How to Photoshop Your Pictures to Look More Ripped

Why not get the most out of your pictures? xD Out of all those advertisements, most of them are black and white pics, you know why? you look better in black and white xD Everyone can always make themselves look better in a pic, but its gotta look "photoshooty" and professional xD not awkward as if youre trying to hide something xD heres how to do it x)

Basically, turn down the brightness, turn up the contrast, make it black and white, and sharpen the picture. Then adjust all the effects to your liking x)

Go from this:                                                                  To This:

Have fun!!! x)

Maximize You're Results With A Partner

Shoutout to Andrew Reyes for this post x)

The enjoyment level of working out with a friend associates positive aspects to exercising and working out, and, in turn, creates a positive atmosphere and a n activity that both friends can look forward to working out or exercising together, either to show off their progress, or to have some healthy competition, or even just to have fun J

Of course, probably one of the greatest benefits of a workout partner is the motivation. Most, if not all, body builders or professional athletes workout and train with friends or family to help maintain their motivation and dedication to a program or regimen, and it is no different from anyone else; workout with a partner, and you WILL improve your performance J

Different perspectives is also another benefit of the workout buddy system, your partner could see a technical lifting flaw in your form that you cannot view or do not specifically focus on while your lifting. Simply having someone to spot you on correct form will dramatically increase your strength and progress in exercising or lifting.

I personally have seen a major difference when I workout with a partner as well as my friends. For example, a leg workout with Jimmy “The Beast” Musgrave xD normally takes him about an hour and a half and about the same time for me. With the both of us working out, I have lifted the most weight I ever have in a faster period of time than my solo workouts, and the same goes for Jimmy.

So next time you head out to the gym, bring a friend along, it helps both of you work harder and ultimately see better results faster!! :D

http://www.beliefnet.com/healthandhealing/getcontent.aspx?cid=44050

http://www.fitnesshealth101.com/fitness/general/getting-started/benefits-of-partner 

Getting A Six Pack

There is no substitution for hard work, i know most people dont like to hear it, but it is the absolute truth. There is no magic pill or secret diet or magic belt or easy exercise you can do to get that ripped stomach you want. The bottom line is, the reason you cannot see the muscles is simply fat. The fastest way to get a six pack is run on the treadmill or any kind of cardio to burn the fat from your stomach. Weight training is also a significant factor in getting your six pack because it will add muscle mass to your body, which makes your body burn more calories per day.

THE BASICS:
you MUST burn more calories than you take in!!
to burn 1 pound of PURE FAT, you must burn 3500 more calories than you take in. That's not easy, but with general calorie counting and a little bit of exercise and weight training, youll have a six pack in no time!!! :)
REMEMBER: the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns!

here's an article containing some of the highest calorie burning activities, make it a fun exercise that you enjoy doing and you'll burn that fat even faster :)
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-top-6-calorie-burning-workouts-2444723

Eccentric vs. Concentric Lifting

Eccentric lifting (or negative lifts) is merely slowing down the movement on the eccentric portion of a lift, such as during a bench press, you would count to about 5 or 6 as you lower the bar to your chest and explode up. During the eccentric phase of a lift, the muscle becomes more stretched out, there is more stress on the muscle, which ultimately targets more fibers of the muscle. Therefore, it is imperative that you include eccentric lifting in your workouts for one: periodization (as previously mentioned in the blog) and two: increase the benefits of your workouts and build hypertrophy (muscle size) faster and in a larger amount.

by straining more muscle fibers during eccentric lifting, you create more microscopic tears in your muscles, which is how your muscles become stronger and larger.
(I will be posting videos soon of my eccentric workouts to show you an example :))

However, you must also implement concentric lifting (lifting normal speed) in order to periodize your workout as well as improve your explosive power instead of pure strength.

Last tips: you must also focus on properly breathing (exhaling on the lift up and inhaling on the way down) to maximize your muscle development along with full range of motion. You must perform each exercise all the way up and all the way down to receive the full benefits of the workout. Try out the eccentric lifting and I guarantee you will be more sore and see a significant difference in your size and strength :)

http://www.thepumpingstation.com/anatomy.html

Exercising Is The Best Medicine

I have never had a severe illness of any kind, but when i have a cold working out is the perfect remedy for me. However, directly after your workout or physical activity, your immune system is temporarily vulnerable, so be sure if you do go for a walk or any type of exercise, stay clean and hygienic and dress appropriately for any cold weather or it will just get worse x/ working out or exercising primarily circulates antibodies throughout your body faster by increasing your heart rate, which helps you heal faster. Additionally, working out regularly has proven to increase your immune system's antibody production by 300 percent!  But worst comes to worst….. just get enough sleep and you dont have to worry about it xD

http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/exercise-boost-immune-system

Get Your Sleep!!

Recovering after your workouts is as, or even more important than how hard you work out. During the night while you sleep, your body is recovering and repairing the microscopic tears in your muscles to increase hypertrophy (making your muscles bigger). No matter how hard you work out or exercise, if you're not getting at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night, your body is not getting everything it can out of your workouts and exercise during the day.

Steroids merely allow the muscles to heal faster, getting the proper amount of sleep does the same thing, just not as fast xP

The pain and soreness of your muscles is a good sign, it means your muscles are healing and becoming stronger and bigger, those microscopic tears you made during your workout are healing. Getting the proper amount of sleep every night will reduce the amount of soreness and therefore increase the rate of your bodies growth, as well as the effectiveness of your exercises and workouts.

Not only does getting a good amount of sleep help your body recover faster, but it also significantly reduces your chances of becoming sick and having to skip a workout :)

Excellent reference of someone who has experimented with different amounts of sleep. Remember, this does not only apply to bodybuilders!! the exact same concept applies to even marathon runners and anything in between!!!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dean22.htm

Importance of Periodizing

Periodizing your workouts is one of the most important aspects in getting the most out of your workouts. You will see the most results the fastest when you simply just change little alterations to your workout routines. The people who live by single workout and believe nothings better than theirs are the most annoying to me and will not experience the progress that those who periodize will. Several studies have proven that people who periodize their workout gain more than 2 pounds more of lean body fat, lose 2.2% more body fat, and improve their leg press and bench by more than 10 pounds over a period of 12 weeks as compared to those who dont periodize their workouts. 

The human body gets used to workouts that it does repetitively in order to naturally increase its efficiency,  which is the natural reaction for the human body. Periodizing workouts by simply changing grips, reps or sets, etc. keeps the body on edge and allows it to grow  faster and in greater intervals.

Heres one of the many articles concerning the results of periodizing your workout:

https://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=2624