Expert: Ken Alan - 12/17/2007

Question
I have been doing regular exercises for over 16 weeks in which I incorporate endurance and strength workouts. When of my cycles is push-ups. I do them quite often. But recently I have experienced a major problem when performing them. Usually, I get up to 50+ and then my head starts flushing, my arms quiver and I pump through my final repetitions before I rest. But every now and then, I won't even get past  ten and my head will heat up and flush. My tendons in my neck start to spasm, and my breath will become labored. But the strange thing is that my chest and arms were not tired at all, and yet it felt as thought my body was having a response similar to straining... At first I thought I might have overworked myself, so I waited two days before my next set. I did the push-ups first. Same thing. I tried it again the day after that, I went up to 72 before exhaustion, no problem. I am puzzled. I was wondering what might be causing this irregular struggle. Is it perhaps an issue of hydration, or breathing (I exhale on the effort, going up)?
All help is appreciated,
Thanks

Answer
Hydration is always important.  Don't assume because you're doing just push-ups, you can let it go.  I don't know if it's the cause of your distress, but there's only one way to know, and that is to get yourself well-hydrated all the time.  If you ever get thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  You should drink enough that you never get to the point where you are thirsty.  Hope this helps.