Now that summer is here and the tank tops and sleeveless dresses are coming out, my clients are concerned about their nubbies.

What are nubbies?  When I first started training, my client and friend Gretchen coined the side of the chest that tends to pop out around a shirt “nubbies.”

This is my friend Lisa and I, showing that we do NOT have nubbies.

So how do you prevent them?

First of all, don’t wear a shirt that’s too tight or the wrong cut because no matter how toned you are, if you wear a shirt that cuts into the area where your chest and shoulder meets, you’re going to get nubbies.

There you have it, the secret to not getting nubbies!

But seriously, to prevent excess skin/fat in that area, a combination of cardio exercises, weight training which uses your body weight and healthy eating is what I’ve found to be most effective.  As you’ve heard me say before, you can’t spot train, but if you burn calories and tighten your muscles with moves like push-ups, you can do a lot to prevent that annoying overhang.

This is Mary, working very hard in one of my classes.  Mary doesn’t have nubbies.  And Mary looks like a ninja in this photo.

And FYI, you can get back nubbies too.

This is Lilian showing off her beautiful back.  She definitely does not have back nubbies (Nothing hanging out over the back of her shirt!).

And Lilian is over 65, although she doesn’t look it at all.  That’s because she takes care of herself, exercises (including yoga) and keeps herself active.  Lilian, you look amazing!

So there you have it – you can prevent nubbies either by not wearing shirts that cause them, or toning yourself up.  Hope you have a great and nubby-free summer!