The (literal) rise of moobies

There has been much press coverage men’s increased exposure to oestrogen, and the rise of fast food eating in young men, both of which have contributed to men being more prone to excess fat on the chest which are referred to as moobs, but why? Body image therapist Emma James explain that moobs are fatty deposits on the mammary area of men, more commonly known as male breast tissue. Moobies, or man breasts, have been around from some time, but in recent years have acquired more attention as the focus of perfection has highlighted an area which until now has remained an accepted part of carrying additional weight for men.”

But why? Well we have an increased amount of oestrogen in the water supply through widespread use of the Pill and HRT, but other factors also play a part such as an increase in weight, lack of physical activity, and decreased testosterone levels as men age. Today we have a much more sedentary lifestyle, less manual labour and exercise so that men’s body fat percentages have increased.

The sexes have different areas where the body fat is harder to shift with dieting and exercise. For women it is the thighs, lower back, lower abdominals and buttocks and for men, it is the stomach, lower back and moobs/chest area.

Don’t despair:

Moobies are something that can fairly easily be tackled with a combination of diet and exercise that will promote testosterone, increase muscle tissue and shape the chest area. It’s the combination that is important, because if you don’t diet when exercising, you will build muscle under the fat and possibly make them worse. Find a diet or eating plan that will speed up your metabolism and also help you lose body fat – men seem to do well on high protein diets such as modified Atkins – but check out all possibilities and no crash or fad diets please. On the diet front it’s the old enemies of processed foods, salt, sugar and bread and make an appointment to get a personalised workout at a gym.

You need specific exercises to shape your pectoral (chest) muscles and banish those moobies and you need professional guidance and help to achieve it. I am told you need to keep the repetition range to a fat burning level of 12 to 20 reps and to work the upper, mid and lower areas of the chest. No, I haven’t tried it myself – why would I – but I am told that is the most effective regime.