In this short discussion, I share my thoughts on why all men, young and old should participate in various forms of chest / pectoral exercises, or better yet...just do press ups.

During a recent routine visit to my GP, I sat in the waiting room for approximately fifteen minutes, whereby on two occasions I saw parents bringing their son's in.

Both boys were overweight with clearly visible excess fatty tissue on their upper torsos, namely the chest area / pectorals.

The build up of fat in their chest area, was so advanced, given their age (about 12 to 13 years) that even with t shirts on, it was unhealthy at worst and unsightly at best.

Hopefully the parents were taking them to the GP with this physiological issue in mind.

The correct term for this is condition is Gynecomastia an imbalance of the hormones estrogen and testosterone in men or boys, causing the appearance of female breast tissue in the chest.

To fix gynecomastia, lifestyle changes like exercise and diet may help, but the condition often requires medical intervention. Treatments include medication for hormonal imbalances, and for more persistent cases, surgical options like liposuction (to remove fat) or mastectomy (to remove glandular tissue) may be considered.

Exercise or more specifically strength based movements, from bodyweight resistance to free weights are essential to assist with the fight against the dreaded 'man boobs' condition, which is currently on the increase.

Here's where PRESS UPS or PUSH UPS can help reduce the build up of excess fatty tissue here. Whilst this healthy intervention may not be 100% guaranteed to rid men's body's of Gynecomastia, it will certainly improve strength and aesthetics.

The best things about press ups, are they're free to do and take little to zero set up and instruction.

HOW TO START PRESS UPS -

Start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, 3 times per week, ideally with only your hands and toes / balls of feet in contact with the floor. Should you find this too challenging to start with, try putting your knees on the floor, to help, effectively reducing the amount of weight / resistance, until you are strong enough to go back onto your feet.

Lower your torso by flexing elbows to 90 degrees, or if feeling strong enough, lower down until your chest touches the floor.

Exhale as you press back up to the starting position, maintaining a straight body from head to toe.

By week 2, aim for 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps, maintaining good form as always. Your chest, triceps, front shoulders, upper back and core strength will definitely be getting stronger already, as you will be experiencing rapid physiological adaptations, being that you are new to this superb strength based bodyweight exercise.

When you can competently complete 3 sets of 20 reps, try adding slow descent and fast ascents to restimulate the muscles involved.

Good luck and get to it......TODAY

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In this short but insightful episode I share my thoughts on why physically overweight men in the UK make weekend pilgrimages to shopping outlets, in this case, IKEA.

This week I myself visited IKEA'S Nottingham outlet to purchase their well known shelving units and witnessed a deluge of overweight to obese men between the ages of approximately 20 to 60 years of age.

As a professional Personal Trainer, my optics generally gauge the amount of excess bodyweight and or body fat a person is carrying, of which the current state of personal physical health among men in the UK is rapidly increasing to startling levels.

There may be a multitude of factors, as to why low barrier to entry shopping outlets are popular with unhealthy men, however in this particular discussion, I'll contribute my reasoning, that of a possible distraction from poor health and of course IKEA's carefully planned out structure of it's retail stores. The colorful grotto like sections make a welcome, short term alleviation, from the chronic discomfort and even painful acceptance of physiological disorders and or disease.

Consider this comparison....a smoker uses nicotine gum or patches in his quest for eventual cessation of guaranteed health decline, in the way of cancer, coronary heart disease and organ failure. A man addicted to alcohol consumption might turn to exercise or join a therapy group in his journey towards sobriety.

Both smoking and alcohol addictions are seriously damaging to men's quality of life and as such we take steps to undoing the aforementioned health implications, but obesity is considered by some a touchy or 'off limits' subject to broach with a friend, family member or work colleague, largely due to it's connection to low levels of emotional or academic intelligence.

This commonplace and socially awkward conversation can give rise to unchecked health readings, by way of avoiding GP visits, or good intention based enquiries from loved ones. Months can lead to years of borderline indifference to expanding waistlines and shortness of breath, to name but a few.

So, what we now have are swathes of 20 to 60 something year old's frequenting shopping retail parks in search of that colorful distraction from their inevitable decline in health.

A final word of encouragement from me gents...yes you should still from time to time indulge in a bit of retail therapy, only after you have invested in your physical and mental improvements first. Trust me, the new furniture or shiny new kitchen units will undoubtedly feel better with less unwanted body fat and a stronger, healthier heart.

Please feel free to share my musings with someone you think might benefit from any one of the catalogue of episodes.

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My guest in this episode is Dan Jones, a Lincoln based Nutritionist, who kindly shares his story from education to professional services.

Dan initially embarked on a career in forensic science, prior to his interest and subsequent studies towards a qualification in nutrition science.

Find out how cream cakes are tested for nutritional values and how to gauge labels on processed foods.

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Thanks for listening.