According to the DoctorsLounge website, left upper quadrant pain is often associated with diseases of the spleen and colon. However, other areas of the body, including the chest, can cause pain in this part of the abdomen too. Left upper quadrant...
Brisket is a naturally tough piece of beef from the area below the upper ribs. Because it is tough, brisket needs to slow cook so the connective tissues in the muscle break down. Roasting the brisket in the oven is a simple way to slow cook the...
Breathing can be a conscious or unconscious act. We can hold our breath or breathe deep even while the rest of our body is asleep. Without the respiratory system our body could not get the vital oxygen it needs to function. Lungs themselves are...
The Body Bar company created their 4-foot steel, rubber-coated resistance training bars in 1987. Weighing between 6 pounds and 24 pounds, these bars took group-exercise strength training to a new level. Their barbell shape facilitates advanced...
Push ups, a popular compound body-weight exercise, work many muscles---a reason many fitness experts recommend them. "The New York Times" claims push ups are the "ultimate barometer of fitness" because your whole body gets involved. The many types...
Pilates is a fitness method that is adaptable to most levels of experience and strength. Joseph Pilates honed his method of body conditioning in the early 1920s to help people incorporate fitness into their everyday lives. His principals included...
Throwing a baseball, whether you're playing outfield, second base or pitching, involves more muscle involvement that than found in the arm. Throwing a baseball encourages movement, contraction and power as well as coordination of movement from...
Pullups are an excellent exercise for strengthening many of the muscles of your back and shoulders, including the rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, teres major and latissimus dorsi muscles. They also strengthen several of your arm muscles,...
Many cultures have long considered breathing exercises as effective to achieve both physical and mental equilibrium, and the Japanese culture is no exception. Many Japanese breathing methods are interspersed throughout martial arts and physical...
Kayaking gives you a low-impact cardio workout along with a rigorous muscular and strength workout. The more intense the waters you’re kayaking in, the harder your muscles will work. Paddling down a quiet stream will require a lot less work...
Floor wipers are a traditional weight training exercise for the abdominal muscles that has become increasingly popular since the movie "300," when fitness trainer Mark Twight used this exercise to develop the midsections of the actors. Floor...
Breathing exercises used in spiritual meditations and practices such as kundalini yoga are intended to align the mind, body and spirit. Spiritual breathing is used to experience a state of inner peace and tranquility. You change your state of...
Along with other therapies prescribed by your doctor, rehabilitating a pectoral-muscle injury requires your dedication to an exercise program that will aid in the healing process and recondition the affected muscle or muscles. A well-designed...
Yoga exercises can improve the strength and flexibility of your rotator cuff muscles. Strong rotator muscles are less likely to tear or develop shoulder impingement syndrome, bursitis or tendonitis. The rotator muscles include the supraspinatus,...
Your rhomboids are located on your upper back and connect your shoulder blades onto your thoracic spine. Their job is to pull your shoulder girdle backwards---a movement called "retraction." Weak rhomboids can contribute to a hyperkyphotic, or...
According to Yogi Bhajan, founder of 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization) and pioneer of kundalini in the West, breath is the foundation of kundalini yoga practice. Bhajan teaches that the most positive changes you can make in your life is to...
A 2007 study published in the "Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research" details the benefits of exercising on unstable surfaces. Lead author Eric M. Cressey reported that the balance equipment enhanced the subjects' overall athleticism....
You can stabilize your torso during Pilates exercises using a lateral breathing technique, according to Ellie Herman, author of "Ellie Herman's Pilates Props Workbook." While the front of your ribcage stays closed in this corseting technique, the...
American football is one of the country's most popular sports, and has changed dramatically since it was first developed in the 19th century. The rules of the game have been transformed to allow forward passing and a variety of other plays and...
Pushups offer a strength-building resistance workout. Your body provides the resistance with its own weight, and whole groups of your muscles benefit simultaneously, including your heart. They're uncomplicated --- babies do them when they are...
Your serratus anterior is a set of finger-like muscles that connect your upper ribs to your scapula, on either side of your torso. Your serratus anterior is primarily responsible for three functions: It holds your shoulder blades against your...
If you are searching for an exercise to improve the look of your chest, you may find your solution in a cable crossover exercise. A cable machine has two cables and two handles. You stand between the cables and squeeze them together in front of...
There are three key body positions that work best for getting results when you work on your abdominals (abs). The force of gravity is the prime source of resistance in each of these positions, so it is important that the exercises you perform are...
Pushups strengthen many muscles. Fitness trainers commonly include them in routines, and the "New York Times" considers them "the ultimate barometer of fitness." You may think pushups only develop the chest; in fact, this popular compound exercise...
Performing push-ups, a compound and body-weight exercise with a number of variations, works several muscle groups simultaneously. Push-ups strengthen muscles from head to toe without the use of weights. When you perform push-ups, you mainly use...
Hitting a punch bag is a great workout. Short, intense periods of punching punctuated with brief rests will develop your anaerobic fitness and muscle power while longer periods of punching will improve your aerobic fitness and muscular endurance....
If your ribs are cracking while stretching, pain is likely present as well. A rib fracture, costochondritis and sprain can all result in cracking if the rib cage is stretched. Consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment.
When considering exercises to strengthen your chest, you may not include a chinup as one of your choices. The chinup is an upper-body strengthening exercise that relies on your chest muscles for part of the movement, but overall it is an...
Sciatica is a common cause of back pain for many people. Symptoms of sciatica include pain down one side of the back, buttocks and leg, numbness or muscle weakness and pain and tingling. At times, pain can be debilitating; at other times, it might...
Relieve tension in the hip and back area by learning how to use your thumbs in shiatsu massage in this free video clip.
High breathing in yoga refers to a style of breathing that takes place in the upper part of the chest and lungs. Learn how to do high breathing by raising the ribs in this exercise video.
Learn how to block hook punches with advanced Kyokushin karate techniques, in this free Kyokushin karate video lesson.
The Heimlich maneuver is used in cases of emergency when a person is choking. Learn how and when to perform the Heimlich maneuver in this health video.
