Exercise Qs

[PSC0002]

I am seriously considering gynecomastia surgery in the near future (planning on scheduling consults soon).  I realize that I am somewhat overweight, weighing in at 240lbs at 6'3".  So I plan on hitting the gym hard in the next two or three months to reduce some fat and being more healthy overall.  I have tried exercising to reduce the look of my gynecomastia in the past, with no avail.  (though I did notice a MINOR reduction in overall fatty tissue)  I think we've all tried this at some point or another. 

But my goal now is to find exercises that would benefit me as a "pre-op" candidate, and hopefully have a positive impact on my overall outcome. 

Any suggestions?

[latediagnosis]

A clean diet with lots of cardio is good for anyone.

[booty_frijoles]

I agree, a clean and healthy diet with plenty of cardio is great for anyone. I also mix this in with supplements like protein shakes and creatine. Since your already planning on hitting the gym hard, go hard on everything except chest. I only do chest once a week and I stay at low weight high reps just to tone up...so I don't get a huge chest which would make the gyne worse. Surgery is in my future but I don't know how close. It's best to get in shape and stay that way your entire life. Good luck man!

[steve1969]

The month before my procedure I upped my workouts from 3 to 5 times a week. I did mostly running and lower body work but I did mix in arms and chest a couple days a week. I also cut out all fast food and ate really healthy. I was able to drop about 10 lbs and my surgeon said that my results were much better because of it. The point isn't to drop tons of weight but to get your body as healthy as possible before the surgery so the recovery is easier and the results are better.

[PSC0002]

Thanks for the responses guys.  I've got a friend who went vegan about six months ago and lost from 250 to around 190.  He's been trying to bring me over to the dark side, but I'm a little slow to give up the meat.   I've made some pretty good strides already as far as diet is concerned, just need to get in the gym more often. 

So no chest exercises?  I used to a bench pretty good bit, but no real effect on the gyne.  I was thinking about decline or incline presses to further develop the shape of the pectoral muscle, my thinking was if I had a fairly well developed pec under the the gyne, once it was removed the skin could more easily re-adhere in a more flattering fashion.  Especially since everything I read says stay away from any sort of chest exercises for a least a month or two. 

[booty_frijoles]

I think it just kinda depends on how close your surgery is. If you've already got a target date and its close, I'd go ahead and work out chest normally so that it's well developed once your post-op. In my case, I have no idea if its gonna be soon, or maybe a year so I'm trying to stay away from having a huge chest with a nice big lump of gland on top.

[impervious]

Look at it this way...what's the point of cosmetic surgery to improve your chest if you're out of shape overall? I say get into reasonable shape and you may just enjoy your results more.

[Dave_8]

Do some cardio. It took me only 1 month to drop to 20 punds by just going to the Y everyday and going on the elyptical for 30 minutes and going into the sauna to sweat some more. That with the help of healthy foods. You can do it man.