Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Good improvements on some stuff Daywalker. How is your bodyweight these days? Much change?

Good luck with the coming routine,

Buzz

Thanks for the feedback mate

My bodyweight didn't budge (still 82.5kg)
Well, at least i managed not to LOSE weight!

My next routine is like this:

Monday:
Bench press
Chin ups
Dumbell press
Barbell row
Calves in leg press

Tuesday:
Deadlift
Front squats
Upright row
Barbell curls
Kickbacks
Abs

Thursday:
Dumbell incline bench press
Pull ups
Dips
Dumbell row (probably not for long - the dumbells here are not heavy enough but i love the execise!)
Calves in standing calves machine

Friday:
Cleans
Squats
Leg curls
Close grip bench
Dumbell curls on incline bench
Crunches


I think this will work for some time. I'll probably change it in 4-6 weeks again.

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No one said it would be easy.

Did the above for three weeks. Felt great, but now i need to work on my strength for the Edinburgh meeting - i will do a modified HST routine for the next three weeks, with only these exercises:

- Cleans
- Squats
- Bench press
- Deadlift
- Military press
- Pullups

3-4 sessions per week, with steadily increasing weights and decreasing reps.

Many of my beloved exercises didn't make it into this program
But i just have to get a bit of my strength back before i make myself ridiculous...

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No one said it would be easy.

The routine mentioned above didn't really work very well. I did neither gain nor lose strength. Don't remember that well, it's some time ago, and i don't have my log at hand...


Well, for the past 4 weeks i did a more traditional volume split. The intention was to gain mass and strength (as always), with the focus on mass.
Training each bodypart only once per week should ensure that the muscles and esp. joints have a break to recover from the HST like training, while gaining weight should be easier because i burn less calories. Of course, it's suboptimal for building strength and staying lean.

I also worked on my squatting technique. I was content before the Edinburgh strength gathering, but now i want to go deeper down, so i primarily worked on that instead of increasing the weights.

WORKOUT:

Monday: Pull.
Back exercises, 4 exercises, 3-5 sets each, rep range of 4-12. One biceps exercise, 2 sets.

Wednesday: Push.
4 exercises out of the following: Dumbell bench press, close grip bench press, dips, military press, dumbell press seated, bench press. Triceps isolation work with dumbell, 1-2 sets.

Friday: Lift.
Deadlift, squats, front squats, straight leg deadlift in varying order and number of sets.

Calves and abs each workout, though i often skipped abs when i was in a hurry

GOALS:
1. Increase bodyweight.
2. Gain strength.
3. Increase squat depth.
4. Rest joints.
5. Get used to high volume training again.

RESULTS:
1. Gained ~2 pounds Not much, but okay for a hardgainer like me. I have always difficulties gaining at all, and the past months i've been working overtime. I guess the gains were mostly fat, though
2. Hm, a little. The best increases were on the lifting day, DL and squat improved. Push and pull stayed the same, maybe a small increase.
3. That worked astoundingly well After only one session my squat was much stronger.
4. Yes, that worked, too
5. Yup

So, only thing that didn't work so well was the overall strength and weight gain. But i already have a new plan
Being rested without having lost strength, i now will pursue a HST style routine again. This burns much more calories, but now i have 2 pounds of energy storage And it's effective in muscle building.

So, my new routine will include lifting 4-5 days a week, at least 4 days per week whole body workout. Compound moves as always.
Only difference to classic HST will be that i will skip the deconditioning and cut the program down to 5 weeks - i have no time before i come to the US
Maybe i'll design two different schedules to alternate, so that i can fit more exercises in... hm...

I'll be back to report in a month

_________________
No one said it would be easy.

How many times a day do you eat? I was a hard gainer for most of my life and found that if I go against the usual advice of eating several small meals and just eat 2 or 3 very large meals I had a much easier time gaining mass. Perhaps this would work for you as well.

Just a thought.

Regards,

Sensless

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I'm no expert, I just like to train.

I talked about this eating pattern (2-3 big meals a day) to daywalker on our meeting in Bonn. Stephen Arlin promotes eating this way in "Raw Power". I think it works very good for gaining mass and therefor power but for a bodybuilder it seems to stimulate the accretion of fat deposits (take a look at Arlin and you know what I mean ).

_________________

http://www.david-schulz.com
Life Science
Got Milk?

Yes it can do that, but if a person is in a bulking phase some fat gain is an acceptable "loss". Some people like to remain extremely lean while trying to add mass and that is a difficult path to take. I used to do that and I'd have a hard time gaining 5 or 6 pounds in a year. Now I can slap 25lbs on in 6 months with about 15lb of it being muscle. I can drop the excess blubber I gained while keeping the muscle by going back to several meals and doing some minimal cardio/aerobic work. It is much easier than the old methods I had tried in the past.

Regards,

sensless

_________________
I'm no expert, I just like to train.

I agree to you that this method can work very well. And especially Daywalker should give it a try because he really seems to be a hardgainer at the moment...

_________________

http://www.david-schulz.com
Life Science
Got Milk?

Thanks Sensless for your thoughts

I try to eat as often as possible. I think it's the healthier way. I agree that eating less often results in weight gain, but i can see no reason why it should result in muscle gain. Moreover, i think smaller meals are much healthier.

This is my new routine, started monday 10 days ago:

1. Barbell press (strict)
2. Squat
3. Pullups
4. Dips
5. Barbell row
6. Close grip bench press
7. Deadlift
8. Calves on the leg press

I did this routine 9 times in the past 11 days, and yesterday i did a different whole body workout instead, so only last saturday i didn't lift at all.
I started with moderate/easy weights and slowly increased weights and/or reps. The idea is to get used to a movement and weight and steadily progress. Of course, you have to stay away from failure. I noticed i adapt better at exercises that felt easy than on those where i did heavy sets. It works pretty well so far, but i'm impatient and want to get to decent weights before i fly to the US in 3 weeks

Summary so far:

1. Barbell press:
My weakest muscles are my shoulders in pressing movements. I'm searching for a way to get stronger in this. I started with 40kg for 3x5 reps, which is easy even for me The next day, 3x6, then 3x7. Then 42.5kg 3x5, next day 3x6, and so on. Today i did 47.5 3x5 and it was very easy, easier than the 42.5 back then! It seems it's working. Well, i won't be able to tell until i'm in the 52.5kg region, because i was able to do that weight for 3x5 before i started this routine

2. Squat
Started with 100kg 2x10. Did this 3 days in a row and increased to 105. At reaching 110kg, i dropped reps to 2x8, and added a third set of 2 / 4 reps. Today i did 115kg 2x8. Sounds light, and it is, but try squatting everyday for a few weeks Plus i changed my form, i go down deeper now and have a narrower stance than before.

3. Pullups
Started with no weight in the first week, with 10+8 reps. Today i did 8,7,7 reps with 10kh attached to me. Still light.

4. Dips
Started with 2x20 reps, today i did 12, 10 reps with 20kg attached. Still light.

5. Barbell row
Started with 60kg 2x15. Was out of breath the first day but the weight was light. Today i increased from 70 to 75kg and did 15, 12 reps. Esay

6. Close grip bench press
Started wit 50kg for 12, 12 reps. Today i did 65kg for 10, 8 reps. Starting to get heavy.

7. Deadlift
Started with 120kg for 2x8 reps, today i did 135kg for 2x8. I hate deadlift with more than 2 reps It's still light though.

8. Calves on the leg press
In this exercise i do sets to failure and use intensity techniques, like partial reps, loaded stretching, rest-pause sets. I think calves need that Plus i never get muscle soreness the day after, so it can't be much too much

Okay, that was the short round up so far.

My goals are 55kg 3x5 in the press, 135kg 2x8 in the squat, 25kg 2x8 pullups, 35kg 2x8 dips, 95kg 2x8 rows, 75kg 2x6 cgbp, 155kg 2x5 deadlift, while still being far from failure and able to do this everyday
(I know i can do much more in a single set to failure). Oh, and i want to (i mean i will) reach this in 18 days

Peace,
Daywalker

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No one said it would be easy.

Good to see an update in your log Looks like it's going pretty well. Keep up the training and the eating man

Sounds good!
I will have a look at your progress next week...

_________________

http://www.david-schulz.com
Life Science
Got Milk?

Hey Daywalker.

Good luck with this programme!

Howdy Flanders! I hope that everything's going well, that you're in the zone, your rhythm : )

On the subject of how many meals to eat per day, I'm with Daywalker: I find it best to distribute the calories I take in throughout the day.

But if your daily rhythm/routine only allows for three main eating times then that's cool.

I'm just trying to eat as much as possible. It's all about eating training! I guess if you gradually increase the amount of calories you take in in one sitting, your body will adapt.

So far today I've had 6 meals, and I'm now munching my way through a big bag of delicious Studentenfutter (500g). (There's a really good "health food store" round the corner: Paris is better than I thought!

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http://jamesbakermusic.wordpress.com/gallery/
http://www.youtube.com/jamesbakerschool

Great stuff Daywalker!!!!!

YOU ARE A SUPERMAN!!!!!!!!!!

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FRUITARIAN FITNESS
The Fruitarian Lifestyle & Fitness Coach
www.fruitarianfitness.com

I'm in El Paso! Approaching the VBB vacation next week...

Doing fun lifting the past days

Friday i was still suffering from jetlag, but i tried to lift a little anyway (it"s always good to have an excuse ready ).

Don't remember exact numbers, but it was like:
Cleans (and a push press) a single with approx. 190lbs.
Front squats, 2 sets with 12 reps, 135 and 155lbs.
SLDLs, 2 sets with 275.
Barbell rows, 2 sets, 12x185 and 10x205lbs.
Dumbell incline bench.
Disco curls on incline bench.
Calves and abs.

Today:
Squat: after warm-up, a single with 300lbs; then 320, but not quite deep enough, three reps therefore
Bench: didn't bench for two months, and felt it today. A few singles building up to 235lbs
Deadlift: A single with 365lbs, then 8x315.
Some lat pulls, hardcore-disco dumbell curls, calves.

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No one said it would be easy.

So what do ya think of the desert? Any plans for a sidetrip into Juarez?