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        <title>AskMen</title>
        <description><![CDATA[AskMen is the No. 1 site to help men improve their lives—from discovering new products & trends to getting advice on dating, fitness, grooming & more.]]></description>
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                                <item>
                <title><![CDATA[The Spooning Sex Position, Explained]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/dating/love_tip/spooning.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/dating/love_tip/spooning.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Maddie ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[  ]]></description>
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                    <![CDATA[ If you own more than one spoon, you can likely imagine the position and benefits of spoon sex. 
Stacking two bodies beside one another is undoubtedly more involved than putting silverware away, but if you’re new to the spooning sex position, there are plenty of reasons to try it. 
Low-effort but still lots of fun, this classic position benefits both partners involved — and did we mention it&#039;s super easy to execute? 
RELATED: First-Time Sex Positions for Virgins 
That being said, like any sex position, it does have a handful of downsides. Here&#039;s everything you need to know about the spoon position, as told by experts and enthusiasts: 

What Is the Spoon Sex Position?

If you&#039;re familiar with doggy style, the spoon sex position is a variation thereof, done lying down on your sides. 
“Like two spoons stacked together, the two bodies are stacked together with one person&#039;s butt pushed into the other person&#039;s groin region,” explains Dr. Jenni Skyler, LMFT, certified sex therapist for AdamEve.com. “The legs are typically bent, and heads are nestled close to each other.”
If you’re having trouble picturing it, here’s an illustration: 

Illustration by Carlee Ranger.
In any spooning scenario, there&#039;s someone who plays the role of the “big spoon” (the partner in the back), who cradles the “little spoon” in front. 
RELATED: Sexual Positions Women Enjoy 
When it comes to cuddling, which partner plays which role is largely up to preference (though the bigger partner may have to maneuver to curl themselves up more if they want to be the small spoon). 
In a sexual scenario, the penetrating partner plays the big spoon so that they can enter from behind; hetero couples will often find this a familiar dynamic if the penetrating partner is a man and larger than his female partner, but queer couples or straight couples who want to explore pegging play may want to experiment with switching things up. 

Benefits of Spoon Sex

Spoon sex is often a go-to position for morning sex, or for one of those days when both partners are feeling lazy and horny. 
RELATED: Low-Effort Sex Positions for When You&#039;re Feeling Lazy 
“This is a great position for those who are feeling tired, those who want the full-body closeness and intimacy, or those who have injuries or physical challenges,” Skyler explains. 
Unlike labor-intensive positions like reverse cowgirl, neither partner needs to do much in terms of mobility for spooning sex to work. 

“Any time I&#039;m in the spoon position when I&#039;m cuddling, I end up getting horny,” says Claire, 23. “My butt is right there pressed up against it, and it makes me want to do it, so usually we&#039;ll just stay in that position, strip down and do it that way.”

The little spoon can press their body into the big spoon to generate pressure and movement; the big spoon can slowly move their hips in and out, or a combination of both. 
Since both partners are cuddled up next to each other, this position also doesn&#039;t require a ton of space. If you&#039;re feeling horny while hanging out together on the couch and don&#039;t want to relocate, spoon sex can easily be done right then and there. 
RELATED: Sex Positions Best Performed on Your Couch 
The spoon position offers maximum body-to-body contact, making it a strong option as a winter sex position when it’s chilly out, and for feeling more of a physical connection with your partner. 
Spoon sex also leaves your hands free to do other things with. 
“[Spoon sex] allows for easy access to the clitoris and perineum, making additional stimulation simple to incorporate,” explains Rachel Wright, licensed psychotherapist and sex expert for Zumio. 
Plus, it&#039;s super versatile. “Spooning can be adapted for vaginal intercourse, anal sex, assisted masturbation with hands or a toy,” Wright continues. 
Since the spoon position allows for more shallow penetration than others, it can help people with penises last longer, Skyler points out. 
“Spooning can be great for those in the last semester of pregnancy and need to be in a side-line position for comfort,” she adds. 
RELATED: Best Sex Positions to Try During Pregnancy  

Drawbacks of Spoon Sex

While the closeness of both people’s torsos and heads makes for some degree of intimacy, if you&#039;re someone who likes to lock eyes with your partner during the act, you may be disappointed that the spoon sex position makes this all but impossible. 
RELATED: Relationship Between Eye Contact &amp; Attraction, Explained 
And, if you&#039;re a visual person who likes to see your partner&#039;s body during sex, limited visibility is also something to consider here, especially if you’re spooning under the covers. 
Additionally, the range of motion this position affords might not be for everyone. 
“The position can restrict the range of motion and thrusting power,” explains Wright, which may limit the ability of some people with penises to reach orgasm during spoon sex. 
“The penetration angle might not be ideal for everyone, and it might require adjustment to find what feels best,” she continues. 

“Having sex in this position seems like a good idea in theory, but I could never get the angle right with my ex,” says Jada, 27. “He&#039;d always slip out, and I&#039;d be afraid of crushing his [penis] with my [butt], so we&#039;d just cuddle in the spoon and move on to other positions.”

Ways to Make Spoon Sex More Fun

Want to get more creative in the spoon position? Here are a few expert tips.
Change Up the Angles
“The receiving partner can adjust their leg positioning (like raising or straightening the top leg) to allow for different penetration angles and depths,” Wright explains.
RELATED: Sex Positions for Partners With Height Differences 
Switch Who&#039;s in Control
“Sometimes, the front partner can push back into the other, taking control of the rhythm and depth,” says Wright. 
This can make it a great option if the penetrating partner’s got a big penis and needs to be careful not to injure the receiving partner. 
RELATED: The Best Big Penis Sex Positions, Revealed  
Try Anal Sex
If the receiving partner has a vagina, well, FYI that spooning can also be a solid anal sex position, too. Just don’t try to switch from vaginal to anal without warning — anal sex requires not only enthusiastic consent, but also some prep work. 
 “This makes for easy-going, shallow anal sex for those beginning or for those who want it more shallow,” says Skyler.
Try Adding Toys
If you’re comfortable with sex toys, try using a vibrator to introduce additional stimulation into the mix, particularly for the clit or perineum of the person in the little spoon position. 
You Might Also Dig: 
Positions to Help You Last LongerStealthy Sex Positions That Don&#039;t Make Much Noise
Best Sleep Positions for Couples ]]>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:15:55 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Set Up for the Classic Powerlifting Movements]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/how-to-set-up-for-the-classic-powerlifting-movements.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/how-to-set-up-for-the-classic-powerlifting-movements.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Geoff ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Expert Technique Advice for the Deadlift, Bench Press and Squat ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/workout/how-to-set-up-for-the-classic-powerlifting-movements/askmen-lead-image-template-1715174539.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ Sun Tzu said that “every battle is won before it&#039;s ever fought.” Winning, in this case, means setting yourself up for success. You do this by finding positions where great mechanics happen automatically and where training stresses are directed into the places you want them most — like your quads, your glutes and your chest — without unnecessary wear and tear. It’s about efficiency, reproducibility and getting stronger over the long-term. And it all begins with a great setup.
RELATED: What Is Resistance Training?
We’re going to look at the classic powerlifting movements — squat, bench press and deadlift. These aren’t the only ways to get strong but they’re popular, time-tested options. That’s why AskMen spoke to three seasoned coaches about how they set their clients up for success in the gym.

Deadlift

Vivek Padhiar is the senior coach at Bang Personal Training in Toronto. “Just because you’re deadlifting, it doesn’t mean that you have to deadlift off the floor. You can lift from whatever height helps you be successful. If you’re a taller dude, you might want to lift from [mid]-shin height. The fact that the plate has a 9-inch diameter is pretty arbitrary,” says Padhiar.
Begin with your feet under the bar. “If you’re wearing shoes, think about the knot of your shoelace being under the bar. If not, the front of the ankle joint. Breathe in to create abdominal pressure and hold most of it. From there, hinge back. Think about your bum pushing back to a wall behind you and your head pushing out to the wall in front of you. You’re going to get to a point where you can’t get your hips back any further — and you might be freaking out because you can’t reach the bar from there. At that point, bend at your knees (keep your butt behind you).” Breathe in fully, squeeze the bar and get ready for the hard part.
“What most people have trouble with is coordinating the next part of the movement,” says Padhiar. “That’s where you [need] a little bit of pre-tension through the feet into the floor.” 
He describes the muscular effort here as pushing instead of lifting — “As if you’re trying to leave permanent footprints in memory foam.” From there, he instructs you to “bend the bar” or “squeeze lemons under your armpits.&quot; Padhiar says that the key is to smoothly ramp up your output. “You’re not going from 0 to 100 right away.” 
Here, he points to an extra sensory cue: “You’ll notice there’s a bit of rattling when you pick a bar up. When you coordinate that movement of pushing your feet through the floor and taking the slack out of the bar with your lats and upper body, you’ll hear a click well before the bar moves,” says Padhiar. That’s when you know you’re in a good place.
 

Bench Press

Iordan Krouchev is a Montreal-based physiotherapist with a passion for strength and performance, so AskMen asked him for advice on how to perfect the setup for a bench press. 
First, you want the right amount of arch — not flat but not high. “So depending on your height — and the height of the bench — I might put a plate underneath your feet. What we&#039;ll do from there is place [your] eyes right under the bar. We need to make sure that the bar is at the end of the hooks as well. Those are important little things that sometimes we forget… we might hit the hooks on the way up — and with significant weight that can be a big issue,” says Krouchev.
 
When it comes to grip width, “I usually start people with a medium grip… about between the knurling (the textured part of the bar) and the first ring… Now, you&#039;re in a good position: your feet are flat on the plates or floor; you are properly engaged through your trunk; there&#039;s no big arch, you&#039;re not rounded through your back; you have good contact with the soles of your feet.” Here, Krouchev wants you to feel stable on the bench — you should be able to hold the position against someone trying to push you off. 
RELATED: The Ultimate Bench Press Guide
“Grip the bar hard,” says Krouchev. You can try to bend the bar or pull it apart. “I think those are all good ways to feel that we&#039;re very connected and contracted and engaged with the bar… So that&#039;s going to make us feel more engagement through the whole shoulder. From there, ensure that your arms are locked out as you lift it from the hooks or receive it from a spotter. Bring the bar forward until it’s in the most stable position possible — where you could hold it with straight arms for the longest amount of time. “Depending on the load, we&#039;re either going to inhale as we go down and exhale as we press — or, for a very heavy load, inhale, before the movement starts and hold the breath as the bar goes down.” As you lower the bar from above, “we&#039;ll see that [your elbows] are at about 45º angle. So it will look like an arrow.

Squat

Montreal-based trainer, Rich Thaw, knows a ton about strength training athletic performance. So, when AskMen asked him how he sets up the barbell squat, he immediately goes to movement.
“The squat should be an elevator-type action of the pelvis… an up and down action.” For new exercisers, this typically means a goblet squat or front squat. Stronger lifters will go right to a front squat or Zercher squat (where the barbell sits in the crook of the elbows). “I front-load everyone to start,” says Thaw. “Usually, with a heel-lift because the more front-loaded someone is, the easier it is for them to stack their bodies vertically.” He’ll progress to a safety squat bar from there, which brings the weight further forward than a conventional back squat.
RELATED: How to Squat
“You can do more in a back squat than in most other lifts,” says Thaw, which makes it tempting to focus on it. However, he doesn’t typically prescribe a back squat unless you’re preparing for powerlifting competition. For everyone else, the priority is strength and muscular development. “The gym isn’t where they’re going to perform; they’re not barbell athletes. I want them to feel their legs and maybe their abs. Anything else doesn’t really matter. People will say, ‘My legs are fine but my abs are smoked.’ That’s good!” 
When it comes to other details, like hand position or foot width, Thaw says “it’s all secondary to vertical movement with a braced trunk.” Here, he refers to the feeling in your abdominals that comes from a hard exhale. “Head over heart over hips. Back it up! Get that exhale! You don’t have to maintain the exhale; you have to maintain the sensation of the exhale. Then go hard. Less thinking; more doing! If it’s too cerebral, you’re not ready for a good lift.”
You Might Also Dig:
Strength Training Accessories That Actually WorkHow to Start RunningBest Chest Workouts ]]>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:16:24 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Grooming Awards 2026: Shaving Products]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/shaving/grooming-awards-2026-shaving-products.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/shaving/grooming-awards-2026-shaving-products.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ AskMen ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Achieve a Closer Shave and Banish Unsightly Bumps for Good With These Top Shaving Essentials ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/grooming/shaving/grooming-awards-2026-shaving-products/shave-2x1-1776260420.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Sick of nicks, cuts and unsightly razor burn? Eager for a shaving upgrade that will simultaneously look great in your bathroom and perform great on your face? Or maybe you&#039;ve decided 2026 is the year you&#039;re finally going to grow out your facial hair, and you need the grooming tools necessary to get the most of your mustache?
Whatever your shaving needs, our panel of judges has you covered, with the year&#039;s best creams, balms, after-shaves and razors.
Best Shave Cream
Fur Shave Cream

The irony of its name takes nothing away from Fur’s satin-soft, lightweight shave cream. A guaranteed maximum glide with zero razor burn makes this a medicine cabinet staple that can also be used for the underarms, chest, and the notoriously sensitive pubic area.
$34 at FurYou.com 
Best Shave Gel
Davines Pasta &amp; Love Softening Shave Gel

Those obsessed with Davines’ iconic shampoo and conditioner line will also enjoy this softening shave gel-to-foam, complete with trendy Alkekengi extract for its optimal soothing properties. Its trademark citrus fragrance is also an added bonus — subtle enough to be appreciated while not overpowering other facial products.
$32 at Davines.com 
Best Beard Balm
Fable Beard Co. The Hero Beard Balm


It’s no fable that Fable Beard Co. has emerged as one of the best beard balm makers on the market. The Hero, arguably its hero product, smells of warm tobacco and amber. But if it’s not your vibe, the company stands by a clever “worry-free scent exchange” so that you can swap it for something that better suits your preferences.
$23.99 at FableBeardCo.com 
Best Beard Wash
Beard Guyz 2-in-1 Beard 2-in-1 Wash and Tame

Beard hair also deserves the shampoo treatment and Beard Guyz delivers with this 2-in-1 wash and tame solution. The powerful tube’s contents clean and condition while also removing build-up and softening coarseness, making it an essential first step in morning grooming.
$7.49 at BeardGuyz.com 
Best After-Shave
SolSoller Skinlit Bellini



While it may not bring the same joy as a peach bellini during weekend brunch, SolSoller’s Skinlit Bellini serves as an excellent and sweet-smelling after-shave with its thoughtful blend of niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, coconut-derived ingredients, and vitamin C. Manufactured especially for sensitive skin, it’s also well-suited for those who may be prone to conditions like rosacea or acne.
$62 at SolSoller.com 
Best Razor Bump Treatment
The Cut Buddy Bump Buddy Razor Bump Treatment

Those most susceptible to ingrown hairs, razor burn, and pesky bumps will treasure this jar of The Cut Buddy’s Bump Buddy razor bump treatment. Apply the aloe, tea tree, and witch hazel cream to soothe the skin, calm redness, and ward off shaving’s many annoying side effects.
$17.99 at TheCutBuddy.com 
Best Razor
Leaf Single Edge Razor

Any search online or in a store will prove that there are plenty of modern razors to choose from, yet Leaf has found a way to go back to basics with its single edge model that is as sleek as it is effective. Turn over a new leaf by ditching abrasive, mainstream varieties that irritate the face and opt for this eco-friendly, plastic-free tool that is designed for more skin contact and less build-up with disposable blades.
$79 at LeafShave.com 
Best Trimmer
Dollar Shave Club 3-in-1 Freestyler


We love a tool that does it all and Dollar Shave Club’s 3-in-1 Freestyler excels at trimming, shaving, and shaping, making it a one-stop shop for neat and tidy beards. The built-in guard with ceramic blades can also be adjusted to three lengths to accommodate unique styles and individual stubble preferences.
$37 at DollarShaveClub.com 
Best Body Groomer
Meridian The Trimmer Original

Trim the more sensitive areas of your body with care, precision, and confidence by using Meridian’s The Trimmer Original. It’s waterproof, designed to avoid nicks and tugs, and is powered by a battery with a whopping 90 minutes of life before requiring a recharge.
$71 at MeridianGrooming.com 
You Might Also Dig:
Grooming Awards 2026: Best Hair Care ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Body Care ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Face Care Products


 ]]>
                </content:encoded>
                <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:29:34 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Grooming Awards 2026: Face Care Products]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/skin/grooming-awards-2026-face-care-products.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/skin/grooming-awards-2026-face-care-products.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ AskMen ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Upgrade Your Smile, Clear Up Your Skin, and Freshen Your Breath With the Year&#039;s Best Grooming Products ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/grooming/skin/grooming-awards-2026-face-care-products/face-2x1-1776257146.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ We&#039;ve spent a quarter-century urging men to take better care of their faces, and we&#039;re not changing our tune in 2026. Most guys don&#039;t have much of a facial care routine, and when they do, it rarely consists of more than just a simple wash. We&#039;re here to tell you even a three-step, five-minute morning face care routine will help you fight off blemishes, tighten your pores and keep wrinkles at bay.
Interested yet? Our panel of grooming experts made things even easier on you by picking out the year&#039;s best face care products, from washes and acne treatments to moisturizers and masks.
Best Skincare Brand of the Year
OSEA Malibu

Debuting hit after consecutive hit, family-owned OSEA Malibu has evolved into one of the most celebrated beauty brands on the market. Its mission to incorporate seaweed-derived ingredients is one of a kind, touting the ocean plant’s vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that repair, restore, and replenish the skin from head to toe. Standouts include everything from an Undaria algae body oil to a lightweight, mattifying blemish balm that is the cure-all for an oily t-zone. OSEA Malibu constantly reinvents itself by introducing new products while always revamping its preexisting lineup, making it a company that is equal parts reliable and exciting.
Find out more at OSEAMalibu.com 
 
Best New Skincare Brand
Strive

A skincare brand is only as good as the science that goes into it and Strive founder Angel Olavarria has dedicated his career to researching the ingredients that yield smoother, healthier, and compliment-worthy skin. The result is a line made for men who “strive” to be better versions of themselves, with products like a best-selling, plant oil-based miracle face moisturizer and a jojoba face scrub that have earned it staying power in a notoriously oversaturated industry. Needless to say, we’re excited to see what the company has in store as it continues to attract an already-impressive number of loyal customers.
Find out more at StriveSkin.com 
Best Anti-Aging Treatment
Eonian 40+ Starter Edition

This dynamic duo with a daily moisturizer and night treatment keeps skin hydrated and protected during the day while supporting collagen and firmness as you sleep. It’s an effective two-step approach for the guy who wants to simplify his skincare routine and not navigate through a medicine cabinet full of products.
$156 at EonianSkincare.com
Best Face Cleanser
LILFOX Tomato Milk Cleanser

We know the importance of a well-rounded diet of fruit and veggies. This extends to skincare products, as well, with LILFOX’s garden-forward tomato milk cleanser that smells as if you’ve extracted the oils of a peppery green tomato vine and rubbed it into your face. The formula is rounded out by papaya and pineapple enzymes that scrub away buildup while black willow-derived salicylic acid refines texture.
$134 at LILFOX.miami 
Best Exfoliating Cleanser
Plantkos Gentle Exfoliating Daily Gel Cleanser

Shed the day’s layer of dirt and grime with Plantkos’ Gentle Exfoliating Daily Gel Cleanser. The pH-balanced blend of turmeric, willow bark, bilberry, and panthenol can be used daily to remove impurities without over-drying, leaving your face feeling both clean and rejuvenated.
$27 at Plantkos.co 
Best Toner
Goshi Super Vitamin Elixir Toner

 
Take your vitamins, but also rub them into your face with Goshi’s Super Vitamin Elixir toner that refines, smooths, and hydrates. The vitamin E, virgin sesame oil, wild thyme, and plant oil combo feels like a quick spritz of water, but leaves the skin feeling soft and bouncy to stand up to additional layers of products.
$56.18 at Goshi.com 
Best Toner Pads
Jaxon Lane Glow Up Pad 

A skincare routine gamechanger, Jaxon Lane’s toner pads help to wipe away dead skin, dirt, sweat, and even makeup while exfoliating with PHAs and AHAs. Use the biodegradable rounds daily to reveal skin that glows and prepare the surface for the brand’s impressive arsenal of other dermis-strengthening topicals.
$38 at JaxonLane.com 
Best Face Essence
Origins Plantscription Youth-Boosting Essence

If you’re looking to awaken and prep the skin before applying toners, serums, and creams, Origins’ Plantscription Youth-Boosting Essence is a good place to start. The shea butter and salicylic acid-based wonder has also been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines and rough skin texture in as little as two weeks.
$76 at Origins.com 
Best Face Serum
NassifMD Niacinamide Biopeptide Serum

Peptides are all the rage and E!’s most famous plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Nassif, has found a way to bottle the miracle ingredient in a serum that promotes anti-aging. Consider it a superfood for your face with the addition of antioxidant-rich cranberry extracts that enhance glow and radiance.
$55 at NassifMDSkincare.com 
Best Face Oil
Maya Chia The Super Couple Ultra Luxe Face Oil

 
The term “ultra luxe” isn’t hyperbolic after spreading Maya Chia’s The Super Couple Ultra Luxe face oil into your delicate dermis. Antioxidant astaxanthin, in tandem with chia, omega fatty-acids, antioxidants, and minerals, work together to combat inflammation while imparting an enviable dewy aura that will last all day.
$86 at MayaChia.com 
Best Face Scrub
Maelove The Exfoliator BHA + Clay Facial Scrub

Buff away impurities with Maelove’s beloved The Exfoliator, formulated with BHA and clay to awaken rough, dull, and congested skin. Use it up to 2-3 times per week to notice long-lasting results in as little as a month.
$40 at Maelove.com 
Best Face Moisturizer
Beau Domaine The Cream

 
We’ll take any opportunity to look more like Brad Pitt. His uber-popular skincare line, Beau Domaine, will have to suffice in the meantime with its most talked-about product, The Cream. Its luxurious texture practically melts into your skin and is powered by a potent blend of patented actives and antioxidants to improve elasticity and combat free radicals.
$99 at Beau-Domaine.com 
Best Face Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin
Starface Star Cream + Salicylic Acid 

Starface is so much more than an acne-targeting line with fun and colorful packaging: It’s got products that work, including this salicylic acid-based moisturizer that can be a last step for practically any nightly skincare routine. We also love to rub it into pimple-prone areas of the body such as the back and shoulders for a featherweight, non-clogging layer of moisturization.
$15.99 at Starface.world 
Best Moisturizing Stick
Deinde Moisture-Locking Face Stick

Deinde’s Moisture-Locking Face Stick is a convenient item to keep in a bag or pocket for an on-the-go burst of hydration. It’s also ideal for city dwellers in need of an extra layer of protection against environmental stressors such as pollution.
$36 at Deinde.com 
Best Sheet Mask
Patchology Serve Chilled On Ice Hydrogel Firming Face Mask

If you love the feeling of ice on your face, chill out with Patchology’s Serve Chilled on Ice hydrogel firming face masks. They reduce redness and inflammation while strengthening the skin with peptides, vitamin C-rich cloudberry extract, and plant-based retinol.
$12 at Patchology.com 
Best Eye Cream
Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Eye Cream

Eye creams often get a bad rep for being nothing more than high-priced moisturizers, but Dr. Barbara Sturm has broken through the noise with a product that actually works. This small yet mighty jar is jam-packed with puffiness- and dark shadow-reducing ingredients like Persian silk tree extract, red ginseng, and hyaluronic acid to make tired eyes look and feel alive again.
$225 at DrSturm.com 
Best Night Cream
Setú Moisturizer with Retinol, Maca &amp; Açaí

 
Retinol, maca, and acai team up as a p.m. power trio to smooth and refine skin overnight. A little goes a long way, making this vegan, science-backed, Latin America-inspired moisturizer a wise investment and perfect finisher to any evening skincare routine.
$25 at SetuPersonalCare.com 
Best Sleeping Mask
Emma Lewisham Supernatural Sleeping Mask

The body doesn’t just rest and recover while you sleep — it also restores the skin, and New Zealand-based Emma Lewisham debuted a sleeping mask that accelerates this process. Engineered using a proprietary Physiology Synchrony Unlock method, this bedtime essential combines 22 active ingredients to form a synergistic skin system that “mimics the cellular pathways of your skin” and “triggers the skin’s own restorative and preventative action.”
$90 at EmmaLewisham.com 
Best Acne Treatment
Skin Pharm Crystal Clear Clarifying Pads

 
Blackheads and cysts don’t stand a chance against Skin Pharm’s Crystal Clear clarifying pads that not only clean and tighten pores, but also prime the surface of the face for the brand’s impressive line of other high-end, acne-fighting products. This can include bestsellers like the peptide-filled Youth Serum and High Beam brightening lotion.
$50 at SkinPharm.com 
Best Acne Patches
Good Molecules Pimple Patches

 
Dare we say that pimple patches are fun? Good Molecules’ stickers are as easy to use as they are effective, offering an ultra-thin, hydrocolloid-based product that will prevent notorious pickers from squeezing and irritating their faces.
From $8 at GoodMolecules.com 
Best Acne Spray
Personal Day Trust Me On This Hypochlorous Acid Spray

Trust us on this and spray away any impending bumps and pustules with Personal Day’s Trust Me On This hypochlorous acid spray. The bacteria-killing mist can be used for a quick refresh throughout the day, but especially during moments like post-gym where you may not have immediate access to a sink or shower.
$27 at PersonalDay.com 
Best Face Sunscreen
Round Lab Birch Moisturizing Sunscreen UVLock SPF 45+ Broad Spectrum

Most dermatologists will argue that a good sunscreen is, perhaps, the most important anti-aging product you can put on your face each day and Round Lab has concocted a winning formula that is protective, moisturizing, and non-greasy. With over 10 million bottles sold worldwide, it’s also no surprise why this has been declared Korea’s number one sunscreen.
$28 at RoundLab.com 
Best Toothbrush
Nimbus Regular Microfine Toothbrush

The Nimbus Regular Microfine toothbrush makes a wonderful addition to any oral hygiene routine, especially for those who are gum-sensitive. Its extra-soft, duo-sized bristles remove plaque while a full brush head and long handle allow users to get into all of the mouth’s nooks and crannies.
$19 at NimbusDental.com 
Best Electric Toothbrush
Supersmile Zina45 Sonic Toothbrush

It’s electric! And it’s not going to sit near a bathroom sink collecting dust. Supersmile’s Zina45 sonic toothbrush has redefined what it means to be a cutting-edge oral hygiene product with features like a one-of-a-kind polishing head and four distinct cleaning modes to help you effectively clean above and below the gum line. 
$175 at Supersmile.com 
Best Toothpaste
TheraBreath Fresh Breath Toothpaste

Therabreath quickly emerged as one of, if not the best mouthwashes on the market. As a result, we were obviously way too excited to see the brand’s highly anticipated foray into toothpaste. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a hit with a clinical-strength formula that successfully fights bad breath with a pleasant mild mint flavor.
$10.99 at TheraBreath.com 
Best Mouthwash
RiseWell Balancing Mouthwash

Rise up against bad breath with RiseWell&#039;s alcohol-free mouthwash that eliminates odor-causing bacteria with Xylitol and baking soda. The formula also supports a healthy microbiome by nurturing good bacteria which, in turn, balances the mouth’s pH level and leads to a minty-fresh smile.
$26 at RiseWell.com 
Best Whitening Product
Lumineux Whitening Strips

Attaining coveted pearly whites is easy and affordable with Lumineux’s whitening strips. Dead Sea salt, coconut oil, and lemon peel work overtime to whiten and brighten without the sensitivity that comes with more mainstream alternatives.
$50 at LumineuxHealth.com 
Best Lip Balm
Harry’s Black Lip Balm

This isn’t an invitation to relive high school days as a goth. Instead, Harry’s black lip balm goes on clear and matted, providing the utmost in hydration without feeling too heavy on the skin.
$20 at Harrys.com 
Best Face Tool
Therabody TheraFace Depuffing Wand

Eye bags? Swollen cheeks? Double chin? Kick them to the curb. Inflammation has met its match with Therabody’s beloved depuffing wand that cools, heats, and massages with precision and ease. Along with morning coffee, it’s become our favorite way to start the day.
$169.99 at Therabody.com 
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Grooming Awards 2026: Best Hair Care ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Shave ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Body Care Products ]]>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:29:11 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Grooming Awards 2026: Hair Care Products]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/hair/grooming-awards-2026-hair-care-products.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/hair/grooming-awards-2026-hair-care-products.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ AskMen ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Clean, Shape, and Style Your Locks With the Year&#039;s Best Hair Care Products ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/grooming/hair/grooming-awards-2026-hair-care-products/hair-2x1-1776261242.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ If you&#039;re blessed to have a good head of hair, you actually owe it to yourself to take care of it. Don&#039;t look at shampooing, conditioning and regular combing as a chore, but as an investment in your appearance. And if hairloss does run in your family, good news: there&#039;s more you can do today to slow it down or even reverse it than there was 20, 10 or even five years ago. 
To help get you started, our grooming experts have picked out the year&#039;s best hair care products, from simple shampoos to elaborate pastes, waxes and pomades.
Best Shampoo
Highland The Wash

You don’t have to search high and low for a shampoo that exceeds expectations in care and cleaning abilities. Highland’s The Wash does it all with a pH-balanced, versatile cleanser that encourages follicle growth while nourishing the scalp with clinically-backed botanicals and proteins.
 
$36 at Highland.style 
Best 2-in-1 Hair and Body Wash
Jack Black Blue Midnight Body &amp; Hair Cleanser

If showering is a chore and time is of the essence, the always-reliable Jack Black has long touted its Blue Midnight body and hair cleanser that doesn’t neglect one over the other. Instead, the soap lathers and cleans with a lingering scent of black pepper and French lavender that will turn heads in the best way possible.
$24 at GetJackBlack.com 
Best Conditioner
Colleen Rothschild Renew &amp; Replenish Clarifying Conditioner

Brittle and flat hair gets a much-needed boost with Colleen Rothschild&#039;s Renew and Replenish clarifying conditioner. The green pump strengthens as much as it smooths with a mix of peptides, amino acids, and magnesium that improve elasticity and protect your mop from humid weather, blow dryer heat, and sticky styling products.
$32 at ColleenRothschild.com 
Best Dandruff Treatment
AntidotPro Scalp Treatment Kit

Our testers were wowed by the AntidotPro Scalp Treatment kit’s efficacy at targeting and treating pesky dandruff. This completely eliminated flakes and redness, all without stripping the hair of its natural oils. And at under $45 for long-term results, the three-bottle purchase is an absolute steal.
$44.95 at AntidotPro.com 
Best Hair Loss Solution
Hairmax Lumina 272 Laser Hair Growth Device

A proactive hair loss prevention routine will certainly include prescriptions like Finasteride and a topical supplement like Minoxidil, but it’s wise to take things one step further with red light therapy. Hairmax Lumina has one of the most straightforward, effective devices on the market with 272 medical grade lasers that restore density and regrow visibly thicker and fuller hair. And it only requires a few, 7-minute sessions per week!
$1,999 at Hairmax.com 
Best Hair Oil
 
Brickell Argan Hair Oil

 
Parched and lifeless hair will practically lap up Brickell’s argan hair oil. The product revitalizes strands from root to tip, offering a high-shine result that is full of bounce and body without the breakage. It’s also a gamechanger for gents rocking longer, luscious locks.
$35 at BrickellMensProducts.com 
Best Dry Shampoo
MANE RX Dry Shampoo

 
Daily shampooing can wreak havoc on some guys’ scalps. A wise alternative is a dry shampoo and MANE RX’s non-aerosol, derm-developed iteration is one of the most raved about. Going beyond simple oil control, this green bottle naturally lifts hair and targets itching, and it&#039;s even travel-friendly.
$29.99 at TheMANERx.com 
Best Curl Cream
Pete &amp; Pedro Curl Cream

Curly-haired boys are often forgotten when it comes to men’s haircare products, but Pete &amp; Pedro have created a cream that will accentuate and celebrate kinky and wavy tendrils. Jojoba oil and sunflower seed extract deliver natural shine while enhancing bounce and reducing frizz, leaving hair touchable and, most importantly, manageable before styling.
$22 at PeteAndPedro.com 
Best Hair Spray
 
CHI Enviro 54 Natural Hold Hair Spray

We’ll pass on shiny, crunchy dos and welcome matted, flexible holds like those provided by this red can from CHI. If you’re prone to hair-styling perfectionism, the formula will also allow you to comb out any snafus and start from scratch.
$25 at CHI.com
Best Texture Spray
Celtic Strand KiwiSalt Spray

Bouncy, ocean-kissed hair waves can easily be achieved with Celtic Strand’s KiwiSalt spray. Made from real Irish Atlantic sea salt, the kiwi-scented creation adds natural texture and volume, but keeps hair soft and stylable for all-day wear.
$35 at CelticStrand.com 
Best Hair Paste
Sun Bum Sonny’s Original Surf Paste

You don’t have to spend a day in the sun to channel the effortless style of a professional surfer. Instead, opt for Sun Bum’s Sonny’s Original surf paste to tame unruly flyaways while adding grip, volume, and, most importantly, the look of coveted, wind-swept texture.
$16.99 at SunBum.com 
Best Hair Wax
Gummy Professional Ultra Hold Styling Wax

Stray hairs don’t stand a chance with Gummy’s Professional ultra hold styling wax that can temper practically every mop and at every length. Its water-based structure doesn’t make hair oily and comes with a fruity watermelon scent that you’ll actually look forward to sniffing throughout the day.
$9.99 at GummyProfessional.com 
Best Hair Pomade
Blind Barber 151 Proof Pomade

Blind Barber offers a solution for practically every hair need, but none more than the ability to style with ease. Its 151 Proof pomade with a tonka bean aroma, high-shine, and strong hold gets the job done and is also formulated with beer hops to make it certifiably more “manly.”
$24 at BlindBarber.com 
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Grooming Awards 2026: Best Body Care ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Shave ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Face Care Products ]]>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:28:46 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Grooming Awards 2026: Body Care Products]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/appearance/grooming-awards-2026-body-care-products.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/appearance/grooming-awards-2026-body-care-products.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ AskMen ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ The Year&#039;s Best Body Washes, Lotions, Deodorants, and More ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/grooming/appearance/grooming-awards-2026-body-care-products/body-2x1-1776184679.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ For too many guys, a &quot;body care routine&quot; boils down to using a crusty bar of soap in the shower. But if you want to take care of your body, fight the signs of aging, and look and smell your best, day in and day out, you need to invest a bit more time and effort into taking care of yourself.
Thankfully, we&#039;ve got you covered, with a comprehensive array of products that will cover you from top to bottom (literally, as it turns out), addressing every variety of body issue from dry skin to sun burns.
Here are the best body grooming products of 2026:
Best Body Wash
 
Sans Savon Charlevoix Boreal Forest Blend Body Wash

 
Stench stands no chance against botanical-forward Sans Savon, a soap-free, sustainably-sourced cleanser that smells as if you’ve walked “through a boreal forest with balsam fir and spruce.” Notes of blue spruce and peppermint round out the vegan showertime indulgence that also protects your skin’s microbiome with prebiotics and 100% natural essential oils.
$49 at SansSavon.com 
Best Bar Soap
 
Pacha Soap Co. Vanilla &amp; Sage Bar Soap

 
Men who prefer cleaning with a traditional bar will relish Pacha Soap Co.’s handcrafted vanilla and sage soap. The ocean-hued block is chock-full of moisturizing shea butter and Bulgarian lavender with the alluring, spa-familiar scents of vanilla and fresh sage.
 
$6.99 at PachaSoap.com 
Best Body Lotion
 
Santu Lima Mexicana Body Lotion

 
A soft body is a happy body and Santu’s Lima Mexicana lotion delivers hydrated, radiant skin. Made with locally harvested Mexican lime, Guerrero eucalyptus, and rosemary de la madre tierra, the self-care showstopper will inevitably find a permanent spot in any evening skincare routine.
$42 at SantuBeauty.com 
Best Stick Deodorant
 
Blu Atlas 48-Hour Natural Deodorant

 
If armpit smells have you feeling blu, this natural deodorant from Blu Atlas — without aluminum and harsh chemicals — will step in to neutralize odor at the source and leave you fresh and confident for 48 hours. The classic scent includes hints of bamboo and sage, though the stick is also available in santal cedar for the more woodsy-inspired gentleman.
$28.09 at BluAtlas.com 
Best Spray Deodorant
 
Dr. Squatch Rainforest Rapids Spray Deodorant

We’re not entirely sure what  “rainforest rapids” would smell like (“crisp jungle rainfall,” according to the brand) but we’re grateful it exists as part of Dr. Squatch’s robust line of scented spray deodorants. Best of all, the dermatologist-tested and -approved products are of 98% natural origin, which means they’re safe to use in practically every nook and cranny of the body.
$13 at DrSquatch.com 
Best Body Deodorant
 
Fine’ry Alleged Deodorant Body Spray

Your pits aren’t the only sweat-accumulating crevices that demand a frequent refresh. Upgrade that scented body spray from high school with Fine’ry’s line of cologne-based deodorant body sprays. We’re big fans of the company’s Alleged scent, which is composed of coriander, green sage, and patchouli.
 
$14.99 at Target.com 
Best Hand Soap
 
Homecourt Mandarin Basile Hand Wash

 
Actress Courtney Cox wows with an extensive (and cleverly named) line of organic home products and this Homecourt handwash is, perhaps, its crown jewel. The iconic mandarin basile scent (which often sells out) features sparkling mandarin, fresh green basil, and ripe fig, making it an excuse to constantly get your hands dirty.
$36 at Homecourt.co 
Best Hand Cream
 
O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream

Calluses, begone! O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream works overtime to provide relief for cracked, dry palms and digits. Frequent use also creates a protective barrier to prevent further moisture loss, making it a beauty routine essential, especially during winter months.
From $7.97 at OKeeffesCompany.com 
Best Foot Cream
Badger Peppermint &amp; Tea Tree Foot Balm

 
If your heels are cracked and your soles need love, it’s time to invest in an effective moisturizing balm. Badger impresses with its concentrated base of olive oil, castor oil, and beeswax that softens even the most terrible of trotters, all while cooling essential oils of peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary invigorate and refresh so that feet feel alive again.
$13.99 at BadgerBalm.com
Best Sunscreen Lotion
EltaMD UV Lotion Broad-Spectrum SPF 35

Protecting your face from the sun is a critical step in any skincare routine, but we often neglect our bodies. EltaMD’s silky-smooth, broad-spectrum SPF lotion gives anyone an excuse to lather up on the daily with active zinc oxide to shield from the sun and hyaluronic acid to retain lost moisture.
From $35 at EltaMD.com 
Best Sunscreen Spray
MDSolarSciences Quick Dry Body Spray SPF 40

The guy on the go demands a quick-dry body spray that is equal parts protective and easy to use. MDSolarSciences has perfected their sunscreen formula with a lightweight, non-aerosol can that leaves no white cast and is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes.
$26 at MDSolarSciences.com 
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Grooming Awards 2026: Best Hair Care ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Shave ProductsGrooming Awards 2026: Best Face Care Products ]]>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:28:21 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/mental-health/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/mental-health/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Should You Try CBT? The Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/mental-health/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/askmen-lead-image-template-1-1715092549.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ When you hear people say they go to therapy, most of them are likely referring to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It’s one of the most popular therapeutic approaches these days for a reason: It’s highly effective when it comes to treating a variety of mental health issues — or even simply managing stress. 
“First, it&#039;s incredibly versatile, effectively treating various disorders ranging from depression and anxiety to phobias and PTSD. This broad applicability makes it a go-to for many therapists,” according to Sal Raichbach, LCSW, PsyD, Chief Clinical Officer at  Haven Health Management. “Secondly, CBT is evidence-based, meaning it has been rigorously tested in clinical trials and shown to be effective. This empirical support reassures both practitioners and patients of its validity and effectiveness.”
RELATED: How Therapy Can Change Your Life
But what exactly is CBT? From unpacking what really happens in a one-on-one session with a therapist to understanding the benefits of the approach, here’s what you need to know to determine whether it’s right for you.
 

What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?

 
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is based on the premise that your thoughts inform your feelings, which then drive your behavior and can therefore reinforce certain thoughts. When you frequently have unhelpful thoughts, you can get stuck in negative patterns of thinking, feeling and acting. 
CBT helps you break those patterns and create healthier ones by making you more aware of the way you think and behave — and how this affects your emotional well-being. “CBT is about empowering individuals to become their own therapists by understanding the connections between their actions, emotions, and outcomes. It&#039;s like having a toolbox for life&#039;s challenges,” says Dr. Shmaya Krinsky, founder of Anxiety and Behavioral Health Psychotherapy.
 
While this may sound a little bit abstract at first, know that CBT is actually super structured and action-oriented. Through conversations with your therapist, you learn strategies and skills to manage issues like anxiety and improve your mental health based on personal goals. 
For example, let’s say that you struggle with impostor syndrome at work. In therapy, you realize that this feeling of not being good enough has permeated your entire life. Your therapist helps you uncover thoughts that have become so automatic you don’t even realize you’re having them on a daily basis — thoughts like, “I am a failure” or “I am not as smart as other people.”

Challenging Unhelpful Thought Patterns Through CBT

 
These continuous thoughts are called cognitive distortions. They create a filter through which you experience the world, but they’re not rooted in reality. Your therapist teaches you to first become aware of them, then gently challenge them with more rational thinking. 
For instance, you may catch yourself thinking yet again that it’s only a matter of time before you get fired. This makes you feel terrible and leads you to work on evenings and weekends to try to make up for it. You overextend yourself and start making mistakes, which reinforces your fears of getting fired.
 
In this case, challenging unhelpful thoughts may look like gathering insights about what kind of feedback you’ve received from your boss or peers lately. Do you have reasons to believe that you are underperforming at work? 
Wait a minute — you just received praise during a meeting a couple of weeks ago. And you keep being given more responsibilities, which is a good sign. You feel better. The next time you catch yourself beating yourself up, you repeat the process and remind yourself of the facts.
 
Not only does this approach help you manage your feelings of anxiety about not measuring up, but it also leads you to adopt healthier behaviors like embracing a better work-life balance and being more focused at work. This feeds into a new positive loop of thoughts, feelings and actions. 

The Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

 
“One of the biggest benefits of CBT is that it empowers you to take control over your own thoughts and feelings. You learn to identify and challenge negative patterns of thinking that may be causing distress, and replace them with more positive and realistic thoughts,” says Raichbach. 
The payoff? “Improved self-esteem, increased confidence, and better coping mechanisms for dealing with stress or anxiety,” adds Raichbach, who also notes that it’s possible to see results in a relatively short amount of time with CBT.
 
Krinsky agrees: “CBT offers individuals the opportunity to experience significant improvement relatively quickly. With its focus on practical actions, CBT provides tangible steps for individuals to implement in their daily lives.” 
Whether you learn how to constructively work through relationship struggles or find better ways to cope with stress, one of the most powerful benefits of CBT lies in the fact that it equips you with tools that you can use for the rest of your life.
 

Should You Try CBT?

 
So, should you try CBT? Both Raichbach and Krinsky say that it can benefit anyone who wants to improve their well-being and manage stress — in fact, CBT can be used as a preventative tool to help you develop healthy coping mechanisms before more serious issues arise. 
However, both experts also note that it’s essential to be motivated to actively participate in the process and embrace new ways of seeing and doing things. “Additionally, those with severe mental health conditions may require more intensive or specialized treatment,” says Raichbach.
 
If you want to invest in your emotional well-being and are willing to put in the work, CBT can be a wonderful option. If you are experiencing mental health struggles such as depression, it’s always best to consult a mental health professional to explore the best course of action for your unique needs.  
You Might Also Dig:
How to Spot the Subtle Signs of DepressionWhat Is Confrontational Therapy?Misconceptions About Mental Health Guys Have ]]>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:59:18 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How Much Protein Do You Need]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Jack ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Unpacking the Science Behind High-Protein Diets ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/askmen-lead-image-template-1717610364.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ One of the most contentious debates in all of fitness surrounds protein intake — specifically, how many grams you should consume each day. The typical Internet fitness guru advises a protein intake of anywhere from 0.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight on the low end to 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight on the high end, well above the USDA’s recommendation of 0.36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. So, you may ask, who is right? 
RELATED: How to Add More Protein to Your Diet
As is often the case with questions like this, the answer is closer to it depends than a cut-and-dry, single figure, but it’s still worth having a good estimate of your own body’s needs because optimizing your protein intake is the solution to a lot of common health problems and a great hack for adding muscle, battling fatigue and even keeping your brain functioning at a high level.

Everything You Need to Know About Protein Intake

Protein is one of the vital macronutrients, and it’s worth understanding its role in the body, regardless of whether you want to eat more or less of it each day. 
What Are the Benefits of Protein?
In the popular imagination, protein intake and muscle mass are tightly correlated. Want to look like Arnold? Eat more protein, bro! That link exists because your body breaks down protein into amino acids, which it then uses to repair damaged muscle tissue. Inadequate protein intake impairs that process. But protein has many more benefits to your body, on top of maintaining and building muscle, such as: 
Increasing bone density: Higher protein intake has been proven to promote greater bone density and stave off osteoporosis, which only becomes more important to you as you age, since bone density tends to decline with time.Lowering blood pressure: In a recent meta-analysis of the effects of protein intake on health, a link was established between higher protein diets and decreased blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic. Even better, another major study finally put to rest the supposed link between higher protein intake and heart disease, so you can drop that concern as well.  Staving off cognitive decline: A famous study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the diets and long-term health outcomes of more than 77,000 men and women and found a positive correlation between higher protein diets and long-term cognitive function. Specifically, every 5% increase in protein versus carbohydrate intake was associated with an 11% lower risk of developing dementia. Improve skin elasticity: Aging might be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we want to look old. Thankfully, there’s been a proven link between high-protein diets and improved skin elasticity, preventing wrinkles and fine lines and keeping your skin looking youthful as you age.
If it isn’t already obvious, let’s just say it outright: protein intake is about a lot more than just muscle mass, and optimizing your protein intake has all kinds of benefits to your overall health and well-being. 
What Are the Signs of Protein Deficiency?
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding protein intake on the high end, but there’s very little disagreement about the perils of protein deficiency. In other words, while reasonable people can disagree about what the upper end of the protein intake range looks like, those same people agree that too little protein is a disaster for the body. If you suffer from protein deficiency, you’re likely to experience some or all of the following:
Chronic fatigueEdema (swelling of the body)Thin skinBrittle nailsWeaker hair strandsDifficulty gaining muscleChronic coldsAnemia (reduced red blood cells)Greater hunger pangs
Does the Source of the Protein Matter?
Absolutely! One of the problems of studying the impact of high-protein diets on health is that not all protein sources are equal. If you have a fast-food hamburger for both lunch and dinner, you’re probably meeting your protein goals, but there are vastly fewer nutrients (and many more preservatives, nitrates and other undesirable additives) in the fast food burger than in, for example, a grass-fed sirloin steak. 
If you need inspiration for quality protein sources, Harvard Medical School offers an excellent list, including lean meats and fish, beans, peas and lentils, quinoa, eggs, nuts and seeds. These sources are desirable because they offer not only protein but also a wealth of other nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, that your body needs to function well. 
Who Should Eat a High-Protein Diet?
Bodybuilders and other strength athletes need a high-protein diet, but who else can benefit from upping their protein intake? Multiple studies have shown that high-protein diets are beneficial for promoting weight loss, first because protein itself requires energy for the body to break down and use, and next because it promotes satiety (the feeling of fullness) and therefore makes it easier to stick to your diet. 
There are also some specific niche cases where it can be a huge boost to your body to pretend you’re a bodybuilder: if you’re injured, for example, especially if you’re bedridden, a higher protein intake can help your body retain its muscle mass and delay or offset atrophy.
Endurance athletes (think swimmers, bicyclists, runners and rowers) also benefit from increased protein intake, since the effects of prolonged endurance exercise are highly catabolic to existing muscle tissue. 
Is Eating Too Much Protein Bad for You?
One of the enduring myths about protein intake is that there is an upper limit beyond which your body can process protein, and that going beyond this limit could cause damage to your kidneys. The science on this one has been in for a long time: unless you already have kidney disease, your high-protein diet isn’t going to damage your kidney. For most people, the worst thing that can happen from overconsumption of protein is that you store the excess calories as fat on your body, and even that is unlikely because it’s very difficult to overeat protein compared to, say, carbohydrates.
Stop Stalling — I Want a Number
Alright, alright, here’s the TL:DR for those of you out there that don’t care too much about the whys and wherefores and just want some actionable information. The USDA’s recommendation of 0.36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight is probably fine for most men, but definitely inadequate for athletes and anyone trying to build muscle or lose a lot of weight. 
If you regularly lift weights, if you’re trying to build muscle, or if your bodyfat percentage is over 30% and you want to diet down, start with 0.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and experiment from there. Good signs you’re moving in a positive direction by adding protein to your diet include increased energy, faster recovery, and progressive strength gains.
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Adjusting Protein Intake for Weight LossBest Protein PowdersThe Best Energy and Protein Bars ]]>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:32:31 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Why Dating Apps Can Make You Feel Lonelier Than Ever]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/dating/dating-advice/datings-apps-loneliness.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/dating/dating-advice/datings-apps-loneliness.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Dating Apps Are All About Making Connections. So Why Do They Make Us Feel So Lonely? ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/dating/dating-advice/datings-apps-loneliness/askmen-lead-image-template-28-1715706671.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ No, it’s not just you: In a sea of online dating profiles and potential matches, it’s possible to feel lonelier than ever while using dating apps. 
“On one hand, it&#039;s super easy to meet loads of people, but on the other, it can feel kind of lonely and disconnected. It&#039;s weird how swiping through profiles, trying to find that &#039;perfect match,&#039; can actually make us feel unseen and unsatisfied,” says Dr. Brooke Keels, chief clinical officer at Lighthouse Recovery. 
Nearly 4 in 5 people aged 18-54 experience some level of emotional fatigue or burnout when dating online, according to a Singles Reports study. Moreover, men are more likely than women to experience those feelings often. 
RELATED: How to Make Online Dating Work for You 
Knowing that others share your struggles may be comforting. But it still doesn’t address the core of the issue: How can dating apps breed so much disconnect while simultaneously providing so many opportunities to connect? Here’s what you need to know – and what you can do if swiping has you feeling lonely. 

5 Reasons Dating Apps Can Make You Feel Lonely

Online Dating Can Feel Superficial 
At first, online dating is full of promise. 
“Dating apps can give the impression of limitless matches, potential partner similarity, and the ability to connect from the comfort of your home,” says Dr. Tarra Bates-Duford. 
However, it’s easy for frustration and confusion to creep in with every swipe. 
First, there’s the focus on physical appearance. In real life, looks may also be one of the first things that you notice about someone and vice-versa. 
RELATED: How to Have Dating Success No Matter What You Look Like 
There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but when you’re mindlessly looking at dozens of different faces in the span of minutes, it can start feeling superficial. 
It Can Be Hard to Foster Authenticity
It can also be difficult to get a sense of someone’s real vibe – or convey yours – online. Context can get lost when you’re reading profile descriptions and exchanging DMs. 
RELATED: Common Mistakes Guys Make Sending Dating Messages
“Online dating profiles can be misleading, missing cues like facial expressions, body language, and genuine comments — not catchphrases generated by an app,” says Dr. Bates-Duford. “It can be hard to gauge authenticity and sincerity.”
Some people even lie on their profile. There’s pressure to present yourself in a certain way, which can further erode authenticity. And since authenticity is the backbone of meaningful connection, using apps can leave you feeling empty. 
Getting Matches Can Be a Challenge
Plus, if you’re a heterosexual man, getting matches can be a challenge. 
“Men and women simply swipe differently,” says Kristian Boe, founder of Swipestats.io. “While men swipe right on about 35% of profiles, women only swipe right on about 2.5% of profiles. So if you&#039;re not in the top 20% of profiles as a man, you basically get zero action, which contributes to frustration.” 
RELATED: Why Women Have Higher Standards in Dating 
Men Are More Likely to Experience Loneliness Generally
As Bates-Duford notes, loneliness is not the physical state of being alone, but the emotional feeling and/or state of being alone.
“Loneliness involves a lack of deep and satisfying relationships, connection, and negative quality of existing relationships,” she explains. “Dating apps can exacerbate feelings of loneliness, as it often takes an extended period of time to build relationships with someone you meet online.” 
Unfortunately, men are more likely to experience social isolation and a lack of quality relationships in the first place. Recent research shows that men’s social circles are shrinking, and it’s worse for younger men. According to an American Perspectives Survey, over one in four men under the age of 30 reported having no close social connections. 
So, if you turn to dating apps because you crave connection in general, you may quickly end up feeling lonely. 
RELATED: The Importance of Close Friendships for Men 
Real Connection Takes Time 
Even if you’re meeting plenty of people, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to connect with them on a deeper level. 
“When you dive into online dating, the real challenge isn&#039;t just about finding someone,” says Keels. “It&#039;s about finding real, meaningful connections that go beyond just chatting online.”
RELATED: The Difference Between Attraction &amp; Compatibility 
“It feels like there&#039;s this silent struggle with feeling lonely, especially with all the pressure from society to seem always connected and totally in control,” she adds. “But what we&#039;re really after is someone who gets us, someone we can share true intimacy and understanding with.” 

5 Tips to Counter Dating App-Induced Loneliness

While online dating comes with downsides and frustrations, it can still lead to positive experiences. There are ways to enjoy using apps and replace pangs of loneliness with more hopeful feelings. Here are a few tips: 
Separate Your Self-Worth From Outcomes 
“I wish men knew how to separate their dating app results from their self-worth,” says Boe. 
In order to do this, it’s important to adjust your mindset. Are you hoping to get matches for a boost of validation? If so, a lack of matches will get you down. 
RELATED: How to Get More Right Swipes on Dating Apps 
However, being open to exploring whether there’s mutual interest without taking things personally will lead to a more satisfying online dating experience. 
Take Breaks As Needed
Sometimes you just need to take a step back. 
“Taking a break from the thing that makes you feel lonely does help,” adds Boe. 
RELATED: How to Handle Online Dating Burnout
You can’t combat dating app fatigue by forcing yourself to try again and again. It’s usually a sign to shift gears and tend to your emotional needs in other ways. 
Talk to People in Real Life
This may sound like a crazy idea, but try talking to people in real life. 
“Attend social groups, speed dating, start up a conversation with someone interesting, go out with friends, and go to places where people you may be interested in will be,” says Bates-Duford. 
RELATED: How to Chat Up Attractive Women in Person
Even if it doesn’t lead anywhere, it may well help you feel more connected than looking at your screen. 
Engage in Self-Reflection 
If you’re feeling lonely, it’s a good time to check in with yourself. What do you value? What are you looking for in your romantic life? Do you feel satisfied with your other relationships? 
“Doing some self-reflection to figure out what we really want and need can help us create more meaningful connections, both on and offline,” says Keels. 
Embrace Vulnerability 
Being vulnerable can be scary, but it can also lead to more meaningful interactions. So, try showing more of who you are while dating. It won’t guarantee that everyone you meet on apps will be genuine, but it will increase your chances of experiencing genuine connection. 
Finally, if you feel chronically lonely, you may want to try opening up to a trusted friend or professional. It’s more common than you think, and talking about it is one of the best things you can do to combat isolation. 
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Ways to Meet Women Outside of Bars &amp; ClubsDating Tips for Shy Guys
Why Dating Sucks, Revealed ]]>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:31:58 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Best Leg Exercises]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/best-leg-exercises.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/best-leg-exercises.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Jack ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Forget abs and biceps for a change and focus on sumo squats, dead lifts and lunges with these 10 leg exercises. ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/workout/best-leg-exercises/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1766149699.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ Your legs are, quite literally, your body’s foundation. They have the difficult job of carrying the weight of the rest of your body, and everything from standing up to jumping requires a coordinated effort from multiple lower-body muscle groups.
The benefits of strong legs don&#039;t just accrue to athletes, though. They’ll help you injury-proof your body, correct your gait, and improve your posture. And let’s not forget about the aesthetic benefits. A strong chest, boulder shoulders, and bulging biceps are great and all, but if they’re attached to a pair of stick legs, you’ll find yourself wearing pants all year.
RELATED: How Often Should You Work Out Your Legs?
Now that you’re resolved to train your legs, though, where do you start? We’ve picked out the ten best leg exercises for muscular growth, strength, and athletic performance. You don’t have to do all of them; feel free to mix and match. We promise, if you focus on progressing in these movements, you’ll grow a pair of legs to be proud of, and you’ll never again be ashamed to wear shorts.

Barbell Back Squat

What’s good about it: The barbell back squat is not only the single best leg exercise, but possibly the best single exercise, period. It recruits a huge amount of your musculature, enabling you to lift heavy weights and progress quickly, and the strength you build in this exercise directly translates into athletic performance. There’s also something deeply satisfying about heavy, full-range squats; they’re a marker not only of your strength but of your flexibility.
What muscles it works: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core
Technique tips: With your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your shoulders (not on your neck), and while keeping a tight core, descend to the ground by dropping your hips. Maintain core tightness and a neutral spine, and descend until your quads are roughly parallel to the ground. Pause for a split second at depth, and then drive through your heels to return to the starting position.

Lunges

What’s good about it: To properly train your legs, you need to work them in tandem and in isolation, and lunges are a painful, willpower-testing way to torch those muscle fibers. Many athletes happily take to the squat rack but shy away from lunges – and we can understand. These require good core stability, strong and flexible hips, and good muscular endurance. You don’t need to use very heavy weights. What you need to do is concentrate on perfecting your form and lunging to your full range of motion.
What muscles it works: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core
Technique tips: While holding two dumbbells or a barbell over your shoulders (as in the back squat), lunge forward until the knee of the lunging leg is roughly over your foot, making your upper leg parallel to the floor. From this position, push through your front foot, driving yourself back to the starting position. Repeat these exact motions with the other leg.
RELATED: Should You Do Squats Every Day?

Barbell Front Squat

What’s good about it: The front squat is the often-neglected baby brother of the back squat. You won’t be able to use as much weight or recruit as much muscle fiber, but that doesn’t mean front squats don’t belong in every self-respecting leg routine. They emphasize the anterior chain, especially the quadriceps, and athletes – whose movements are often quad-dominant – need to pay particular attention to their front squat strength, since this movement also has high applicability to all kinds of sports. Another big benefit to the front squat is the barbell position: if you can get the requisite flexibility in your shoulders to hold the bar in front of you, you’ll take a lot of stress off your back and spine. Many people recovering from back injuries find front squats much easier to perform.
What muscles it works: Quadriceps and upper backTechnique tips: With your feet shoulder-width apart, rest the barbell on your front delts, while keeping it in place with your fingers under the bar and your elbows at shoulder-height (this might require some work on your flexibility). Descend by lowering your hips, while preventing your knees from caving inward. Stop when your quads are parallel to the ground, and then return to the starting position by pushing into the floor. Make sure your elbows don’t drop, as that will cause the bar to roll out of position and possibly fall.

Leg Press

What’s good about it: The leg press is a safe and effective way to train your legs at a high volume. For this reason, they’re a staple exercise among bodybuilders, who are always seeking to maximize time under tension, but athletes shouldn’t neglect it, either. A bigger leg is, generally, a stronger leg, and few exercises contribute to leg growth quite like the leg press.
What muscles it works: Quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings
Technique tips: The leg press requires a leg press machine, in which you sit with your back tight against the pad. Place your legs on the leg press platform at roughly shoulder-width distance, then, when you’re ready, disengage the safety mechanism (these vary by machine) and push into the platform, driving through your heels, until your legs are almost straight. Then descend slowly, controlling the weight, until your quads are parallel to the platform. If this is your first time doing the leg press, deliberately lower the weight until you’re familiar with your limits.

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts

What’s good about it: If you live in the modern world, there’s a good chance your posterior chain is weak and underdeveloped. Why? Because you probably spend an inordinate amount of time sitting in a chair. Here’s an iron law of human musculature: muscle imbalances lead to injuries, and one of the more common imbalances is overdeveloped quadriceps and underdeveloped hamstrings. Stiff-legged deadlifts directly address that weakness, enabling you to fortify your posterior chain.
What muscles it works: Glutes, hamstrings and lower back
Technique tips: Stand tall, while holding either a barbell or a pair of dumbbells in front of your quads. Lower the weight by sticking your butt out and bending at the weight, doing your best to keep your hamstrings straight. Your flexibility will determine your range of motion, so stop when you begin to feel a slight discomfort, and then rise up with a straight back to the starting position.

Hip Thrust

What’s good about it: Hip thrusts are an old-school exercise that fell out of favor until very recently, when some Instagram influencers discovered that they’re extremely effective at building up the glutes.
What muscles it works: Glutes, hamstrings, hip adductors
Technique tips: Hip thrusts can be done with or without weights, and with or without the assistance of a machine. The basic setup involves you on your back, with your knees raised and your butt and feet flat on the floor. Contract your glutes to drive your butt up until your quads and your torso form a straight line. That’s the end point. From there, descend slowly to the original position. That’s one rep. A more common variation involves using a barbell, as demonstrated below.

Deadlift

What’s good about it: The deadlift competes with the barbell back squat for the title of “single best exercise,” and for good reason. It recruits muscles from across the entire body, and enables you to work with very heavy weights. Making progress in the deadlift will directly translate into athletic performance, and help you see strength gains across your body, from larger muscle groups like the hamstrings and glutes to smaller groups like your forearms.
What muscles it works: Hamstrings, glutes, back, core, traps, forearms
Technique tips: Approach a loaded barbell on the floor, with your feet shoulder-width apart, until the bar is over the midpoint of your feet. Use a hip hinge to lower your hands until they can grasp the bar, and then pull the slack out of the bar, while keeping your back straight. You’re now “locked in” and ready to lift. Push into the floor, engaging the quads, to get the initial lift off, and then use your hamstrings and glutes to “unhinge” until you’re standing straight, with the bar at your thighs.

Leg Extension

What’s good about it: Leg extensions get a bad reputation, mostly because if done incorrectly they can be dangerous, but if used correctly, they’re a great way to tax your leg muscles safely and stimulate growth, particularly in the quadriceps. Keep the weights low, control your tempo, and don’t fully lock out your legs at the conclusion of each rep. Do that and you’ll see tear-drop-shaped quads in no time.
What muscles it works: Quadriceps
Technique tips: This exercise requires a machine. You’ll be seated, with your legs beneath a padded lever that you can only move by contracting your quadriceps until your legs are straight. One important point: don’t fully lock out your legs at the extension point. You’ll save your knees a lot of stress and keep stress where you want it, on your quads.

Power Clean

What’s good about it: If the benefits of an exercise were the only consideration, power cleans would be up there with squats and deadlifts: they’re that beneficial. We’re talking increased strength and increased explosive power, all of which directly translate into better athletic performance.
What muscles it works: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, core, traps
Technique tips: Here’s an immediate caveat: the power clean is an Olympic lift, and like all Olympic lifts, it’s extremely technical. That means you almost certainly need a coach or veteran Olympic lifter to observe and critique your form, because as a beginner, you will make mistakes, and if you make mistakes while attempting a heavy or even moderately heavy lift, you can do real damage to your back. So what follows are instructions, but consider purchasing some in-person coaching before you attempt this lift with anything heavier than a broomstick.
The power clean begins like a deadlift, with the bar on the floor and your stance and address identical to the deadlift. The initial “pull” is identical to the deadlift as well, but because the weight is lighter and because you’re training explosiveness, you’ll be able to “get under” the bar once it reaches its apex, at which point you “catch it” as if you’re doing a front squat.

Calf Raise

What’s good about it: Calves are a common weak point (see early Arnold Schwarzenegger), requiring high volume and high frequency to grow. Calf raises isolate your calves, making them a great finishing move at the conclusion of a leg routine. They’re also easy to perform with bodyweight, even outside of a gym, so feel free to crank a few sets out at the office or in your home.
What muscles it works: Calves
Technique tips: Standing tall, simply shift your weight to the front of your toes, until you’re up on your tippy-toes, then descend to flat feet again. One time up and down is a single repetition. You can increase the degree of difficulty by holding on to a weight or by increasing the range of motion by standing on a plate.

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	How to Weight Train at Home
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 ]]>
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                <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:55:07 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[The Right Way to Rock a Clean Shave]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/shaving/the-right-way-to-rock-a-clean-shave.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/shaving/the-right-way-to-rock-a-clean-shave.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Ditching Your Low-Maintenance Facial Hair? Here&#039;s How to Rock the Beardless Look Like a Boss ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/grooming/shaving/the-right-way-to-rock-a-clean-shave/askmen-lead-image-template-1717764964.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Once upon a time, being clean-shaven was the standard in professional settings. Scruff was associated with being unkempt, while a clean shave sent the message that you were put-together and cared about your appearance.   
Thanks to cultural and economic shifts, like the hipster beards of the 2010s that followed the Great Recession, attitudes about what’s considered appropriate and attractive have evolved.  Stubble is now welcome, and men are expressing their individuality by embracing a wide variety of facial hair styles – the “Top Gun mustache,” for example, has recently spurred a ‘stache revival.
 
RELATED: Best Razors for Men

Is the Clean Shave Still in Style?

 
But is it still OK to wear a clean shave if you feel like it? While trends come and go, some looks remain timeless. Even though it decreased in popularity in the past couple of decades, the clean shave will never go out of fashion.“The total clean-shaven look has always been around, but with more men returning to the office as [remote work opportunities] decrease, many are now opting to remove their low-maintenance beards,” according to Tom Yates, founder of Cut Throat Club. 
So, yes, the clean shave is still in style. It’s also practical. With warmer temps, more men are looking to knock off their facial hair, says professional groomer and barber Jovan Figueroa. If you feel inclined to try it out, here’s the right way to rock a clean shave.
 

Tips to Rock a Clean Shave

Mentally Prepare
First, get mentally ready, says Figueroa: “This may not seem like a step for some, but for anyone with a full-grown beard, it could be intimidating.” 
If you’re used to seeing yourself with a beard, you may want to ease into a clean shave by trying a shorter style first before fully taking the plunge.
 
Get the Right Tools
 
Getting your hands on the right tools and using the proper shaving technique is also crucial if you want to achieve a smooth, close shave (more on that below). You don’t need anything fancy, but your blades need to be sharp. 
“Dull blades not only provide an uneven shave, but can also pull hairs and cause skin irritation, leading to ingrown hairs,” says Yates.
 
Don’t Neglect Post-Shave Care and Skincare
 
What you do after you shave makes a big difference in terms of wearing the clean-shaved style well. Post-shave basics like rinsing with cold water and using an aftershave balm are more than soothing – they also protect your skin from irritation. 
Now that you’re going to showcase your skin, your skincare routine is that much more important. Look for products adapted to your skin type. Keep your face cleansed and moisturized while using sun protection daily. Exfoliating on a regular basis will also help prevent ingrown hairs.
 
Consider Grooming Your Eyebrows
 
You certainly don’t need to groom your eyebrows to sport a clean shave. But if you were blessed with extra-bushy brows, you may find that they clash with your new sleek look. Trimming your brows can help balance the overall aesthetic.    
Own Your Look
 
It could take you a couple of days to get used to seeing your bare face again. You may get comments from friends and family. Don’t let any of those initial reactions deter you. Have fun experimenting with outfits and hairstyles that make you feel confident and complement the sharpness of your clean shave. 

How to Achieve a Perfect Clean Shave

Eager to shave off all your facial hair? If you’re working with a full beard, trim it down first. Once you’re ready to get started on the close shave, Figueroa recommends a straight-edge razor – think, your classic Gillette pick – or a safety razor, which features an extra-sharp single blade. Both options are equally effective and can be used in a similar manner, but the latter is a little more advanced if you’re not used to maneuvering a razor. 
Next, take a hot shower or apply a hot towel to your face to soften your hair and open your pores. The hot towel will enhance the whole experience if you have the time for the extra step. “Place a wet face towel in the microwave for about a minute and a half, open it up, and apply the steam towel to the face,” suggests Figueroa.
 
Then, apply a pre-shave oil to your face. Oil and shaving cream work hand in hand, so use both. “Creating a good barrier between skin and razor is extremely important to limit any irritation, razor burns, or cuts,” adds Figueroa. 
The way you hold and move your razor also matters. “Grip the razor comfortably with your thumb on the shoulder and fingers wrapped around the tang. Short, controlled strokes are key,” says Yates.
 
According to Yates, you should tilt the razor slightly and pull your skin while moving the blade across your face. You may need multiple passes for a close shave, but with gentle pressure. Avoid shaving against the grain and follow the direction of your natural hair growth. “Although you may feel this gives a closer shave, it&#039;s often the culprit behind ingrown hairs and irritation,” says Yates. Take your time and prioritize safety and technique over speed. 
Once you’re done, rinse off with cool water, apply a soothing aftershave balm and moisturize. Your skin should feel baby smooth at this point. Take good care of your skin, and show off your facial angles to the world with confidence.
 
You Might Also Dig: 
Our Favorite Beard OilsBest Beard TrimmersBest Electric Shavers ]]>
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                <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:54:39 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Best Back Strengthening Exercises]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/best-back-strengthening-exercises.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/best-back-strengthening-exercises.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tanner ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[  ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/best-back-strengthening-exercises/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1749569912.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Most guys who frequent the gym have no issues working their mirror muscles. If you’ve ever been to a gym on a Monday, you know this. Dubbed the &quot;international chest day&quot; by the internet, Monday is the day when the weight room is full of guys camping out on the bench press (and likely following their bench session up with curls).
But there is almost always something interesting about the guys who spend so much time benching. They may be able to bench press a respectable amount of weight, but very few of them actually look like they lift.
And that’s because most guys focus on training the wrong body parts.
When it comes to developing a physique worth noticing — the kind that makes it known that you lift whether you’re wearing a tank top, a hoodie or a coat — you need to develop a big back.
RELATED: Best Back Workout Routines
From an aesthetic standpoint, a big, well-developed back is going to have the most dramatic impact — clothed and unclothed. It can fill out even the baggiest of clothes and add another dimension to your physique when you’re shirtless.
A well-developed back shows the world that you’re strong, and not in the new age, hit-chest-every-single-day way either. It helps you develop that coveted V-taper look, which also happens to be pretty important when it comes to attracting ladies. A classic V-taper shape is associated with strength and virility.
So, how do you build your back?
The back is comprised of a large number of muscles, some of them rather large and some of them rather small. They all play a part in helping us move and lift things every single day, which means they’re used to taking a beating. While some muscle groups, like your arms, can respond to lesser volume, that isn’t the case with the back. You’ve got to treat it to a healthy dose of heavy lifting, and quite a bit of training volume.  
Knowing why you need an iron back, and having a vague idea of how to train your back isn’t enough. Which is why I’ve written up a back workout you can start using to blow up your back.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Up Your Back Muscles

Every good back routine requires both a warmup, to properly prepare the muscles for what&#039;s coming, and a balanced workout comprised of exercises that target the back muscles in all their various planes of motion. In practice, that means both vertical and horizontal pulling exercises. Here&#039;s how to start:
Pre-Exhaust Superset
We’re doing these to get your blood flowing and cause a small amount of fatigue. Pre-fatiguing your muscles before heavy compound movements helps muscle growth by increasing the number of muscle fibers you’ll recruit during your workout. Do each exercise back-to-back, rest about 60 seconds and repeat for three rounds. 
A1) Band Pull-apart — 3x20A2) Dumbbell Pullover — 3x15
The Workout 
A) Barbell Row — 5x10B) Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown — 5x12C) Single-Arm Dumbbell Row — 4x10 per sideD) Snatch-Grip Row — 3x8
On the rows, be sure to let your shoulders completely protract at the bottom of the movement for a bigger range of motion, and take about two minutes of rest between sets.
For the lat pulldowns, know playing with your hand positioning can dramatically alter the movement (and where you feel it). In this case, using a neutral grip will help you get a bigger stretch in your lats while also hitting your mid- back muscles more effectively. Keep your torso positioned properly: You don’t want to lean back too much and turn this exercise into a rowing variation.
The single-arm dumbbell row is a classic exercise to build a great back. Be sure to let your shoulders protract at the bottom of the movement for a bigger range of motion. 
Rest about 90 seconds between each set. If your grip is limiting you, using lifting straps can help tremendously.
We started with the barbell row, and we’re ending with a variation of it. The snatch-grip row works especially well to widen the back because it places extra emphasis on the lats. Take an extra-wide grip and perform the movement as you would perform a traditional barbell row. Because of the widened grip, your back is going to be forced to work harder, which can lead to better overall growth. Rest about 90 seconds between each set. 
Bear in mind that the back responds well to more volume. So it would be wise to start doing this back workout a couple of times a week, every single week. The more you train your back, the better your physique will get.
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Best Dumbbell Back ExercisesEffective Arm Workouts for MenThe 10 Best Leg Exercises ]]>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:18:36 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Deal With Anxiety]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/health/how-to-deal-with-anxiety.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/health/how-to-deal-with-anxiety.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Stephen ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ A Guy&#039;s Guide to Dealing With Anxiety — Everything You Need to Know ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/health/how-to-deal-with-anxiety/askmen-lead-image-template-1-1720205740.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Racing thoughts. Trouble concentrating. Fear of the unknown. Fixating on the worst possible outcomes.
Sound familiar?
If so, you might just be experiencing symptoms of anxiety, a mental health issue that one in five men is affected by, according to Edward-Elmhurst Health.
Anxiety can present in a variety of different intensities; it typically manifests as an overall feeling of uneasiness that can present itself in a slew of different ways.
According to Vladimire Calixte, founder of Therapy For Black Men, anxiety in men can manifest in various physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms, often affecting their overall well-being and relationships.
But what does full-fledged anxiety look like for men and how does it impact one’s life?
“When we hear the word ‘anxiety,’ we typically think about feeling afraid, nervous, or jumpy,” said Dr. Eran Magen, founder of Parenting for Humans and CEO of Early Alert. “While these elements can all be part of how people experience anxiety, it&#039;s important to realize anxiety can also show up in other, more subtle ways.”
RELATED: The Mental Health Basics All Men Should Know 
Given that anxiety is not the easiest thing to talk about — particularly amongst men — we’re using this space to review and discuss steps men can take to better identify anxiety’s symptoms and better manage it as they move forward to lead their best lives.

How Anxiety Shows Up in Men

We know anxiety can manifest itself within the body in a multitude of different ways — affecting mental, physical, and emotional health — and because its influence can be so consistent and pervasive, the “normalization” of anxiety within one’s body and mind can make it hard to detect as anxiety.
“Anxiety often manifests as an inability to stay in the present moment, causing us to get stuck in loops of dwelling on the past or catastrophizing about the future,” says Shira Lazar, co-founder of Peace Inside Live. “When this happens, our brain shifts into the sympathetic ‘fight-or-flight’ mode rather than the parasympathetic ‘rest’ mode, making us more reactive, easily triggered, and easily distracted.”
These symptoms, Lazar says, “can lead to poor sleep, digestive issues, and difficulty concentrating. Over time, anxiety can impact our ability to work effectively, enjoy our relationships, and maintain overall happiness. It can also lead to nervous habits such as nail biting, jaw clenching, and chronic pain.”
According to author and crisis counselor Lisa Sugarman, other physical effects of anxiety include increased heart rate and high blood pressure brought on by stress that can turn into hyperventilation or shortness of breath.
“Prolonged stress of emotional pressure can also lead to stomach issues or loss of appetite along with muscle aches, tension, and headaches,” Sugarman says. “It can also cause a disruption in our sleep and can also — in some cases — lead to substance abuse as a way to cope, so there&#039;s a lot more attached to anxiety than meets the eye.”
RELATED: Things We Do That Are Bad for Our Mental Health 
And that’s what can make anxiety all the more sinister: Not only does it affect different areas of one’s overall health, it can also lead to seemingly unrelated consequences that stem from men grappling with anxiety without realizing they’re experiencing anxiety.
“In men, anxiety can also show up as anger or aggression, which can look like general agitation or a stormy mood,” Magen says. “But it can also look like explosive reactions to seemingly minor frustrations.”
Now, if you experience any of these symptoms, does it mean you have anxiety? No — and to be clear — an anxiety diagnosis should be achieved by speaking with a therapist or another licensed medical professional.
But assuming you do identify with the symptoms, your identification can be the catalyst for you to put a magnifying glass over the areas of your life where the symptoms are bubbling up. From there, you can conduct a deeper dive of self to better understand the root of what you’re experiencing.
RELATED: What to Do if You Think You Have a Mental Health Issue 
According to Calixte, the following is a breakdown of the different ways anxiety shows up in men and how it can affect them:
Physical Symptoms
Increased Heart Rate: Men may experience a racing heart or palpitations.Sweating: Excessive sweating, particularly in stressful situations.Trembling or Shaking: Noticeable physical tremors or shakes.Shortness of Breath: Difficulty breathing or a feeling of being suffocated.Muscle Tension: Persistent muscle aches and stiffness.Fatigue: Constant tiredness or exhaustion, despite adequate rest.Sleep Disturbances: Insomnia or restless sleep patterns.Digestive Issues: Stomachaches, nausea, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Emotional Symptoms
Excessive Worry: Persistent and uncontrollable worrying about various aspects of life.Restlessness: Feeling on edge, irritable, or easily agitated.Fear and Panic: Experiencing intense fear or panic attacks.Difficulty Concentrating: Trouble focusing or maintaining attention.
Behavioral Symptoms
Avoidance: Avoiding social situations, work, or activities that trigger anxiety.Controlling Behavior: Attempting to control the environment and routines to reduce unpredictability.Rigid Thinking: Insisting on things being done a certain way to avoid anxiety triggers.Irritability: Quick to anger or frustration, especially when plans are disrupted.Social Withdrawal: Withdrawing from social interactions and relationships.Overcompensation: Overworking or engaging in excessive physical activity to distract from anxious thoughts.
Effects on Personal Well-Being
Mental Health: Chronic anxiety can lead to depression, low self-esteem, and a sense of helplessness.Physical Health: Long-term anxiety increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, chronic pain, and weakened immune system.Sleep Quality: Poor sleep exacerbates anxiety, creating a vicious cycle.
Effects on Relationships
Communication Issues: Difficulty expressing feelings and fears can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.Intimacy Problems: Anxiety can cause sexual dysfunctions such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, leading to strained intimate relationships.Isolation: Men may withdraw from partners, friends, and family, leading to loneliness and decreased social support.
RELATED: How to Talk to a Partner About Your Mental Health
Effects on Work and Productivity
Performance: Anxiety can impair concentration, decision-making, and productivity, leading to underperformance at work.Absenteeism: Increased sick days or avoidance of work-related tasks.Job Satisfaction: Chronic anxiety can reduce job satisfaction and motivation.
“Most men believe — and are taught by society — that they must be tough no matter what and to not ask for help,” Calixte says. “It’s crucial for men to recognize the symptoms and effects of anxiety, to seek appropriate help, and develop effective coping strategies for managing anxiety and improving quality of life.”

How to Manage Anxiety Effectively

While anxiety isn’t something that can be cured, its effects can be better navigated through therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and daily mindfulness exercises — all of which require a willingness and participation from the individual in order to be effective.
Despite needing a prescription for medication or a referral for a therapist — if it’s determined you have anxiety — there are several free ways to work at better managing it. For many, those ways are simply getting back to the basics of what helps their minds and bodies function properly.
“Getting enough sleep, eating well, staying hydrated, moving your body, and spending time outdoors are vital,” Lazar says. “For me, mindfulness practices like meditation are crucial for returning to the present moment when I feel overwhelmed. Breathing techniques, such as box breathing [breathing for specific timed intervals] have been scientifically proven to shift the brain from a fight-or-flight state to a more restful and calm state, and journaling helps me process my emotions and focus on gratitude, which is proven to create new neural pathways.”
RELATED: Signs You&#039;re a Healthy Guy
Managing anxiety is thus more about getting back to safety within the body. How to get there depends on the preferences of the individual, but one thing remains consistent: Anxiety is the body in a dysregulated state with its host searching for stability.
“Anxiety can be managed by addressing root causes or by managing symptoms,” Magen says. “Possible root causes include genetics, unhelpful thinking habits, and exposure to too much stress. Genetics are hard to change, but thinking habits and exposure to stress can be changed.”
Further adding to anxiety’s complexities is that it can create what Magen calls a “self-reinforcing loop.”
“Poor sleep — for example — can make us more emotionally reactive, which can hurt relationships, which can lead to loneliness or fear of loneliness, which can then circle back and hurt our sleep,” he says. “Poor sleep can be managed by improving sleep hygiene — going to sleep at a regular time, avoiding screens and caffeine before bedtime. Constant worrying can be managed through therapy or medication. Anger outbursts can be managed by learning anger-management techniques through classes or therapy. There exists a number of free resources available to help with most aspects of anxiety.”
RELATED: How to Get Better Sleep 
If you’re unsure where to start, Magen suggests focusing on the core elements of sleep, exercise, nutrition and socialization.
“Start by doing what you can to get a good amount of sleep, moving vigorously at least a couple of times a week, eating reasonable amounts of food that is mostly unprocessed, drinking mostly water, and connecting with — or at least being near — other people,” he says.
According to Sugarman, the following is a breakdown of the different techniques men can explore to better manage their anxiety:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT helps individuals identify and challenge negative thought patterns and develop healthier ways of thinking and behaving.Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices like mindfulness and meditation can help reduce anxiety by promoting relaxation and helping individuals stay present.Exercise &amp; Movement: Regular physical activity can reduce anxiety levels by releasing endorphins and improving overall physical health.Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and reducing caffeine and alcohol intake can positively impact anxiety levels.Breathing Exercises: Techniques such as deep breathing or the 4-7-8 breathing method can help calm the nervous system.Medication: In some cases, medication prescribed by a healthcare provider can be effective in managing anxiety.Support Systems: Talking with friends, family, or joining a support group can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of isolation.Time Management: Effective time management can reduce stress and anxiety by preventing overwhelming situations.Professional Help: Seeking help from a therapist, counselor, or psychologist can provide tailored strategies and support.Limiting Exposure to Stressors: Identifying and reducing exposure to sources of stress, when possible, can help manage anxiety.
“Combining these methods and finding what works best for each individual can significantly improve our ability to manage anxiety when life gets stressful,” Sugarman says.
The key is becoming aware of anxiety symptoms and having the courage to address them. Only then can we begin to normalize the idea of men having anxiety, and thus better treat those affected. The more men who can be vocal on the subject, the more we can collectively manage anxiety and overcome it with less stress on ourselves and those around us.

Normalizing Anxiety in Men

It may come as a real shocker, but the best way to normalize anything is to talk about it regularly. There’s a reason psychopaths repeat lies until they themselves believe them: The more something is discussed, the more it becomes normalized. Normalizing anxiety in men abides by the same principles. 
“Social media can be a great place to find community for those who struggle with loneliness,” Della Mathew, executive creative director at 22Squared co-leading the NO PAUSE Project says. “It can be an amazing catalyst for important conversations that could spark healing and change.&quot;
Healing and change that can come from any type of discourse — whether online or in person — by not shying away from the subject of anxiety.
RELATED: Misconceptions About Mental Health Guys Have 
“Talking about our anxiety helps normalize both the experience of anxiety and the experience of talking about anxiety,” Magen says. “It can be hard to say ‘I&#039;m feeling anxious’ for the first time, but it gets easier. It helps to remember that it doesn&#039;t have to be a big deal — you&#039;re not signing up for a diagnosis, rather you’re simply describing your experience. Just like you might say ‘My stomach’s been feeling funny,’ you could say ‘I&#039;ve been feeling a little anxious these past couple of weeks.’ Most people feel anxious sometimes, and feeling anxious at one point doesn&#039;t mean we&#039;ll be feeling anxious forever — just like having a stomach ache doesn&#039;t mean we&#039;ll have poor digestion forever.”
Just as anxiety can create a negative self-reinforcing loop, talking about anxiety in men can create a positive self-reinforcing loop that can help one man better address and manage his anxiety — and in doing so — encourage other men to do the same.
“We can normalize and destigmatize anxiety by creating safe spaces for open discussions and sharing our experiences,” Lazar says. “Vulnerability is key because, although each of us is unique, our experiences are often more similar than we realize. By sharing and listening, we can see that we are not alone in our struggles.”
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Best Workouts for Mental Health, Revealed ]]>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:18:11 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How Do Porn Stars Last So Long?]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/sex/sex-tips/how-do-porn-stars-last-so-long.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/sex/sex-tips/how-do-porn-stars-last-so-long.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Jack ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Revealed: The Secret, Stamina-Enhancing Tricks of Male Porn Stars ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/sex/sex-tips/how-do-porn-stars-last-so-long/askmen-lead-image-template-1721222847.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ We’ve already discussed at great length why porn is not a good or appropriate source of information for real-life sex, but if you spend enough time covering the conversation, you learn something kind of funny: most men realize that the average penis they’re seeing in porn is considerably longer and thicker than the average male penis, so they’re somewhat able to insulate their self-esteem from comparison, but they actually don’t realize one of the most unrealistic aspects of porn: how long the on-camera sex lasts!
The average porn scene is upwards of 20 minutes long, but study after study on heterosexual sex finds penetrative sex typically lasts a fraction of that time. The Society for Sex Therapy and Research, for example, polled their members on sex duration, and the most common response range was between three and seven minutes. Another, multinational survey conducted by the Journal of Sex Medicine found a median duration of just 5.4 minutes.
And while it’s important to point out that porn isn’t exactly an honest representation of real-life sex, it’s also worth noting a serious problem: heterosexual sex typically lasts under ten minutes, but heterosexual women, on average, require about 14 minutes to achieve orgasm. The math, as the young people say, isn’t mathing. 



RELATED: How to Last Longer in Bed



So what explains this massive discrepancy? Are male porn stars really just sexual gods walking among us, or is there another explanation? And what can men do to last a little bit longer and hopefully do a better job satisfying their female partners? We did some research into the tricks porn stars (and directors) use to both last longer in bed and appear to last longer in bed, and while some of these are best left to the professionals, the average guy can still learn a thing or two to help improve their (and their partner’s) experience during sex.

How Porn Stars Prolong On-Camera Sex

Camera Trickery
Let’s start with this one right away, so men everywhere can breathe a small sigh of relief: much of pornography’s outrageously lengthy sex duration can be explained by clever editing techniques. In actuality, the performers take breaks throughout the sex scene, masked by clever editing or camera work. Sometimes, what you think is penetrative sex is really just two people going through the motions (“faking it,” as they say), with the camera angles disguising the lack of penetration. At other times, the performers stop penetration at key moments of excitement (often the male performer will tap his female co-star repeatedly, signaling the need for a break) to prolong the scene, leaving it to the producers to edit out these lengthy transitions and give the viewer the appearance of a seamless sex scene.
Performance Enhancers
It’s not exactly a scoop to say that male porn stars use (and often abuse) erection-enhancing drugs like Viagra and Cialis, but millions of men out in the real world also rely on little blue pills to enhance their sex lives. The real secret weapon, and one we think should only be used sparingly (if at all) by average guys, is a numbing agent.
Numbing agents work by dulling the nerves in the penis, helping you prolong the duration at the expense of the sensation. If you’re really suffering from premature ejaculation, a numbing agent can be a great aid, especially if you are eventually able to wean yourself off it, but male porn stars often abuse them, using not only creams but even more powerful injections that, if used incorrectly or too frequently, can cause scarring and other lasting damage to the penis.
The takeaway? If you think you suffer from premature ejaculation, an over-the-counter numbing cream can help you last a little longer and maybe help you build up your sexual self-confidence. 
Sexual Variety
One key trick to prolonging the duration of penetrative sex is to vary your tempo. Sex shouldn’t be a race to the finish line, especially if you want the experience to be enjoyable for your partner, so remind yourself to take your time. If your excitement is building up in one particular position or with one particular pace, switch things up and slow things down.
This is actually one thing porn can teach men, as the average sex scene does tend to feature a lot of variety in terms of position. If you feel like you have more control over your orgasm in missionary than with your partner on top of you, begin with missionary and save the more exciting position for last. Or, if you really want to prolong the pleasure, don’t just vary the sex position; vary the sex act. There’s no law of sex that says that oral sex can only ever be foreplay; in fact, when you need to tamp down your excitement and give yourself a break from penetrative sex, going down on your woman is a great way to keep her excitement high while buying yourself more time.
Experience Builds Self-Confidence
This isn’t really a trick, or even very surprising, but it’s still a truth about how male porn stars perform so well that you can actually incorporate into your own sex life. Practice really does make perfect, in sex as in all things, and male porn stars get a lot of practice. If you’re a regular Joe, and perhaps especially if you’re not in a relationship and only having sex sporadically, it’s only natural that you’d be incredibly, incredibly excited.
Instead of judging yourself too harshly from a very small sample size, treat sex as a learning experience, something that you (and your partner) can get better at over time, especially as you learn more about each other’s wants and needs. The big mistake not to make is to think your orgasm has to put an end to the sexual fun. If you do orgasm early, that doesn’t give you a free pass to ignore your partner’s pleasure. Instead, show your gratitude by recommitting your attention to pleasuring her with your hands and mouth.
Men tend to overestimate the importance of their penises (shocking!) and underestimate how much pleasure they can give by other means, and once you learn that you don’t have to rely on a single tool to get the job done, you’ll stop putting so much pressure on yourself to perform. Ditching the unrealistic expectations will make you a better lover and help you build the kind of sexual self-confidence that women find genuinely attractive. It just takes practice.
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                <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:53:01 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Overrated Workout Moves, According to Fitness Pros]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/overrated-workout-moves-according-to-fitness-pros.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/overrated-workout-moves-according-to-fitness-pros.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ These 7 Exercises Are More Hype Than Substance ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/workout/overrated-workout-moves-according-to-fitness-pros/askmen-lead-image-template-1718976827.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ If you’re on a health and fitness journey, you may turn to Instagram or TikTok for tips and inspiration. While it can be a source of helpful information, social media also highlights workout moves that may look good on camera but aren’t all that effective – or safe to try on your own without any extra context. 
“These platforms often show us flashy, visually appealing exercises that may prioritize aesthetics over proper form and functionality,” says Wendell Albarran, ISSA-certified fitness expert and nutritionist at Real Elevate Fitness. NASM-certified personal trainer, and fitness influencer Victoria Petrella agrees: “People want to try these trendy moves because they see their favorite fitness personalities doing them, but these exercises might not always be the best for achieving their fitness goals.”
RELATED: The Best Shoulder Exercises
Cutting through the noise and focusing on the best exercises to get closer to your goals is key. Here are seven overrated workout moves you can skip, according to fitness pros.
 

7 Seriously Overrated Exercises

1. Bosu Ball Squats
Squatting on a Bosu ball looks impressive at first glance. And challenging your balance can be great for engaging stabilizer muscles. But doing squats on a Bosu makes the actual squatting part less effective and reduces the amount of force you can generate, says Albarran. 
It can also increase your risk of injury if you’re a beginner, and there are better ways to work on balance and stability. “If you want to work on balance and stability, try single-leg squats or lunges with a focus on control and depth,” recommends Albarran.
 
2. Smith Machine Squats
 
Add Smith machine squats to your list of squat variations to ditch. This time, it’s for the opposite reason: They don’t engage the stabilizer muscles enough compared to free-weight squats, according to Petrella. 
Plus, the fixed bar can also lead to unnatural movement patterns and may lead you to adopt bad form habits over time. “I recommend focusing on free-weight squats or goblet squats for better muscle engagement and functional strength,” says Petrella.
 
3. Bench Dips
Both Petrella and Albarran note that bench tricep dips are overrated, as they can put a lot of strain on your shoulders and wrists. “Bench dips are popular for targeting the triceps but often cause shoulder discomfort or injury because of the awkward angle and strain on the shoulders,” says Albarran, who adds that this move can stress the front of your shoulders too much and lead to discomfort and potential long-term issues if performed incorrectly. 
Try close-grip push-ups instead, which allow for a more natural range of motion while working both your triceps and chest muscles. Or go with moves like tricep pushdowns or skull crushers, which isolate your triceps without unnecessary strain.
 
4. Burpees
You may be surprised to see burpees on the list. Sure, they’re great for your whole body and will improve your cardio. But they involve a lot of impact, which can be hard on the joints. Without proper form, it’s easy to get injured performing burpees. “I think there are better, safer ways to get a good cardio workout without the high impact,” says Petrella. 
According to Luke Jones, movement coach at HERO Movement, moves like burpees should be layered on top of a base of strength, coordination, and mobility: “Without that foundation, most people haven&#039;t developed the strength to absorb the impact.”
 
5. Crunches
If you hate sit-ups, rejoice. Crunches are overrated, says Petrella. They only target a small portion of your abs. It’s more effective to focus on exercises that engage your entire core, like planks and leg raises.
6. Russian Twists
But what about Russian twists, which target the obliques – the side of your ab muscles? 
“While Russian twists can be great for oblique strength, they are often done with poor form and too much weight, leading to back injuries,” adds Petrella. There are safer ways to train those muscles, like side plans or cable woodchoppers. 
7. Jefferson Curls
 
According to Jones, exercises like Jefferson curls are often shown without context on social media, which can lead you to believe you should aim to try them right away. 
If you’re unfamiliar with the Jefferson curl, it involves bending your entire spine forward while holding free weights. Unless you’re an athlete, this is an overrated exercise that you shouldn’t attempt without working up to it and being coached.
 
“The truth is, it takes time to improve mobility and for joints and connective tissues to adapt. There&#039;s a very real risk of doing too much too soon. We don&#039;t want to fear-monger and make people feel fragile, but there needs to be a foundation and understanding of risks,” says Jones. 

Workouts Moves That Are Actually Worth It

 
So, if movements like the ones above are overrated, what kind of moves should you rely on to gain strength and muscle? It depends on your goals and fitness level, but keeping it simple and building a solid foundation is a good idea, recommends Jones. 
Petrella recommends building your workout plan around compound movements that work multiple muscle groups at once – think, deadlifts, bench presses, squats and pull-ups.
 
“Incorporating some form of mobility work is also crucial, taking the joints through a full range of motion with a combination of dynamic and more passive stretches,” adds Jones. 
Throw in some form of cardio-based training that gets your heart rate up for heart health, and you’ve got a recipe for success. It may not be flashy, but it’s tried-and-tested.
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Best Stretches for Men Over 30Best Back Strengthening ExercisesHow and When to Take Rest Days ]]>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:52:34 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Use Face-Sitting as a Secret Sex Hack]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/sex/sex-tips/the-under-appreciated-value-of-face-sitting.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/sex/sex-tips/the-under-appreciated-value-of-face-sitting.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ian ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Face-Sitting Is a Seriously Underrated Bedroom Tactic. Here&#039;s How to Use It to Your Advantage ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/sex/sex-tips/the-under-appreciated-value-of-face-sitting/askmen-lead-image-2x1-18-1751462121.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ With so much of the little sex education that people do get growing up devoted to mitigating negative outcomes like sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies, it&#039;s no surprise that the ins and outs of oral sex don’t exactly get their due.
And while recent decades have seen shifts in the cultural perception of cunnilingus from something demeaning for a guy to do to something that it&#039;s manly to excel at, just like penetration, one aspect of oral that still feels under-discussed is the magic of face-sitting. 
RELATED: Why You Should Go Down on Her on Your Next Hookup 	
Despite the fact that you almost certainly didn’t learn about it in sex ed class, face-sitting is hardly a new concept. Artistic depictions of it go back many hundreds of years, and it’s certainly plausible that people have been engaging in the practice for much, much longer than that. 
And why wouldn’t they? It’s a classic oral sex position that’s easily achievable if you have even a small bed. You don’t need to be crazy flexible or have tons of stamina. One person lies down, the other kneels on either side of their head. And the tongue gets to work. So what should you know about it? 

Why Is Face-Sitting Under-Appreciated? 

Face-sitting isn’t for everyone, and some vagina-havers report preferring oral where they’re lying on their back to the experience of kneeling and straddling a partner’s face. 
However, one big reason I think face-sitting is underrated is that some guys may see it as being associated with femdom — picturing a dominant woman and a submissive man. 
Since being a sub in bed runs counter to many cultural narratives about male power, it’s understandable that some guys might not seek to explore sex acts associated with a submissive male role, even if it’s something they ultimately might find enjoyment in exploring. 
And it’s absolutely true that face-sitting can be used to great effect by sex partners who want to emphasize the power of the vagina-haver who’s sitting on their counterpart’s face. 
RELATED: How to Be Dominant in a Relationship (And in Bed) 
Technically, the person riding can move and place their thighs, crotch and buttocks in such a way as to crush or smother their partner, as well as having their mouth and arms free to engage in degrading dirty talk or hitting, slapping or otherwise teasing the submissive with their hands. 
Furthermore, if there’s real kinky play in progress, the person on top can urinate, fart or defecate on the person below them, seriously adding to the Dom/sub dynamic. 
However, these possibilities also ignore the fact that, done right, the person receiving cunnilingus may find it hard to engage in more dominant, controlling behavior, and may even struggle to speak in coherent sentences.
RELATED: Oral Sex Pro Tips to Make Her Scream 
That’s because, with the top partner’s clitoris pressed directly on their partner’s mouth, the bottom partner has the ability to deliver powerful, ongoing pleasure from an extremely comfortable and non-physically demanding position. 
It also gives the prostrate partner the ability to use their hands to grab or play with the other person’s breasts and nipples, buttocks or feet, and those with longer arms (or shorter partners) could also reach their partner’s face area, meaning choking play, finger-sucking, etc. are viable options. 
Also fun? The prostrate partner can easily masturbate while they go down on the riding partner, meaning pleasure for both people simultaneously. 

A Massive Potential Benefit of Face-Sitting

Most importantly perhaps for men who sleep with women? It’s an absolutely fantastic tool for post-climax pleasuring. 
Ask straight and bi women what their least favorite aspect of sex with cis men is and a lot of them will mention guys who cum and immediately assume the sex is over. 
RELATED: Worst Things Guys Do When They Finish During Sex 
There are a few different factors at play there — for one, it’s understandable for guys in a penetrating role in common positions — like, say, missionary and doggy style — to be exerting more energy than their counterparts. 
When their brains are flooded with feel-good sex chemicals like prolactin, serotonin and oxytocin, which help encourage relaxation, it’s only natural for them to feel sleepy. 
RELATED: Why Do Men Feel Sleepy After Sex? 
Plus, since people with penises typically experience much, much longer refractory periods than people with vaginas, it might be too sensitive to continue penetrative sex. 
All this can combine to produce a physical reality where guys are no longer interested in continuing the action, and cultural scripts like scenes in TV, movies and porn clips where the male ejaculation is treated like the climactic moment of the sex scene reinforce this belief among many guys.
RELATED: Things Guys Need to Unlearn About Sex 
But suppose you’re in the woman’s shoes — you’re enjoying yourself, excited to have an orgasm at some point in the near future, your partner cums, and suddenly everything is over. Wouldn’t that feel pretty frustrating? Wouldn’t you feel disappointed and maybe even a bit resentful that the other person got to experience maximum pleasure and then essentially resigned from the game? 
That’s where face-sitting comes in. Because it features a guy lying on his back, it requires functionally no energy from you. The only thing that really needs to keep moving is your tongue — your legs, arms and torso can be completely relaxed and motionless, and you don’t even have to hold your head up as you do when giving oral to a partner lying on their back. 
So next time you climax before your partner’s ready for things to end, consider asking them to sit on your face. 
You can go to town on them with your tongue while the rest of your body gets its much-desired post-coital bliss, and your partner will get to experience the good times continuing to roll.  
Keep at it long enough and you just might find yourself ready for another round of penetration with a thoroughly pleased partner ready to go, too. Now that’s a win-win-win situation. 
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                <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:53:24 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Should You Do Burpees Every Day? (Plus, the Best Burpee Variations to Try)]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/should-you-do-burpees-every-day.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/should-you-do-burpees-every-day.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Alyssa ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ This Simple Bodyweight Exercise Might Be the Secret to Torching Body Fat ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/workout/should-you-do-burpees-every-day/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1750683156.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ Even people who work out regularly, who hit the gym daily, and who pride themselves on being strong and fit tend to avoid doing burpees. Pushups for strength, elliptical for cardio, right? Who wants or needs to be humbled by a humble bodyweight exercise? Thing is, avoiding burpees isn&#039;t doing your physique any favors.
It turns out that there&#039;s an unfortunate correlation between how much we dread an exercise and how good it is for us. Heavy squats, weighted dips, walking lunges and almost every ab exercise ever devised have two things in common: they feel awful while you&#039;re doing them but generate outsized returns on your effort. 
But don&#039;t take our word for it: “A burpee is a full-body exercise that hits strength, cardio, and plyometrics for an all-out calorie torcher that will quickly test your limits,” says Mike Donavanik, C.S.C.S., founder and president of Sweat Factor, a fitness streaming platform.
RELATED: Should You Work Out With Your Partner?
Here, learn more about the beloved burpee, including why you should be doing them more often, how to actually perform a burpee the right way, and how to modify the move to make it easier or, dare we say, even more challenging. 

How to Do a Burpee with Proper Form

You’ve likely seen the burpee performed a slew of different ways, and there are a ton of fun modifications and progressions (see below for inspiration), but there’s really only one way to do the traditional burpee exercise. Here’s how:

	
	Start in a high plank position with palms under shoulders, hips tucked, and core engaged.
	
	
	Perform a push-up, then immediately jump your feet wide to the outside of your hands.
	
	
	From this crouched position, push through heels to explode up, jumping into the air with arms to the sky. 
	
	
	Land softly with knees slightly bent, then immediately reverse the movement, coming into the wide, low squat with feet outside of hands.
	
	
	Jump feet back, returning to high, palm plank position. Repeat. 

Common Burpee Mistakes

Unsurprisingly, burpee no-nos tend to center around form rather than rep schemes or programming, says Donavanik. One of the biggest issues he sees is when someone “does the worm” during the push-up stage, by dipping their hips, arching and lowering their lower back instead of maintaining a tight core throughout the push pattern. 
Another common burpee mistake is jumping your feet inside of your hands rather than outside, which might be tempting if you have limited hip mobility but it actually puts more pressure on your knee joints, says Donavanik. 
Bottom line is that if your form is suffering, scale it back with burpee modifications that keep the exercise effective and efficient without sacrificing alignment.
RELATED: It’s Time You Add Push-Ups to Your Workout Routine

The Benefits of Burpees

Breaking down the burpee, it’s easy to see how there are a litany of advantages to this exercise, but there are a few burpee benefits that deserve the spotlight.

	
	It’s a full-body exercise: Many exercises claim to be a total-body movement, but a lot are just wannabes. You’d be hard-pressed to find a singular exercise that tackles your upper body, core, and lower body as well as the burpee. “You’re working almost every muscle in your body,” says Donavanik.
	
	
	It’s a complete workout: The burpee is essentially an entire workout crammed into one exercise. “You’re getting strength, cardio bursts, and explosive plyometrics in a single move,” says Donavanik. So, no matter what your fitness goal may be, say, power, strength, or stamina, the burpee can help you achieve it. 
	
	
	It won’t let you ignore weaknesses: At first glance, this might not sound like a bonus, but if you really want to level up your fitness, you have to target any current limitations, which a burpee can bring to light. Can’t get your feet to easily reach your hands? Your tight hips need mobility work. Lower back pain? Your core could be weak. Arms maxed out from the push-up before your endurance? Your upper body strength training could use some attention. 
	
	
	You’ll tap into mental toughness: You know those moments during a workout where you just want to throw in the towel but something in your head tells you to keep going even though your muscles are shaking? That’s mental resilience, and it has to be built. To know that you can get through hard things (i.e. a ton of burpees) you have to have previously proven to yourself you can do them.
	


Should You Be Doing Burpees Daily?

By now you know that burpees are a demanding exercise. You don’t want to overdo it, especially without adequate rest. “I wouldn’t recommend doing burpees daily,” says Donavanik. For what it’s worth, that goes for any single, specific exercise, he explains, nodding to the importance of variety in your workouts. (However, you should start planking daily.)
When programmed appropriately, burpees can be an integral part of your overall fitness routine. How you do them will depend on your specific fitness goals, says Donavanik. “For general fitness purposes, I’d say you can do them one to two times a week as part of a more cohesive program,” he says.
Try this fun fitness challenge to test either your time or reps: See how many burpees you can accomplish in two minutes or how long it takes you to do 20 reps of burpees — all with proper form. Record your results, then start building burpees into your workouts once a week. “It’ll be a good test to see how you’re improving week-over-week,” explains Donavanik. 

Burpee Variations to Make Them Easier and More Difficult

Mastered the OG burpee exercise and looking for a challenge? Or maybe you’re new to strength training and want to ease into the burpee party? Either way, there are a surprising number of burpee variations that can help you modify or progress the move. Here’s some inspo courtesy of Donavanik:

	
	Add a tuck jump: Instead of doing a regular jump at the end of the movement, turn it into a tuck jump. Explode up, tucking your knees up towards your chest as you lift off.
	
	
	Add a pull-up: If you have access to a pull-up bar, grab it at the top of your jump, then perform one pull-up. 
	
	
	Walk your feet in: Instead of jumping feet out wide to the sides of your hands and back out to plank, walk one foot in, then the other, and back out when returning to plank. This modification can be especially helpful for those with limited hip mobility, says Donavanik. 
	
	
	Drop your knees: Performing the push-up with knees on the ground can help you achieve faster and more explosive burpees while you build your upper body strength. 
	
	
	Skip the jump entirely: While you will lose out on the plyometric element to the burpee without the jump, if you’re rehabbing an injury or have joint issues, taking the jump out (and perhaps also utilizing the walk in/out modification above), may be best for you.
	


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                <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:54:11 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[What Are Digestive Enzymes? How These Supplements Can Benefit Your Health]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/what-are-digestive-enzymes-how-these-supplements-can-benefit-your-health.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/what-are-digestive-enzymes-how-these-supplements-can-benefit-your-health.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Rebecca ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ If Meals Leave You Bloated and Gassy, This Supplement Might Be the Solution ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/1080x540/2023/01/27-103844-what_are_digestive_enzymes_how_these_supplements_can_benefit_your_health.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ If you feel bloated or gassy after meals — not just once in a while, but often — there’s a chance your body isn’t making enough digestive enzymes. These helpful little proteins help your body to break down and absorb nutrients from the food you eat. But when it doesn’t produce an adequate amount, you may struggle with some seriously unpleasant symptoms. So, what can you do about it? Fortunately, there are now digestive enzyme supplements you can take to help fill in the gap.
“Digestive enzyme supplements help mimic the digestive enzymes your body normally produces to help break down nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats,” says Kelsey Kunik, a registered dietitian and nutrition advisor for Fin vs Fin.
Digestive enzyme supplements have a slew of potential benefits — but they’re not for everyone, and not every product is created equal.
RELATED: Vitamin Buying Guide: What Men Need to Know
Below, experts share what to know about how and why digestive enzymes work, and what to look for when shopping for supplements.

What Are Digestive Enzymes, and How Do They Work?

The main digestive enzymes — which are made primarily in the pancreas — include:

	Protease, which breaks down proteins
	Lipase, which breaks down fats
	Amylase, which breaks down complex carbohydrates

Others, which are made in the small intestine, include:

	Lactase, which breaks down lactose — or sugar from milk
	Sucrase, which breaks down sucrose — or fruit sugar

According to Jesse Feder, a certified personal trainer and registered dietitian contributing to HealthCanal, digestive enzymes break large food molecules down into smaller particles, so that it’s easier for your body to soak up all the complex nutrients the food contains.
“In a healthy functioning digestive system, digestive enzymes are produced and released as soon as food enters your mouth and continues through the digestive tract,” explains Kunik. “If your body doesn&#039;t produce enough digestive enzymes, taking a supplement can help you absorb more of the nutrients you&#039;re eating and prevent unwanted digestive symptoms.”

What Are the Benefits of Taking Digestive Enzymes?

Kieran McSorley, a registered dietitian and COO of Brentwood Physiotherapy Calgary, says digestive enzyme supplements can be beneficial for relieving the following after eating:

	Abdominal pain
	Gas
	Bloating
	Cramping
	Constipation
	Diarrhea

That said, though, these supplements will only provide those benefits if your body isn’t making enough digestive enzymes. If your symptoms stem from a different issue entirely, then taking a digestive enzyme supplement won’t help.
Catherine Gervacio, a registered dietitian and nutrition writer for Living.Fit, notes that digestive enzymes may also improve your body’s inflammatory response. For example, a supplement that contains protease can help your body break down protein into simpler amino acids.
“These amino acids play a significant role in the immune system and inflammatory response,” Gervacio adds.

Do You Need Digestive Enzymes?

Here are some signs that you may want to consider taking a digestive enzyme supplement, according to Meghan Novoshielski, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Set For Set:

	You frequently experience gas, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, or indigestion, after eating certain types of foods
	You often feel overly full after meals, even when you don’t overeat
	You experience unintentional weight loss, which may signal nutritional deficiencies
	You regularly have oily, white, or floating stools

It’s crucial to note that all of these symptoms can be caused by other health conditions — some of which may be serious — which is why Novoshielski strongly advises talking with your healthcare provider before taking a digestive enzyme supplement. Your doctor can help to rule out any other possible underlying pancreatic or digestive issues and guide you in finding the best treatment for your specific symptoms.
Feder often recommends digestive enzyme supplements for those with:

	Lactose intolerance
	Pancreatic problems
	Fat sensitivity
	Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
	Irritable bowel syndrome

Eva De Angelis, a registered dietitian and nutrition writer at Health Canal, notes that digestive enzymes may also prove helpful for those with:

	Crohn&#039;s disease
	Ulcerative colitis
	Celiac disease
	Cystic fibrosis

By the way — De Angelis says your body naturally produces fewer digestive enzymes as you age. So, even if you don’t have any of these specific health issues, you may still benefit from these supplements in older age.

What Should You Look for in a Digestive Enzyme?

Novoshielski suggests keeping a log of your digestive symptoms after every meal. That way, you can pinpoint which types of foods your body is having trouble digesting — and look for supplements that contain the enzymes you need. For example, if you tend to experience gas and bloating after eating complex carbs like oatmeal and potatoes, you may benefit from a supplement with amylase.
RELATED: How to Get Rid of Bloat in a Hurry, According to Experts
Having trouble pinpointing the specific types of foods that cause your symptoms? Then try a broad-spectrum product with a variety of digestive enzymes, says Novoshielski.
“When choosing any supplement, make sure the brand you&#039;re purchasing is reputable,” adds Kunik. “Since supplements are not FDA-regulated like medications are, always look for third-party tested ones with a USP or NSF-certified seal on the label.”
Try to find supplements that offer a certificate of analysis — which ensures lab testing that can guarantee purity and quality.
Feder also recommends seeking out supplements that have an enteric coating — this means the enzymes are more likely to survive stomach acids and get used by your intestinal tract.
“Additionally, look for products that contain ingredients from natural sources like papaya and pineapple, which are known to be rich in enzymes such as bromelain and papain,” adds McSorley.
Before you try taking a new digestive enzyme supplement, McSorley says it’s important to consult your doctor or dietitian to confirm that it’s safe and effective for your specific needs.
“Your healthcare provider may also be able to recommend a specific supplement that would benefit your condition,” adds Feder.

What Are the Best Digestive Enzyme Supplements?

Here are some products that get the experts’ seal of approval:
My Girl Wellness
Reviewers call this supplement “pure magic” — and that may not be an overstatement, considering that it’s packed with a whopping 14 different digestive enzymes. It even contains some less common enzymes, like xylanase, which enhances your metabolism of fruits and veggies.
$36 at MyGirlWellness.com
NOW Foods Optimal Digestive System Full Spectrum Enzymes
NOW Foods
Kunik says this broad-spectrum supplement includes all the essential digestive enzymes to help digest protein, fats, and carbohydrates. It even includes alpha-galactosidase to reduce gas and cramping from high-fiber foods like Beans.
$12.18 at Amazon.com
Thorne Bio-Gest
Thorne
This product contains bile acids to help break down fats, Kunik says, making it an excellent option for anyone who’s had gallbladder surgery. It may also be helpful if you often deal with indigestion, gas, or bloating after eating red meat or other fat-heavy meals.
$46.55 at Amazon.com
Pure Encapsulations Digestive Enzymes Ultra
Pure Encapsulations
Mary Sabat, a registered dietitian and ACE certified trainer, says this supplement is one of her top picks — and it’s easy to see why. It features a wide variety of vegetarian digestive enzymes, with no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, coatings, GMOs, fillers, or preservatives.
$59.80 at Amazon.com
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 ]]>
                </content:encoded>
                <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:56:09 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Get Out of Credit Card Debt the Right Way, According to Financial Planners]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/career-money/money/how-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt-the-right-way-according-to-financial-planners.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/career-money/money/how-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt-the-right-way-according-to-financial-planners.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kaitlyn ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Don&#039;t Let Credit Card Debt Ruin Your Financial Future ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/career-money/money/how-to-get-out-of-credit-card-debt-the-right-way-according-to-financial-planners/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1749643056.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ Credit card debt is nothing to be ashamed of — over 60% of Americans carry some form of credit card debt month over month — but the high-interest debt can derail your financial goals if you’re not careful. 
It’s easy to swipe plastic without really thinking much about where that money is coming from (and it was designed to be that way) but if you’ve found yourself in a pile of credit card debt, it might be time to put down the plastic and take a look at how you can adjust your spending and debt repayment plan.
RELATED: 11 Things Wealthy People Never Waste Money On
If you want to handle your credit card debt once and for all, there’s a very clear way to do it, and it goes beyond just making minimum payments and hoping for the best. Below, we spoke to certified personal finance experts to get their step-by-step tips on how to work your way out of debt and the additional steps you might need to take if you feel like you might be in over your head:
Don’t Skip Your Essentials
“The number one priority is to take care of necessities (shelter, food, utilities). That includes paying the minimum on any secured debts, like a house (mortgage payment) or car (vehicle loan),” says Austin Kilgore, Analyst with the Achieve Center for Consumer Insights. “Between the two, pay the housing expense first. If you miss payments there, you risk losing your home and a place to live.”
Understand Your Precise Debt Numbers
It can be tempting to bury your herd in the sand when you’re not exactly where you want to be financially — but taking control and accountability is the only way to move forward and start working your way out of debt once and for all. According to Bobbi Rebell, CFP and Personal Finance Expert, you should start with an information download. Rebell suggests going through all of your credit card statements and listing out exactly how much debt you carry on each card and what the interest rate is that you’re paying on the debt.
Make the Minimum Payments on Everything
Rebell urges those trying to get out of debt to always make the minimum payments on every single card, no matter what. You’ll likely end up focusing more on one card at a time (more on that below) but ignoring a credit card statement will impact your credit score and can end up causing even more late payment fees on top of the already high interest rate you’re paying on the debt.
Consider Focusing on High Interest First
Only then does Kilgore suggest working on paying down credit card and other debt — and possibly starting with your credit cards with the highest interest rate. “Paying off a card carrying a 20% interest rate (today’s average rate is over 20%) is effectively a 20% return — better than almost any other investment. Plus, you’ll then have that money to do something more productive with,” he explains.
Figure out if there is any way you can pay down the debt on your own — using a good budget, and either the avalanche or snowball strategy. To do this, you must determine if you can pay the minimum on all your debts and then have additional money available to use strategically with the avalanche or snowball method.
Snowball Method: According to Rebell, the snowball method involves paying off the smallest amount first to get a sense of accomplishment and motivation and then move on to the next smallest one. This can be a smart option if you find you lack the determination to tackle multiple debts and need to see the needle moving in order to keep going.Avalanche Method: The avalanche method will save you money in the long run — but it can be harder to keep motivated if your higher interest debts are some of your bigger debt loads. This method is basically starting with the credit card or debt that charges the highest interest rate and is costing you the most and paying that down before moving onto the next-highest interest rate.
Be Communicative With Your Credit Card Issuer
“You can also try contacting your card issuer and asking for help,” explains Kilgore. “They may be able to change credit terms, set up payment plans, defer payments or waive interest (not eliminate debt).” It doesn’t hurt to call and ask — the worst they can say is no.
Take Advantage of Reminders and Accountability
Rebell suggests creating a system of reminders in your calendar, or using an app so you can stay consistent. “If you are comfortable, consider getting an accountability buddy to help you stay on track and to celebrate when the debt is finally paid off,” he adds.
Avoid New Debt Like the Plague
Rebell strongly suggests avoiding going into new debt while trying to pay off your credit cards. It’s not going to be easy — but cutting back on your overall expenses is the only way to work your way out of the hole. This might mean deleting delivery apps off your phone, doing at-home date nights, or putting off buying unnecessary clothes, concert tickets, flights, and any other non-essential spending. He also urges those trying to get out of debt to switch to a cash-only budget to pay for purchases, which will make you think twice versus the ease of swiping a card.

If You’re Not Able to Keep Up With Debt From Your Income and Budget Alone…

If the aforementioned steps do not allow you to pay off debt on your own, it’s time to get outside help, which could come in the form of one of the following:
Consider Finding New Streams of Income
This isn’t possible for everyone, but for some, it is. “Many people have taken well-paying part-time jobs or developed a side gig (anything from pet sitting to a creative business) to generate more money in order to pay off their debt and/or make ends meet,” explains Kilgore.
Look Into a Personal Loan
“A personal loan may offer a lower rate than your credit cards, depending on what you can qualify for (lower rates go to those with higher credit scores),” says Kilgore. “You then can use the funds from the personal loan to pay off the high-interest debt and be left with just one loan at the lower rate.”
Consider a Home Equity Line of Credit
“Some homeowners who are struggling with credit card debt are also sitting on a wealth of home equity,” says Kilgore. “If they can qualify, they may be able to access that equity and use the funds to pay off the debt.”
Shop Around for a Balance Transfer
These credit cards, with a low or zero interest rate, are usually available only to those with very good credit. According to Kilgore, the low promotional interest rate will expire, usually in 6-12 months (although there are cards with promotional periods as long as 21 months). “You MUST be able to pay off the balance in full before then,” points out Kilgore, noting that if you don’t, fees can be just as high. Carefully do the math to be sure that the fees won’t outweigh the savings from the transfer.
Use a Debt Settlement Company
“This can be an option for some people in some specific situations: when your income is such that you are having a hard time making even minimum payments, likely as a result of some type of major financial hardship (such as a job loss, major medical expenses, death of a loved one, divorce),” says Kilgore. “Debt settlement companies work on a consumer’s behalf to lower principal balances.”
Create a Debt Management Plan
Debt management plans are provided by credit counseling firms, says Kilgore. Through arrangements they have with credit card companies, they can offer a slightly lower interest rate on a credit card but consumers also pay a monthly fee.
File for Bankruptcy
This is generally considered a last resort, as it negatively impacts credit rating for 7-10 years. According to Kilgore, Chapter 7 bankruptcy does eliminate most consumer debt — although this type of filing is hard to obtain and can be expensive. Chapter 13 bankruptcy, on the other hand, requires a debt repayment plan.
“This filing is available to consumers whose state of residence determines, through its means test, to have sufficient income to repay some determined amount of the debt,” explains Kilgore.”Note that monthly payment amounts in a Chapter 13 filing are generally comparable to payments in debt settlement programs.”
In addition, Kilgore points out that bankruptcy filings are public, so anyone who wants to access the information can find it. It’s also worth noting that non-exempt assets (which could include a house or car) can be liquidated as part of a bankruptcy.
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                <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:57:42 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Handle Having Different Political Views From Your Partner]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/dating/relationship-advice/how-to-handle-having-different-political-views-from-your-partner.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/dating/relationship-advice/how-to-handle-having-different-political-views-from-your-partner.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Rebecca ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Disagree With Your Partner on Politics? Here’s How to Deal ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/dating/relationship-advice/how-to-handle-having-different-political-views-from-your-partner/askmen-lead-image-2x1-10-1750446995.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ In any relationship, there are bound to be a few things you disagree on — say, your feelings about pineapple on pizza, what show or movie to stream on a Friday night, or the “right” way to load the dishwasher. 
These types of harmless disagreements are typically nothing more than a running joke or minor source of annoyance — they don’t really pose a risk to your bond. But what if you have different political views from your partner?
RELATED: Can a Relationship Survive If You Have Different Political Views?
Across the board, experts agree that your relationship is not necessarily doomed just because you vote differently. In fact, they say these differences can actually lead to deeper conversations, and challenge your perspectives in ways that foster both compassion and personal growth. What matters, ultimately, is how you handle discussions about politics with each other. 
“It’s OK to have differing political views from your partner, as long as both people feel emotionally safe and respected,” explains Shelly Qualtieri, a registered social worker and therapist who works with couples. 
“Political beliefs are often shaped by personal experiences and values,” Qualtieri adds. “If each partner can recognize the other’s experiences without trying to change them, the relationship can remain healthy and grow stronger from those discussions.”
With that in mind, here are some tips to keep in mind when talking politics with your partner.
1. Lead With Curiosity
It’s easy to make assumptions about your partner’s beliefs — how and why they developed them, for example — but doing so will probably only fuel misunderstandings and make it harder for you to empathize with them. 
That’s why Qualtieri advises asking your partner how they arrived at their views, rather than jumping to conclusions. 
“This helps with understanding and lowers defensiveness,” she tells AskMen.
If your partner seems particularly passionate about a certain political topic, Katrina Gelazius, a licensed clinical professional counselor and owner of Feel Good Counseling Center, suggests asking something like “Can you help me understand why this matters to you?” 
2. Listen Actively
After getting curious and posing questions to your partner, it’s important to actively listen to what they have to say. If you’re just mentally crafting your counterargument, you may not ever fully understand where they’re coming from.
“Listening to your partner’s point of view without interrupting shows respect and willingness to understand their perspective,” says Matthew Glowiak, a licensed clinical professional counselor with Recovery.com. “Body language is also important here. Maintain eye contact as appropriate to show that you are truly paying attention to what is being said.”
3. Set Boundaries
Since politics can quickly become a charged topic, it’s a good idea to establish some ground rules around what you will and won’t accept during these conversations with each other.
“Decide together when and where it’s okay to discuss politics,” says Qualtieri. 
RELATED: The Dos &amp; Don&#039;ts of Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships 
For example, you may decide that the subject is off-limits late at night, when you’re both tired or stressed, or after either or both of you have been drinking. Qualtieri also suggests limiting these talks during particularly heated seasons, like election cycles.
“Boundaries prevent resentment and protect your emotional safety,” adds Rebecca Tenzer, a licensed clinical social worker also with Recovery.com. “Your partner’s birthday party, your child’s graduation, or a family event is not the time to bring up political differences.”
It’s also a good idea to have boundaries around when to pause — say, you start to raise your voices or you’re interrupting each other.
4. Find Common Ground
Rather than fixating on all the things you and your partner don’t see eye to eye on, experts recommend trying to find areas of overlap.
“When it truly comes down to it, when you ask individuals to share their personal views on a variety of topics, not all responses align with any one specific party,” explains Glowiak. “It’s actually common for many people to support some views that might be on the opposing side of the party they support.”
To find this common ground, Qualtieri suggests focusing on values to nurture a sense of unity and connection.
“You may differ on policy but still care about fairness, safety, or opportunity,” she explains.
RELATED: How to Respectfully Disagree With Your Partner During Tough Times
5. Don’t Be a Dick About It
This may go without saying, but Qualtieri emphasizes that it’s important to avoid personal attacks, name-calling, or condescending language when talking to your partner about politics. Even a sarcastic tone can be destructive.
“Say, ‘I see this differently,’ instead of ‘How can you possibly believe that?’” she explains. “And while you’re at it, avoid trying to ‘educate’ or shame your partner into changing their views. That power dynamic can be damaging if one person is more vocal or politically informed than the other.”
By the way, verbally mocking or criticizing your partner isn’t the only way to show disrespect during these conversations about politics — according to Gelazius, it’s crucial to be mindful of your nonverbal body language cues, too. 
Rolling your eyes or pulling out your phone while they’re trying to express their thoughts and feelings can indicate that you don’t care to understand their point of view, and make them feel disrespected.
“These types of behaviors damage trust,” says Gelazius.
Remember, adds Tenzer — the aim here is not to “win,” it’s to reach a place of mutual understanding. 
6. Know When to Step Away
Tenzer also suggests having a plan for what to do when things start to escalate, such as taking a time out, or tabling the conversation.
“This prevents saying things you might regret later,” says Glowiak. “People may forgive, but seldom do they forget. 
For a helpful acronym, consider STAR: Stop, Think, And React. 
Whenever emotions run high, stop for a moment. Take some time to think, even if you need to step away for a while, and return to the conversation later when calmer and more coherent. 
Finally, Tenzer says you’ll likely just have to agree to disagree. If you keep trying to convince your partner of your beliefs or change their mind, the conversation may never end. Instead, work on accepting that you may never see eye to eye on certain things — and that’s OK.
7. Build in a Debrief
“After a political disagreement, take time to talk about how the conversation went,” says Tenzer. 
“It doesn’t have to be right away, but there should be some sort of discussion. What worked? What didn’t? What changes should be implemented so that both partners feel safe and heard?”
Tenzer suggests engaging in a light, neutral activity while having this debrief — like taking a walk around the neighborhood, cooking dinner together, or doing a puzzle. This is a great way to rebuild and repair after a potentially heated discussion.
8. Limit Your Battles (And Choose Them Wisely)
Whatever you do, don’t make politics a daily topic of conversation.
“While it’s important to have meaningful discussions, political talk all the time can drain emotional energy and weaken your connection,” explains Tenzer. “Relationships are so much more than just debating policy.”
Ideally, Tenzer says you should prioritize making time for date nights and opportunities to build intimacy.
“That way, when you do have disagreements about politics or whatever else might come up, you’re more prepared to see the other person’s side, agree to disagree, and end with love and understanding,” she tells AskMen.
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                <pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:58:07 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Maintain a Long-Term Relationship]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_advice/how-to-maintain-a-long-term-relationship.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_advice/how-to-maintain-a-long-term-relationship.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lindsay ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ It&#039;s smooth sailing for the two of you now, but how do you keep it that way? ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/1080x540/2018/08/31-014610-how_to_maintain_a_long_term_relationship.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ The act of falling in love? That was easy for the two of you. 
In what felt like instant chemistry, from the moment you laid eyes on your partner, it was meant to be. Even if your love story took some twists and turns before you decided to define the relationship and be ‘official’ — when it comes to imagining your life with anyone else? You simply can’t.
While you don’t doubt your connection, your ability to communicate or the love you share, the hard truth of being in a long-term, committed relationship is that without rolling up your sleeves and putting in the hard work required to make it work, well, it just won’t.
RELATED: How to Start a Relationship and More 
Though there might be times when you coast through the niceties and co-exist pleasantly together, a long-term relationship must be given constant, thoughtful attention to make the years pass happily. Here, experts share their best advice on how to ensure your love doesn’t suffer because you shy away from prioritizing the partner you’re lucky to have:

The Benefits of a Long-Term Relationship

Especially if you spent the vast majority of your youth (and maybe even most of your adulthood) as a single guy, you know how different it feels when you finally stumble into someone who makes you want to focus all of your attention and energy on them.
From the way your partner holds themself in difficult discussions and how impressive their work ethic is to the effortless way they can rock both a fancy dress and sweatpants, spending time with your partner is more fulfilling than any one night stand could ever be. 
In fact, according to couples therapist Sarah Schewitz, Psy.D., research indicates that men especially gain more from being in a long-term relationship than women gain from the same commitment.
“After a divorce or the end of a long-term relationship, men tend to get more depressed than women and get remarried faster because they experience so many benefits being in a relationship,” she explains. “Men in long-term relationships experience better physical health, more happiness, more emotional support and greater sexual satisfaction than those not in relationships.”
RELATED: The Benefits of Being in a Serious Relationship 
And apart from any research conducted by science, there’s an overall sense of fulfillment and happiness that derives from knowing you have a partner in crime. Not only does the stability inspire you to be bolder with your own choices outside of love and relationships, but it inspires you to dedicate yourself in a more selfless way than you would if you were a bachelor. 
Los Angeles-based psychologist Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D. says in general, it’s a better idea to be in a withstanding relationship than to be alone.
“The benefits of a long-term relationship are many,” she explains. She lists things like:
“Feeling more happy and well-rounded,having a sense of emotional stability and security in which you know your partner&#039;s got your back and is there for you,experiencing a meaningful, deep connection in which each partner can feel known and understood by the other,sharing a unique history together,helping each other and being more motivated to stay physically and emotionally healthy, and more”
As a bonus? She also adds you’ll typically live longer if you’re paired up than if you aren’t.

Why Long-Term Relationships Require Maintenance

Consider your closest friend. 
He’s the one who is there through the thick and the thin, for when you need to make a smart, calculated decision and for when you want to let loose and booze all night. Even with all of the good times and memories you share, he’s also the guy who can tick at your annoyance levels the fastest.
Luckily, you can call each other out without missing a beat, right? 
But in a relationship, the ebbs and flows might be trickier to navigate. Schewitz says it’s a common misconception that ‘you shouldn’t have to try and make a relationship work’ — when in reality, without keeping up with your partner’s needs and the state of your personal union, you could lose them… fast.
RELATED: How to Keep a Relationship Interesting, Explained
The solution is wading through the changes together. 
“Relationships go through many phases and the longer you are together, the more changes you will experience together,” Schewitz adds. “There will be times when things are easy and just seem to flow but there will also be times when you wonder if you can or want to do this anymore. Both are normal feelings in a long-term relationship.”
Thomas says oftentimes, a relationship will begin to lose its luster when one of the partners (or both of you) stop nurturing and attending to one another as much as needed to be happy and healthy.
RELATED: Behaviors That Will Get You Dumped 
“As with any living entity, a relationship needs to be fed with care and attention to keep it not only alive, but growing and thriving emotionally and physically,” she says. “Without these elements, long-term relationships can become boring.”
What does that look like, exactly? According to Thomas, it’s about things like taking the other person for granted, expecting the other person to know everything you’re thinking without communicating them, and the sex becoming “stale and routine.” 
Finally, she says, “unresolved issues between the couple can create problems such as build-up of walls, disconnection, grudges, resentment, upsetting feelings, acting out, withdrawing and more.”

How to Invest in Your Relationship

If you’re reading this, you probably are worrying about how much effort you’re putting into your relationship and if you’re headed for an unhappy, unwelcomed end. 
RELATED: The Best Ways to Improve Your Relationship 
To ease your anxieties and bring you closer, psychologists share recommended ways to maintain the quality (and the love!) of your long-term twosome:
1. Never Stop Pursuing Your Partner
Been dating for a year? Three years? Six? Married for ten? No matter how long you’ve been with your partner, Schewitz says it’s essential to always pursue them. 
While, sure, you might not have to go all out with courtship like you did when you first met, she does note that many people associate those initial butterflies with their contentment level throughout the duration of the relationship.
In other words, whatever you did to persuade your partner to fall in love with you when you weren’t officially a couple, you’ll need to be a little romantic and keep on reminding them of those flutters to keep them connected to you. 
Maybe it’s through unexpected ‘Good morning beautiful’ text messages or picking up the kind of orange juice they prefer or surprising them with concert tickets to an artist they love. Whatever the case that’s specific and unique to your relationship, schedule the time in your calendar so you never forget to keep wooing your partner.
2. Put Your Partner First
If you’re in a relationship with a woman, there’s a good chance your partner might be more apt to take care of tasks like refilling the dog’s heartworm medication, sending your mother a birthday card or reminding you to pick up the dry cleaning. 
And while you value these qualities for sure, Schewitz says you might also take them for granted. That’s why it’s essential to turn your energy toward giving instead of getting, especially as a relationship matures and grows. 
RELATED: Boyfriend Mistakes You Don&#039;t Realize You&#039;re Making
“Focus more on what you can give versus what you can get from the relationship. If both partners put each other’s needs and happiness first, you both will be taken care of and you both will feel like a priority,” she says.
3. Try to Understand Before Responding
In her experience, Schewitz says one of the biggest rifts that pulls couples apart is their inability to communicate over time. Though disagreements are all part of the process of being with another person for an extended period of time, if you are merely bickering for the sake of it, without truly tuning in to your partner’s frustrations, you’re in trouble.
RELATED: How to Handle a Relationship Argument 
“This is usually because they aren&#039;t truly listening to each other and trying to put themselves in their partner’s shoes. They’re just waiting until their partner is done talking so they can deliver the response they’ve been thinking of while their partner was talking,” she says.
“Instead, get really present to what your partner is saying. Ask them questions like ‘How does that make you feel?’ and ‘What led to you thinking that?’ Then try to put yourself in your partner’s shoes and really understand and repeat back their point of view before sharing your own.”
4. Make Time Together a Priority
Here are some ground rules of this quality time, according to Schewitz: no kids, no family, no distractions but lovingly gazing into one another’s eyes. Or, laughing until you nearly fall off of your patio furniture. Schewitz suggests having a designated date night at least once every two weeks, if not weekly.
RELATED: Top 10 Date Ideas to Keep Things Fresh and Exciting 
This is a time when you can let go of outside factors and truly focus on what’s happening individually and in your relationship. Regardless if you take a new class, make a reservation at your favorite restaurant, go for a run or steal away in a hotel room for uninterrupted sex, this is your time to reconnect.
5. Talk for at Least 30 Minutes Every Day
Though face-to-face is recommended by Thomas, if you can’t always swing that, she does say a phone call is essential. This is your time to hear their voice, understand the trembles or the peaks in their tone and zero in on your partner. 
RELATED: How to Talk About Your Future Together
“This way, you can keep reinforcing the connection between the two of you and by doing so in these more personal ways than via email, text or social media,” she explains. “If it is hard to do this on some days, try to incorporate communicating with your significant other while making a meal together or doing the laundry or errands with each other,” she says. 
“When communicating, try to not focus on peripheral things like your cell phone, computer, or television,” Thomas adds. 
“Instead, show your partner that you are interested in and attentive to what they are saying by focusing as much as possible on them and by responding with questions, thoughts or feelings you have related to what they’ve just told you so they truly feel heard and cared for,” she says.
This kind of undivided attention is one of the most important things you can offer a partner, and along with the other aforementioned aspects, will set the two of you up for a long, healthy and successful relationship. 
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                <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:25:47 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How Much REM Sleep Do You Need?]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/health/how-much-rem-sleep-do-you-need.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/health/how-much-rem-sleep-do-you-need.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Jack ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Wake Up Feeling Alert &amp; Energized by Optimizing Your Sleep Cycle ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/health/how-much-rem-sleep-do-you-need/askmen-lead-image-template-2-1719608881.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ When people think about their own sleep habits, they typically treat sleep quantity as synonymous with sleep quality, but we’re here to tell you that that’s a huge mistake. Yes, the number of hours you sleep each night is important, and more is generally better than less, but the amount of time you spend asleep isn’t a perfect measure of the quality of your rest.
Why is that, you might be wondering? Because your body enters different phases or stages of sleep (four, to be precise), during which time your mind slows down, your core body temperature drops, brain wave patterns change, and body recovery, from your muscles to your immune system, kicks into high gear.
RELATED: How to Get Better Sleep
There’s a practical lesson to take away from this information: your sleep quality actually depends not just on how much time you’re unconscious but also how much time you’re allowed to spend cycling through the various sleep stages, and the final sleep stage, known as the rapid eye movement (REM) stage in particular.
Confused? You’re not alone. But read on to learn what you need to know about REM sleep, including what it does for your body and how much you need each night to optimize your recovery.

Optimizing Your REM Sleep

Before you can improve your sleep habits, you need to understand some basics about sleep cycles and what your body is going through while you snooze. 
What Is REM Sleep?
REM stands for rapid eye movement, which describes the most visible sign of this fourth and final stage of the sleep cycle. No, your eyes won’t be open during REM sleep, but they will be moving so rapidly that, even with your eyelids shut, the underlying movement is noticeable.  
More intriguing than the outward manifestation of REM sleep, however, is what’s going on inside your brain. During the REM stage of sleep, your brain activity actually increases dramatically, almost to the same levels seen when you’re wide awake. Dreams are much more common during REM sleep, and tend to be much more vivid, while neuroscientists have linked REM sleep to everything from improved memory retention to enhanced creativity. 
The benefits don’t end at your brain, though. REM sleep helps regulate your hormonal balance, with sleep deficits having been linked to decreased testosterone levels, which in turn can impair your muscle growth or decrease your sex drive. Worse still, REM sleep has been shown to be especially important for muscle growth and recovery, so you could be sabotaging your hard work in the gym every time you cheat yourself out of some much needed rest. 
How Much REM Sleep Do You Need?
Sleep needs are highly personal, and can vary quite a lot based on your age and activity levels, but most adults should aim for between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night, with 25% of that being REM sleep. In other words, you need between 1.25 to 2 hours of REM sleep a night to optimize your cognitive function and help ensure adequate muscle recovery. 
How to Get More REM Sleep
REM sleep occurs as the fourth and final stage of the sleep cycle, and lasts anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour. But because your body can’t immediately enter REM sleep, it’s imperative that you have enough snoozing time to get through the first three cycles of non-REM sleep, which can take up to 90 minutes. 
There’s a catch, though: your body enters a deeper and longer sleep after multiple sleep cycles, so if you only have an hour or two to sleep, you’re never going to maximize your time in the REM stage. In fact, the longest REM cycles tend not to occur until the second half of a typical eight-hour snooze, so if you sleep only six hours, you’re not really getting ¾ of the REM sleep you need; you’re really getting about half as much. 
How to Optimize Your Wake-Up Time
One really clever way to wake up feeling refreshed is to time your alarm to go off only when you’re in the lightest sleep cycles. Just a few years ago, this wasn’t possible outside of a dedicated sleep study with humans actively monitoring your sleep, but thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones and some very clever sleep apps, you can now experience a gentle wake-up every single morning. 
These apps work by using your smartphone to monitor your body movement throughout the night. Because REM sleep shuts down almost all your bodily functions except breathing and eye movement, the apps can make a very educated guess about when you’re sleeping lightly and when you’re in deep sleep, activating the alarm only when you’re safely out of REM sleep.
In practice, this means that your sleep app might wake you up half an hour or more before your set alarm, but because it spares you the harsher wakeup from deep sleep, you’ll actually wake up feeling more rested and alert than if it woke you up thirty minutes later from a deeper sleep. Trust us: once you’ve experienced the benefits of a smart alarm, you’ll never go back.
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                <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:26:28 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Best Chest Workouts]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/best-chest-workout-routines.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/best-chest-workout-routines.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Mitch ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[  ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/workout/best-chest-workout-routines/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1749210633.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Like it or not, a strong chest is one of the most impressive, eye-catching features of a man&#039;s body. It helps you fill out shirts and suits, conveys strength, poise, and solidity, and signals to other people that you take your health and fitness seriously.
And despite the existence of other important compound movements like the squat and the deadlift, the most common question you&#039;ll get inside the gym is &quot;how much do you bench?&quot; and we&#039;re not above admitting that training for vanity is a legitimate reason and major source of motivation for many men.
RELATED: Effective Arm Workouts for Men
But what if you&#039;re stalling in your training? What if the numbers on the bar aren&#039;t going up, your chest isn&#039;t growing, and try as you might, you can&#039;t seem to make any progress?
The following guide is here to help you turn things around, break through plateaus, and build up your chest size and strength. We go through helpful tips and exercise queues to help maximize your muscle contractions, as well as prevent injury, correct imbalances and build up your strength.


Contents



	How to Train Your Chest 
	Best Chest Exercises 
	
		Bench Press
		Cable Fly
		Pushups and Pushup Variants
		Incline Dumbbell Press
		Floor Press
	
	
	Chest Training Mistakes (and Fixes)
	
		Using Too Much Weight 
		Neglecting Rest and Recovery
		Inconsistent Training Volume
		Injuries, Aches &amp; Pains
		Inadequate Diet
	
	




How to Train Your Chest – Tips and Queues

For the best approach to training your chest, we spoke with Professor Nima Alamdari, Ph.D., the Chief Scientific Officer at Ritual and Honorary Professor of Sport Science at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. He is a Harvard-trained physiologist, extensively published in the fields of sports science, nutrition, metabolism, and physiology, so suffice to say he knows a thing or two about effective resistance training.
Dr. Alamdari&#039;s advice to us boiled down to two main concepts: train with purpose and variety.
Variety: &quot;Exercises can be oriented to a variety of outcomes, including strength, power, stability, acceleration, change of direction, mobility, flexibility, recovery as well as muscle mass,&quot; he says.
The key to maximizing chest development is using these training modalities to your advantage. Vary the rep scheme, the weight, the exercise, the number of sets – even the speed at which you power through the movement.
Purpose: The mind-muscle connection is also a very important concept to master. With the barbell bench press, for example, a lot of people do it with poor form, focusing only on moving the weight from point A to point B, and they neglect the actual purpose of the exercise, which is to maximize chest contraction. The weight is merely a tool to help you grow and strengthen your muscles.
The solution? Focus on proper form in every exercise and lower the weight as needed so that you can strictly adhere to the right technique.
One very helpful queue, applicable to most chest exercises, is to keep your scapula retracted throughout the movement. If that sounds like gibberish to you, here&#039;s a good queue: envision someone placing a credit card along your spine, high up on your back, and then try to squeeze that card in place using your shoulder blades. Doing so forces your shoulders to retract and pushes your chest forward, which serves to maximize muscle recruitment in the chest while protecting your shoulders.


RELATED: Top Tricks to Build Muscle

Best Chest Exercises

There&#039;s an endless variety of chest exercises and variants that you can opt to choose from, but some are more essential than others, offering a greater return on your investment. Below, we list the staple exercises as well as a few additional ones that can help shore up your weaknesses.

1. Bench Press
What else would be #1?
It might have a bad reputation thanks to ego-lifters putting too much weight on the bar or people focusing exclusively on this lift, but that doesn&#039;t change the fact that it&#039;s arguably the single best upper-body compound movement. It recruits major muscles like the pecs and the shoulders, while also taxing your triceps and lats, and because you can load the most weight onto the bar using the bench press, you&#039;ll find this one promotes chest growth better than any other exercise.
Tutorial Video:


2. Cable Fly
Fun fact about the chest: it doesn&#039;t just activate when you push a weight away from you, but when you bring your arms across your body. Therefore, to properly train your chest muscles, you need to work them through their full range of motion.
The cable fly is our choice, as opposed to its banded and dumbbell variants, because you can increase the tension easily and keep that tension consistent through the full range of the movement.
Tutorial Video:



3. Pushups and Pushup Variants
Pushups are about as old school an exercise as exists, and that kind of longevity isn&#039;t an accident. They mimic the bench press in their ability to recruit muscle groups, from your chest to your shoulders, triceps, and even core, but because you don&#039;t have the bench to stabilize your shoulder girdle, you&#039;ll be training this more as well, giving pushups the added benefit of improving shoulder health and mobility.
Once you master the basic pushup, you can start attempting variants to add difficulty: these include close-grip/diamond pushups, staggered pushups (where your hands are unevenly spaced), and weighted or elevated pushups. The possibilities are endless.
Tutorial Video:


4. Incline Dumbbell Press
Even seasoned lifters often struggle with developing their upper pecs, which is why pressing in only a single plane of motion is disadvantageous. You can opt for an incline barbell press, but using dumbbells here increases your range of motion, allowing you to bring them to a greater depth than with a barbell.
Lower the weight and increase the reps to promote muscle growth, and remember to keep your form strict and your ego in check, since heavy weights and bad form are particularly dangerous with this exercise.
Tutorial Video:


5. Floor Press
If you&#039;re looking to add serious weight to your bench press totals, you should consider incorporating this popular bench press variant. The setup and technique are identical to the barbell bench press, but instead of resting on a bench, your body will be on the floor. This position limits your range of motion (you won&#039;t be able to touch the bar to your chest) but enables you to overload the weight and work through the mid-point of the bench press, which is a major sticking area for many lifters.
Tutorial Video:



RELATED: Experts Reveal the Most Common Workout Mistakes

Chest Training Mistakes (and Fixes)

We asked Dr. Alamdari to describe the five most common errors lifters make when training their chests, and he came up with the following answers:

1. Using Too Much Weight
Using too much weight – also known as ego lifting – is perhaps the most common mistake beginner lifters make, and it&#039;s purely a consequence of them putting their egos before their intellects. Too much weight leads to bad form, which leads to injuries or impaired muscle development.
You don&#039;t need a huge amount of weight to induce growth, especially in the smaller, isolation movements, so set your ego aside and lift with the heaviest weights that you can control with strict form.

2. Neglecting Rest &amp; Recovery
Training is only half the battle, as far as muscle growth is concerned. The actual growth happens when you&#039;re rested and recovering. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you making sure to rest adequately between sets or between chest days?
There really is such a thing as overtraining, and if you&#039;re working hard in the gym but neglecting your rest and recovery, you&#039;re setting yourself up for the worst kind of failure.

3. Inconsistent Training Volume
If you&#039;re trying to build muscle, one of the most important variables is total training volume. If your weekly number of sets is all over the map, your body won&#039;t adequately adapt to your training regimen, and you won&#039;t see the growth you wanted. The solution is simple: track your workouts, including your reps, sets, and weight, and make sure that you&#039;re progressing across these dimensions, week after week.

4. Injuries, Aches, and Pains
Once you start training at a high volume, with heavy weights, you put yourself at risk of injury, or at the very least regular soreness. Pain is an infallible sign that something is wrong somewhere, and that you need to scale back your weight and focus on perfecting your form, but soreness is an expected consequence of training, and needs to be managed. Stretch, foam roll, get regular massages – do whatever you need to do to keep yourself in the gym.

5. Inadequate Diet
Too many lifters think the results of their efforts come only from training, when the reality is training is merely a stimulus, and the actual magic happens with proper nutrition. You need to be consuming enough calories not only to maintain your current weight but to build muscle, and your protein intake should be sufficient to help repair damaged muscle tissue and, eventually, build new muscle tissue entirely.
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 ]]>
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                <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:54:57 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Signs She's Not Interested in You]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/dating/heidi_100/132_dating_girl.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/dating/heidi_100/132_dating_girl.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Madeleine ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ If she says she&#039;s not ready for a relationship or mentions other guys, chances are she&#039;s just not that into you. ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/dating/heidi_100/132_dating_girl/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1-1766415895.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ It&#039;s never easy to hear, but sometimes facts are facts: the person you like doesn&#039;t like you back — or at least not in the way you might want. 
Romantic feelings, whether they’re a crush you developed last week or unrequited love you’ve been holding onto for years, are powerful. They’re some of the most powerful feelings we can experience — how else to explain all the art about love over the course of human history? 
These feelings can move us to great heights of joy and rapture, but they can also bring us lower than we’ve ever felt when they’re rejected (or we simply perceive them as being rejected.) 
RELATED: How to Tell If a Girl Likes You
In fact, that last part is a big part of the problem. Because people are often loathe to reject someone outright, and women are often socialized to soften the blows of things they tell men, there’s a good chance that, if you’re a guy who primarily dates women, much of the rejection you’ve faced in your life hasn’t been an explicit “No” so much as vague signals of disinterest or texts going unreplied to. 
Of course, that can feel frustrating — Are you imagining it? Maybe she’s just a really busy person! — when you’re pining for someone and hoping for clarity. Any tiny sign of interest or kindness can be magnified out of proportion into a rock-solid confirmation of that she&#039;s attracted to you, when maybe it’s just sheer politeness. 
But if you find yourself having an exhausting back and forth about whether your crush really does return your feelings, there’s a decent chance that they don’t. After all, when people want something, they tend to pursue it, don’t they? 
And yet there’s not necessarily a way to be 100% sure. So, if you have even the vaguest sense that the object of your affection is not reciprocating your same feelings, here are ten signs she&#039;s not into you — from flaking on plans to direct rejection in words — that will confirm it for sure:
She Constantly Flakes on Plans
Not every cancellation of plans means that your crush isn&#039;t into you. Everyone occasionally needs to bail on arrangements because of illness or an absent-minded double booking, and if your crush has asked to rain-check only once or twice, this probably doesn&#039;t spell doom for the relationship. However, if she is constantly flaking on you, especially last minute, this is a pretty strong sign that she&#039;s not into you anymore.
&quot;My go-to move when I&#039;ve agreed to a date I&#039;m not really into is to say that I&#039;ve come down with something last minute,&quot; Fiona, 27, told AskMen. &quot;It&#039;s easier than saying I&#039;ve changed my mind because you can&#039;t really argue with someone being sick. Basically, I&#039;d use the same excuse to get out of a date I didn&#039;t really want to show up to as I would to avoid going to work on a hungover Monday.&quot;
If you really think she might still like you and is genuinely sick or busy, then leave the planning of the next date up to her. If she never suggests another outing with you, that&#039;s a clear sign that she&#039;s not into you, and it&#039;s time to move on.
She Keeps Reinforcing That You&#039;re Just Friends
Another way a woman might signal that she&#039;s not interested in dating you is by reinforcing that the relationship is strictly platonic. If she&#039;s constantly stressing that it&#039;s so nice &quot;having you as a friend&quot; or explicitly introducing you as &quot;my friend, [your name],&quot; then she&#039;s trying to tell you something – namely, that you are not her boyfriend and never will be.
Although this can sting, be careful about how you respond to it. It&#039;s important that you don&#039;t throw a tantrum about being put in the &quot;friend zone&quot;: Friendship is, after all, a precious gift, and you should be grateful that she&#039;s offering you that much. Insisting that she owes you anything more than friendship is pure entitlement, and may land you with no relationship with her at all.
If you don&#039;t think you can handle just being friends with your crush, then you should make a clean break instead of lingering in the background, hoping she&#039;ll change her mind. This will only lead to resentment when she eventually moves on to another relationship, so either graciously accept the friendship, or move on entirely.
She Avoids Physical Contact
When two people are into each other, constant touching is second nature: Resting hands on each other&#039;s legs, grazing backs of arms or even playfully hitting each other. If your crush isn&#039;t doing any of these things, and if her body language is stiff and unapproachable, then she&#039;s probably showing you subliminally that she&#039;s not interested in you.
&quot;I had been on what I thought was a really great date,&quot; explained Val, 30. &quot;We were in the car at the end, and I told her I&#039;d been wanting to kiss her all night and kind of leaned in, expecting that the time was right and it was the perfect end to the date. She backed off and told me, flustered, that she just wanted to go home. I couldn&#039;t believe how badly I&#039;d read the situation, but that confirmed it for sure.&quot;
This is definitely an area where you don&#039;t want to force things – unwanted physical contact is creepy, invasive and potentially criminal – so leave the ball in her court on this one. If she wants to initiate physical contact she can, but if you&#039;ve been seeing each other a while and she&#039;s not just nervous or awkward, its absence is probably a sign that she&#039;s not into you.
Her Replies to Your Texts Are Blunt and Terse
When someone likes you, it shows up in how they communicate. Unfortunately, the same is true when they don&#039;t like you. If you&#039;ve received your 11th &quot;k&quot; or &quot;yup&quot; text in a row from her, chances are she&#039;s not reciprocating your feelings. If she was, the opposite would be true: she&#039;d be constantly updating you on mundane details about her day or idle gossip that barely involves you.
“If a woman replies to your text instantly, it is a potential sign of disinterest,” says Maria Sullivan, Dating.com’s VP and dating expert. “Of course this can vary, but I’ve found that women tend to think through their responses in detail and brainstorm options in order to achieve the reaction they’re hoping for. If she’s replying right away or double texting, it’s possible she sees you just as a friend.”
When you&#039;re crushing on someone, you tend to text them incessantly, so if there are tumbleweeds in your messages folder or she&#039;s replying with quick, bare-minimum responses, it&#039;s not a good sign.
&quot;I&#039;d say the #1 way I know a girl is losing interest is her falling out of normal communication patterns: being more terse with texts and calls, being slow or overly quick to respond, or just obviously breaking your established communication flow,&quot; Moses, 42, said. &quot;Also, being un-inquisitive about you and your life and just generally giving off a vibe of &#039;I&#039;m not interested in learning about you anymore&#039; is a giveaway.&quot;
Again, this is a good situation to leave things up to her. If the conversation dies off completely as a result, you know for sure you weren&#039;t her Prince Charming.
She Hasn&#039;t Introduced You to Anyone in Her World
If you and your crush have been &quot;dating&quot; (at least, in your eyes) for weeks or months, but she&#039;s weirdly evasive about letting you meet anyone in her world, she&#039;s probably not quite as committed to the relationship as you are. Introducing a partner to your friends and family is one of the most solid signs of commitment, and if she&#039;s being evasive in this area, it probably means she doesn&#039;t see you as part of her future.
&quot;I&#039;ve only ever introduced two boyfriends to my parents, so for me, it&#039;s a huge step,&quot; said Lily, 29. &quot;As soon as I knew I was serious about someone, though, it&#039;s something that would need to happen.&quot;
A reluctance to introduce you to friends and family is probably not a fatal sign very early in a relationship, but if you&#039;ve been going steady for a while and it&#039;s not even on the cards – or if she&#039;s reluctant to meet your friends and family — it&#039;s not a good sign. If your worlds aren&#039;t meshing at all, and she&#039;s the one preventing it, then it&#039;s probably time to look for a more committed partner elsewhere.
She Avoids You for Days and Responds to You Intermittently
If the communication between you is always patchy and intermittent, it could be because she&#039;s trying to fade you out, but wants to avoid looking heartless by ghosting you completely. If she gives a lukewarm response to every third message of yours, but you otherwise don&#039;t hear from her at all, this could be what&#039;s happening.
When asked about how she fades out guys she&#039;s not interested in, Anna, 27, said, &quot;I stop asking questions about them and their life, and just in general don&#039;t bother with trying to keep the conversation alive when I lose interest in somebody.&quot;
This is a difficult situation to deal with, because it&#039;s not as clear-cut as never hearing from her at all, and there&#039;s some plausible deniability she can appeal to here (&quot;What do you mean!? I do text you back!&quot;). Use your gut instincts and, again, leave things in her hands: stop texting her at all, and if she&#039;s interested, she can reestablish the flow of conversation. If she doesn&#039;t, you know the drill.
She Never Initiates Meetings Between You Two
If your crush is never the one to initiate plans between the two of you, this is a sign that she might not be as invested in the relationship as you are. Think about it: if she was really into you, you&#039;d be one of her go-to people whenever she wanted to visit a gallery or check out a new movie, like she is for you.
This one often goes in tandem with another sign on this list: constantly flaking on plans. &quot;I think a big indicator for me is if we&#039;re trying to set up another date and they&#039;re busy, but they also don&#039;t suggest another time,&quot; David, 29, said. If she&#039;s flaking on you, failing to initiate plans, or the dreaded combo of both, it should be pretty clear that things aren&#039;t going well.
Sullivan agrees, noting that a woman may even try to redirect the conversation in a way that is more comfortable for her if she is trying to avoid making plans for a date that she knows she does not want to attend. This might include her attempting to keep things platonic by saying something like &quot;I&#039;m happy as a single woman for right now.&quot; Or, she might agree to the &quot;date,&quot; but say that she needs to leave at a certain time in an attempt to avoid any end-of-the-night flirtatiousness or other romantic spontaneity.
You deserve better than a partner who is tepid and unenthusiastic about spending time with you, so cut things off if she&#039;s never initiating plans or avoiding them altogether. It will save her having an awkward conversation with you later about how she likes you, but just not like that.
She Gets Weird About or Won&#039;t Commit to Future Plans
Much like meeting friends and family, locking in future plans is a key sign of commitment. If she blanches and changes the subject when you suggest making New Year&#039;s Eve plans six months in advance, it could be a sign that she hasn&#039;t imagined staying with you that long.
&quot;I remember the death knell for my relationship with my ex was when he asked if I&#039;d come to his best friend&#039;s wedding in Thailand,&quot; explained Jess, 25. &quot;I tried to say it was about the money, but really I didn&#039;t want to embed myself into his life that early – we&#039;d been dating under a year at that point, and I didn&#039;t see it going much further. After he offered to pay for my flight, I had to come clean about the real reason.&quot;
Because there are genuine reasons your partner might be reluctant to make long-term plans, such as money worries or concerns about not being able to take time off work, you&#039;re going to have to use your instinct with this one. By asking the right questions and taking stock of how often it happens, you should be able to get a pretty good read on whether an aversion to future plans signals a deeper disinterest. If you see a pattern forming, the relationship is probably dead in the water.
She Tells You, Directly and in Words, That She&#039;s Not Interested
This one is about as straightforward as it gets: if she&#039;s told you, in words, that she&#039;s not interested in you, then you don&#039;t need to keep analyzing her behavior or look for signs that maybe she didn&#039;t mean what she said.
Plenty of women AskMen spoke to were happy to make themselves completely clear about not being interested in a guy. &quot;I tell him, &#039;There&#039;s no spark,&#039;&quot; explained Mary, 35. &quot;I usually get, &#039;Fair enough&#039;, or no response at all to that; i.e. they can&#039;t argue with it.&quot; Kerri, 31, uses an even more unambiguous approach: &quot;Usually after a date, if it is not obvious to him that there is no connection, I block him on my cell phone after telling him, &#039;Thanks, but no thanks.&#039;&quot;
Clear rejection like this is a horrible feeling, but there is a silver lining. You don&#039;t need to waste your time trying to mind-read now: she&#039;s let you know straightforwardly that she&#039;s not interested, so you can move on to someone whose feelings are reciprocal this time.
She Lets You Know Indirectly That She&#039;s Not Interested
Sometimes it&#039;s hard for women to be direct with men. Because women are socialized to always be sweet and compliant, saying a straightforward &quot;no&quot; can be difficult, and may even expose them to retaliatory violence.
“If she’s socially graceful, it&#039;s easy to mistake charming politeness as confirmation the feeling is mutual when it&#039;s not,” says Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals.
So, if she&#039;s saying anything along the lines of &quot;I&#039;m not really interested in seeing anyone right now&quot; or &quot;I&#039;m pretty busy with work, which doesn&#039;t leave much time for dating,&quot; she&#039;s telling you, as kindly and indirectly as possible, that she&#039;s not interested in pursuing things with you.
Don&#039;t push her on this or call her out for &quot;lying&quot; if she gets a boyfriend in three weeks or posts vacation pictures on Facebook: She was trying to let you down gently in a way that protected her own safety. Most people tell the odd white lie or two to spare other people&#039;s feelings, so take the hint and move on like a mature adult: You&#039;ll both be better off if you don&#039;t make a fuss or try to probe her on her true feelings.

How to Move On When She&#039;s Just Not Into You

There&#039;s nothing worse than really liking someone who doesn&#039;t feel the same way about you, and if one or more of the above signs are cropping up for you, you&#039;re probably feeling pretty dejected right now. However, if you’re still unsure about whether or not she has romantic feelings for you, Gaspard has one guaranteed way to clear things up.
“Have the nerve to ask directly if she’d like to go on a date,” she says. “The courage you exercise will establish your character. It&#039;s a singles ‘best practice’ that separates the men from the boys.”
Just be sure to honor her response, whatever it may be.
RELATED: What to Avoid Doing in an Argument With Your Partner
“As a therapist, I’m stunned by the number of singles who dismiss when their unrequited crush tells them directly about their lack of romantic interest,” says Gaspard. “Believe women when they say they’re not attracted to you romantically, even though this can sting like overpouring the piri piri sauce on your breakfast burrito.”
In the end, it&#039;s ultimately healthier to call off a relationship that&#039;s only limping along with one party&#039;s active involvement, so if you think that&#039;s what&#039;s happening in your situation, do the brave thing and move on. When you eventually meet someone who is as enthusiastic about you as you are them – and you will! – you&#039;ll be glad you didn&#039;t keep wasting your time.
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                <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:55:24 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Start Drinking Less Alcohol]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/how-to-start-drinking-less-alcohol.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/nutrition/how-to-start-drinking-less-alcohol.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Giving Dry January a Try? Here Are 11 Ways to Make It Easier to Pull Off ]]></description>
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                    <![CDATA[ The “sober curious” movement. Dry January. Mindful drinking apps. It’s clear that there is a growing interest in sober or sober-ish living. This trend can be explained by a few factors, from the impact of the pandemic on wellness habits to the fact there are more nuanced conversations happening about the topic of drinking. 
People are also more educated about the negative effects of alcohol thanks to social media and podcasts, notes certified health coach D&#039;Yonna Riley, who started her own sober living journey in 2022.
 
All of this is normalizing the idea of not drinking or drinking less — and inspiring more people to redefine their relationship with alcohol. “As it becomes more normal for people to not drink for all sorts of reasons, other people feel more comfortable exploring the idea of not drinking,” says psychotherapist Sarah Chotkowski. 
If you struggle with substance abuse, cutting down on drinking isn’t going to cut it — overcoming addiction requires professional support and abstinence. But if you’re looking to drink less because you want to feel healthier, having a game plan will help you stick to your new habits. 
RELATED: Best Non-Alcoholic Spirits &amp; Cocktails
Ready to start your journey? Chotkowski and Riley shared 11 simple tips to help you successfully cut down on drinking below.
 
Document How Drinking Affects You
Riley recommends tracking how you feel after drinking. Do you notice more brain fog and anxiety? Perhaps you get headaches or breakouts after a night out. Maybe you cringe when you think of some of your comments the night before. When you get honest with yourself about the impact that drinking has on you, you can make more informed decisions about alcohol’s place in your life. 
Get Clear on Your ‘Why’
“A meaningful ‘why’ will help you stay committed to your goal, especially during challenging moments. Some people cut back on alcohol for health, to improve relationships, or to increase their mental clarity, among other reasons,” adds Riley. 
Respectfully Ask Others About Sobriety
 
If you need inspiration, Chotkowski says that respectfully asking others about sobriety can be a powerful motivator: “It can be hard to imagine what sobriety could do for you if you’ve never tried it, and if you have largely positive memories associated with drinking.” 
Chances are, you know someone who is either sober by choice or necessity. Ask them about it. They’ll likely rave about benefits such as better sleep, weight loss, reduced anxiety, improved mood and relationships — and even better erections. 
RELATED: How to Tell If You Have a Drinking Problem
Swap Half of Your Drinks
 
Now onto more tactical tips. Swapping a non-alcoholic beverage for half of your drinks in a night can make a massive difference. “This way you can still have a drink in your hand and engage in the social activity of drinking with friends, but you’re slowing down the overall volume of alcohol you’re consuming,” according to Chotkowski. 
Delay Your First Drink
 
You can also delay your first drink to reduce your overall consumption. “Start with five minutes. When you have the urge to grab a drink, set a timer on your phone for five minutes and wait until the timer goes off before you grab the drink,” adds Chotkowski. Then, increase the time from five minutes to 20 minutes. You may be surprised to realize that your craving has passed and you don’t really want that drink after all. 
Have Fun with Mocktails
Mocktails are a great way to partake without consuming alcohol. “There&#039;s a social aspect of drinking that people often miss when first starting. Experimenting with mocktails can keep social gatherings enjoyable and make you feel included,” says Riley. Plus, sipping on an interesting mocktail can keep your hands busy and have you indulge in the ritual of drinking something cold and fizzy — minus the booze. 
Surround Yourself With Supportive People
The company you keep can also make a difference in your ability to cut down on drinking. “Spend time with friends and family who respect your choice to drink less (or not at all). If possible, find a friend willing to explore sobriety alongside you,” adds Riley. “Those who criticize or pressure you into old habits will make it more challenging to stay committed.” 
Download an App
Riley also recommends trying apps like Quit Drinking, which allow you to track how long you’ve been alcohol-free and how much money you’ve saved while celebrating your sobriety milestones. It’s a great way to stay accountable. 
Try New Activities
 
As Chotkowski puts it, if you’re in a bar, you’re probably going to want to drink. Now is the time to try a yoga class, get into hiking or learn how to play an instrument. “The more sober activities you schedule, the fewer opportunities to drink you’re going to have,” says Chotkowski. 
Get Booze Out of the House
 
Chotkowski also recommends getting rid of the alcohol in your house. It’s all about forming and reinforcing new habits. The sight of that bottle of wine or the beer in the fridge is only going to increase your likelihood of drinking. If you stock your fridge with sparkling water instead, you’ll get in the habit of grabbing one of those instead. 
Don’t Wait for a Major Milestone
 
Finally, don’t wait for a major milestone or moment to start your efforts to drink less. “If you’re sober-curious, you don’t have to wait for ‘Dry January,’ hitting rock bottom, your birthday, or any other major milestone to decide to stop drinking,” adds Chotkowski. “Any random Wednesday afternoon is a good day to change your life, and you can start over any time.”
The tips above should help you transform your relationship with alcohol. The idea is to implement small, achievable steps that help you cement more mindful drinking habits. Once you start reaping the benefits of drinking less (hello, increased energy levels), you may even consider stopping altogether. And if you find yourself struggling to cut back, it may be worth reaching out to a therapist or counselor for extra support. 
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The Benefits of Cognitive Behavioral TherapyHealthy Beer DrinkingIs Sex Addiction Real? ]]>
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                <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:56:24 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Are Biological Age Tests Accurate? Here’s What Doctors Say]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/health/biological-age-tests.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/health/biological-age-tests.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Rebecca ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ Should You Take a Biological Age Test? Here’s What You Need to Know First ]]></description>
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                    <![CDATA[ Anxiety about aging is so common that there’s a term for it now: FOGO, which stands for Fear Of Getting Old. 
In a Pfizer survey of over 2,088 American adults, 87% of participants reported having at least one fear about getting older. But there’s an important distinction to make between your chronological age and your biological age. 
Whether you’ve lived on this earth for 20, 30, or 40 years, your body might tell a very different story. That’s where biological age tests come in: they can assess your internal age at the cellular level to help you figure out what aspects of your health you need to work on in order to live a longer life.
Pfizer’s survey revealed that most people aren’t actually afraid of dying: the majority of participants’ fears related to a decline in physical ability or memory, or developing chronic illness. But fret not — because many of these issues are actually preventable. 
And that’s the beauty of these biological age tests. They allow you to take a more proactive, preventative approach to your health — nipping any potential issues in the bud before they bloom into a more serious condition or disease. 
“The anti-aging industry is much more than vanity medicine, it truly is trying to figure out the key to longevity and aging gracefully,” explains Dr. Brynna Connor, MD, healthcare ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com.
So, how does a biological age test work? Are these tests accurate? And should you take one? I talked to some medical experts — and even tried taking a test myself — to find out.
Here’s what to know.
RELATED: 10 Aging Myths We Should Stop Believing

How Biological Age Tests Work

Today, you can order a variety of different biological age tests online that will deliver right to your doorstep — but they don’t all work the same.
Some tests examine patterns in DNA methylation. As you age, chemical tags attach to the DNA code, and the patterns of these tags can offer some insight into your biological age.
Other tests look at the average length of telomeres, stretches of DNA that are found at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres tend to shorten as you get older, says Dr. Greg Hammer, a former professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, pediatric intensive care physician, pediatric anesthesiologist, mindfulness expert, and author of GAIN Without Pain: The Happiness Handbook for Health Care Professionals.
“Though telomere length gives a qualitative assessment of cellular aging, more specific and quantitative application may be a few years off,” he explains.
Finally, other biological age tests rely on blood samples.
“A blood test can provide insight into your biological age by measuring specific biomarkers that are indicative of cellular function and systemic health,” explains Dr. Farhan Malik, MD, owner and senior medical director for Prometheus. “By analyzing blood levels of things like albumin, creatinine, glucose, triglycerides, thyroid hormones, vitamin D, and inflammatory cytokines, the test can assess biological age compared to chronological age.”
For example, Dr. Malik notes that a 50-year-old with robust vitamin D levels, stable blood sugar, healthy kidney and liver function, and markers of low inflammation may have a biological age of 40. On the other hand, a 50-year-old with insulin resistance, shrinking kidney function, low vitamin D, and increased inflammatory cytokines may show an older biological age of 60. 
“These biomarkers paint a picture of true physiological age by integrating information from many body systems,” he tells AskMen. “The blood test provides an objective measure to quantify health status beyond the number of years you&#039;ve been alive.”

Are Biological Age Tests Accurate?

“I’m asked every day about biological age tests,” says Dr. Connor. 
She believes these tests can be very accurate — depending on the type and volume of data they take into account. 
“I&#039;ve used these tests with patients to identify potential areas for intervention and track improvements with lifestyle, diet, or supplement changes intended to slow or reverse biological aging,” says Dr. Malik. “However, the aging process is highly complex and individualized. At best, the currently available commercial tests can provide a rough estimate of certain limited aspects of biological age.”
Dr. Neil Paulvin advises using these tests as a guide rather than as gospel. 
“This is not an exact science,” he tells AskMen.
In other words, these tests can’t tell you exactly how long you’ll live — but they can definitely be helpful.
“As with any lab test, biological age results require careful interpretation alongside a holistic view of the individual,” adds Dr. Malik. “A qualified healthcare professional can contextualize the findings and recommend appropriate interventions or lifestyle modifications.”
According to Dr. Hammer, these tests are also becoming more accurate over time. 

What Are the Benefits of Knowing Your Biological Age?

“Biological age tests, which assess cellular markers of aging, can provide valuable insights into an individual&#039;s overall health status and longevity potential,” says Dr. Malik. “These tests are particularly relevant for individuals with a family history of age-related diseases or those concerned about accelerated aging due to lifestyle factors or environmental exposures.”
For example, you may want to take a biological age test if you know both of your grandparents had Alzheimer’s, or you’re worried about how your current sedentary lifestyle or smoking habit may be impacting your health.
According to Dr. Mert Erogul, MD, a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Maimonides Medical Center, biological age tests can also be useful for testing the value of a particular intervention. Say, for instance, you’re tyring a new diet, exercise routine, medication, or supplement. You could take the biological age test two to six months after you started it to see whether or not it’s benefitting your health.
Dr. Hammer advises first considering what you hope to gain from taking a biological age test. Are you only taking the test because you’re curious about how slow or fast you’re aging? And regardless of your intention, are you capable of handling any anxiety that arises if your biological age is older than you thought? 
Most importantly, are you willing to make changes to your diet, lifestyle, and other factors for the sake of reversing your biological age? These are some questions to ask yourself before investing in a biological age test.
RELATED: Four Ways Your Body Changes After 30

What It’s Like to Take a Biological Age Test

I have a family history of multiple diseases, and I’ve also been dealing with some unexplained health symptoms as of late — so I decided to take the Thorne Biological Age Test to gain some insight into the pace at which I’m aging, and which aspects of my health may be suffering. 
Studies have shown that our organs age at different rates, and what I liked about the Thorne test is that they offer “age scores” in a number of different categories, including metabolic age, liver age, lipid age, kidney age, and blood age.
Here’s what the test involves. First, I filled out my online health profile, answering questions about my lifestyle, diet, sleep and exercise habits, medical history, and health goals. I then made an appointment at my local Quest Diagnostics. Since a 12-hour fast is required before taking the test, I made an appointment in the morning. 
The blood draw itself was super quick and easy — I was in and out of the office in two to three minutes flat. In just four days, I received an email that my results were ready to review in the online portal.
Thorne uses machine learning to analyze biomarkers in your blood. In addition to providing my age scores in the report, the company also offers a detailed improvement plan with personalized diet, exercise, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations.
I’ll admit, I was pretty shocked to find that I’m biologically older by a few years. I work out five days a week, avoid processed foods, generally get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and eat a balanced diet with plenty of protein, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. But before I went into a tailspin of existential dread and anxiety, I met with Dr. Nathan Price, Chief Scientific Officer at Thorne, to get a more in-depth analysis of my results.
While talking with Dr. Price, I realized that there are a few factors at play here — fortunately, all of which are within my control. 
First, Dr. Price noted that one key reason I’m biologically older is that my Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) hormone levels are quite low for my age. DHEA plays a crucial role in hormone regulation, and according to Dr. Price, it’s one of the strongest predictors for biological age
“So, that’s a dominant element in determining your results,” he says.
When I mentioned that I struggle with managing chronic stress, Dr. Price explained that can have a strong influence on driving DHEA levels down. 
“You can also see the effects of stress in the biomarkers relating to your immune system,” he adds, while pointing out that my white blood cell count is a bit low.
In other words, it turns out that stress is, quite literally, aging me. 
The good news? There are things I can do about it. Dr. Price recommended that I start focusing on stress management practices, getting deep sleep, and seeking out adaptogen supplements, all of which may collectively help to boost my DHEA — thus reversing my biological age.
Something to keep in mind: there is a degree of variability here, which is why Dr. Price recommends repeat testing. In my report, higher urea nitrogen levels resulted a higher biological kidney age. However, Dr. Price pointed out that dehydration can affect these results — and I barely drank any water at all the morning of my blood draw. 
Additionally, Dr. Price says you’re more likely to have a higher urea nitrogen level if you have a particularly high protein diet, which is the case for me. That doesn’t mean eating higher amounts of protein is bad for you or your kidneys – but it is taxing on your kidneys to process protein, which explains the increased levels of urea nitrogen.

Can You Reverse Your Body&#039;s Biological Age?

If, like me, you’re dismayed to find that you’re biologically older — don’t stress. After all, biological age isn’t a fixed number. That’s the whole point of taking these tests — shedding light on potential areas for improvement and empowering you to do something about it.
“Don&#039;t be too alarmed by a higher biological age result,” says Dr. Malik. “These tests only provide a snapshot in time and may not reflect changes over an individual&#039;s lifespan. While these tests offer clues, a person&#039;s overall health and vitality depend on a complex interplay of genetics, lifestyle, and social determinants of health. Biological age is best considered as one data point, rather than a definitive verdict on health status or longevity. Maintaining healthy behaviors and managing risk factors within your control remain the most evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
According to Dr. Hammer, you may want to consider further testing if you’re concerned about your biological age. Ask your doctor about any specific areas of concern that were highlighted by your test results — such as hormone balance, liver health, or immune function. They may recommend additional tests to identify the root cause of the issue.
And don’t be surprised if, after making concerted efforts to support your health, you find that your biological age decreases in a relatively short spam of time, says Dr. Erogul. For instance, a 2024 study found that following a plant-based fasting-mimicking diet for five days per month can reduce your biological age by 2.5 years after just three months.
“The key is to focus on the long game — maintaining good sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress management over the decades,” adds Dr. Malik. “That will have the biggest impact on your health and longevity. Biological age is not destiny. I&#039;ve seen many people make small changes to improve their results over time through sustainable lifestyle habits.”
You Might Also Dig:
Science Confirms Some People Age Faster Than OthersHigh Levels of Exercise Linked To 9-Year Biological Age AdvantageAt-Home Wellness Kits That Bring the Doctor&#039;s Office to You ]]>
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                <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:56:01 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[Everything You Need to Know About Premature Ejaculation]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/sex/sex_tips/premature-ejaculation.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/sex/sex_tips/premature-ejaculation.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Danielle ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[  ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/1080x540/2018/04/25-103355-everything_you_need_to_know_about_premature_ejaculation.jpg" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
                <content:encoded>
                    <![CDATA[ You’re about to finally seal the deal with a new partner. Things are going beyond great — you two are totally feeling each other, and you can’t wait to get home to your place and finish what the two of you started at the bar. 
But as soon as things get going, you realize that it’s all happening too fast — and you can’t stop yourself from finishing early. 
“I swear, this usually never happens,” you say, an apologetic look on your face. Not the end to the evening you were hoping for, right?
RELATED: How to Cure Premature Ejaculation
It can feel embarrassing, but it’s far from uncommon. In fact, according to a 2016 study, premature ejaculation affects 20% to 30% of the U.S. population. 
In the short term, PE can mean a disappointing night. But the longer the problem persists, the more likely it is to have a negative impact on your sex life, potentially affecting your romantic relationship(s), impact your self-esteem and cause long-term stress.
However, PE is not a curse. It’s a problem to which there are numerous solutions. The key to getting a handle on premature ejaculation is to understand what it is, what causes it and what can be done in order to prevent it from happening. So, with that in mind, here’s a guide to everything you need to know about premature ejaculation.


Contents



	1 What Is Premature Ejaculation?
	2 Why Does P.E. Happen?
	3 What Does It Mean About Your Masculinity?
	4 Techniques to Prevent Premature Ejaculation
5 Products to Prevent P.E.
	6 Sex Positions to Prevent P.E.





1. What Is Premature Ejaculation?

Medically speaking, premature ejaculation is determined by two things — the lack of control you have over when you ejaculate, and whether or not you and your partner(s) are satisfied with the duration that the penetrative sex lasts for.
According to urologist Dr. Peter Stahl, there are different varieties of this condition. 
“Premature ejaculation comes in two variants: lifelong and acquired, which have slightly different definitions,” he explains. “Lifelong premature ejaculation is generally defined as ejaculation that almost always occurs within one minute, is difficult or impossible to delay, and is associated with distress or bother.”
Lifelong premature ejaculation, on the other hand, Dr. Stahl says, “is a true neurobiological predisposition to ejaculate early.”
As far as the amount of time that qualifies as ejaculation being premature, sexual psychophysiologist Dr. Nicole Prause says that there isn’t a medically accepted amount of time that dictates this disorder. 
“There is no standard number of intromissions (intravaginal strokes) or latency (time to ejaculation) that is recognized as [premature],” she explains. “This definition is usually left to the male reporting distress. Of course, this is very problematic. A series of laboratory studies actually found most men who believe they have [premature ejaculation] actually did not orgasm more quickly to vibratory stimulation than men who did not believe that they had a problem in laboratory studies.” 
In short, to a non-trivial degree, P.E. may be a question of perception rather than bodily or psychological issues. 
RELATED: Enhance Your Orgasm With These Simple Tips
There’s also no medical test for premature ejaculation currently available. But if both you and your partner(s) are unsatisfied with the amount of time that you’re lasting, this means that it’s a problem for all parties involved — so you’ll want to take the necessary steps to address it.

What Real Women Say: “I dated a guy once who wouldn’t sleep with me for several months,” says Casey, 26. “While I usually don’t rush into things sexually with new partners, I did think that the behavior was strange — to the point that I questioned where things were going, and whether or not he was actually interested in me. When we finally did sleep together it became extremely clear that the reason why he wasn’t rushing to do the deed was that he finished very quickly. We did it again a few more times and the same thing kept happening — although I did find that the more we drank beforehand the longer he lasted, though it still wasn’t ever anywhere beyond a few minutes long. In retrospect, I should have said something — I would’ve been willing to try things that would have maybe helped. But instead we started to see less and less of each other until things ended.”

2. Why Does P.E. Happen?

As Dr. Stahl explained, there are two different types of premature ejaculation.
One is caused by a neurobiological predisposition to ejaculate early. If you have this type of premature ejaculation, it’s likely something that you’ve experienced since you first became sexually active. But as for acquired premature ejaculation, there are plenty of factors that can cause this. 
“Acquired premature ejaculation, in contrast, can be caused by relationship anxiety, intensity of arousal, and other sexual dysfunction,” Dr. Stahl says. “Erectile dysfunction is actually commonly associated with acquired premature ejaculation, and treatment of the erection problem often cures the ejaculatory problem.”
Another factor that can cause premature ejaculation is when the body’s sympathetic response (our body’s “fight or flight&quot; reaction) is triggered during sex. 
“Sexual contact makes most everyone have some sympathetic arousal,” explains sex therapist Michael J. Salas. “However, for some, this can happen even more rapidly, with more intensity. With so much intensity, the body does what it needs to do to deactivate some of this arousal.”
“It can come from a variety of sources,” Salas explains. “Sometimes the person has some hangups about sex. Sometimes it’s simply the type of touch that was offered. And it can even be below the surface issues and insecurities that the person isn’t even aware of.”
RELATED: The Science Behind How Erections Work
Premature ejaculation can also happen due to complications with feeling the physical signals that you’re going to ejaculate. 
“Some men who have premature ejaculation have difficulties with the sensations that tell most men that they may reach a point of sexual ‘no return,’” Salas explains. “Meaning that they have to ejaculate if they cross this point.”
“Prevalence is slightly higher at younger age, but [premature ejaculation] tends to be pretty stable across age,” says Dr. Prause. “Most remarkably, men with [premature ejaculation] consistently report more problems with anxiety in general, including with their bedroom ‘performance.’ 
RELATED: Overcoming Performance Anxiety
“Hyperthyroidism and some medications can contribute,” she adds. “With respect to partner factors, men with [premature ejaculation] are more likely to feel less informed about female sexuality and have a more sexually experienced female partner.”
According to tantra instructor Helena Nista, personal masturbation habits also come into play with premature ejaculation. 
“Many men first learn to self-pleasure when they’re teenagers and they form a habit of touching themselves in a very quick, efficient way in order to avoid getting caught,” she says. “As they continue masturbating exactly the same way for many years, their nervous system becomes wired in a way that leads to a quick release, and they lose control over their arousal.”
The type of porn you watch — and the frequency at which you watch it — may also be contributing to the problem. 
“Porn is a great source of sexual stimulation and can lead to high levels of arousal,” says Nista. “When overstimulated, men become highly excited very quickly, leading them to a premature climax. When this process is repeated often, the body adopts it and performs the same way each time — whether the man wants to release quickly or not.”


What Real Men Say: “I used to literally go for hours,” says James, 32. “Since I got Type 1 late-onset childhood diabetes it’s been, well, quite the opposite. I’ve tried Fluoxetine/Prozac in high doses, but to no avail. Cialis didn’t address the issue either. It’s really put a damper on my sex life. Especially when I’m used to it being a good one. I might try some lidocaine gel but then it would be only for my girlfriend — probably nothing but exercise followed by a poor excuse for an orgasm for me. I also may try another prescription.”

3. What Does It Mean About Your Masculinity?

You know what it is and what causes it — but regardless of the facts, the social stigma that premature ejaculation somehow means you’re less of a man is still something that those who struggle with this problem have to deal with.
What Real Men Say: “Premature ejaculation is definitely a rough thing to deal with, and while it shouldn’t really feel this way, it does have an affect on how masculine you feel,” says Sam, 29. “It makes you feel really terrible, because you think that a man should be able to last long enough to give adequate pleasure to the person he’s having sex with. It’s borderline impossible to feel ultra-manly if you’ve just gotten off way too quickly.”
But clinically speaking, premature ejaculation doesn’t mean that you’re any less masculine. 
“Premature ejaculation says nothing about masculinity at all,” says Salas. “Although, many men are shamed for it, and ashamed of it. In working with this, it’s important to help people understand that sex is a broad array of connections that is more than just intercourse. While working on premature ejaculation, people can still enjoy their sexual experiences.”
RELATED: Penis Myths That Men Need to Stop Believing 
Nista says that the amount of pressure that both society and men put on themselves can be very problematic for those suffering from premature ejaculation. 
“I have worked with men who have come to me in a state of depression, self-conscious and unable to approach women out of fear or embarrassment,” says Nista. “That fear is very telling about how we perceive masculinity and the pressure we put on men to perform in bed. We expect men to be great lovers and to satisfy their partners, however, society gives them no tools or education to create mind-blowing, long-lasting sex in the bedroom. Some men give up on relationships, unable to deal with shame and embarrassment.”
Experiencing premature ejaculation delivers a blow to one’s self-esteem — and can have long term effects. 
“Men want to be known for their prowess,” says holistic practitioner Sheri Brown. “When a man feels he cannot perform or satisfy sexually they feel like a failure. This wreaks havoc with a man’s self confidence. Men start avoiding sex, feeling depressed and have anxiety when they think about sex. This can create a mental anxiety that lasts longer than the original cause of the symptoms.”

What Real Women Say: “When we first met, my now husband was dealing with premature ejaculation,” says Krista, 31. “We worked in the same office building, and after the first night we had sex he didn’t speak to me for days afterward. I finally cornered him in the parking lot (which he still jokes about) being like what the hell? We had a straight up conversation about it, and he admitted that he hadn’t seen a doctor about it. It turns out it was actually a simple fix — switching the medication that he was on.”

4. Techniques to Prevent Premature Ejaculation

If you’re experiencing premature ejaculation, your first move should be to pay a visit to your doctor in order to rule out any health issues that may be causing the problem. Once you’ve made sure there are no health-related complications, the next step would be to explore a few methods and techniques in order to prevent it.
The Squeeze
“The ‘squeeze’ involves learning to identify when you are beginning to approach orgasm, withdrawing and putting pressure at the base of the head of the penis with the thumb on top and fingers underneath,” explains Dr. Prause. “This is not really known to do anything physically directly — rather, it is a strategy for learning to decrease/manage increasing sexual sensations with this distraction.”
The Stop-Start
“The stop-start technique is the same idea without the squeeze,” says Dr. Prause. “We usually encourage men to start these long before their orgasm is imminent initially, just to get used to doing it and to experience some success in having it work. Then, they can wait later and later in the process to help identify when they need to inhibit their arousal to delay orgasm/ejaculation.”
RELATED: How to Not Cum So Fast 
“These treatments to increase men’s control are actually very effective,” she adds. “The stop-start and squeeze techniques both have excellent data for treatment and are safe enough to be tried without oversight by a clinician initially. As with most interventions, it requires collaboration with the partner — understanding, agreeing to systematically stopping intercourse when he feels close, etc., and consistent practice.”
Tantric Practices
As far as holistic techniques go, Nista recommends tantric practices. 
“Men who apply tantric practices develop mastery over their erections and arousal, stay deeply mindful of their bodies and enjoy pleasure beyond anything that they’ve experienced before,” she says. “At the most basic level, these practices involve a conscious use of relaxation, breath and presence.”
Taking time to consciously relax yourself is important in tantric practices, and can also help with premature ejaculation. 
“When we’re relaxed, our sexual energy and arousal can flow freely through the entire body instead of remaining stuck in the genital area,” Nista explains. “Men learn early to tense up the muscles in their bodies as they become aroused, and that tension is exactly what triggers the ejaculatory response.”
“When the arousal is stuck in the genitals, held there by muscle tension, it cannot move and soon the pressure becomes too much for the body to hold,” she adds. “As the erotic charge is released, we reach an orgasmic climax and lose all arousal and sexual energy.”
Breathing Techniques
Breathing techniques can also be beneficial. 
“Men often constrict or hold their breath as they become aroused, which is another way to keep the erotic energy localized in the pelvis,” says Nista. “This is why tantric men use deep, abdominal breathing to pull their sexual charge out of their genitals and up through their entire bodies. As the arousal is carried by the breath through the entire system, it’s much easier to last longer, as the body doesn’t struggle to keep a significant amount of pressure in one spot.”
Mindfulness
Being mindful and in the moment can also help get premature ejaculation under control. 
RELATED: Mindfulness During Sex Means More Orgasms 
“Most men ejaculate early because they’re not aware of how aroused they are,” says Nista. “With our minds constantly racing, it’s challenging to remain mindful and aware of the sensations in the body. But when a man is deeply conscious and connected to his body, he will properly read the signals that his body is sending him and he’ll develop not only a better degree of control in bed, but also a deeper sensitivity and an ability to feel much more pleasure.”

While these practices take time to master, Nista says putting in the work will be well worth it. 
“Working with relaxation, breath and presence in a consistent way during masturbation and partner sex will rewire the nervous system and teach the body to remain in the state of arousal for much longer,” she says. “This will create a beautiful, effortless experience of lovemaking, full of not only control and pleasure but also connection and deep intimacy. Tantra provides a wonderful alternative to quick, frustrating sexual encounters.”

5. Products That Help Prevent P.E.

As with any sexual issue people experience, a number of products have cropped up to help guys deal with premature ejaculation, including numbing gels, creams and sprays, as well as some slightly outside-the-box options. 
RELATED: Best Products to Help Delay Your Orgasm
While topical products do come with pros and cons, Dr. Stahl says they can be an effective method to use in preventing premature ejaculation. 
“Topical therapies are effective,” he says. “These products are anesthetic sprays or creams that are applied to the penis to reduce penile sensation. This is an effective therapy that is easy and safe.”
The potential downside, he notes, is that some of the topical solution may transfer from your penis to your partner’s orifice(s), which could result in numbness for them. 
With that in mind, these options may be worth a look:
Promescent Delay Spray

Promescent’s Delay Spray has won an AskMen Dating Award for being a top product for dealing with P.E. for a reason, because it’s engineered to absorb quickly into your penis, meaning it’s less likely to rub off on the other person. $22.95 at Promescent.com
Roman Swipes

Not crazy about carrying a bottle around on dates? Take your P.E. control to go with a packet of Roman Swipes, which are lidocaine wipes that are discreet and easy to carry thanks to their condom package-like size and shape.From $22.00 at Ro.co
Svakom Tyler


What Real Men Say: “I’ve had some success with using cock rings to help me last longer,” says Dave, 24. “Oddly enough, the vibrating one that my girlfriend really likes to use has been the one that’s been most effective. You’d think the opposite, with the extra stimulation — but the buzzing is actually distracting in a good way, and has kept me from blowing it too soon a few times so far.”
$110.00 at Svakom.com

6. Sex Positions to Help Prevent P.E.

Choosing the right sex position strategically can also help with premature ejaculation, as positions can impact the physical and psychological sensations we&#039;re experiencing during intercourse. That could mean the difference between a position that speeds up your climax and one that delays it. So which ones would work in your favor if you&#039;re trying to address your P.E.?
Yab Yum

According to Brown, the Yab Yum position practiced in Tantra is one that’s well suited for this. 
“Yab Yum is where the male is sitting [criss-crossed], with the female partner facing the male sitting on top of him. Her legs are wrapped around his waist, giving both partners control of sensations.” 
Because of the seated aspect, it can be tricky to achieve a steady thrusting stroke, which can slow down climax. 
Reverse Cowgirl

According to sex and relationship expert Dr. Kat Van Kirk, receiver-on-top positions are also ideal for men that are dealing with premature ejaculation. Because the receiver is in control, it takes the pressure of leading the effort off the giving partner. 
One position that works particularly well is reverse cowgirl. Though it’s popular in porn for giving the camera a great view, the penetrating partner can’t see much, and the lack of erotic visuals may help delay the process. In reverse cowgirl, the giving partner lies flat on his back, the receiver is on top and facing away from him.
Bathtub Sex

“Water-submerged positions where sensation is altered [also work],” says Dr. Van Kirk. 
If you and your partner haven’t tried having sex in a bathtub yet, it might be time to give it a try to see if this method works for you. 
As far as submerged water sex positions go, the simplest to execute is the “bathtub boogie.” To do this, the man sits in the tub with his legs stretched out (or bent if height is an issue). Facing away from him, the receiving partner straddles his lap. To keep the receiver from slipping too much, the giving partner can hold onto their butt or thighs during the act.
Spoon Position

Another position that helps prevent premature ejaculation is the side-by-side, or spoon position. 
“This position doesn’t allow for full penetration and can slow response down,” Dr. Van Kirk explains. 
To do this, both partners lay on their side next to each other, and the giving partner enters the receiver from behind — kind of like spooning, but you’re also having sex. Here, as with reverse cowgirl, the visuals aren’t spectacular, which may also aid some people in slowing down their climaxes. 
All illustrations by Carlee Ranger.
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Here’s What It’s Like to Prematurely EjaculateCan This Handy Wipe Fix Your P.E. Issues?How Kegel Exercises Can Fix Premature Orgasms

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                <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:54:29 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[How to Use Tinder for Hooking Up (and More)]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith/dating-with-tinder.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith/dating-with-tinder.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Madeleine ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith/dating-with-tinder/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1758043004.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Founded over a decade ago now, Tinder has gone from a revolutionary new dating app to a cultural phenomenon that’s changed the way people date, to a behemoth app that’s fighting off competitors as it strives to stay atop the online dating pyramid. 
In that span, it’s hard to argue that Tinder has become the go-to app for people looking to date, hook up, find a long-term relationship, or simply see what kind of interesting singles might be in their area, despite lacking many features of the dating sites it left in its dust. 
That’s because its so-called “killer app” — the core functionality it had that others didn’t — allowed it to develop a strong reputation and user base that have not yet been eroded away by other apps. Which is to say, now, as ever, the ability to find people near you and discover if there’s mutual interest is an unbeatable tool when it comes to online dating. 
RELATED: How to Tell If She&#039;s Genuinely Interested in You or Just Being Polite
Yes, Tinder is an always-available, pocket-sized method for finding the person of your dreams — or, at the very least, a regret-free hookup — but the app can be frustrating when you don’t completely understand its functionality. To ensure you get the most out of your experience, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to dating with Tinder.
Here’s everything you need to know, from how to use Tinder to how to get matches, and how to move from the app to the real world:


Contents



	Does Tinder Work for Guys?
	Crafting Your Tinder Profile
	How to Use Tinder
	Frequently Asked Tinder Questions
	Sending the Right First Tinder Message
	Tips for Landing a Tinder Date
	Best Alternatives to Tinder
	More Tinder Info




Does Tinder Work for Guys?

The first question on the minds of plenty of guys is, &quot;Does this thing even work!?&quot; The answer is clear: Yes, it does, but that depends on a few key components entirely under your control. That includes your profile, swiping strategy and messaging technique, as well as first clarifying what you even mean by &quot;work.&quot; Let&#039;s take a closer look at how people use Tinder for different outcomes before moving on to some tips for getting matches:
Is Tinder for Dating or Hooking Up?
There is some confusion about what Tinder is even for. Is it for serious dating, or just for casual hook ups? The short answer is both: You can use Tinder for a variety of reasons, varying from making friends to something casual to dating with the intention of finding your forever person. While Tinder started life as a hookup app, it&#039;s no longer appropriate to assume that everyone who is using it is looking for sex — some really are just looking to extend their social network.
How Do You Know Why Someone Is on Tinder?
If Tinder is used for so many different purposes, how can you tell whether the person in your match list are looking for friendship, hook ups or serious dating? Well, there are a few key signs and phrases. For example, if you see the phrase &quot;no ONS&quot; on Tinder, that stands for &quot;no one-night stands,&quot; and means that person is unlikely to be interested in casual sex. The same goes for phrases like &quot;no hook ups,&quot; &quot;seeking something serious or long-term&quot; and &quot;no players&quot; — anything along these lines will indicate something more serious. Equally, someone hinting at casual sex or a one-night stand will probably use wording like &quot;no strings&quot; or &quot;casual fun only,&quot; or less explicitly, with phrases like &quot;only here for a good time.&quot;
What Are You Looking For?
You can use Tinder for any of the above reasons, but it pays to be clear with yourself and everyone else; if you know exactly what you&#039;re looking for, you&#039;ll have a better chance of finding it. If you&#039;re not looking for anything more than hooking up, you should make that clear, ideally in your bio (&quot;not looking for anything serious,&quot; &quot;seeking hook ups&quot;) or at least once you start chatting to your matches (more on that below). If you&#039;re looking to date seriously, that should also be immediately evident to anyone interacting with you.

Once you&#039;re clear about what you want and you&#039;ve made sure everyone else is, you&#039;re going to need to craft the perfect profile to maximize your chance of getting matches:

Crafting Your Tinder Profile

If you’re one of the few remaining singles on Earth still unexperienced with Tinder, the first step is to create the best possible profile with the best possible pictures. Yes, Tinder is largely a looks-based endeavor (most dating apps are) and can sometimes feel superficial for that reason, but remember: It&#039;s not really any different to meeting someone at a party or bar. You tend to approach the people you find physically attractive in real life, and then talk to them to see if there&#039;s a deeper connection, right? It&#039;s the same story with Tinder. Make sure that you’re creating an excellent first impression by following these Tinder photo tips:

Lead Photo
It&#039;s important to use a flattering (but not misleading) picture of yourself in your profile, and starting with a clear, well-composed, smiling image is your best bet. Make sure that your leading pic is a solo shot without other people in it — you don&#039;t want potential matches to fall in love with your best friend. 
RELATED: How a Bad Tinder Profile Photo Can Ruin Your Dating Chances
Helpfully, Tinder has a &quot;smart photo&quot; function which continually tests the success rate of the photos you’ve uploaded to your profile, and automatically shows your best-performing photo to other users first. It’s well worth enabling this function as it doesn’t cost anything extra, and Tinder claims that it boosts right swipes by 12 percent. Like it or not, choosing the right Tinder pictures is the key to your online dating success.
Photo Diversity
Ideally, you want to take advantage of all the photo slots Tinder offers you to provide as much information as possible to potential matches. Consider that your pictures give away crucial information not just about what you look like, but also how you like to spend your time, matches are going to form a certain impression of you depending on whether you&#039;re squatting in the gym, splayed out on a beach with friends or chugging back beer at the game. 
Don’t partake in kittenfishing — the lite version of catfishing — by uploading misleadingly flattering photos, and make sure your images are recent enough to show what you look like now. Remember, there’s no point in being dishonest. It’s all going to come out in the wash when you meet a match IRL, so be upfront from the start. If you&#039;re really having trouble selecting photos, you could consider linking your profile to your Instagram account.
Bio

Your bio is optional, but we highly recommended including one. You’re allowed up to 500 words to showcase your dazzling personality here, but we’d suggest you err on the side of relative brevity as online daters don&#039;t want to read a novel while they’re swiping. Make your bio about you, and keep it short, simple and friendly — it&#039;s a bonus if it&#039;s funny, but you don&#039;t want to come across as trying too hard, either.

How to Use Tinder

Depending on how much money you&#039;re willing to spend, Tinder has several useful options to maximize your chance of getting matches. The Boost function can help for accumulating matches as it pushes you to the front of the match line for people in your area for half an hour. After the Boost session is over, you will see stats on how much more exposure your profile got (4x, 8x, etc), to ensure you got your money&#039;s worth. Of course, you have to pay for the privilege, and free users cannot dictate where in the queue their profiles appear.

One potential pitfall of Tinder is that swiping becomes so reflexive that it is easy to accidentally swipe left on someone because you’re going too fast. In those cases, Tinder’s Rewind function is invaluable — hand over a few bucks, and you can recover the person of your dreams that you accidentally swiped left on (free users will simply need to slow down and pay attention to what they’re doing).
If you’re willing to pay for Tinder’s subscription services, Tinder Plus or Tinder Gold, you can unlock the Passport function, which allows you to swipe in different cities and countries. So, for example, you could be in London but visiting New York in a week’s time, and Passport will let you start swiping on New York-based profiles from across the pond.
However, even if you’re not willing to pay to use Tinder, there are some swiping strategies that are available to you. One is to use the Super Like function, which tells a user you really like them, bringing you to the front of their queue (free users get one Super Like per day). Another is to bear in mind that those who&#039;ve already swiped right on you are likely to show up near the beginning of your queue, so it’s worth paying careful attention to profiles that appear early in your swiping session. That being said, constantly right-swiping to game the system is a bad idea as it just means you&#039;ll match with those you may not be interested in. Swipe right only on people you genuinely hope to match with, so that when you see that coveted, &quot;Congratulations! It&#039;s a match!&quot; alert, it actually means something.
Tinder Plus
Tinder has now introduced a &quot;Tinder Plus&quot; option: A paid version of the app which gives you various benefits — at a cost, of course. 
So, what are the advantages to Tinder Plus that make it worth all that extra money? Here are some of the touted benefits:
Match Around the World
One coveted benefit of Tinder Plus is the ability to match with users around the world, as opposed to just in your area. So, if you live in California but have an upcoming holiday in Paris, for example, you can start swiping in Paris and accumulating matches before you even arrive. Tinder is truly a global dating service.
Rewind Left Swipes
Another prized feature of Tinder Plus is the ability to rewind your last swipe. This means that if you accidentally swipe left on a user and instantly regret it (because you&#039;re swiping too fast, perhaps), you can &quot;rewind&quot; the swipe, bringing that user back into view so that you can correct your mistake and swipe right instead.

Super Likes
Tinder Plus also allows you to send more Super Likes. Hit the blue star instead of the green check mark and you will show up near the beginning of this specific Tinder user&#039;s queue with a notification that you used your Super Like. The Super Like helps you show a potential match that you are definitely interested, and it will guarantee that you are made visible without a guarantee that they&#039;ll swipe right on you (sorry, but no Tinder feature can force a right swipe or guarantee a match!)
Tinder Plus users get five Super Likes per day compared to the sole daily Super Like allotted to regular users.
Boosts
Tinder Plus users get one free &quot;boost&quot; a week, which means that Tinder will make you the top profile in your area for 30 minutes. Ordinary Tinder users can also pay for individual boosts via the app at a rate that changes depending on how many boosts you buy. This is a way to potentially get more matches by making you much more visible to other users, but again, it&#039;s no guarantee, so spend wisely.
Turning Off Ads
Tinder Plus users won&#039;t see ads. This is perhaps the least tempting of Tinder Plus&#039; range of benefits as ads are a relatively minor annoyance for regular users, but it still doesn&#039;t hurt.
Swipe Life

To assist users in their dating lives, Tinder has launched a lifestyle website, Swipe Life, a resource where singles can visit for advice when navigating dating in the digital space. The website offers date ideas, dating stories, the best restaurants and bars for dates in different cities and a whole bunch of fun and playful content catering to the general Tinder users.

Frequently Asked Tinder Questions

So is everything crystal clear? We won&#039;t blame you if all of the above sounds pretty confusing, as Tinder is becoming ever more complicated and laden with new features. While you should be able to understand the basic mechanics of using the app now, there are still some common questions on people&#039;s minds when it comes to using Tinder:
If You Swipe Left, Are They Gone Forever?
One question on the minds of many men is the permanence of the left swipe. If I&#039;m not interested in someone and swipe left, does this mean I can&#039;t change my mind at a later point?
The short answer is yes: Once you swipe left on someone, they are gone and will not return to your queue. However, there are two caveats. The first is that Tinder Plus users can rewind swipes, as mentioned above, so if you think you accidentally swiped left on your soulmate, you&#039;re going to need to shell out some cash for the ability to rewind.
RELATED: Check Out AskMen&#039;s Official Tinder Review
The second is that Tinder is still a bit buggy, and from time to time users have reported seeing left-swiped users popping back up into their queue. It&#039;s also possible to delete your account and start again with a fresh account, meaning that you will have a chance of seeing someone you swiped left on once again. However, these are not rock solid options, and there&#039;s no guaranteed way to revisit a left-swiped user — unless you have Tinder Plus, that is.
If You Swipe Left, Can They See You?
A Tinder user will not be notified or otherwise alerted if you swipe left on them, meaning that you don&#039;t need to feel too worried about hurting someone&#039;s feelings. Obviously, if someone swipes right on you and you aren&#039;t a match, they&#039;ll know that you haven&#039;t swiped right, but this could be for a variety of reasons: Either you haven&#039;t seen their profile yet, or you are not a frequent user of the app, or you have indeed swiped left for a variety of potential reasons. 
How Do You Know If Someone Swiped Right on You?
The only way that you can tell for sure if someone has swiped right on you is to swipe right on them, too. However, we&#039;ll let you in on a secret: People who&#039;ve already swiped right on you are likely to show up near the beginning of your queue, so it could be worth paying careful attention to them as you are likelier to be a match.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Match?
There is no set answer for how long it takes to get matches on Tinder. In fact, there&#039;s no rock solid guarantee you will get matches at all. However, if you have a strong profile and sound swiping strategy, you could theoretically be getting matches as soon as you start swiping, though for most people, it will take from a few hours to a few days to start seeing results.
How Long Do Matches Stay?
Tinder matches and any associated messages will remain until either you or your match deletes their Tinder account. Tinder users also have the option of &quot;unmatching&quot; users, which means that even if you become a match, either one of you can change your mind and unmatch the other. Otherwise, Tinder matches hang around until you decide to finally strike up a conversation, unlike other apps such as Bumble which instill a time limitation.
Why Don&#039;t You Have Matches Yet?
If you have been using Tinder for a while and still don&#039;t have any matches, you&#039;ll need to reevaluate your profile. Check out the profile section above, and perhaps even consult a friend or two who could help make your profile more attractive and appealing.
Can You Find People You Know on Tinder?
It&#039;s perfectly possible to see someone you know appearing on your queue on Tinder. If one of your friends or coworkers lives in your area and happens to be on Tinder with the same age and gender parameters as you, they may well appear in your queue, and vice versa. That&#039;s just how social media works, folks!
Some people find the prospect of being seen on Tinder slightly embarrassing, but there&#039;s really no reason to. It&#039;s a hugely popular dating app and people use it for a variety of different reasons, plus your friend or coworker is also a user! If you see someone you know, you could swipe right and have a laugh about it if you match, or else just swipe left and forget about it.
Should I Swipe Right on Everyone to Get More Matches?

Constantly right-swiping to game the system is a bad idea. Swiping right indiscriminately just means you&#039;ll match with people you may not be interested in, which is annoying for them and you, wasting their time and clogging up your messages. Swipe right only on those you genuinely hope to match with so that when you see that coveted, &quot;Congratulations! It&#039;s a match!&quot; alert, it actually means something. Not only that, but new iterations of the app penalize indiscriminate swipers, so you&#039;re better off being choosy.

Sending the Right First Tinder Message

Success! You&#039;ve matched with that hottie with cute photos and a witty bio, and now you&#039;re in the enviable position of being able to talk to them directly. Don&#039;t rest on your laurels just because you know they&#039;ve swiped right on you, though, as you can make or break the match depending on your approach. A lazy or creepy opener might even mean that they unmatch you, blocking you from any further contact.
RELATED: How to Talk to Girls on Tinder, Explained
Your opening line is crucial. Your matches are likely to have dozens of other potential prospects in their Tinder messages section, most of whom will be approaching with a tired, “Hey,” or, “How are you?” There’s no need to overcook it by opening the conversation with a sonnet, but it will work in your favor if you approach in a friendly, novel and interested way. Try asking an unusual question, like “If you won a million dollars today, what’s the first thing you’d do?” or compliment a particular detail in one of their photos (“That’s a really cute French bulldog! Is it yours?”)
A disappointing number of male Tinder users think it&#039;s appropriate to start a conversation with lewd innuendo and overtly sexual &quot;compliments&quot; right off the bat.
Guys, please: Don&#039;t start a conversation like this. Not every person is on Tinder looking for casual sex, but even those who are keen on a no-strings hookup are unlikely to be swept off their feet by a rude and juvenile approach. Make your approach flirty and friendly, and definitely avoid the negging strategy advocated by so-called pickup artists: Backhanded compliments are not going to endear you to anyone at the best of times, but they might be even worse on Tinder or other dating apps, where you can easily be unmatched with a couple of finger taps. Be positive, complimentary and charismatic instead.
Another thing to bear in mind when talking to your Tinder matches is that defensive, passive aggressive opening lines are fairly common, but rarely ever work: &quot;Quite a lot of selfies you&#039;ve got there,&quot; for example, or &quot;I guess I&#039;ll get the ball rolling because women never start talking first.&quot;

Don&#039;t dump your frustrations onto your poor, unsuspecting Tinder match! Instead, spend a minute or two crafting something friendly and subtly flirty (or check out these Tinder conversation starters for ideas), and finish with a question to keep the banter flowing. Being kind and showing enough genuine interest to keep the conversation rolling is a winning strategy and should help to convert your matches into IRL dates.

How to Land a Tinder Date

Hopefully your opening line (or theirs!) has progressed into a natural, lively conversation, and you&#039;re now both interested enough in each other to go on a first date. It can be a useful first step to exchange phone numbers so that you can text or chat over the phone, because Tinder’s messaging system can make for slow-moving and disjointed conversation. Apart from that, Tinder dates work like any other: Think of something pleasant to do, and show up on the agreed time and date, looking sharp and ready to have a great time.
When to Ask Them Out
There&#039;s wiggle room here, and every user will have a different idea of the ideal time to progress from Tinder conversation to an IRL date. However, it&#039;s not out-of-place to ask for a date within a day or two of chatting, or even an hour or two if things are going brilliantly. If you&#039;re really hitting it off and you&#039;ve had a great conversation, it&#039;s fine to say something like, &quot;You seem really cool! Would you like to grab a drink sometime?&quot;
Don&#039;t be too perturbed or offended if they say no — some are cagey about people from Tinder and may wish to wait a while before bringing it into the IRL realm, while others will relish the opportunity to meet in person. You really just have to try your luck by asking.
Where Should We Meet?
You are much more likely to convince someone to meet with you IRL if you suggest meeting at a cafe or bar rather than at your house or hotel room. Even those who are interested in using Tinder for casual sex are unlikely to want to come straight to your bedroom for a variety of reasons including their own safety. Remember, you two are essentially still strangers even if you&#039;ve had a lively conversation on Tinder, so take things slowly and be sensible. In short, meet in public.
How Many People Actually Meet Through Tinder?
For fairly obvious reasons, it&#039;s impossible to know with any certainty how many people are actually meeting up with their Tinder matches. But rest assured that it&#039;s happening — ask any of your friends or coworkers who use the app and they can regale you with stories about their Tinder dates, both good and bad, and Tinder&#039;s Twitter account even claims that the app is leading to a &quot;sh*t ton&quot; of marriages (although hard data is thin on the ground here).
So that&#039;s how Tinder works: From swiping to crafting your profile all the way through to sending the perfect opener and setting up a great date, we&#039;ve got you covered. Tinder can be as effective in finding a new relationship as more traditional dating sites like Zoosk. Stick to the advice above and you can&#039;t go too far wrong.
Read the full AskMen review of Tinder here

It’s true that Tinder can be frustrating and that some users are time-wasters, but it can also be an incredible way to meet people who you would otherwise never have encountered. Once you have a handle on how the technology works, simple, timeworn techniques are still what it takes to make approaching dates rewarding rather than scary. Be warm, interested and gracious in the face of rejection, and it&#039;s hard to imagine things going too badly for you. Now, get swiping!

Best Alternatives to Tinder

Of course, Tinder isn&#039;t the only option out there, and in fact the user experience can be pretty exhausting. Tinder is hugely popular and has its perks — an intuitive interface, millions of users and the fact that most features are free, for a start — but there are real downsides, too, and the fast pace, unresponsiveness, superficiality and difficulty of transitioning into IRL might start to get you wondering what else is out there in terms of dating tools.
Well, there are plenty of other options if you know where to look. Check out the following alternatives:
Match

Match.com has all of the usual features of a reliable dating site, but one advantage that stands out in particular: you get a generous six-month money back guarantee. So, you can really experiment with how things are going for you and how much luck you&#039;re having on the site before you have to truly commit — financially, that is.
While approval on the site is not instant and the month-to-month costs are higher than average once you are approved, you&#039;re in for a strong user experience once you&#039;re in the ranks: a continually improved algorithm guides your matches and incorporates user feedback and behavior, and new features are being added all the time.
Click here to check out Match.com
Hinge

Billing itself as an app that wants you to delete it, Hinge has developed a strong reputation in recent years as a mobile-first dating destination. It boasts a top-of-the-line user interface and design, a sizeable user base and, if you&#039;re in your 20s or 30s and looking for love, should be considered a must (at least for testing it out.) 
Free users only get a handful of likes a day, but its algorithm does do a better job of showing you people you&#039;re likely to get along with than Tinder does, and the paid upgrade easily compete&#039;s with Tinder&#039;s as one of the best around.
Click here to check out Hinge
Zoosk

Zoosk was voted the #1 dating site in AskMen&#039;s awards for a reason: it has a large member base and user-friendly mobile app, a layout that&#039;s easy on the eye and simple to navigate, and multiple options for promoting your profile and increasing your chances of getting matches.
You are going to need to do things the old fashioned way and browse profiles one-by-one, but, hey, that might actually be a good thing after the indiscriminate swiping that goes on on Tinder. Zoosk is well worth a try.
Click here to check out Zoosk.com
Bumble

If you&#039;ve heard of Tinder, there&#039;s a decent chance you&#039;ve heard of Bumble too, which has long been billed as the &quot;feminist Tinder,&quot; since its founding premise was that women had to message first once two users matched in order to kick off the convo. 
Recognition of queer daters has led to a softening of this stance, but straight guys still have to wait for women to send the first message. Regardless, it remains a solid alternative to Tinder, with a vast user base, uncomplicated UI and generally slightly classier feel than its red-logoed competitor.
Click here to check out Bumble
EliteSingles

Targeting a sophisticated, slightly older market, Elite Singles is the go-to site for serious and professional singles looking for a genuine connection.
The site uses a questionnaire that analyzes 29 character traits and matches you accordingly — there&#039;s a commendable focus on personality rather than looks alone here — and while the signup process is admittedly lengthy, you&#039;ll be browsing comprehensive profiles of women who are serious about dating once you&#039;re in — no time-wasters or ghosters here!
Click here to check out EliteSingles.com
Grindr

The app that started the location-based hookup-centered online dating craze wasn&#039;t Tinder, it was Grindr — an app for helping gay guys find fellow gay guys looking for fun. 
If you&#039;ve mostly experienced sex and dating with women but have been feeling curious about what it&#039;d be like to play with another guy, maybe it&#039;s time to try Grindr out. There&#039;s a reason it&#039;s still the No. 1 gay destination after all these years.
Click here to check out Grindr
AdultFriendFinder

On the sexier side, AdultFriendFinder is the go-to avenue if you&#039;re looking to explore your fetishes, or if you&#039;d like to facilitate various sexual arrangements online. It&#039;s a reputable site with a large, loyal, open-minded membership — we&#039;re not talking some sleazy internet corner here — and you can express your sexual self through profiles, blogs, webcams and more.
No one&#039;s 100% sure on the male-to-female ratio (the data isn&#039;t publicly available), but it&#039;s worth checking out if you&#039;re wanting to explore your more primal side in a safe environment.
Check out AdultFriendFinder
Feeld

Originally created as 3nder, a threesome-focused version of Tinder, Feeld has blossomed into perhaps the premier destination for non-monogamous dating online. 
It&#039;s still a great place to find people looking for a three-way, but now it&#039;s also a hot spot for finding queer and kinky people looking for any and all kinds of experiences outside of heteronormative monogamy, from vanilla swingers to people seeking their BDSM soulmate, and everything in between.
Check out Feeld


More Tinder Info

Not quite satisfied? No worries! We’ve got more Tinder content for you. 
Tinder’s LGBTQ Efforts
The most recent additions to Tinder are designed protect and better include the LGBTQ community (who account for an estimated 24 percent of the U.S. population) in an effort to facilitate the company’s belief that “everyone should be able to love who they want to love.” 
ILGA’s executive director, André du Plessis, praised Tinder’s effort, saying, “We work hard to change practices, laws and attitudes that put LGBTQ people at risk — including the use of dating apps to target our community — but in the meantime, the safety of our communities also depends on supporting their digital safety.” The following are Tinder’s efforts to support and protect the LGBT community.
Orientation
Tinder partnered with GLAAD to allow users to select and display their sexual orientation on their profiles. To make the designation, simply edit your profile, tap “Orientation” and select the identity that best suits you. By visiting your Discovery Preferences, you can view people of your same orientation first.
Traveler Alert
As an added precautionary measure, Tinder worked with ILGA World to introduce what they’ve dubbed a Traveler Alert that will appear when Tinder is opened in one of the 69 countries where same-sex relationships are illegal. (FYI: In nine countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, prosecutors can seek the death penalty against same-sex acts and relationships.) This feature protects users from unknowingly placing themselves in a potentially dangerous circumstance. With Traveler Alert, queer people will not appear on Tinder when they open the app in these areas. Once the alert is activated, users will have the choice to remain hidden or opt into making their profile public — without information indicating their sexuality — so that they can connect with new people. Users&#039; profiles will return back to normal once they leave a protected area.
How Tinder Works
Considering it’s an app people use in order to potentially meet the love of their life, people are very curious about how exactly Tinder works.
The app’s user interface is more complicated now than when it was first launched, but the essential principle remains the same: Swipe left on profiles you’re not interested in, right on profiles you are and you chat with your matches when both of you indicate interest.
But how, you might be wondering, does Tinder decide who to show to whom, and in what order? That’s the real question at the heart of how Tinder works. 
The answer, similar to almost every app out there today, is a proprietary algorithm whose exact details are secret to the general public. However, we do know a few things about how the Tinder algorithm works.
The Old Model
A 2016 article revealed that at the time, Tinder used a ranking algorithm to assign each user a score based on how people swipe on them — the more left swipes you get, the lower your score goes; the more right swipes, the higher your score rises. 
However, it wasn’t as simple as simply adding or subtracting one point every time someone swipes right or left on you. The algorithm is apparently based on the complex ELO score used to rate chess players, meaning who is swiping is also a factor. 
If someone with a high score swiped right on you, you’d be likely to jump higher than if someone with a low score swiped right on you. Similarly, a high score swiping left on you would drop you further than a low score swiping left on you. 
In this way, people who got a lot of right swipes — the Tinder elite, if you will — had a greater impact on people’s scores than people most people aren’t crazy about. 
The New Model
However, in 2019, Tinder announced that they had moved away from the ranking model in favor of something that tracks your like patterns to get an idea of what type of person each user is interested in. 
As well, Tinder keeps track of things like how much time you spend on the app, how often you return to it and what percentage of swipes are right vs. left in order to develop a profile of what type of user you are, which it uses to construct your user experience — who you see, and in what order. 
In short, nothing you do when on the app seems to go unnoticed. The app knows that data analytics is key to producing a more streamlined product, and they’re not shy about using it. Next time you see someone’s profile pop up, know that they’re being put there according to a very complex set of calculations. 
Whether those calculations will lead to anything more, though? That’s a whole other layer of complexity that even Tinder’s data analysts can’t accurately predict. The only way to find out is to swipe right and see if you match. 
Tinder &amp; User Safety
Tinder’s become the go-to online dating platform for American singles for since its introduction back in 2012, but the unfortunate reality is that sometimes it helps put people with hurtful intentions in touch with vulnerable (or just inconsiderate people in touch with, well, anyone).
In recent years, the app has rolled out a handful of useful features to improve people&#039;s experience when using it. These include things like:
Noonlight
Tinder has recognized that it has a role to play in making sure a Tinder date doesn’t go south in a horrible way. Partnering with a service called Noonlight, the app is giving its users the opportunity to notify others when they’re going on a date, when and where it’s going to be and an option to quickly alert authorities if they begin to feel unsafe.
Photo Verification
Like many contemporary apps, Tinder now uses a photo-verification system to help weed out catfishing. Users can now verify their profiles by taking a real-time photo, and Tinder’s internal software will attempt to match it to your existing, uploaded profile pictures. If the pictures you uploaded and the new, candid picture you took are judged to be of the same person, you’ll get a little checkmark icon next to your name in the app.
It’s a little detail that can help ensure that you don’t end up getting scammed by someone who looks nothing like their picture. However, this functionality won’t be necessary for all users, so people without check marks might be fakers (or they might just be lazy).
Improved Messaging
Tinder has introduced another feature aimed at improving the general tone of discourse in chats between matches.
While it takes two right swipes to create a conversation, that’s no guarantee of conversational compatibility, sadly, and Tinder’s been dogged for years with a reputation for fostering unfriendly and sometimes downright abusive conversations. In fact, it’s an aspect of the app that’s only contributed to Bumble’s success as a Tinder-like app with a vastly different messaging set-up (men can only message a match once the women has sent an opening message).
Now, Tinder attempts to flag unpleasant messages before they’re even sent, asking users if they want to “undo” a message it deems potentially unpleasant. As well, users have the option to report interactions that make them feel uncomfortable.
Safety Center
To round out the suite of safety-oriented additions and updates to the app, Tinder has added a “Safety Center” to the app, where you can go to discover handy additional resources on dating safety.
This might not sound like a huge deal, but easy access to crucial, potentially life-saving information and hotlines that pertain to sex and dating will now be much closer at hand, which could make a huge difference for some users who might not otherwise seek it out.
You Might Also Dig:

	Tinder Review
	Alternatives to Tinder
	Dating Tips for Shy Guys
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                <title><![CDATA[Overlooked Body Parts You Need to Be Training]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/overlooked-body-parts-you-need-to-be-training.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/fitness/workout/overlooked-body-parts-you-need-to-be-training.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ 6 Neglected Muscle Groups You *Need* to be Targeting for Health &amp; Longevity ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/fitness/workout/overlooked-body-parts-you-need-to-be-training/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1749739113.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
                <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu"><![CDATA[  ]]></media:credit>
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                    <![CDATA[ Does your gym routine revolve around what you see in the mirror? While there’s nothing wrong with wanting a bigger chest, chiseled arms or strong legs, focusing only on the usual suspects means you’re probably neglecting some of the muscles that keep your body balanced and injury-free. 
And even if you care about functional fitness and train for mobility, you may still have blind spots. The truth is, the foundation of strength often relies on body parts that most people don’t think of training — until something starts to hurt. As Leon Veal, certified personal trainer and head of nutrition and innovation at Styrkr, puts it, “chasing aesthetics is common, but strength is about how well your body works overall.”
Giving often-overlooked muscles some love can not only prevent injury, but it can also help you maximize your gains. For example, classical pilates educator and somatic coach Melody Morton-Buckleair calls your feet, diaphragm and pelvic floor (yes, that’s a thing for men too) the “unsung heroes of real strength.” 
RELATED: Shoulder Mobility Exercises
Here are six body parts you’re not training — but should be. 
1. Shoulder Girdle Muscles
Your shoulder girdle muscles include your rotator cuff and scapular stabilizer. They work in the background to anchor your shoulder blade and keep your shoulder joint stable as you move. 
“The big movers (chest, quads, biceps) get all the glory, but the stabilizers (rotator cuff, deep abdominals, pelvic and shoulder girdle muscles) are what keep you injury-free and powerful,” says Morton-Buckleair, who adds that you can’t have real strength without control.
That said, traditional training doesn’t often focus on your shoulder girdle muscles, which is why shoulder injuries are common. So, include moves like rotator cuff external rotations, wall slides and scapular push-ups in your warm-up. 
2. Pelvic Floor
Yes, you have a pelvic floor. And no, it’s not only important for women. It’s a sling of muscles at the base of your core. It supports everything above it, from your organs to your spine. 
“It stabilizes the pelvis, supports organ function and plays a huge role in performance — both in the gym and, well, elsewhere,” according to Morton-Buckleair. “It’s all part of what we call the powerhouse in Pilates — and no powerhouse is complete without training its foundation.”
Wondering how to keep your pelvic floor strong and healthy? Start with your breath: inhale to relax the pelvic floor, exhale to gently lift and engage it. Now perform a deep squat with that breathing pattern in mind. Or add a Pilates class to your weekly routine. 
3. Diaphragm
Located at the base of your rib cage between your chest and belly, your diaphragm is a thin, dome-shaped muscle. When you inhale, it contracts and moves downwards, making room for your lungs to expand. When you exhale, it relaxes back to its original shape. 
You probably don’t think of all this very often, unless you’re doing specific breathwork. But you should. “The diaphragm isn’t just for breath — it’s your top core muscle, syncing breath with spinal support,” adds  Morton-Buckleair.
Basically, if your breathing mechanics are off, your core may not be doing its job properly — even if you’re doing moves like planks or leg raises. When you don’t engage your diaphragm effectively, you lose that deep core support. You may compensate in other ways or feel back pain. 
To avoid this, practice deep belly breathing on your back or while sitting. As you inhale through your nose, think of expanding your rib cage. Exhale slowly and fully, then repeat.
4. Feet
Each one of your feet is made up of over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Your foot is a complex structure — because it carries big responsibilities. “Having strong, mobile feet creates a stable base for every lift, sprint, or jump, and they’re essential for balance and stopping injury,” according to Veal. 
To strengthen your feet, consider barefoot training in safe settings. It strengthens the stabilizer muscles in your feet. It makes your ankles stronger. And it enhances proprioception — your body’s ability to sense where it is in space. All of this translates into better balance, control and coordination.
5. Neck
Think of all the time you spend looking down at screens. Now consider all the upper body workout moves that engage the front side of your body, from bench pressing to bicep curls. These two factors can wreak havoc on your neck and upper back, which play a huge role in having good posture and staying pain-free. 
Veal notes that the deep neck flexors and lower trap muscles are often neglected — these are the muscles that help keep your head aligned over your spine and your shoulders pulled back.
No need to go heavy to strengthen these muscles. A small movement like a chin tuck can work wonders for your neck and upper back: Sit upright, look straight ahead and gently glide your chin straight back without tilting your head up or bending your neck. 
6. Hip Stabilizers
You know better than to skip leg day. But do you give enough attention to the muscles that stabilize your hips? “Hip stabilizers like the gluteus medius, adductors and hip flexors are often overshadowed by the bigger glutes and quads,” says Veal. “Weakness here can lead to knee pain, hip tightness, and reduced lower-body power.”
To give these muscles the attention they deserve, include single-leg moves such as step-ups  and lateral band walks in your routine. They’ll help round out your lower-body workouts and make your bigger lifts more powerful, too.
Prioritizing the areas above doesn’t have to take up hours every week. A few simple additions to your exercise schedule can pay off in terms of performance, injury prevention and overall well-being. It’s about investing in the foundation that keeps your body functioning at its best. 
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                <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:25:27 +0000</pubDate>
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                <title><![CDATA[The Benefits of Exfoliating Your Scalp]]></title>
                <link>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/hair/the-benefits-of-exfoliating-your-scalp.html</link>
                <guid>https://www.askmen.com/grooming/hair/the-benefits-of-exfoliating-your-scalp.html</guid>
                <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Anouare ]]></dc:creator>
                <description><![CDATA[ 5 Key Reasons to Incorporate Scalp Exfoliation Into Your Grooming Routine ]]></description>
                <media:content url="https://luna-askmen-images.askmen.com/grooming/hair/the-benefits-of-exfoliating-your-scalp/askmen-lead-image-2x1-1751291445.png" medium="image" expression="full" width="1200" height="600" type="image/jpg"/><media:description/>
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                    <![CDATA[ If you have a skincare routine, you’re probably aware of the importance of regular exfoliation. But did you know that your scalp is part of your skin too and could benefit from the same TLC? Scalp scrubs have been exploding in popularity in the past couple of years – and men are catching on to their benefits. 
According to celebrity hairstylist and PURA D&#039;OR partner Clyde Haygood, a healthy scalp is the most important factor to having a healthy head of hair: “Scalp health is important to help promote hair growth and help prevent problems such as hair breakage, hair loss and even dandruff and flakiness.” As Haley Strickland, hair stylist and educator at Alter Ego Italy, puts it, “your scalp is like the soil for your hair to grow from.” 
So, if you want thicker, stronger and healthier hair, you need to start treating your scalp as the foundation that it is. Just like a plant wouldn’t thrive in dry soil, you can’t expect your hair to do great if your scalp is clogged with buildup and dead skin cells. 
RELATED: Why Men Go Bald and What to Do About It
Skeptical about adding yet another step and product to the mix? Here are five benefits of exfoliating your scalp – as well as tips to get started. 

The Benefits of Exfoliating Your Scalp

1. It Gets Rid of Buildup
Shampoo gets rid of some buildup, but it doesn’t finish the job like a scalp scrub. What exactly is buildup and why is it so bad? Think “dirt, debris, excessive oil, environmental toxins and pollution, old product [residue] and dead skin cells,” according to Haygood. Yikes. All of these sit on your scalp and clog hair follicles, which makes your hair look dull and unhealthy, weakens hair strands and eventually leads to hair loss and breakage. 
2. It Supports Hair Growth
“Exfoliation also increases blood circulation to the scalp, helping with hair growth by delivering essential nutrients,” adds Haygood. This matters because healthy hair growth starts with your diet. “Healthy food means that less junk is expelled through your skin,” according to Strickland.  Combining a nutrient-dense diet with scalp exfoliation boosts the benefits of both, giving your hair the fuel it needs from within and the right external conditions to grow. 
3. It Combats Dandruff
A clinical trial conducted by hair care brand JuliArt revealed that treating the scalp with a combination of products including an exfoliating shampoo improved dandruff by nearly 75% after two weeks.  
4. It Feels Really Good
Plus, let’s face it, another bonus is that exfoliating your scalp just feels good, adds Haygood. 
Taking the time to use a scalp scrub at home is like treating yourself to a mini spa moment – and research shows spa treatments have a positive effect on mental health and sleep. 
5. It Helps with Product Absorption
If you use products like hair serums, exfoliating your scalp before applying them boosts their efficacy. Otherwise, you’re just wasting expensive products by letting them sit on top of buildup instead of letting them sink in and do their job. 

Scalp Exfoliation Tips

Now that you understand the importance of scalp health and the benefits of exfoliating your scalp, here are a few things to keep in mind for best results. 
First, don’t overdo it. You don’t need to exfoliate your scalp more than once or twice a week. Strickland suggests using a scalp massager to scrub your hair while shampooing: “It’s a good way to gently exfoliate the scalp. It simultaneously stimulates the cells in your scalp to promote healthy circulation and ensures that any product buildup is fully removed.”
When shopping for a scalp massager, look for soft silicone bristles – not hard plastic ones. Exfoliating your scalp shouldn’t hurt. As for scalp scrubs, gentle is the name of the game. Some products are too aggressive and can irritate your scalp, adds Strickland: “The beads that are often in exfoliation products can damage the cell walls and create scarring. Too raw of an environment is not ideal for hair growth. I gravitate toward natural products behind the chair.” 
Skip the rough scrubs with big exfoliating beads and look for clean, nourishing formulas that won’t strip your scalp. Ingredients such as apple cider vinegar (Haygood recommends it), salicylic acid, tea tree oil or charcoal help break down buildup without being too harsh.
What you do before and after exfoliation also matters. Brush your hair before hopping in the shower, to remove tangles and prevent unnecessary breakage. Wash your hair with warm water and a gentle shampoo. Make sure your head is wet before scrubbing, as it helps soften the skin of your scalp and makes exfoliation less abrasive. 
Once you’re done, it’s a great time to apply targeted treatments, such as a hair serum. The best products depend on your unique needs and hair type, but your scalp will be receptive to their effects post-scrub.
Scalp care truly is similar to skincare – cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate. And your hair will thank you for incorporating this ritual into your routine. 
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                </content:encoded>
                <pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:26:06 +0000</pubDate>
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