Exercises to Slim a Man's Chest

If one of your fitness goals as a man is to slim your chest, you'll need to use a combination of cardiovascular exercise for fat-burning and strength training exercise to tone the muscles. As you lose weight, you'll be able to reveal the slimmer, more toned chest you desire. Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Achieve a slimmer chest area by losing weight all over with aerobic exercise. Choose a type of cardio exercise you enjoy to ensure you stick with it. Cardio such as jogging, biking or walking will help you burn calories to lose weight all over, resulting in a slimmer chest. Get double the benefits by performing cardiovascular exercises that also tone your chest muscles, such as swimming or rowing. Aim for 150 to 300 minutes of aerobic exercise per week to reach your goal of a slimmer chest area.

Pushups are an effective chest-toning exercise you can do most anywhere. Good form is essential when doing pushups, so if your physical conditioning isn't what you want it to be, start with as many pushups as you can do with good form and work up to a range of 24 to 36 every other day. Position your hands just outside your shoulders, and maintain a straight line from your head to your toes. Lower your body toward the floor until your arms are bent at 90-degree angles. Use your chest and arm muscles to push yourself back to the starting position.

Dumbbell flies will lift and tone the pectoral muscles of your chest. Lie on a weight bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand. Use a weight that makes it a challenge to complete the 12th repetition of each set. Extend your arms out toward the sides while keeping a soft bend in your elbows. Bring the weights up until they meet in the middle over your chest. Lower the dumbbells with control. Complete one set of 12 repetitions, and then take a 15- to 30-second rest. Do one to two more sets in this manner, performing dumbbell flies every other day.

The addition of dumbbell pullovers to your chest-toning and slimming routine can help you reach your goal. Lie on a weight bench while holding one dumbbell or a medicine ball with both hands. Position your head at the top of the weight bench, and reach your hands and the weight behind your head with elbows bent. Use your chest muscles to draw the weight up and over your head until it's an inch or two above your chest. Return to the starting position with control. Do one to three sets of 12 repetitions, every other day.