. The chairs are more stable than books, and you can dip your head and chest below the stabilizing plane.

Do the exercises in the morning when you first get up, and remember to not eat anything 4 hours prior to sleeping and you will see very quick results. Always remember, slow reps, inhale on the return, and exhale when pushing.

Now what are you going to do for the rest of the body?

[Artha]

I was figuring sit ups and/or leg lifts for my abs and that the push ups would help a bit with my arms. I really don't want bulk, however, I also don't want man boobs.

edit: I don't think I'll be able to do that third sitting position, could I compensate by doing, say 75 of the other two?

[Edited on 9-25-2003 by Artha]

[Bestatte]

Here's what I do.. I know, I'm not male, but I have boobs, they're big, and I like to keep them perky for as long as age and gravity will allow. This tightens the pectorals and trims the fat, which sounds exactly like what you're trying for:

Hold your arms up and palms together as if you were praying, except keep your elbows out - so your forearms are parallel to the floor.

Press your palms together, with your fingertips right up against your chin. Hold for 10 seconds. Release. Repeat.

Do this around 20 times a day, every day.

That's it.

Also cut down on dairy products, if you consume them at all. And eat grapefruit if you like it. With some sort of starch. Grapefruit has an enzyme that will help get rid of the fat, but your digestive system will hate you if you don't eat it with bread, or some other kind of starch.

Cheap and easy, and at age 42, my big ole womanly globes still stay relatively perky.

[Artha]

I have boobs, they're big, and I like to keep them perky for as long as age and gravity will allow

I salute you. :)

[theotherjohn]

Originally posted by Artha
Hey, if I do these push ups while I'm chopping garlic or subduing mighty melons, I can kill two birds with one stone!


Thats where I find time also to do a lot of my exercise.

[theotherjohn]

Originally posted by Artha
No car, and no money, so gyms and such really aren't an option.

Push ups, you say? Crap, I hate push ups.

Pushups are the best. Do normal, wide arm, close hand, oblique (one hand above your head and the other placed at your hip).

also just wanted to add if you want you chest or belly to not be the main focus when someone looks at you. Make your arms bigger. Use your weights and a chair to do dips

[Edaarin]

Doesn't your high school have a weight room...?

What you could do is push ups. Lots, and lots, of push ups. Mix it up, put your hands together so your thumbs touch and your index fingers touch (forming a triangle). If you can, make each push up last longer, it'll hurt like hell, but you'll feel it the next morning.

[Artha]

Doesn't your high school have a weight room...?

We do, but it's always locked, the gym teacher is a dick, and it smells like ass, even though nobody ever goes in there.

[Edited on 9-25-2003 by Artha]

[Carl Spackler]

don't just do sit-ups for your abs, leg lifts are good, but V-sits are another good one. Lay on your back, lift your legs as high as you can and then reach up and try and get as close to touching your toes as you can. Start out doing 15 a day and move up to 30, then 45.

[Drew2]

If you have anywhere to swim, swimming is -the- best full body workout if you do it right. It tones everything, which means no boobs. But you have to do it for about as long as you would run, so 20-30 minutes of laps. You'll be tired as hell when it's over too.

[StrayRogue]

Tayre is indeed correct by saying swimming is a great full body work-out.

[Artha]

Yeah, I swam in my pool when it was open (against the current and everything), but now it's closed and too cold to swim.

[More Lean]

Originally posted by Artha
Yeah, I swam in my pool when it was open (against the current and everything), but now it's closed and too cold to swim.

haha

your pool had a current

[AnticorRifling]

Butterflies are good, pushups are good. But I don't care if there is a miracle exersice it won't do you jack unless you do it. Also make sure to vary your routine after about a month. Your muscles learn and will start getting deminished returns from the same exercises. Start with those 10 pounders because it's just that, it's a start. Once those get real easy buy heavier or hit a Play it Again and trade up.

If you have stairs put your feet on the bottom stair and body on the floor, after that gets easy move to the next step. I personally like decline press and dumbell bench but you're at home so be creative.

<-------- Hasn't hit a gym since he got out of the Corps (Aug 22) but starts a new job with a company that has a tight gym on the 29th!!! Work starts at 7 I'll be there at 545 to work out then shower and be ready for work ohh yes.

[Soulpieced]

You're better off doing a lot of push-ups than 10 lb dumbells. Best thing you can do is hit up a gym and learn to use some machines and bench press/incline.

[peam]

Originally posted by AnticorRifling
Work starts at 7 I'll be there at 545 to work out then shower and be ready for work ohh yes.

You're insane.

If you're going to try to get in shape, Artha, be sure to work out EVERYTHING. As previously mentioned, something that works out the whole body, like swimming, will be much more beneficial in the end.

[AnticorRifling]

Don't do aerobics! It's too much like sex. Muscles hurt, you're sweaty and you have a woman up front telling you you're not doing it right :cool:

I love that joke.

5:45 is what I'm used to Peam and I find my day goes better if I wake myself up with a good workout.

[Tsa`ah]

Dips are also good for the minor pectorals. I described how to use 3 chairs for push-ups. Flip over and lower your ass from a seated position while holding on to the chairs.

Carl hit a good routine for the abs. I would also go to Wal-Mart and buy that 5-dollar wheel in the sporting goods dept. They've been around four decades; it's only recently that they've been turned into an infomercial fad. They work, and work well.

I like Anticor's push up advice with the stairs to. If you can't do an inclined press, the push-ups he described will work as well. Better in fact. And do get some heavier weights. Wal-mart carries 'bells up to 100 lbs and they're cheap.

Hit the arms to as you get into it. Get the legs; walk in long, lunging steps while holding the weights at your hips. Work the calves on your steps.

The home is your gym if you keep an open mind.

Just remember to take deep breaths! If you don't breathe right you will promote anaerobic respiration. We're not making wine and lactic acid causes the pain. So breathe and make use of the oxygen. When you don't breath the body searches for something to use and it finds nitrogen. This reduces the amount of fat you will burn and it is also detrimental to muscle growth.

[longshot]

I think everyone is making this too complicated for him. I'm sure he appreciates the advice, but if he just did some pushups, I'm sure he'd firm up his manjugs a bit.

[Meos]

run to the local high school and use their gym. Thats what I do