There’s no question that the best way to have a ripped, muscular body is to put your time in at the gym and be attentive to your diet. 

That being said, there will be times on the road to total fitness where you just want a “quick fix” to look good.  This might be before a date, before going out to the clubs, or just before taking some pictures for Facebook.

Here are some ways to use optical illusions to your advantage to make yourself look like you have more muscle mass and less body fat.

#1 Get a Tan

Skin tone is one of the most powerful factors in how you’re perceived on many levels.  It certainly has a huge impact on how big your muscles look.  In general, the darker the better. Don’t worry new research from Stanford has found some sun is good.

This is one of the reasons why you tend to see rap stars with their shirts off more than rock and pop stars.  It is that much easier to look great with your shirt off, the darker your skin is.

Without even considering race, think about how many pasty white people you know that look good just wearing shorts and shoes.  For some reason, all the definition lines are harder to see when you look very white.

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Take this test if you’re willing… Go to your local drug store and buy a sunless tanning lotion.  L’Oreal and Jorgen’s are the best reviewed and hardest to screw up.

Take a picture of yourself in the mirror before applying, and then take another picture of yourself a few hours after tanning.

You’ll notice that your arms look more cut, your abs have better definition, and every muscle just seems to stand out more.

You’ll also notice your teeth look a lot whiter (another advantage that darker skinned people have in the looks department) and you’re, on the whole, more attractive.

#2 Wear Fitted Clothing

You’ll have to be careful with this one because this can easily backfire depending on what your body type is at the moment.  If you’re quite overweight, tread very carefully.

For t-shirts, dress shirts, and many collared shirts, you can get a “fitted” style that will hug parts of your body and accentuate where your muscles come out.

This will sound obvious to some readers and be mind-blowing to others, depending on where you’re living.  When I was visiting New Jersey, I went to a Banana Republic and asked where they have fitted graphic t-shirts.  I realized right away I had to explain to the store associate what both “fitted” and “graphic” meant.

A good fitted t-shirt will hug around your waist and around your arms.  It’s not a skin-tight spandex look, but your sleeves should be just tight enough to comfortably fit around the biceps without straying out.

Dress shirts usually come in fitted forms as well and have the unique advantage of making you seem buffer without it looking like you’re trying to look buff.

Also, if you’re in pretty good shape already, wearing a white t-shirt will help the illusion even more.

#3 Do Some Push-Ups

I learned this one from a professional dating coach who would have his clients do 15-20 pushups before a date or before going out to meet women.

This is not a full workout, but pushups are a quick exercise you can do that will swell up your arms and give you a couple hours of enhanced muscles to show around if you’re going out to the club.

If you have a little more time, consider doing a quick mini full-body workout right before you hit the bars, including body weight squats.  Professional bodybuilders have their own routine they call “The Pump” to do right before competition.

But if you only have a little bit of time, just some pushups will give you that muscular look right away and also boost you with some extra testosterone and confidence too.

#4 Improve Your Posture

This one is not as fun because it requires more long-term work instead of a quick fix before going out.

You’re always going to look less jacked if your shoulders are slumped, if your back is hunched over, or if your body is unevenly balanced when you’re standing or sitting.

The first thing you can do is just start being cognizant of how you’re standing.  You can easily just pull your shoulders back, have your chest out, and stand up straight.

However, the more you work on your posture over time, the more effortless it will be to show off your physique without thinking about it.

A simple exercise to do is to lay your belly with your arms at your sides, and pull your shoulders back for ten seconds. Do this 5 times each day and you’ll find it becoming easier and easier to keep good posture.

Another one is to get on the floor and lie on your back… putting your legs on a coffee table or couch at right angles.  Just laying there for 5 minutes a day will help release your lower back muscles to improve your posture.

Look Buffer Conclusion

Try doing all of these before you go out to a club or party and see what happens.  Most likely, you’ll get more compliments for being jacked than you ever have before.

-Terry Asher