I LOVE DRAGONBALL Z!!!!

Yeah, I'm a big ol' dork.... And so damn proud of it!!! In case you don't know ( but i'm pretty sure you have because, i mean, who hasn't?), dragon ball z tells the story of goku:

He was sent to earth as a kid to spare him from the destruction of his planet. (actually, the story starts waaaaay back in Dragonball, but that's for another blog.... which i'll write after this one!!1) He has many adventures... many battles, makes many friends.... and then he disappears. (Read: he dies FINALLY in dragon ball GT) Anyway... The show is centered around the Z Fighters, who protect the earth. They have lots of battles and laughs and memories. The Z series is broken up into "sagas", so you have: The Saiyan Saga - Where goku learns that he is a saiyan, and meets vegetal for the first time. The frieze saga - The writers expand the Dragonball Z universe a bit, and introduce us to frieza, whose a little purl girl with a tail that can fight....and the Super Saiyan:

Only people with saiyan blood can transform into super saiyans, even if you're a half blooded saiyan There's four levels of super saiyan: 1)First level:

They get angrier, and stronger, hair changes color and stands up, and they generate a golden aura around them, which can offer some protection against attacks. The aura fluctuates size wildly. Super saiyan 1.5 = This is the pinnacle of the 1st super saiyan form. The saiyan can stay in this form for weeks before they have to revert back to their base state. In this state, they use their energy conservatively, instead of wasting it all in anger. The difference between super saiyan and super saiyan 1.5 is seen in the personality and the eyes: They are very cheerful by comparison.... and you can see it in the eyes:

I Compare this state to a regular person who has their base level of strength, but when they get angry, they get a bit stronger, because of the adrenaline rush. 2) Super Saiyan 2:

They get even stronger, and angrier, and faster. They still radiate the golden aura, but now you can see flashes of electricity dancing in it. I have no idea what functions the electricity serves, if any. They can't be reasoned with, and the only thing on their mind is "kill kill kill". 3) Super Saiyan 3: Goku, trunks and gotten are the only characters to achieve this stage of super saiyan:

This form is extremely powerful ad the usage of energy is dramatically increased. To give a comparison: If a saiyan can stay in the Super Saiyan form for a few hours, They can only stay in the Super Saiyan 3 form for 30 minutes. The energy usage is phenomenal, but the increases in the strength, speed, and power are worth it. There's another form that's seen in Dragonball and Dragonball z frequently, called the Oozaru Form ( means "great ape"):

I actually think that this form is one of the coolest, next to the Super saiyan 2 form. The persons power level increase by a factor of 10, meaning that whatever their power level is in their human form, it gets multiplied by ten. They get to turn into a big freakin ape that can fly and shoot a energy beam from their mouths!!! Anyway, the saiyans are the only characters that can transform, but need two conditions to make it happen: 1) Must be looking at the full moon 2) Must have a tail There's something about the tail... i like to think that the tail houses some kind of hormone/enzyme that is only catalyzed (activated) when the person looks at the full moon, or more specifically, the light of the full moon strikes the person's eyes. Maybe the light from the moon affects their pituitary gland, which releases another enzyme that interacts with the supposed enzyme release by the tail, which causes/starts the transformation... thats how I would explain it at least... Now, the cool thing about this form is that the the person can produce a energy ball which is essentially a mini full moon, so that they can transform when the go to planets that don't have a full moon. Cool, right? Here;s vegeta making use of the "full moon ball":

The only way to stop a saiyan once they are in this form: 1) Kill 'em 2) Cut off their tail 3) Destroy the moon, like Piccolo does once or twice...:

Now, can you see WHY i freakin love this anime?!?!?!?!? There's other forms, like the fused forms and the super saiyan for forms, but that would take too long to explain and i'm hungry.... The beginning of Dragonball Z marks the BEGINNING of it all of a rivalry that goes down in history. Meet Vegeta:

He's the prince of all Saiyans, literally. He is one of the cockiest sons of b@##$ in the universe. But he can back it up. Him and Goku starts out as fierce enemies:

And at the end of Dragonball gt, they are still rivals, but they are besties:

Now, this is one of the reasons why I f@##$ing love this anime: The dynamic between the two, easily the two most powerful beings in the galaxy, both so opposite: Goku is the quintessential choir boy, who would literally not hurt a fly unless it threatened to destroy the planet. Vegeta, who would literally destroy the planet to hurt a fly. Two immovable objects, generating a irresistible force.... There are other characters:

Each one is very important and has a lot of depth and personality to them As a kid, I just liked the anime for the bright colors and the intense fight scenes. (Its like a soap opera, but for REAL men... like me obviously) The story lines are actually very good, and even looking back on them from my age, they're still freaking awesome... But, having lived life and having had experiences, I guess now I can look at the anime from a different perspective, a more "adult" perspective, whatever that means... I guess I can fully appreciate the show for all that it is... And I can't wait to see what i think about it 5 years from now...:) I guess one of the things that i've taken away from the series is this: People are people, and when you add energy blasts to the mix, you get lots of explosions and commotion.... Amir

Is your Grip ( or lack-there-of) making you seem like a weak, baby d@#$ loser?

Well, One of the things I appreciate in a person is a strong, powerful handshake. Whether a man or woman, a weak handshake is horrible, and makes people perceive you as, well... weak. I've had some women shake my hand and I couldn't believe what I was experiencing: It felt like a MAN... a really strong man - was shaking my hand!!! I was shocked and hence, IMPRESSED. I can still remember when they happened. Now, don't you think its amazing that a person can do something so simple as shake your hand and have you remember them for YEARS?!?!?!?!? Don't you find that to be amazing? I HATE when a person shakes my hand and the handshake is weak and flaccid. I think a part of why it is that turns me off is because when i shake a persons' hand with energy and strength, I expect at least some effort in the return grip. Stop and think about it for a minute: This person didn't even put any effort into the freakin' handshake!!! It's a handshake!!!! Now. Can a person be blamed for having a fish shake? Yes and no. A)Whatever a person is thinking and consequently, feeling, is transmitted through their body and communicated to the other person through their grip, whatever the level of that force may be. B) Some people want to be perceived as being submissive, deliberately hiding their strength, so as to fly under the radar, so to speak translation: "This guys handshake is like shaking hands with a corpse... he's not a threat..." Now, there's only so much "cloaking" a person can do, and there's something that can't be faked... like having a handshake like a corpse... C) The person may be tired, and that's okay. D) Person may not want to intimidate the person you're shaking hands with, so as to not be perceived as a threat and thus lose the opportunity they are being exposed to( Notice that points D and B are different, as the INTENTIONS behind the cloaking are totally different...) At one point in my life or another, I've fallen into all of the categories listed. Its cool:) i've been there with you. There's good news: You can fix it RIGHT NOW. You can stop shaking with with people like they have doo-doo on their palms and... Start Shaking Hands Like You Open Bear Trapped With Your Bare Hands for a Living!!! It's real simple to do... You just shake the persons' hand... HARD. First of all, take a deep breath and let go. 1)Shake the persons' hand like you have life and energy in you. 2)Smile when you shake their hand, no matter the look on their face. Emotions are contagious, and when you smile, other people unconsciously smile with you. A persons faces automatically match your own 3) Act As-if your spirit is going to make contact this other person spirit when your hands clasp... and that he/she can read you spirit in your handshake. Your soul is going to be laid open and bare to this total stranger. In a way, it is. Kinda makes you think of handshakes from a spiritual point of reference. Two spirits shaking spiritual hand and exchanging information/energy/communicating. Really deep stuff... 4) As you shake their hands, realize that this is a person just like you and me.. they have hopes, dreams, little "boxes" that comprise their lives, just a person, just like you and me. You'll find that when you realize this, you start to relax and feel much more confident. You level the playing ground mentally. Notice the responses you get as you make these changes. Have Fun and your welcome:)

Why I LOVE isometric Training!!!!!

Isometrics are F@#$-ING AWESOME!!! Why am I sooooooooooo in love with isometrics?!?!?! Well: 1) They can be literally done ANYWHERE 2) You can isometrically "Wake up" any muscles that you may be training that day 3) You can develop TYRANNOSAURUS REX like strength 4) You can get that ripped, lean look that everybody's fussin' over nowadays... 5) It is totally, absolutely... F.R.E.E.!!! 6) You can recover from injury AND get stronger at the SAME TIME!!! Are you starting to feel the same way about isometrics that I do... NOW. What are isometrics and how do you do it? Well: Isometrics are static ( maintained/held) contractions of a a muscle/muscles without moving the joint. An example of an isometric contraction is a squat, during which you hold your body in the squatted positions, thus contracting the muscles for as long as you want/can... Have you ever watched a gymnastics routine and notice how long the athletes ( male and female) can keep themeselves in the various positions for as long as they do? Those are examples of static aka isometric contractions. Now, you're wondering " how will isometrics help ME develop superman strength?" Here's how: The longer you can keep a muscle contracted, the more powerfully that muscle is able to contract. Now, one way in which you can cause you muscle to stay contracted longer is to use a heavier weight, which will AUTOMATICALLY force you to move slower and thus keep the muscle contracted longer.... However, that's not always an option, for whatever reasons. So what do you do when you can't lift heavy? You do isometrics!!!! Any muscle that you can train with heavy weights, you can train isometrically and get stronger. You can even take common movements and adapt them to train the muscles isometrically. Take the pushups for example: You can train your chest isometrically by adapting the time you spend in the up and down positions, like "Yours Truly" is doing below: And in case you missed it.... you can modify ANY and EVERY exercise to incorporate a isometric component, and like I said... It's FREE... Spelled F.R.E.E..... all capital letters..... In summary: * addresses the many faces in the forum, all looking on with delight and anticipation oozing from their eyes, all dressed in the garb of their day... as i look down at my toga... and noticed that it is soiled...* Now... always keep in mind what you want to get out of your training... always remind yourself of your training goals and what you want you body to look like... And you'll have a mental signpost, that will effortlessly lead you to the results and the level of fitness that you truly desire.... Sincerely, Amir c.