The Best Way to Firm Up a Flabby Chest

Excess fat develops in your chest and throughout your body as you gain weight. Because you can't spot train a specific area of your body, losing weight is the first step that you must take if you want to firm up a flabby chest. Following a healthy diet while performing exercises that burn hundreds of calories per hour will shed chest and body fat. Combine these with strength-training workouts that target your chest muscles, and you'll be on your way to having tight, toned pecs or firm, shapely breasts.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise elevates the heart rate, improves stamina, builds endurance and burns a lot of calories within a short time period. According to MayoClinic.com, a 160-pound person can burn more than 400 calories per hour running, ice skating, rope jumping or swimming. Sports activities, such as tennis and football, also promote cardiovascular fitness while burning more than 500 calories per hour. Engage in aerobic activities for 30 minutes or more at least five times weekly to eliminate the excess fat around your chest and throughout your body.

Pushups

Pushups alone will not eliminate chest flab, but performing this exercise will build your pectoral muscles and the medial deltoids located at the front and sides of your shoulders. Pushups not only strengthen your pecs, but exercising your chest and shoulders can also improve your posture. Pushups build muscle density as well, and since muscles are more active than fat, incorporating pushups into your workout routine will allow you to burn more calories than you would with cardiovascular exercise alone. Perform one to three 12-repetition sets of pushups every other day to firm up your chest while enhancing your body's calorie-burning potential.

Bench Press

Bench presses allow you to increase your strength while building the muscles in your chest and shoulders. This exercise builds muscle density, muscle mass and muscular endurance, which allows you to perform multiple repetitions of this and other chest-building exercises for extended periods without getting tired. When performing this exercise, place your arms slightly more than shoulder-width apart to place less emphasis on your arms and more emphasis on your chest and shoulders. Do at least three 12-repetition sets of bench presses two to three times weekly using a barbell that weighs between 50 and 100 pounds to build firm, strong chest muscles.

Circuit Training

Circuit training combines cardiovascular and strength-building activities, allowing you to burn more calories than you would if you performed these exercises alone. Circuit training allows you to shed chest and body fat quicker while sculpting your chest muscles simultaneously. Alternating five minutes of rope jumping with two minutes of pushups is an example of circuit training. You can circuit train using any strength-building exercise, including squats and lunges, but performing exercises that target your chest muscles will burn a similar amount of calories while helping you to sculpt a firm chest. Circuit train for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times weekly to get rid of chest flab while toning your chest.