Low angle view of a person climbing a mountain

What Is "Dex" in Mountain Climbing?

Known among mountaineers as “dex,” dexamethasone is a steroid used to treat high-altitude cerebral edema. Every year about 2 percent of mountain climbers suffer from this life-threatening condition, according to Ken Kamler’s 2005 article, “Steroids on Everest” on the National Geographic website.

Read more →

Fatigue as a Side Effect of Acupuncture

Discover the potential side effects of acupuncture treatment, including fatigue. Learn about the ancient Chinese practice and its benefits, as well as how to manage common side effects.

Read more →
Doctor doing test at his patient

Hydrochlorothiazide & Itchy Skin

Hydrochlorothiazide, also known as Microzide in the United States and Apo-Hydro and Novo-Hydrazide in Canada, is a medication used to treat high blood pressure. Considered a diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide lowers blood pressure and eliminates excess salt and water in your body through the kidneys.

Read more →
chocolate bars

Is Cocoa Bad for Pregnant Women?

Cocoa presents both risks and advantages for pregnant women. If you drink cocoa in the form of hot chocolate, the beverage typically contains a small amount of caffeine. The majority of health care professionals advise against the intake of any caffeine in a pregnancy diet.

Read more →
Family jumping together

Do You Lose Jumping Ability?

The ability to jump requires not just strength but power, which is a combination of speed and strength. To lift your body weight into the air, your muscles must contract quickly and forcefully. Athletes spend many hours training to increase the height of their vertical jump.

Read more →
Sporty woman stretching hand behind back in fitness studio

Exercise for a Muscle Cramp Under the Rib Cage

A cramp in the ribcage, or side stitch, can occur when you've been sedentary and start training. Fit individuals can also develop side stitches when they boost the intensity of their exercises. As you grow stronger and more accustomed to your fitness regimen, side stitches should naturally disappear.

Read more →

How to Do a Push Up When You're Weak

The basic pushup is an exercise to strengthen your triceps, shoulders and chest as well as to prevent saggy arms. Because a pushup also employs your lower body and abdominals to stabilize movement, the exercise requires the synchronization of several muscle groups.

Read more →
Muscular man doing push ups in gym

How to Get Your Neck Bigger for a Tape Test

The Defense Department’s tape test uses a ratio of the circumferences of your neck and waist to figure out your body fat percentage. While your waist should be slim and toned, your neck should be thick and strong. If you have a skinny neck and a pear shape, excess body fat can put you at risk of failing the test.

Read more →
personal trainer training man with kettle bell

How to Lose Love Handles With Free Weights

Love handles consist of excess body fat that collects on the sides of your waist. Combine fat-burning workouts with a nutritional plan that induces a calorie deficit to lose your love handles.

Read more →
Young woman stretching before exercise

Exercises for a Knot in the Hamstring

The hamstring is a dense muscle that tends to get tight, particularly if you spend many hours working on a computer. Knots may develop in spots where muscle fibers have actually bonded. Think of a knot as a balled-up rubber band. If you pull on it, the knot becomes more compact.

Read more →
Bodybuilder Exercising Chest With Barbell

Square Chest Exercises

The pectoralis major is your primary chest muscle. It stretches from your collarbone to the top of your abdominal wall and sideways across your shoulders. When you work your pecs, you can target three regions -- upper, middle and lower.

Read more →
little boy running dribbling

How to Improve My Football Dribbling Skills

Skillful dribbling enables you to control a soccer ball’s movement so as to maintain the advantage over an opponent. The skill is used to do several things in a game, including outmaneuvering a defender, handling a ball in a tight space or moving forward at top speed on an open field.

Read more →
Group Training with Medicine Ball

The Best Arm Exercises for Volleyball

The most effective volleyball players have a powerful arm swing, hitting the ball with more force and gaining greater thrust on jumps. During the course of a game, you use your arms to serve, set, hit, spike and block -- fundamental maneuvers for successful play.

Read more →
Woman playing golf

The Average Women's Golf Swing Speeds

The average female golfer's swing speed is 65 mph, wrote Tom Wishon in "Ten Things You Thought You Knew About Golf Clubs." Because a woman has less upper body power than a man, her swing speeds tend to be lower.

Read more →
Woman riding an exercise bike in gym.Cardio and fat loss

Does Cycling Reduce Hips?

While cycling conditions your lower body, reducing hip size depends on shedding excess fat around your hips. For fat-burning workouts, you can perform long low-intensity rides or high-intensity intervals. Spot reduction, however, is a myth. Weight loss will occur in all areas of your body, including your hips.

Read more →
Two Business Colleagues Working Face to Face at Their Desks With Another Businessman Walking Past in the Office

How to Stretch the Bicep Femoris

The biceps femoris is considered the "lateral" hamstring muscle and helps you to bend your knee in the same way that your biceps enables you to bend your elbow. This muscle attaches to the back of your thighbone and sit bone and then runs down the outside of your leg to attach to the calf bone.

Read more →
Spinning Bicycle detail lower shutter speed for nice movement

Exercise Machines That Power Your Home

Given the desire to shrink its carbon footprint, many gyms have begun to retrofit cardio machines with energy-producing generators. Because these machines only generate a small amount of power per user, gyms connect many machines and users to recoup the cost of the generators.

Read more →