A man’s chest can appear to be saggy or flabby for a variety of reasons, and before any plan for fixing it can be effectively implemented, the specific reason behind an individual’s sagging chest needs to be determined. The cause will suggest the best course of treatment. Various ways to fix a saggy chest can include chest-focused weightlifting, a general exercise and fitness program, a weight-loss and nutritional regimen and, as a last resort, surgery.
One reason for a drooping or flabby chest is age. A sagging male chest is a normal part of the aging process. Muscles lose mass, and skin loses elasticity as men age, and the result of this loss is perhaps most noticeable in the chest area. Men who have lost a great deal of weight, too, often have a saggy chest because the skin had been stretched over a heavier frame, and the underlying muscles might have not been developed to their full potential. Chest-specific weightlifting exercises are one of the best solutions for these kinds of flabby chests.
There are four common exercises that specifically target the chest area. Bench presses are an excellent weightlifting exercise for firming and building the pectoral muscles, which are the muscles of the chest. Dumbbell flys are a great counterpoint to the muscle-building bench press because they serve to stretch out the pectoral muscles, or to elasticize them. Lateral rows work not only the chest muscles but also the upper and lower back. Finally, the basic push-up is tremendously effective for firming up a saggy chest.
Flabby chests also can be the result of obesity — not only in men but in women as well. A body that is heavy with excess fat is prone to sagging and, in turn, an overweight person is less likely to work to firm and tone hir or her underlying muscles. The four main chest-firming exercises will benefit overweight individuals, but sustained aerobic exercise and a healthy nutritional program must be combined with resistance exercises to ultimately achieve a firm and toned chest. A program of resistance training, aerobic exercise and a new nutritional regimen is best undertaken under a physician’s supervision and, ideally, under the guidance of a certified fitness instructor.
Normal male chest ptosis, or drooping, seldom needs male breast lift surgery to be corrected; a nutritional and exercise program is the recommended solution. There are cases, however, when a saggy chest might not be a fitness issue but a medical issue. Gynecomastia is a medical condition that is manifested by the swelling or enlargement of breast tissue in men or boys. It is caused by an imbalance of the hormones estrogen and testosterone, particularly in young males who are going through puberty or in older men who are going through the natural hormonal changes of aging.
Gynecomastia often disappears on its own, but occasionally, medical intervention is required. Sometimes, a doctor will prescribe medications that are used in the treatment of breast cancer, such as raloxifene or tamoxifen. Only in extreme cases is it necessary to surgically remove excess breast tissue in men. Two types of surgery are used to treat persistent gynecomastia: liposuction and mastectomy. In liposuction, the breast fat is removed, and in mastectomy, the tissue of the breast gland is removed.
