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MartinVegartin

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  1. I have a shoulder that has been partially dislocated a number of times, an elbow that is prone to tendonitis, slight spondylolisthesis in the lumbar spine and a sacro-iliac joint that is often inflamed and very painful. But I manage to train. For the overhead dumbbell press you might find benefit from doing pike press ups with your torso as vertical as possible. Or handstand press ups. Or handstand shoulder shrugs. Of course, these depend on your ability to do them without pain. For the barbell curls you might be able to do some sort of inverted row. Two hands to start, progressing to one hand or adding weight in a knapsack. The bird-dog exercise is very good for spinal health.
  2. Two and a half months isn't very long. Be patient, Grasshopper.
  3. The meat eating bodybuilders are probably consuming lots of protein powders and some will be taking anabolic steroids. As you rightly said, few people are vegan and few vegans are strength training. There will be few vegans who build impressive muscles. There are more meat eaters who strength train and who belong to forums - which means there are more who will have impressive gains. And lots who don't but who, obviously, don't post their pictures. Not many champions of anything come from Luxemburg but there are many from the USA. This is not due to any superiority of Americans but to their larger population. A Luxemburger, with the right genes, commitment, opportunities, and luck, could become a champion but some American is more likely to have all those qualities. As for Patrik Baboumian, hasn't he been vegan for over two years? Most of the cells in his body are built from vegan food now. We should all take a B12 supplement or eat fortified foods - and that includes meat eaters, especially those aged over 50.
  4. You could add weight to dips and pull ups (pull ups on a strong tree branch) by wearing a knapsack with some weight in it. Or make yourself a weight belt out of rope and tie a large rock or a bag of wet sand to it. Do single-leg squats. Handstand press ups or press ups with your feet raised. Single-arm press ups. Pseudo planche press ups. Tuck planche press ups.
  5. Excellent suggestions already made. Various varieties of greasing the groove can help to increase reps, as already mentioned. The 'traditional' way is to do about half of your max a few times each day, a few times each week. But then you have to make sure you are near a chin up bar three, four or five times a day. I have successfully used the following method. Aim to do about 1.5 times your max. With an odd number, such as 3, go up to the next rep above or below 1.5. 1.5 times 3 is 4.5, so choose to do 4 reps or 5 reps, whichever seems more appropriate. You would do one rep. Wait a certain number of seconds - say 10. Do another rep. Wait 10 seconds and then anothe rep. Keep doing this until you have done all 4 or 5 reps. Do it 3 or 4 days a week. If the last rep is too easy, reduce the rest to 9 seconds. Gradually reduce the rest times by one second. You might be able to do this every second or third session. When you get down to, say, 5 reps at 3 seconds rests, you will probably be able to do 4 reps in a row. If so, set a new target and have 10-second rests again with the higher number of reps. If you can then do 4 reps you can set the new target of 6. Once you get down to 6 reps with 3-second rests, you'll probaly be able to do 5 in a row. Or 6. The rest periods depends on each individual's ability. You might set a rest period of 10 seconds but then realise you can immediately reduce it to 8 or you might have to increase it to 15. Start from where you can. With this method you do it once - early morning or evening if you have to be away from home during the day - and then forget about it until the next session.
  6. To avoid injuring your shoulder again - supposing the neuritis and impingement were caused by injuring or straining something - it would be wise to not lift any weights higher than shoulder height if that causes pain until you are sure everything is healed. Rotator cuff exercises might help. Only use very light weights or even no weight at all apart from the weight of your arm and hand for the rotator cuff exercises. Some shoulder impingement is caused by the shape of the acromion joint: http://www.shoulder-pain-exercises.com/hooked-acromion.html Some info about avoiding shoulder injuries: https://www.t-nation.com/training/shoulder-savers-1 He mentions scapular press ups (push ups in the USA) in Shoulder Saver 2. You could also try scap pull ups. You keep your arms straight and just pull up a couple of inches by pulling your shoulders down. Then there are also scap dips - straight arms, just moving the shoulders. And scap rows - straight arms, just moving the shoulders. Use very light weights. For the pull ups, keep your feet on the ground so you don't have to pull up your full body weight. Perhaps also for the dips. Until your shoulders are strong enough again. You could also exercise your scapulae by raising your shoulders to your ears and then pushing them down again. Moving them forwards to round your back and then pulling them back so your shoulder blades are almost touching each other. Do a few reps until you feel mild fatigue. Don't strain too much.
  7. You might need to do some exercises - with ultra light weights or no extra weight at all - for the rotator cuff muscles (see youtub for videos). Doing some shoulder mobility and/or flexibility exercises - such as shrugging, rotating the shoulders, and pushing them forwards and backwards (to extend and retract the shoulder blades) might help. Some exercises that I have found useful in the past are: scapular press ups (push ups in the USA). Also scapular pull ups on a pull up bar - just pull yourself up an inch or two with straight arms so that only the shoulders and shoulder blades do the work. Or do it almost horizontal on a lower bar with your feet on the floor or a chair. Scapular wall slides - see youtube. In case the video you find doesn't explain things, you should gently press your arms and the backs of your hands against the wall and you move them up and down. Go as far as you can with your hands and arms against the wall and stop when they lift off the wall. Seated is best to avoid hyperextenstion of the lumbar region. Shoulder stretches using a pole, as in this video on youtube: Increase Shoulder Flexibility Fast with This Shoulder Stretch youtube.com/watch?v=KoGtrEcsqPQ Don't do any of them that cause pain. A little pain might be acceptable but only you can judge. Test your thoracic spine flexibility as stiffness there can cause shoulder pain. Foam roller work is useful as are various exercises. Again, youtube is your friend for instruction videos.
  8. Just say something like: 'Look, matey, I don't want to inflict terror, torture and death on sentient beings. I am healthy, happy and I try to show respect to all.' You could add: 'Unless they are scum* who care more for their bellies and taste buds than they do for another animal who has as much right to life as they have.' * Or words such as 'heartless', 'uncaring', 'selfish', 'crue'l, 'twisted', 'naughty' - take your pick.
  9. I would have said that I don't eat meat because doing so is extremely cruel. If I had been feeling really belligerent, I might have said that she really shouldn't have sexual feelings for cows.
  10. Time for a brew: How a cup of tea can perk up your brain activity in just 30 minutes Neurological activity increases half an hour after drinking tea Studies suggest antioxidants known as flavonoids may be responsible They also help control inflammation, promote blood vessel function and limit clogging of the arteries By Jenny Hope, Daily Mail Medical Correspondent Published: 2 May 2015 When you want to unwind, a steaming cup of tea can be the perfect option. And it seems relaxation is not the only benefit – as the drink may also improve brain performance, according to research. Neurological activity increases noticeably around half an hour after drinking black or green tea, a study found, including processes linked to memory and decision making. It is unclear which ingredients are responsible for the effect, but previous studies suggest a pivotal role is played by antioxidants known as flavonoids – which are unaffected by the addition of milk. These are already thought to help control inflammation, promote blood vessel function and limit clogging of the arteries. For the latest study, researchers at Newcastle University investigated brainwave patterns to establish the effect of tea on various neurological functions. Eight volunteers were asked to drink a cup made with green or black leaves before having their brain activity measured. Electrodes attached to their heads found three types of brainwave increased within an hour – alpha, beta and theta. There was a highly significant increase in the theta waves between 30 minutes and an hour later, says the study published in Nutritional Neuroscience. Both black and green tea stimulated the activity, which is linked with improved cognitive function. Less significant but still notable was an increase in alpha and beta waves, which are connected to alertness, memory and logical reasoning. Almost 80 per cent of Britons are tea drinkers and they get through an estimated 165million cups every day. The British tea industry is estimated to be worth more than £700million a year. Study leader Dr Edward Okello, executive director of the Medicinal Plant Research Group at Newcastle University, said: ‘Tea has been associated with many mental benefits, such as attention enhancement, clarity of mind and relaxation.’ He added that the findings provide further evidence for the drink’s assumed benefits. ‘The highly significant increase in theta waves post-consumption may be an indication of [tea’s] putative role in cognitive function, alertness and attention,’ he said. Previous research has shown that drinking three to four cups of tea a day may cut the chance of having a heart attack. The drink can also help prevent type 2 diabetes, and slows the progression of the disease once it develops. The antioxidants it contains have been found to halt certain effects of ageing, while regularly drinking black tea has been shown to visibly lower stress levels. White tea could also help prevent obesity, as it was found to lessen the growth of new fat cells. ---------- Chamomile Tea 'Cuts Thyroid Cancer Risk' Drinking chamomile tea may help protect against thyroid cancer, researchers found. More than 500 Greeks were questioned about their tea consumption by a team from Athens University. The volunteers included 113 with thyroid cancer, 286 with benign thyroid diseases and 138 without illness. A report in the European Journal of Public Health says greater chamomile tea consumption was significantly associated with lower chances of developing thyroid disease. Drinking the herbal tea two to six times a week reduced the risk of thyroid cancer by 70 per cent and benign disease by 84 per cent. Overall, regular consumption of chamomile tea over 30 years reduced the risk of developing thyroid diseases by almost 80 per cent. dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3064929/Time-brew-cup-tea-perk-brain-30-minutes.html
  11. I also like jasmine tea. And keemun. And lapsang suchong, when I'm in the right mood, but it is rather bitter.
  12. Calling all vegan runners. The NURMI Study – Join us and take part in our running study! The NURMI-Study (NURMI – Nutrition and Running high Mileage) is an international interdisciplinary comparative study of running, the aim of which is to create a broad body of scientific evidence of the exercise performance of omnivores compared with vegetarian and vegan runners. A large number of participants is needed in order to provide well-founded evidence. Therefore we are inviting all runners (any distance and any level of performance) to take part in probably the most important study of running so that together we can really achieve something. http://www.nurmi-study.com/en/
  13. Tea is a wonderful drink. As you said, it is full of anti-oxidants. It is also good for the teeth and gums by reducing the damage done by certain bacteria and by helping the teeth to remineralise after meals and to resist erosion. This remineralisation is due to the fluoride. Black tea can stain the teeth but I would rather have stained healthy teeth than white unhealthy teeth. Green tea seems to have more teeth and gum protective properties than black tea and is not so likely to cause staining. Having said that, I drink mostly Earl Grey tea - about 12 half-pint cups a day with soya milk.
  14. Good site to show that vegans are completely normal and come in all shapes and sizes. One of the photographs is misleading, though, as it shows a young girl wearing a shirt which claims that she is what a vegan looks like. I don't look like her.
  15. You can do single-arm and single-leg exercises. Not many people can do a single-arm press up (push up) with the working arm pressed against the ribs. Many people wouldn't be able to do one with the elbow stuck out to the side. Not many people could do a single-arm pull up. Then there are single-arm partial dips. Single-arm wheel roll outs. Single-arm handstands with a partial press up. Single-arm pull to front lever. Single-leg squat ending with a jump on to a raised surface. Single-arm inverted rows.
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