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We all know that first impressions are powerful things. Billionaire Steven A. Cohen makes the most of first impressions taking a deep breath and holding it before he enters a room. How about you?

Poorly named weblog The Art of Manliness rounds up a few tips for commanding a room, including this interesting nugget from Cohen’s playbook:

Before he makes his appearance, he takes a deep breath, filling all of his lungs. He then holds his breath and walks into the room. As he talks, the air is naturally exhaled. This simple action increases blood to your face and makes you look “more radiant and lively,” and consequently more confident.

By taking a deep breath you force yourself to not only stand up straight, but also give a quick rush of blood to your head, giving you a slightly flushed and cheery look. It might sound silly, but people are always interested in meeting someone with energy and spunk. Just remember to exhale, because no one wants to talk to a corpse—unless it’s Halloween.

Do you have a ritual when meeting people for the first time? Share your first impression rituals in the comments.

It’s not a clever hack any of us want to have to use, but the Art of Manliness blog has a homebrew fix for the next time your restroom trip ends in disaster.

Photo by powerbooktrance.

When a toilet clogs, the first jobs are stopping water from flowing to prevent an overflow and finding a decent plunger. Then again, if you’re visiting a friend’s place and might feel embarrassed returning from the bathroom with such a request, some hot water from a bathroom sink might do the trick. Need more firepower? Add in dishwasher detergent to put things right:

Add a few cups of hot water to the toilet bowl before you start plunging. After you pour the hot water in, let it sit for a few minutes. To put it mildly, the heat helps break the, um, stuff up. This will make unclogging the toilet with the plunger much, much easier. The heat from the hot water can sometimes break up the clog without plunging, so this could be a good tactic to use if you a clog a toilet at a friends house and you don’t want to face the embarrassment of asking for a plunger.

The blog post, sourced from a Roto-Rooter representative, offers more good-to-know tidbits about properly using a (warmed and un-stiffened) plunger and using tools like an auger for the really bad, um, breakdowns. If you’d care to be so discrete as to share your own toilet emergency fixes, we’ll welcome them in the comments.

We’ve already explained why the push-up belongs in your fitness routine, but if you’ve grown weary of the standard method, weblog Art of Manliness rounds up “the ultimate push-up guide” with 35 variations on the classic, including “The Hindu”.

Concerning “The Hindu” push-up, Art of Manliness says the technique has been used for centuries and “consists of a dynamic full body movement that will build strength and flexibility in your chest, shoulders, back, hips, and triceps.”

Watch the above video to see the method in action. Two things to keep in mind when applying this technique:

• Make sure to get a good stretch in your back.
• The first time you perform a Hindu Push-up you might find yourself falling on your face during the initial descent.

If you’re looking to give your muscles even more of a workout, try “The Dive Bomber” push-up, which is performed exactly like The Hindu, except upon returning to the starting position, “you follow the same swooping motion you make on the descent in reverse”.

A third variation is “The Tiger,” which combines The Hindu and Dive Bomber. The Tiger focuses on your triceps and, if positioned properly, should look like an upside down V.

Browse the full post for the entire list of push-up variations—complete with videos—and if you’re looking for a push-up plan, check out previously mentioned One Hundred Push-Ups for details on how to go from 0 to 100 push-ups in a matter of six weeks. Still prefer doing crunches over push-ups? Here’s why you should switch gears and ditch the crunches now.