ZachEVOLUTION

Oh yeah, Ive heard of that guy! I actually invested in one of of the weight lifting products he promotes. "The Burn Machine Speedbag" .

I was pretty sure that what Im already doing would have been fairly successful. (dips, hanging rows, pullups, bicycle pullups, oblique raises, benchpress, situps, reverse crunches, inchworms) These are my main exercises. There are limited options for me due to my being in a wheelchair. No, Im not paralyzed. I can stand..but not very well. Certainly not well enough to complete anything that requires a standing position. Im not sure if knowing this changes any advice anyone has...but I figure it's probably an important factor and not something I should leave out.

You're right about the break up of muscle groups. I'll give that a try. Thanks =]

Okay. My question is: how much time should I be taking off between workouts? Is there something else I'm missing? I'm a very small guy and am becoming increasingly frustrated with my lack of size/muscle/weight gain. Right now I stand at 5'1 and I weigh 94.5 pounds. I bench press 50 lbs and complete situps with 60lbs of weight on my chest. I also use a dip station and pull up bar. I train normally every second day with a rest day in between. In spite of this I am still TINY and SCRAWNY with minimal muscle tone. My diet is mainly whole food based...along with lots of beans, lentils, quinoa, and steel cut oats, as well as healthy fats each day from various foods such as cold-pressed oils, avocados, and nut butters. I also use Vega Sport PW protein on training days (2 scoops), and Vega One (one scoop) on rest days. Any advice would be considered valuable and very much appreciated!

I wouldn't, Pure curiosity got the best of me I suppose.

Hey guys, I wasn't quite sure where to post this so I figured right here will do. My question is, can you keep Vega in the freezer? Strange one, I know...but my girlfriend brought up the idea and now Im curious...

Fridge/Freezer Veggies:Broccoli, spinach, kale, carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, red onion, zucchini Fruit:Apples, Pears, Bananas, Blueberries, Frozen fruit for green smoothies Nut butters: Raw Cashew butter, Organic PB Almond Milk Pantry/Cupboards Flax seed, dried fruits,almonds, cashews, assorted seeds, vegan protein bars, steel cut oats, quinoa, beans/lentil aplenty, cold-pressed organic olive oil, "Vega sport recovery" (for post-workout) and "Vega One" (for rest days.)

Thanks man :]

Right now, as a post-workout supplement Im using Vega Sport Recovery performance protein and it's great. Ive decided though, to aid my body in bulking, I would like to have a secondary supplement for my rest days as well. Hemp protein? Pea protein? I have no idea which direction to go in. Those are just a few examples of options i know are available to me. I do plan on doing my own research and such...Im just looking for a few opinions =] What do you use as a 'rest day' boost?

I always work out within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning so the first thing I take in (other than plenty of fresh water) is a scoop of Vega Sport PW recovery just mixed with...(you guessed it)..more water! ...then I shower...and then I eat... and it always seems to be either steel cut oatmeal with 1 tsp raw cashew butter, 1 tbs of ground flax seed, and fruit (either a chopped up apple or pear, or blueberries) OR Lentils or tofu, with quinoa and plenty of vegetables.

I drink this stuff after every workout about a half hour before my PW meal. Delicious!

Lately in order to help myself get enough calories every day Ive been basically eating dinner for breakfast. Moreso on days I work out (as my post workout meal: I do my training as soon as I wake up in the AM), but increasingly on my rest days as well. When I say "dinner for breakfast" I mean things like tofu/veggie stirfry w/ quinoa, paninis, large salads, beans/lentils w/ brown rice etc. What do you guys think about this? Pros/cons? Other ways to ensure an increased calorie intake?

Hey!!! Welcome =] -from Kamloops BC, Canada

Welcome! You're gonna shake us all up with new ideas and new ways of looking at things, I just know it. Navigating between closely packed weight machines and barbell racks in a wheelchair must be a creative workout in itself, for starters. Wheelchair afficionados have the best lookin' arms in the business. Wheelchair racing has come a long way with high-tech racing chairs and such. I love watching guys who can raise up the front wheels and balance just on the back ones, even turning the chair around like that. Like Cirque de Soleil on wheels. Scares the living crap out of me but I love it. Nah, you're not struggling at all--you're learning. Nobody hits the weights an expert, right out of the box. Every bodybuilder's got a long story about where they came from and what they went through to get where they are now. Most of us have plenty of tales of learning experiences along the way involving repetitive injuries that it takes some of us years to learn how to avoid, despite our genius. If you only blast your shoulder once, you're Einstein. If you blast it two or more times, you're normal. Robert's advice on seeking someone with a doctor badge is good advice. I can tell you that your symptoms don't fit simple DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), that wonderful ache you get a day or two after shredding. Right now, get an ice pack on the painful parts for twenty minute intervals and do as little with them as possible. If you go the drug route, Advil can be your best friend in an emergency. Since your main source of mobility is in peril, I'd call this an emergency, but you are in the driver's seat, you get to make the call. Meanwhile--and I know this sucks, big time--don't lift. At least not the throbbing parts. If they are strained or torn, working them will delay healing and might even cause them to heal improperly which will mess up your Amazing Guns Goal down the line. When you see a doc, ask him or her about getting a motorized chair for a short time to allow you to heal. Insurance should cover it, considering your situation. Can you maneuver yourself into lower body machines? If so, leg extensions, curls, and the seated abductor/adductor selections are awesome. You can also strap on weighted ankle cuffs and do extensions and ankle raises from your chair. There are padded cuffs that attach to the cables, too, but you'll have to work out the logistics of that one. You alone know how much you can balance and for how long. Pilates is another interesting idea, along with isometrics. I recommend surfing the web and finding wheelchair racing sites, they probably have a forum or articles on workouts and training schedules. Even if you don't race in the Olympics, you can still LOOK like you do! One thing I do for abductor/adductors (inside and outside of thigh) is to lay down on a mat, balance a weight plate on top of the muscle, and lift my leg. I balance a 25# plate on the outside of my thigh and raise my leg for abductor; a 10# weight on the inside of my ankle for adductors. Start with no weights at all and work your way up to twenty reps with full weights. Nice burn. Another interesting one that few people do but more people should is the front of their calves. All you have to do is get in a seated position on a bench or in a chair, balance a bar across the tops of your feet, and lift your feet from the ankles, keeping your heels on the ground. You'll feel it. Gives you a nice, muscley bulge at the front of your shins to balance out your calves and it prevents shin splints beautifully. Work out your core to the hilt, too. Get your abs, obliques, upper and lower back absolutely rock hard. Your core is your iron hinge, your flexible stabilization in the seat, and it will save your ass, literally and figuratively, when you get into the bigger weights, if you decide to race, when you do more walking, if you take a tumble out of the chair, etc. Meanwhile, consider that there is healing possible in every condition of the body. Most of the "miraculous" recoveries out there happened in spite of what physicians predicted, just do a little reading and you'll see. (I'm supposed to be dead now but I didn't listen.) You know more about you than any doc, you get to say what will happen and when. Just like working one arm positively affects the development of the other one, increasing the health of one system in the body sends a shockwave of relief to the rest of them. Stick to your guns (pun intended), surround yourself with people who think you are awesome, keep reading about possibilities, shred in the gym, and focus on the future. Laugh your ass off at least once a day. Have great sex. Eat delicious food. Stay tuned to this channel. Zach kicks ass! Baby Herc I really appreciate you taking your time to read what I had to say, Herc =] Thankyou.

Yes. Im one of those people. I CONSTANTLY get hungry around 10 pm and always end up giving in and snacking...and it usually ends up being something that I shouldn't be eating. Does anyone else here have this issue? Does anyone have any suggestions or healthy, practical snack ideas for me? Are there even ANY foods that can be eaten that late and won't foil my training?