Why Men Have Breasts and “Beer” Bellies

Why Men Have Breasts and “Beer” Bellies.

“Men’s breasts” or “Man boobs” are caused by lifting heavy objects while holding the arms in at the side and lifting the forearms up towards the chest and they take years to develop.

From being children, boys are more likely to be using their arms by climbing trees or doing press ups and pull ups while little girls do handstands, cartwheels and of course, the splits which all cause their saddlebag hips and thighs.

When men are young, the more magnificent and taught are their “pecs” then when they are older, the larger will be their breasts.

Using our arms to lift and push or pull a weight from the front damages a muscle in the chest called the “pectoralis minor” and one under the arms called the “serratus anterior”. The “pectoralis minor” sits beneath the “pectoralis major” connecting four of our ribs to the top of our arm. The “serratus anterior” hugs around our ribs from the back and connects onto them at the front, in the same location as but underneath, the “pectoralis minor“.

Here is a Diagram of the Chest

Both of these damaged muscles tear or fray along the join lines of their connections with the ribs and as a protection, like a scab on cut skin, our body creates internal repairs (scabs) called “oedemas” which act like glue to hold together the fraying muscle tissue. And just as a scab on the outside of our body hardens to protect the flesh beneath, so too the “oedemas” harden.

But these “oedemas” now hinder and slow down our blood flow causing dead cells and cell waste, i.e. “body cell debris”, which is travelling in the passing blood, to snag on and build up around them.  This “body cell debris” accumulates and the blood flow is further slowed until soon, the bulges beneath “men’s breasts” grow.  It is not fat.

It is a protective padding of “body cell debris” laid down deliberately to cushion the damaged muscles.

Men’s “Beer” Bellies

As adults, men in general tend to lift more heavy objects than do women and often, they bend over at the waist and lift using the muscles of their middle back as the point of leverage.

Lifting from the middle back damages a set of muscles called the “serratus posteria”, a group of four that connect our lower ribs to our spine. When these muscles are damaged we develop a thick band across our middle back. The band droops from our spine, hanging at each side and it grows to the front.  Once there, our “stomach muscles” which normally pull upon the muscles of our back as a counterbalance, have in effect lost their support.  Consequently, the stomach muscles relax, lose strength and let go of their “load”, our heavy vital organs which then fall forward causing the tummy to push out.

Back muscles seize, stomach muscles relax and vital organs fall forward

The result is a “barrel stomach”.   Many ex-builders mistakenly assume that their “barrel” shape is due to their copious consumption of beer but in reality, it is a “lifting belly” not a “beer belly”.

Men with barrel stomachs and breasts are not fat, they are damaged.

What to Do?

Do not exercise.  Exercise doesn’t work and here’s why.

Instead learn all about your body and how it works then you will understand how to fix it.  Learn how and why your posture has changed, how and why you have those “fatty bulges” and learn why EXERCISE is BAD for YOU.

If you would like some more specific information then have a look at my blogs;

“The Delusion of Exercise” and “The Truth of Exercise“.

The ideas expressed in this blog are the original concept of Linda Dodds.

All rights reserved. Copyright © Linda Dodds 2008.