Look, you need to understand that Set after Set of Flat Bench Barbell just doesn’t cut it for all over Chest development. In order to witness extreme growth, muscularity and thickness you need to be learning about Pecs Workouts so hardcore they make grown men cry and women faint with envy.

What I’m covering today here is for serious dudes only. Pecs workouts this intense are certainly not for the faint hearted.

I strongly suggest that you only perform the following very occasionally when your body has begun to adapt to its usual Pecs Workouts. Chest is an incredibly adaptive muscle group and you will know it’s time to initiate this hardcore workout when you fail to see any measurable progress from your usual routine.

You MUST give your Chest a week off after this workout to properly recover and grow back stronger.

Before we start you must stretch and warm up thoroughly.

Important: 3×10,8,6 means 3 Sets of 10 then 8 then 6 Repetitions.

Ok, lets do it.

First up, Flat Bench Barbell Bench Presses

1x warm up set of 25 reps very light weight.

3×10,8,6 at your heaviest weight possible leading to total failure on Set 3

Immediately into flat floor Pushups – 3 Sets to failure.

By this time your Chest will be totally pumped and gorged with blood thanks to our friends the Pushups. Our next port of call is to zap the Pecs using Dumbbells. These are fantastic to go deep with and get a great stretch at the bottom end of the movement helping to expand your overall muscle fibers.

3×10,8,6 Flat Bench Dumbbell Presses

Then follow this up with –

3×12,10,8, Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly’s

Next – it’s time to return to your favourite Bench and this time to adjust it to the Decline Setting.

That’s correct – you need to grab those Dumbbells again.

3×10,8,6

Are you in pain yet?

Great! It must be working then. Next…

Incline Bench Barbell Press

3×10,8,6

Then move directly into a Set of Incline Pushups to failure.

3 minute rest and stretch.

Then Incline Dumbbell Fly’s

3×12,10,8

Finish with Incline Pushups again to failure.

…And congratulate yourself.

You have just accomplished 18 Sets of one of the most hardcore Pecs workouts you will ever experience in your Bodybuilding career.

It is absolutely vital that you now take in a Whey Protein Shake containing 30g+ Protein and some Carbs. If your Protein shake doesn’t contain Carbohydrate, blend it with Low Fat Milk and add Dextrose to replenish your bodies stores and assist Protein absorption.

It is also key that you warm down properly – stretch again and remember to lay off any other Chest routines for at least 5 whole days after this workout.

Eat right, rest well and enjoy the results!

The Underated garium sulphate!

Over the years I have heard a lot of people condemn the intake of soaked Garri (also known as Garium Sulphate, cassava flakes) and have reduced it to a poor man’s meal. Take your time to read through this article, you will understand the nutritional benefits of taking soaked Garri as a normal meal.

Garri is a popular West African food made from cassava tuber. The soaked garri is a popular fast food for majority of people in Nigeria. Moreover, it could simply be taken as regular flakes and mostly taken when the weather is hot (in the afternoon or at night).

Best ways to soak garri

Garri is basically associated to poor people because it’s sold very cheap (measured in cups), easy to prepare and can be prepared with nothing but only water. Therefore, those that can’t afford a decent meal would rather go for it. Hey! That’s for poor people, left to me garri is for rich dudes but have been abused by the poor. I have met a lot of rich people who really enjoy taking garri as a meal. An average Nigerian in one way or the other must have taken garri. I was amazed when T-boss (from Big Brother Naija, BBN) opened her mouth to say she had never taken garri. I don’t really want to talk about that now.

Nevertheless, there are special ways of preparing your lovely soaked cassava flakes. This is how a normal garri looks like without adding anything:

Things you need to prepare it:

a. Cassava flakes

b. Water

c. Cubes of sugar

d. Groundnuts or kuli kuli

e. A tin of milk

f. Ice blocks or cold water

g. Fried/grilled fish or Pkomo (also known as Canda)

h. Coconut

Adding these things properly together makes up a decent soaked garium sulphate and can cost about N700, which is far above an average Nigerian’s meal. Moreover, there are nutritional benefits of soaked garri. Garium sulphate is rich in fiber, magnesium, Vitamin A (for yellow cassava) and copper. This directly implies that garri made from yellow cassava can improve your eye sight and when taken according to my prescription above will give you a balanced diet. Therefore you have no worries, because a plate of soaked garri can make your day (especially if your day was hectic).

Be proud of Africa and its wonderful heritage. I love My Africa!

If you love your bike, love riding the open road, going to meets, talking bikes, playing with bikes, watching bike sport or are simply happiest in the company of others who share your passion then BikerKiss is arguably the largest single meeting place for you to find others with common interests.

Please don’t misunderstand, as biker dudes the world over know, hanging out in bars, scoping for the most perfect, leather clad biker chick available (well maybe not perfect but certainly available) can be extremely good fun. Likewise female bikers, who are intent upon finding some chisel jawed hunk of prime manhood, have whiled away many a joyful hour trying to fend off the attentions of the less chiseled. Now whilst there is nothing at all wrong with the “traditional” way of meeting your perfect biker, as we all know, the chances of you actually meeting someone who really meets your hearts desire, simply by falling off a barstool are pretty remote.

However, with biker dating sites such as BikerKiss, ‘BikerPlanet’ or ‘Motorcycle Junction’ you know that the people you are chatting to are biker singles, just like you, who already share your passion for two wheeled fun and are looking to meet other people who enjoy the same. Straight away you have avoided the need for finding out if you have anything in common, that’s already understood.

In part, this explains why dating sites in general are so incredibly successful. By eliminating much of the need for small talk you can get on with the business of getting to know people straight away.

Statistics show Internet dating sites have now become the single most identified place that people find love and relationships. With 1 in 10 web surfers seeking partners online, the numbers of singles online is truly staggering. Add in to this equation the grouping of singles based upon shared pastimes and interests and it is clear to see why peoples chances of finding the relationship they want are greatly improved by membership of a site such as BikerKiss.

So who is using biker dating sites, and where do you fit in to the demographic. The largest single, identifiable biker dating group comprises of men and women aged between 30 and 45 with 48.4 % of memberships. They are closely followed, perhaps surprisingly, by men and women aged between 45 and 59 with 41.3 % of memberships. The under 30’s represent 7.7% of total memberships and the over 60’s complete the final 2.6%.

Of these groups, at the time of writing, 48.7% are heterosexual males, 45.2% are heterosexual females and the remaining 6.1% comprises of gay, lesbian and bisexual singles. Furthermore 73.8% are located in either the USA or Canada with 19.5% of memberships held by singles in the UK and the remaining 6.7% found in Europe, Australia, South Africa, India and others. Therefore it’s clear to see that wherever you live, no matter what your age or orientation you’ll find plenty of other biker singles matches on sites like BikerKiss ‘BikerPlanet’ or ‘Motorcycle Junction’.

Now, as we all know, bikers reputations dictate that we are all a bunch of brutal, beer swilling, sociopaths who’s concept of love is an afternoon of depraved lust in the back of a truck. However in reality, as the demographics clearly show, bikers are drawn from all walks of life. From single moms to hard core biker dudes, from middle aged business men to off duty nurses, bikers certainly do not conform to some badly conceived media stereotype.

A quick glance through the membership profiles biker dating sites quickly confirms that bikers are, in fact, ordinary people, who lead varied but generally responsible lives. The one unifying factor is their love of the open road and the sense of freedom that all motorcyclists enjoy.

So what should you be looking for from well constructed biker dating site? Firstly a high quality biker dating sites should allow biker singles from all over the world to make contact virtually instantly. It should provide an exciting and stimulating place for bikers to chat, flirt and possibly find even more. Whether your a biker or biker fan looking for friendship, casual fun or everlasting love, a premium standard biker dating site should provide a safe, enjoyable and friendly environment where you can find your perfect biker partner.

Certainly most biker dating sites achieve all this. However some, perhaps most notably BikerKiss, offers you a little more than others?

For examples, unlike some of it’s competitors, BikerKiss allows you to create a free “Guest Membership” profile which means you can create your online presence and other “Gold” and “Guest” members will be able to view your profile. In addition, the excellent free “Guest Membership” also enables you to view all other biker profiles in the community. You can even receive emails from Gold Members and you can reply to them in return. This feature of BikerKiss gives you the chance to see if the there community is for you before you consider full membership. Other comparable sites offer similar “trial memberships” but they are either time limited or do not enable you to browse freely throughout all other members profiles. BikerKiss does seem to excels in this regard.

Name, Age, Status, Employer, Hometown? Bartholomew Wilhelm Jones, 28, Single, The Skateboard mag son!, Geneva, Illinois.

Lets start at the very beginning. I want to know what it took to spawn you. Tell me about your parents. What kind of people were they, what did they do, how were you conceived?

Whoa!! That’s deep. I don’t know. My dad I think was originally from Plainfield, Illinois a little like cornfield town that’s all big now. He went to a private Catholic school or something, but he’s not like religious or anything, he keeps it real. And my mom is originally from Germany an actually lived in Israel for a minute when she was a child too, but then I think times were rough over there, so her family got hooked up with a boat ride to the states an started living in St. Louis, I think maybe.. Moving on, Dad went to college in St. Louis met my mom, badda boom batta bing, got married an made me.. I question if they were on some sort of drugs at the time, because I’m pretty jacked. My mom has had a lot of odd jobs through the years from school teacher, to running an antique store, to working in real estate and my dad used to run a chain of record stores called Apple Tree Records, which was an awesome time, because until I was about 16, my dad could hook up any music for free, plus free tickets to just about anything, I wish he still had that going’ but due to the likes of Best Buy, an Circuit city, an places like that; Apple Tree went under. I went around with my family to all the stores to close them down which sucked, but I came up on a lot of goods. Now my dad runs a Play It Again sports, so pretty much my mom an dad go around to auctions an garage sales an stock up on used sports equipment, so we use to have a lot of music laying around the house, but now it’s sport’s equipment.

Lets move on to your childhood. Any traumatic evens that still haunt you today?

I don’t think anything from my childhood still haunts me in anyway, but yea sure.. I’ve had a bunch of those.. I almost blew our families new puppies head off with a Draino bomb, my baby sitter tried to have sex with me once, I don’t know, but yea I was definitely a messed up kid, still pretty much am.

What was your very first encounter with skateboarding? When did you know that this was going to be a long term relationship?

First encounter I probably don’t remember, but I know I was super hyped on it when I seen these dudes skating flatground and ollieing over these road barriers at this downtown festival we have where I lived called “Swedish Days”. All the dudes had like two different colored Airwalk shoes on with duct tape, painter hats, all flaired out , I remember just thinking “These dudes are bad ass, that’s how I want to be!” Around the same time I was always psyched if I could catch “Skate TV” on Nickelodeon. Obviously totally clueless about skateboarding, but nonetheless, super hyped. I didn’t actually start skating until a few years after that, when a skate shop opened by my house called Rich’s, which is funny to think of, because the place was such a ‘ circus, but I would just skate around the shop an to me that was the most bad ass thing ever at the time.

Funny thing is, one of those dudes that I saw skating a long time ago at the festival is now my good homey Steve Davenport, he still skates, still rips!! But Yea, I really never knew it was going to be a long term relationship.. I guess I just really never got into anything else. When it comes to anything else relatively athletic I’m full on goonbat panzy steez. I remember when some of the kids in high school were getting into other things like Golf, Cars, ETC… I didn’t really understand. I just remember thinking ” you don’t want to go skating?!” I went through a little phase when I was going to art school, where I wasn’t really into skating, I didn’t know what was really going on, didn’t see the magazine’s and new videos; at that time I was more interested in becoming a “fine artist” but I’m kind over that I guess.

Being from Illinois, what are your thoughts on Barack Obama?

Being totally fried, I don’t really pay much attention to that kind of stuff, but I’m for sure down for Obama. I remember when he was running for senator or whatever in Illinois, an there were all these billboards with him, an I said to my dad “look at this dude looking all pimp “‘and he told me “that’s the man that’s expected to be the first black president”. Then in my photo journalism class I was assigned to go shoot photos of Barack’s victory speech. An like any other sucker, I was just eating it up; Obama just speaks with such like.. I don’t even know! Power, I guess, an then just looking around at all the people being so happy, it was just good vibes all around. An now it’s like the same thing again, but the whole country. I’m for sure pumped that at one time I lived in the same city as Obama. It’s a pretty exciting time, but what do I know..?

It will never be designated as a National Holiday, but the yearly occasion is certainly worth celebrating. Oldies stations across the country paid due tribute to September 25, known to music lovers as National One Hit Wonder Day.

Over the past six decades, hundreds of performers have become associated with just one hit that appeared on the charts. Some of the most obvious are Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance” and Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out.”

Many of these bands have actually enjoyed long careers with legions of faithful fans, people who appreciate the bulk of the group’s work beyond just the most recognized tune. Frank Zappa, who charted only once with “Valley Girl,” is a prime example. He is revered as one of the most influential artists in the history of rock.

Here are ten one hit artists who have better songs than their most well-known hit.

Fountains of Wayne Known For Stacy’s Mom

Nearly every song in this power pop band’s twenty year catalogue trumps their one hit, especially gems like “Hackensack” and “Red Dragon Tattoo.”

Jigsaw Known For Sky High

On the flip side of the same album as the above you can find “Love Fire”, which is even catchier than the chart topping title track.

Mott The Hoople Known For All The Young Dudes

David Bowie gave fellow Brit Ian Hunter this hit, but the latter himself wrote even better tunes like “All the Way To Memphis” and “I Wish I Was Your Mother.”

The Knack Known For My Sharona

Doug Feiger and Breton Averre struck gold with this number one, only to see better songs like “Art War” and “Another Lousy Day In Paradise” go virtually unnoticed.

T. Rex Known for Bang a Gong (Get It On)

Pick any song from Marc Bolan’s discography, be it “Ride a White Swan” or “Mambo Sun” or “Jeepster” among dozens of others, and you will wonder why Gong gave the band its only mainstream recognition.

Jo Jo Gunne Known for Run Run Run

Although scampering through the charts and bringing recognition to the group’s debut album, it is the sophomore record Bite Down Hard that holds superior tunes like “Ready Freddy.”

Terry Jacks Known For Seasons In The Sun

Tracks like “Concrete Sea” and “The Love Game” are better than Jacks’ well-known version of the Rod McKuen composition.

Deep Blue Something For Breakfast At Tiffany’s

“Home” is the title track, and it is even better than the song named after Truman Capote’s book.

Semisonic For Closing Time

Sports arena are constantly playing the hit by Dan Wilson’s Nineties band, but their best track came an album earlier with “Brand New Baby.”

Ben Folds Five For Brick

Piano-pounding Folds found some recognition when he served as a judge on a prime time network game show years after his only hit, while also managing to create many superior tunes like “Rockin’ the Suburbs” and “Zak and Sara.”

It’s the rare man who doesn’t enjoy being on the receiving end of some mind-blowing oral sex – and if guys are honest, it’s the rare man who hasn’t at least half-heartedly tried to perform oral sex on himself. Officially called autofellatio, self-administered oral sex certainly requires that a man practice good penis health – after all, unlike partners performing oral sex, with autofellatio the fellator knows exactly where that penis has been! But to successfully perform autofellatio, most men need to take proper preparation steps.

1) Practice, practice, practice. First off, it’s best to admit that very, very few men are able to give themselves oral sex on their first try. As with any skill, it requires that a guy practice and get in shape. So men who are serious about autofellatio should be prepared to work at it for a while before achieving success.

2) Get limber. Although having an exceptionally long penis can certainly make the act easier, more modestly endowed men are going to need to be limber. The neck and spine especially need to be working at their flexible peak. Some guys are naturally more flexible than others, so many dudes need to exercise in order to achieve a higher degree of flexibility.

3) Try yoga. There are many yoga exercises (such as the cobra, the plow and downward facing dog) which focus on lengthening the neck and spine and giving a man greater flexibility in these areas. Finding some reputable videos or taking some yoga classes can be helpful. However, be sure to take things at the proper pace; going too quickly or too enthusiastically can hurt one’s back – which is not only painful and inconvenient but which can slow down progress toward the autofellatio goal.

4) Slim down. Because self-administered oral sex involves bending the neck and spine so that the lips meet the penis, the fewer obstacles in the way, the better. Translation: a big gut is going to make things more difficult. Losing that spare tire not only makes mouth-to-penis contact more likely, it also is healthier in general.

5) Make the stomach ready. Eat and drink sufficiently throughout the day, but stop about two hours before starting the autofellatio attempt. If possible, move the bowels and urinate during that period in order to keep the stomach empty and more receptive to the bending and twisting that is coming.

6) Warm up. Do some good stretching exercises that get the body limber and in shape. It may also help to take a nice, warm bath beforehand. And keep the bedroom warm throughout.

7) Get positioned. While some men can autofellate while standing or sitting, most have an easier time doing it while lying down. After rubbing the penis erect, lie on the back on a bed. The head should be a foot or so away from the headboard or wall. Lift the legs over the head until the feet are pressed against the wall. The lower back should always be supported by the arms. Slowly walk the feet down the wall, letting the crotch drop closer and closer to the mouth. Let gravity work! Don’t stretch too far, as this might lead to injury.

Try and try again

If the goal is not reached the first time, don’t be discouraged. Many men achieve success if they keep at it.

Some men also discover a new appreciation for those who give them oral sex – and for how important penis care is. Getting up-close-and-personal through autofellatio emphasizes again that a man needs to regularly apply a first class penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) to keep his equipment good and healthy. For example, now a man knows firsthand about that stench women complain about – so using a crème with vitamin A, the bacterial properties of which battle penis odor, makes more sense than ever. The crème should also include Shea butter and vitamin E, two superior moisturizers, so that there’s no unsightly and off-putting dry penile skin to worry about.

Do you want to walk up to beautiful woman but don’t quite know what to say? Are you afraid that the usual pickup lines won’t work this time? Are you tired of the words that always seem to backfire? We can help you intrigue a woman with your pickup line. Here are some ideas.

1. Be a gentleman. Many of the hot, sexy women you’ll meet in your life are so sick of the cocky dudes trying to pick them up with sleazy lines. If you really want to get her attention, then behave. You can complement her on her looks, but don’t get all sleazy. Instead of saying, “Babe! You look so hot in that dress!” for example, say something like “You look lovely.” Being a Casanova can really score you some brownie points.

2. Ask wholesome questions. You would never get far if you open with, “So, what’s going on in your bedroom tonight?” In order to intrigue a woman, you need to differentiate yourself from all the other dudes who are just trying to get into her pants. During a conversation, ask her about things that really matter to her – her job, for example, or a hobby she is passionate about. Stat away from sensitive topics like religion, politics, and sex talk. There’s a more appropriate time for all that later on.

3. Show her that you’re a good guy. Often times, it’s not a pickup line that intrigues a woman – it’s your how you behave. Look at her face (not her breasts) when you are talking to her. Pull out the chair and seat her. Open and hold the door for her. These are all very simple manners that can really make all the difference. By being the good guy, you stand out from the sea of other men. She will surely become more interested.

In case you haven’t been following any of my other articles on this whole fitness gig, let me recap briefly. After my girlfriend came right out with it and called me an out-of-shape slob to my face (yeah, it wasn’t pleasant), plus a few other choice names I’d rather not mention here in polite company, I decided to get off my butt and off my couch and jump right into the P90X workout. Why that specific plan? My best friend had been doing it for roughly 60 days and he was getting pretty good results, I have to tell you. Sure, the guy’s a real showoff and goes round flexing his brand new muscles in everyone’s face, and strips off his shirt at the drop of a hat and sucks in his gut and pushes out his chest so we can all admire his new ripped set of six-packs. Yeah, it’s pretty painful, I know. Guys like that usually make me wanna throw up, but he’s my friend so I’m prepared to make allowances, know what I mean?

Anyway, after I had this wake-up call – courtesy of my girlfriend, on account of her calling me a slob to my face an’ all – I decided to sign up for the P90X workout. I mean, if it was working so well for my buddy, it could work for me too, right? Okay. Sure. I get it. You’re just a little more than curious about how the P90X workout works. I mean, from slob to ripped abs in 90 days – that’s a big ask, isn’t it?

Okay. Let’s get one thing straight right away. P90X is not for sissies. So, if you’re going to cry like a child every time you have sore muscles after a workout forget it. Don’t bother to go any further. Save yourself the trouble and head on back to the couch with your sack of junk food and your belly full of beer. Just don’t blame anyone but yourself when your wife/girlfriend/friends/colleagues call you a slob to your face. And don’t go getting all teary-eyed with a quivering lip every time you catch that horrible glimpse of your beer gut and love handles in the steamed up shower mirror

But if you’ve got the guts to do this thing, if you’re serious about manning up and getting into shape, the first thing you’ve got to remember is this: no pain, no gain. Forget those scammy sites online that promise you six-pack abs and a set of ripped muscles that would make Mr Universe cringe with envy – all while doing no work and maybe just popping a few pills or a bunch of “magic” supplements. It’s not going to happen. We’re not talking Harry Potter here. Let’s get down to reality. I’m being serious.

With P90x you are going to have to work out for about an hour per day, and clean up your eating habits, but by the end you will have more muscle, more endurance, and even better flexibility and balance. 

Working on your body is hard work; don’t let anyone kid you otherwise. Anyone who says it’s easy and can be done with a few pills and minimum sweat is scamming you big time. This P90X workout is definitely hard work – but that’s why it works so well. But you are going to have to work out for about an hour per day, and clean up your eating habits. By the end you will have more muscle, more endurance, and even better flexibility and balance. Your significant other will go weak at the knees and get turned on every time they looks at you. Where’s the hardship in that, dude? It kinda makes it all worthwhile doesn’t it? Sure it does! Trust me.

Guys know one thing: Sometimes an erect penis has a mind of its own. Most men have had an experience in which a very insistent erection has reached the point where the penis has almost released seed while the man was still clothed, which would result in the oft-discussed “creaming in jeans” scenario. While a member that is able to burst forth with a robust stream is a sign of good penis health, it also can be a problem in the case of a surprise erection.

That’s not to say, of course, that some men don’t enjoy the occasional creaming in jeans on purpose. This is in fact an activity that a man can indulge in for kicks; as long as a guy is prepared for it, spilling his seed in his trousers and letting it slosh around as he walks can be quite memorable.

Setting

Where one will be engaging in jean creaming can definitely determine the appropriateness of the experience. For example, here are some suitable settings in which to lose a load behind the zipper:

– One’s own home. A no-brainer. Many men enjoy going commando in a pair of sweatpants while lounging around the house, then putting on a porn video or viewing some online erotica while stroking their rods. They then have the privacy to watch as the semen seeps through the fabric and to experience what it feels like to walk around with the seed dribbling down the leg.

– A friend’s home. It’s not unheard of for a couple of guys to get excited while watching some hot videos together. With some friends, a guy feels comfortable stroking his hard penis through his jeans and shooting off – and may also take pride in the good-natured ribbing his buddy gives him for doing it.

– An adult movie theatre. Face it, dudes don’t go to an adult movie for the cinematography; they go to climax. Many men who leave these theatres do so with distinct wet spots on their crotches.

– The men’s room. Sometimes a dude will release in his pants in the stall of a public bathroom – especially if it’s dark outside and he can walk home with little chance of someone else noticing the sticky patch on his trouser front.

Tips

For the novice who is interested in experiencing this clothed release, here are a few tips to remember:

– Practice discretion. While stroking one’s rod underneath one’s jeans is more subtle than pulling it out and exposing it, it’s still not something that is done in polite company. It’s best to engage in a private room. A room with very dim lighting may be an option, as well as a room in which one’s actions are masked (e.g., if one is standing behind a tall chair); however, if it is still likely that one will be seen, a man should err on the side of caution.

– Be prepared. Depending on the clothing one wears and the amount of semen released, it’s possible that a man will find himself with an enormous wet stain. This is especially likely if a guy goes sans underwear. A guy should figure out if he can make it home unseen – or he should be prepared to enjoy having his secret known if he cannot.

– There’s a scent. Semen has a faint but noticeable aroma; know that even if there is no visible wetness on the pants, there may still be a scent about a man who has just ejaculated in his jeans.

Finally, remember that rubbing the hard penis through trousers may create friction and soreness, so have on hand a first-class penis health cream (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil). Once alone, rub in a good amount of a cream that is enriched with a high-end emollient such as Shea butter to provide soothing relief. It also is best if the cream’s ingredient list includes acetyl L-carnitine; a jeans-rubbed penis’s nerves may be a bit deadened from the roughness, and this neuroprotective ingredient can help restore penis sensitivity to a proper level.

The foot is a fascinating part of the human body; one reason is because there are 26 bones in the feet which make up one quarter of all the bones in our bodies. It’s a delicate part of our body and yet an incredibly strong and resilient part as well. These delicate bones are held together by muscles and ligaments that work in conjunction with the ankle. The state of our feet, whether they’re in good or bad condition, can have a direct effect on our knees, hips and back.

There are two bones in the big toe and three bones in the other toes made up of a base, a shaft and a head. These are known as the metatarsals. The talus bone is the bone that connects the foot to the ankle and and also has three parts; the head, neck and body. It is one of the larger bones in the foot and no muscle connects to it.

The calcaneous bone is the largest bone in the foot and forms the heel of the foot. It is also connected to the Achilles tendon and flexor muscles of the smaller toes. The Achilles tendon connects the heel and calf muscle which is one reason why doing calf stretches can have a positive effect on the entire foot. The Achilles tendon is essential for being able to stand on your toes and run and jump. The middle part of the foot is made up of a collection of bones that form the arch; the cuneiform bones, the cuboid bone and the navicular bone.

The purpose of the arches is to distribute the weight evenly, and so it only makes sense that if you have extremely high arches or extremely flat arches, various conditions can develop. Very flat arches, or commonly referred to as “flat feet” will often result in over-pronation, where the ankle rolls in and puts pressure on the inner part of the foot. This can ultimately cause problems such as bunions, calluses or chronic ankle instability.

There is also the plantar fascia is a large connective ligament that supports the arches of the feet and connects the heel bone to the toes. If it becomes inflamed or irritated, it can cause pain primarily in the heel of the foot.

Most people don’t realize or think about the importance of keeping your feet healthy, strong and in good condition. In addition to stretches and taking calcium for bones, remember the shoes you wear also play a big part in the overall condition of your feet.

Ideally, walking barefoot is the best way to naturally strengthen your feet, tendons, and bones but not everyone can walk around day to day without wearing some form of closed toe shoe. Wearing comfortable, flexible shoes that also provide support for your feet is the first step in improving your foot health. Unfortunately, many shoe designers will focus only on providing style without comfort or support, or comfort without taking the desire for style into consideration.