How To Lose Your Man Boobs - Include Cardio As Part Of A Successful Strategy

You're determined to get rid of your man boobs. During your workouts, you're religiously training your chest muscles with bench presses, dumbbell flys, pec-deck flys and cable crossovers.

Nothing wrong with that; it's great that you have decided to take action and are working hard in the gym to remedy the situation. Increasing pectoral muscle mass, however, is only part of the solution; to truly obliterate man boobs, you will also have to do some cardiovascular/aerobic exercises.

If you're consistent with your weight training, you will build some good strength and muscle in your chest area. But to some extent, your pecs may still be covered with layers of fat.Combine some cardio exercise into your workouts - so you burn off the unwanted fat layers and finally see the underlying muscle definition you've worked hard to get.

OK - so what cardio exercises should you go for?

If you already have a good basic fitness level, then running is a great way to burn calories. It is one of the most demanding exercises for your heart and lungs - so you will definitely be working your cardiovascular system.

Running is high-impact; if you have concerns about injuring knees, shins, calves, ankles and feet- you can minimize the risk by doing low-impact cardio exercises.

Low-impact cardio exercises:

• Swimming
• Cycling - either outdoors or on a stationary bike
• Rowing using a seated rowing machine
• Stepping on the step machine
• Strides using the elliptical machine
• Another factor to consider, is how intense you will do the exercises. There are two ways to approach your cardio training: low-intensity and high-intensity.

Low-intensity cardio is performed at a slower pace for longer periods; ideal for those who are lacking in aerobic fitness. Typically you will exercise at 20-40% of your maximum effort level. Most of the energy used during the exercise will come from body-fat stores, however, the 'rate' of fat-burning will be at the lower end of calorie-burning scale.

High-intensity cardio will have the effect of elevating your body's ability to burn fat - which is exactly what you need to reduce man boobs. Only attempt it if you feel ready to cope with the physical demands it will place on your CV system. Typically you will exercise in the 60-90% of your maximum effort level but for shorter duration.

Interval training is another method, where you perform at low and high intensity, giving your body time to recover before exploding to near-maximum effort. For your chosen exercise, perform it by mixing longer periods at low intensity with short periods (10-20 seconds) at near 100% effort level. Over a 10-15 minute period, you will expend more calories than if you exercised at low intensity for 20-30 minutes.

By doing high-intensity interval training as part of an overall workout plan, you will affect the body's metabolism, so that while at rest, you will still be burning calories - perfect for getting rid of unwanted chest fat.

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Benefits Of Exercise On The Heart

We all know regular exercise is good for the body... now new research finds benefits of exercise on the heart could help prevent heart disease even when you're carrying more weight than ideal.

Fitness level may, in fact, be more important than the number on the scale. No one is saying that being careful about weight gain isn't still important to keeping your heart healthy, but so is keeping fit according to the study authors.

Doctors have said for years that being heavy and inactive has a profound impact on your heart disease risk. This latest study is looks at how changes in your fitness level, your weight, or both impacts the development of disease risk factors later on. The study authors allowed for fitness level and weight to be altered for each other - something not accounted for in many studies.

The research involved following 3,148 healthy adult subjects who were already enrolled in another study who were given three medical exams between the years 1979 to 2006.

The team searched for three heart health risk factors - hypertension, high cholesterol levels or metabolic syndrome (a group of symptoms that up your risk for diabetes as well as heart disease).

The fitness level of the study subjects was measured using a treadmill test; weight was assessed using BMI and skin fold testing.

When the study ended, 752 subjects had been diagnosed with hypertension, 426 met the criteria for metabolic syndrome and another 597 were suffering from high cholesterol.

Those who either maintained (or improved) their fitness level had a reduced risk of having any of the 3 risk factors. The participants who kept their fitness level the same had a 24% lower risk of hypertension, a 38% lower chance of metabolic syndrome, as well as a 25% less chance of having high cholesterol. Those who had improved their fitness levels saw the same gains, or more.

Subjects who had gained weight were more likely to have one of the risk factors compared to those subjects who lost fat. Adding fat put the participants at a 24% higher risk of hypertension, 52% higher chance of metabolic syndrome as well as a 41% higher chance of high cholesterol.

For those who managed to maintain or improve their fitness, they were able to modify, but not eliminate, the higher risk of the extra fat. Dropping fat appeared to offset some of the increased risk of not being as fit as you once were.

The best scenario is to lose the weight and become more fit. This brings the lowest risk for all three potential troublemakers. Experts agree that if you're overweight you'd best be fit. If you can't pay attention to both healthy lifestyle choices - at least pick one.

And remember, making physical activity fun (rather than a dreaded chore) goes a long way toward having you doing it more often, and seeing the many benefits of exercise on the heart.

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What's Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercise?

Exercising is a great way of reducing body fat and keeping your muscles fit. But as you may already know, not all types of exercises are good for you. Of course, you have to make sure that your body has enough strength to carry out a particular exercise routine. There have been many cases when bodies give out and succumb to injuries because the exercise routine is more rigorous than what the body can muster. There are generally two types of exercises: aerobic and anaerobic. They differ in terms of the routine they contain and the benefits they give.

Aerobic exercise is a physical form of exercise that has a relatively low level of intensity but greatly generates energy. From the term "aerobic", this set of exercises puts emphasis on the use of oxygen as a form of energy that would support your body throughout the exercise routine. Most common forms of exercise under the aerobic category are: treadmill, stationary bicycle, jogging, running, swimming, kickboxing, and circuit training.

There are many benefits of doing aerobic exercises, on top of which is the strengthening of the muscles you need to keep your respiratory system functioning well. The heart muscles are also enlarged and fortified with the required strength to function efficiently. It also reduces the risk for diabetes and for mental conditions. Also, as in most exercise routines, aerobic exercises are great in reducing body fats.

On the other hand, anaerobic exercise is geared more toward the building of strength, power and speed. The exercises under this category are more intense as they target the muscles. Most of these exercises make use of gym equipments like bench presses and weights. Some of the other exercises under the anaerobic category are long distance running, cycling (in distances), boat rowing, sports swimming and cross country skiing.

If you would notice, the difference between these two exercises is the level of intensity they require from you. For aerobic exercises, you need not to exert too much effort because the main idea is for you to utilize the oxygen that you breathe for your body to be able to perform the activities or routines. For the anaerobic exercises meanwhile, your muscles are at work.

Regardless though of the type of exercises that you engage in, it is important that you make sure that your body can adhere to the strength and muscle requirements to avoid being at a risk of injuries.

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One Bad Habit That You Must Remove From Your Workouts

I have a recommendation for all those people who currently do not take a bottle of water into their workouts. Stop this practice now. On the surface, I cannot disagree with most people's reasons. Yes, water may seem blah, boring, you name it so where is the benefit to you and the body? Remember this, water is liquid gold while you exercise. You have probably spent a considerable time researching ways to lose weight by exercising or workouts for bulking up. You can do all the research you want and have the world's greatest exercise program, but if you ignore your water you will not be working to your full potential. Let's discuss the importance of incorporating water drinking into your workout and training regimes.

Let's Get Wet

If you do much reading on this subject, you will find that reports tend to fluctuate when reporting out the total water percent of your bodyweight. The over-riding reason why the water percentage changes is due to the fact that we all have different body types. So as an example, the more lean muscle a person has, the higher their body water percent. The reason is simple; lean muscle is able to hold and absorb more water than fat. So let's throw around some averages then. A typical average person will have roughly 60% of their total weight as water. I don't know about you, but I think that this is a very substantial number.

So The Big Deal Is What?

Unfortunately during the normal course of a day, your body is working hard and as a result is expelling water through breathing, sweating and urinating to name a few. It should be pretty simple, that what goes out should be replaced because we all know that if you do not replace that liquid, your body will start becoming dehydrated. This then leads to other bad things. You never want to get to the point where you have become dehydrated. As a rule of thumb, if you lose more than 10% of your body weight in fluids, you have now joined the ranks of being dehydrated.

Now, the thing to remember here is that this number is for the "average Joe" that is not really engaged in high tempo activities or exercise. If you exercise fairly briskly on a regular basis with the goal to lose weight by exercising or maybe your goal is to complete that first marathon, then your dehydration level falls under a different category. With activity levels like this, you would start to become dehydrated after only losing 1-2% of your body fluids. When you hit this threshold, you start feeling like you lack energy and you also get that tired feeling. This makes finishing your workouts very difficult. This makes it very tough when you are trying to go 100% with your workouts. Another reason why an active or athletic person should be consuming their water is to help with joint lubrication. Remove the water from your system and your joints get stiff, which can then lead to higher risk of injuries. This is not a great outcome.

What Are your Options?

What some might call a negative property of water could also be considered one of its beneficial properties. I'm talking about its flavour. It's hard to make the argument that I don't drink water because I don't like the taste when in actual fact it doesn't really have a taste at all. If you are someone who works out consistently on a set schedule, then try the following ideas to help stay away from the dreaded athletic dehydration.

•  Try and drink at least 1-2 cups within a few hours of your workout.

•  Absolutely have water present, and use it during your training session.

•  If you are training at a high intensity you may want to add some salt to your water to help replace the salts you are losing through sweat. A sports drink may even be the right choice during these types of workouts. These drinks come pre-mixed with the sodium that you need for replacement.

• Don't stop drinking once you are finished your workout. Keep drinking water after your workout because your body is still working even after you stop so keep it hydrated.

• Of course I don't have to ask if you are stretching after your workouts, right? This is yet another reason for drinking that water. It will help your body flush out and remove the toxins that you have produced during your training and as a result of stretching.

So that is your Water 101 lesson for the day. Water is such an amazingly simple beverage but it is so important, when it comes to our bodies, and should not be underestimated and under-utilized. So water doesn't care if you are a weightlifter or just an individual that is seeking ways to lose weight by exercising. Drink it and love it because the health benefits from it are too lengthy to list. You won't be disappointed that you did and neither will your body. Remember to always enjoy the experience and live in the moment.

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Best Exercises For Rehabilitating Back Injuries

Of all sports related injuries, I personally find back injuries to be the most worrisome and the most debilitating. You never quite realise how important your back is until something happens to it. However, that being said, you can rehabilitate yourself back into form (no pun intended) by performing a few exercises which are known to strengthen the back muscles and really help rebuild the damage that would have been caused at the point of the injury. These exercises are generally easy to perform and use low resistance as a way to rebuild and strengthen any injured muscles.

1. Hyper-extension - The hyper-extension or the back extension is one of the 'go-to' back strengthening exercises. The emphasis is on the spinal erectors and the lower back and I have found it extremely effective in rehabilitating my back and also managing back pain. The strength of this exercise is its flexibility as you are able to use varying levels of resistance and also able to adjust the incline (you will need to perform it on the bench initially). It can be done on a swiss ball but the instability of the ball may cause injury once more). Most gyms have specialist incline benches designed for performing the hyper-extension.

They recognise the exercise's efficiency and efficacy when it comes to back rehabilitation. Since most back injuries occur in the lower back section, it is advisable to start the hyper-extension with a very gentle incline and no weights. You can then slowly increase your range of motion while making sure you do not create too much discomfort as that may indicate that further damage is being caused. As you get stronger and more confident you can add more weight, but you must always be conscious of any discomfort.

2. Superman - The 'superman' is another classic back rehabilitation exercise. It is essentially a static hold - you do not need to perform reps in quick succession but rather, you need to hold the position for as long as you can. The efficacy of the Superman is in the low resistance as you are essentially using your own body-weight. The main advantage of this is that you can easily control the amount of resistance should any discomfort occur. Also, you can always gradually work to increase the amount of time that you hold the position as your back gets stronger.

3. Good Morning - Only when you feel that you are well on the road to recovery will the Good Morning begin to give you some good results. This is because unlike the other two exercises, the good morning requires free weights which will cause significantly more strain to your lower back and if you haven't quite recovered, this could do more harm than good. The good morning is best performed with the barbell as it is much more stable and at this point stability is key. A simple jolt or a slip up could compromise your back and undo all the hard work you have done by causing further injury.

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How to Start Running With 5 Easy Steps

It might be hard to start running at the beginning if you have not done any before. In fact, running is one of the inexpensive, great for health and best way to lost weight. Every beginners worries how to get motivated, how to avoid injuries, where and how much to run. Therefore, there are a few tips and guidelines for beginners to get started.

Beginner Tip Number 1: Training Schedules

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. When you are first getting started, it's important to have a schedule. For example, run Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Rest on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Make sure you stick to what you have planned. In addition, keep track of your records and increase your time or mileage gradually. For beginner runners, Nike+ Sport Watch GPS is a good choice. It reminds you to run, stores your running history and remembers your personal records.

Beginner Tip Number 2: Find the essential gear

The most important thing to take care of in your running program is to have the right pair of shoes, comfortable clothing including socks. Getting appropriate sport shoes will help to minimize any chances to get injury. The best way is to go to a specialty shoes store where they will help to analyze your pattern of movement to figure out the best shoes of you.

Beginner Tip Number 3: Make sure you warm up

Well, a good warm up before running can prevent all sorts of sport injuries such as muscle tightness which could wreck your run. Warming up also provide you with more significant power whenever you run. And not to forget to cool down for at least five minutes at the end too.

Beginner Tip Number 4: Do a Run-Walk Combination

When you first start running, it is always the best to start slowly. It is advisable to start at short distances and do not pressure yourself to run the entire length of your desired distance. By doing a run-walk combination, you will able to cover more distance and running will be a lot more enjoyable.

Beginner Tip Number 5: Run with other people

Many of the beginners would prefer to run with their running partners. They can find motivational support and can be rich source of information and advice for beginning runners. However, you can run with your electronic devices if you are comfortable with it. Listening music or audiobooks able distract you on a hard run and stay motivated.

People say all beginnings are difficult. With these 5 easy steps, you can start running easily with great feeling!

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Jogging Versus Sprinting: Which Is Better For You?

Cardio has become synonymous with jogging. You tighten up your running shoes, hit the treadmill or the road and just go until your joints can't handle it anymore or until you're bored. That's how you're supposed to burn calories and lose weight. Isn't it?

It might be time to rethink your exercise regimen.

Endurance training, like jogging or cycling, trigger's the body's natural release of cortisol. This has its benefits, but purely in terms of exercise and muscle growth, cortisol is a hormone that can restrict your body's ability to build muscle.

So what can you do to combat this? Is there a way to improve cardiovascular health, while at the same time not impeding the body's ability to grow muscle, or to even assist in the process?

Think about how the human body evolved (or was created, if you're into that sort of thing). People were designed to both walk and sprint. Seldom does jogging occur with any other species in nature. Animals walk to migrate and sprint to hunt or flee.

While jogging can release cortisol into the body, sprinting can naturally release much more beneficial hormones in terms of muscle-building: testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH). Yes, both men and women have the ability to generate testosterone and HGH, albeit at very different levels. No, these aren't the synthetic substances that athletes get banned for. These are naturally occurring hormones that help to build muscle, slow aging, build stronger bones, etc.

Not only does sprinting shoot your testosterone and HGH levels way up, but it can keep them up for a few hours after your workout. This keeps your body burning fat long after your workout is done.

Also, jogging, like walking, will severely neglect your body's fast twitch muscle fibers, while emphasizing the slow-twitch variety. What's the difference? Fast-twitch fibers are used for explosive, powerful movements, while slow-twitch fibers are the source of muscle stamina. In terms of appearance, athletes who focus on training that emphasizes the slow-twitch fibers tend to have long, slender muscles, while those whose training relies on fast-twitch fibers tend to be bulkier.

Now, should you completely eliminate jogging from your workout routine? Not necessarily. I would recommend about a 70/30 percent split between sprinting and jogging, respectively. This will ensure that both muscle fiber types are being utilized, and that you will be developing both power and endurance as you train.

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Exercises for People Who Hate Exercise

People who hate exercise often believe that achieving physical fitness is impossible for them. You may fear that the only way you can lose weight and strengthen your muscles is by purchasing an expensive gym membership that you will never have time to use.

You may know from sad past experience that if you buy costly home fitness equipment, it will sit unused in your basement. Even adopting a program of routine physical exercises may be distasteful to you. Perhaps you cannot fit the exercises into your overcrowded schedule or you find the exercise routines too boring to carry out on a daily basis.

The good news is that there are exercises for people who hate exercise.

Non-Volitional Exercises

Non-volitional exercises are calorie-burning activities that you engage in on a daily basis without even noticing that you are performing them. Non-volitional exercises can include gardening and sweeping the kitchen.

Make a list of all of the physical activities that you engage in during an average week. Think about ways that you can increase those activities.

Climb stairs at the office instead of using the elevator. Park a few blocks further away from stores than you normally would and walk the extra distance to your shopping. Buy a stand-up desk and work on your feet several hours a day at your office or your home. Extend your dog's walk by an extra 10 minutes every day. Pace around the room whenever you talk or text on your phone.

All of these non-volitional exercises will contribute to your fitness.

Chair Aerobics

Another type of exercise that you may enjoy is called chair aerobics, also known as seated aerobics, in which you engage in physical activities while sitting in a chair.

A popular form of chair aerobics is called chair dancing, in which you can practice various formal dance steps while seated at work or at home. There are DVDs that can show you how to dance, box and engage in other forms of recreational and sports exercises for short periods of time while seated.

You can also exercise while seated on a large exercise ball at home or at the office while working on your computer or reading. Exercise balls contribute to fitness by causing you to frequently change positions and use your abdominal muscles to remain stable on the ball's surface.

In-Home Walking Programs

Increasing the amount of walking you do in your house or apartment can increase your fitness. There are numerous in-home walking programs available on DVDs. In-home walking can initially consist of simply standing up during commercial breaks on television and marching back and forth in front of the television for the duration of the commercial. You can set an alarm on your computer to remind you to stand and walk back and forth for five minutes every hour.

More complex programs available on DVD offer advice on in-home power walking techniques that will help you lose weight faster.

Physical fitness is attainable by people who hate exercise!

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8 Totally Easy Ways To Fit In Exercise Time

According to the American Institute of Reboundology, two of the top 10 reasons people don't exercise are exercise boredom and perception that exercise is too difficult. But, in reality, both of these objections really are just myths based on bad information or previous bad experiences.

Fitting in exercise time can be incredibly easy and even enjoyable. Below are list of some of the easiest ways to workout and in some cases even have fun while doing it.

Outdoor lawn work. Such things as pushing a lawn mower, raking leaves and gardening are all beneficial, low impact ways to burn some calories.

Table tennis (ping-pong). If you are like most of us, you've probably played table tennis some time in your life either battling a sibling or friend as a child or at a social party as an adult. It keeps you on your feet and moving about so it ranks as an easy and fun way to get in a little exercise.

Cleaning windows. Raise your hand if your windows are less than "clear"! Sure, cleaning windows is not the most fun activity but one that almost all of us need to do a few times a year. Next time you dread the thought of window cleaning time, remember it's another way to burn calories and work your upper body.

Stair climbing. If you've got a flight of stairs in your home or nearby, then you have an instant, inexpensive piece of fitness equipment. Simply walking up a flight of stairs and back down (even at a slow pace), and repeating that sequence for just 5-10 minutes will give you a very effective workout.

Pass time efficiently. Waiting for a pot to boil? Try some standing wall push-ups while you wait.

If you spend many weekends or evenings watching a child play a sport, utilize that time for some of your own workout time. Instead of plopping down in a chair for the duration, take a long walk around the field several times or just small paces back and forth. Any movement is more beneficial than sitting.

During television commercials, get down on the floor and alternate doing sit-ups and leg lifts. You'll be amazed at how many repetitions you can fit in during the commercials of a half hour show.

Help others while you help yourself. Sign-up for several charity fitness events throughout the year. This doesn't have to be a strenuous race. There are many fun-walk events throughout the country that let you even participate with family members. The event itself will help you meet fitness objectives and if you spend some time training for it in advance then you'll reap even more benefits.

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Steps to Effective Walking Fitness

Steps to Walking Fitness

If you are thinking about exercise and getting back into shape, you are on the right tract to better health with Walking to Fitness program.

Walking is a good and healthy exercise for everyone; young and elderly. Besides giving you space to work on your shape, it also helps to prevent many health problems.

There is no need to buy any equipment for walking exercise except that you will need a good pair of walking shoes with the proper shape and make to meet your requirement.

· Here are a few plans to help you get started:

· Make a plan of where you are headed as a goal.

· Get some good walking shoes with the proper fit.

· Plan what days you are going to walk.

· Make it a goal to work your way up to 5 days or more a week with 30 minutes walking time.

· Add 5 or 10 each to warm up and cool down time.

There are certain questions you may need to ask for better preparation, such as:

· Are you prepared to walk in the different kinds of weather that may turn up?

· What is your goal of how far you want to work up to?

· Are you walking for health reasons, to lose weight, or just to get the exercise we all need?

· Do you need to consult your doctor for health reasons?

· Are you planning to eventually add in some hiking trips or walking in a marathon race?

Keeping a journal on your progress? It is Very Necessary.

When making your plans up with a goal it gives you something to look forward to as you progress. It will help to keep you motivated. Once you start walking you don't want to stop, merely looking back you'll be excited to see how far you've gone.

Make sure your shoes are your normal size and specification to prevent injuries. A good walking shoe needs to be a firm to hold its shape to keep from turning and twisting your ankles. They should have a good tread on them so you don't slip on water or ice. Make sure your shoes have a good fit to your feet so you don't get warts or blisters, you don't want your feet to hurt they need to be happy feet.

Knowing which days of the week you are planning to walk is very important so that you can work your schedule around your walking time? Setting the times and days will help you from soreness in the muscles and joints; they can easily go back to their old ways before you starting walking again, if you've not settled your walking schedule which has to be consistent.

Being prepared for different kinds of weather situations is a smart way to avoid disruptions in your programs, checking up the weather channel or the projections on the internet will keep you ahead of any unforeseen change in the weather.

Deciding on how far you want to be able to walk in a period of time; like 30 minutes, including the warm up and cooling down time is important. In order to make the schedule for your exercise, you need to know how long it is going to take you to achieve your set goal.

The pace that you walk depends on what your goal is. Are you walking for general health problems, training to walk a marathon, or just to walk in order to lose a few inches here and there and improve your shape? Remember; the faster you walk the more calories you will burn. Walking a marathon has to be timed if that is your goal, so that you will be able to walk the distance in a certain amount of time.

Are you in good health or is your doctor recommending that you walk for your health? It not everyone who needs to check with their doctor before undertaking a walking to fitness program but some people need to do so if you are having any health issue. He is surely going to ask you certain question before starting your new adventure.

Keeping a journal for each day can be a fun as you monitor your progress. Once in awhile look back into it to see how you've progressed. You'll be so proud of yourself when you hit the goal you're after.

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Do You Make These Three Push-Up Mistakes?

Push-ups are one of the best overall drills for the human frame: upper body strength-endurance, core endurance, spinal stability all in one drill.

And the push-up looks simple.

Just get down, hands on the ground, straighten your body and away you go. Right?

Not quite.

Done improperly, you increase risk of injury to the shoulder, neck, and low back, and get less value out of the drill.

The Top Three Push-Up Mistakes

Hand Position- Hands high and wide = mistake

A lot of people place their hands high and wide forming a "T".

This reduces the workload on the triceps and pectoralis muscles but uses the passive restraint tissues (joint capsule, ligaments) of the shoulder to create stability instead of the muscle system.

The upper arm (humerus) is actually in what's referred to as an "impingement" position. The very small amount of space that provides clearance in the shoulder for the rotator cuff tendons is reduced by the angle of the humerus. So, it feels easier to do a push up in this position but the risk to your shoulder is greater.

Depth- Arms past the mid-line of the trunk = mistake

A lot of trainers and coaches will tell you that the best push-up is one where the chest hits the ground.

Not true.

When the chest hits the ground, your upper arm (humerus) is positioned behind the trunk or in an extended position. This places a lot of load on the front of the shoulder and is often a cause of anterior shoulder pain. The argument for taking your chest to the floor is to stress all of the muscle fibers so you get maximal muscle contraction and development. I understand that but what you're doing is sacrificing safety for vanity.

You'll get plenty of muscle work by stopping the motion when the arm is lined up with the middle of the trunk (so the upper arm will be parallel to the ground). And you lower the risk of injury substantially.

The other problem with taking the chest to the floor is that the arm is fixed. It can't rotate in and out like it does when you throw a punch. So again, as the arm moves past the trunk, the shoulder will move into more of an impingement position (this is much more the case when the hands are flat on the floor than in the image with the hands on handles but I still would stop the motion at the trunk midline).

Going too low isn't the only issue with depth. It's pretty easy to crank out a hundred push-ups if you move about three inches. Yes, lower risk of injury but you're kidding yourself into thinking you're stronger than you really are.

Sagging- The spine and head sagging out of alignment = mistake

When you're not strong enough to manage the push-up, your spine and/or head will sag toward the ground. This increases stress in the spine and even into the shoulders. So, if you find yourself drooping, it means the drill is too hard.

And guys seem to have an enormous amount of trouble feeling okay about doing push-ups on their knees. I've heard things like, "I'm not doing girlie push-ups!" Please. Get over yourself. It's a push-up with less load. That's it. If it makes you feel better, strap a performance band around your chest, anchor it high in the door and let the band help you by reducing the load. Same thing. Easier on your ego though.

Avoid making these three common mistakes for the push-up and reduce your risk of injury while getting the most out of a great drill.

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