Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Leg day: didn't want to go to the gym, but I did of course.

Nobody hardly there, this is always nice for me (no waiting for equipment).
The big guy with the american flag pants talked to me today. Said I looked like I could bench press a car! I smiled and told him maybe a small car . Then he wrangled my neck just like the guys do to one another. I guess I'm getting to be in the big boys club. Later on, when he was on the seated leg curl, he proceeded to sing out load to his ipod and the lyrics of doing something to his dick during the flick came out and I just smiled. Yeah buddy, you said it out loud. I wonder if it was heavy metal or hip hop .

Leg Extension: 90/25warmups, 150/15, 180/11, 210/8+2 (8 strict form with 2 slightly less form, heck the last one was all face muscles!), and for fun I tried to do the whole stack 225/4!

Leg Curl: 90/25warmups, 150/12+3, 160/10+2, 170/8, and again for fun I tried the whole stack 200/4.

Leg Press: 450/12, 500/8+2(hands on the knees), and finally 540/6+2 (back to my 6 45's on each side! which I was doing during my omnivore days! ).

Leg Press Calf Raises:360/50 X 4 (hard to keep my knees from locking)

Seated Calf Raises: 90/25 X 4

Plie (Power) Squats (feet point straight out to the side and knees wide open like in a ballet plie) 90/25 X 4

Legs are killing me right now at around three hours later. I did good!

Weight was 177 (lost some because I don't feel like eating and am forgetting to eat when I am suppose to. Trying to write down what I am eating too and the time, but this is the second day of doing this and lost track in the afternoon).

Shoulder day: legs still feel full, but not sore. Still don't feel like eating, but I did get a Rice dream bar in yum!

Had only 45 minutes to do shoulders, so I put on the ipod, but Chicka still talked to me for about five minutes. I can't help but talk to Chicka, she is so cool. The trainer and his gang were back in the gym again. The new guy waved at me and I waved back, but didn't have time to explain the equipment to him like I did yesterday.

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 50/25warmups, 70/15, 90/10, 100/8, just to push it 110/4+2

Dumbbell laterals: 10/25warmups, 15/15, 20/15, 25/10, 30/8

Smith Press Military Press: 70/10+1, 75/10, and then quickly 50/to failure which was 10

Bent Over Cable Rear Delt Row (the other rear delt was being used for Pec Flyes by three guys so I opt for this one instead): 10/15warmups, 15/12, 20/8+2, 25/ 6

Front EZ barbell Laterals: Bar/15, 5/15, 10/12, at this point my wrist were hurting/actually the back of my hand on the pinky side smarted. Thought I'd try the EZ barbell just for fun. My wrists and back hand muscles were screaming and now three hours later hurt alot and look swollen already. New muscles are being made at least!

Shoulders don't feel fatigued like last time. I tried to lift just heavy today, and not alot of sets to fatigue the muscles. Next time I will have time to fatique the delts till they hurt.

Chest and Bicep Day: Went around the 5:00 time and it was of course busy at the gym. Shoulders hurt, and the hand (but it feels much better than last night. Trauma oil to the rescue again). Had a long nap (about one hour) this afternoon: recovery time.

Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 200/8+1, 220/6 (Goal next time is 8 on 220, trying to go for 270-three 45lb plates on each side)

Cybex Flyes: 70/15, 90/6+2 (Chest fatigue already!)

LifeFitness Chest Press (Dumbbell grip): 105/6+2 (Chest pumped enough)

Bicep Cable Barbell Curl: 60/25warmups, 80/15, 100/10, 110/8, and for fun 120/5 (150 is the whole stack-my goal!)

Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 20/15, 25/12, 30/8, and for fun 35/4 then 25/12 and 15/10 (failure)

The for fun sets did my biceps in for the day, so that was all. Not alot of sets today. More of an intensity of lifting heavy today. Just want to get in and rip some fibers in the chest and bicep area and leave. Weather was gray today and not a real motivation gimmick for me. More of a sleep day.

You are one strong machine mover for a girl

Of course, it's no real strength until you use free weights

Why don't you workout with free weights more often?
It would be better for your general strength as well as for your joints.
Just my 2 cents

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No one said it would be easy.

I just want to move the weight during my bulking stage. Get big as fast as possible by pushing the machines with as much poundages as I can handle. I leave the free weights for shaping, and getting the secondary muscles in shape, during my cutting phase.

I am not so into strength. I just want the looks. I've hurt myself in the past (shoulder injury left me out for three months) and so I am real careful. I just want to get my main muscles big first, and then in January it is time for free weights and cardio ( yuck!).

No offense mate, but you really need to ditch the machines and move onto free weights. Seriously!

There is not more effective way of building muscle and strength than basing your routine around good compound lifts like:

Squats
Deadlift
Bench
Powercleans
Push press
Bent over rows
Narrow grip bench
Snatches
Good mornings
And various other free weight exercises


You just won't progress as quickly using machines, and you leave yourself open to injury as all the lifts you are doing are on machines with 1 plane of motion. Using free weights means that the weight has to be stabilised, building the secondry muscles far more effectively.

As I said, with free weights and decent technique, you have a lower chance of injuring yourself. You cannot 'shape' muscles - this is a bodybuilding myth. They grow according to your genetic blueprint.

I wish you all the best of luck with your training, but I seriously hope that you radically change it.

Jonathan

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Squat
Press
Eat
Repeat

Today is an off day. Time to repair. My shoulders still smart (especially when I go to lie down on my side to sleep and they remind me that they still hurt). I looked at my back today and saw that between my shoulder blades looks littler than the rest. Have to hold my arms up higher on a back row.

I'll do free weights come January. I know I am getting max size on the main muscle groups from how sore I am, and the intensity that I work at. And my genetics is very good for building muscles. Sometimes too much (like my glutes and stomache. I don't work them till the end of cutting season for definition). Besides I am just a girlie girl and I don't know what to do with those big free weights.

Don't play the girlie girl card with me - my wife has trained for two years now with just free weights!!

Soreness is not really something to aim for - it doesn't mean that you are building muscle, only that you are not used to the exercise. The best judge of progress is a consistant increase in the amount of weight lifted.

Jonathan

_________________
Squat
Press
Eat
Repeat

There are also a number of women on this board and another one that Jonathan and I frequent who do free weights. (I am one of those.) I agree that free weights rock. I personally think they are much more fun than machines in addition to the other points others have raised. You have done both, yes? Do you like the machines better? What do you do when you do free weights?

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My 2012 Training Log

Thank you for all your advice Jonathan, I will take it under consideration. FormicaLinoleum, I do free weights, but not at the moment. I am having fun just moving weights with the machines as my guides. I want to just move the main muscle and not worry about all the secondary muscles for stability. That will come later when I begin to sculpt my body into what I want. Then I will do the dumbell incline flyes (my last weight for that was 45's for eight) and deadlifts (can't remember what the weight was for that, but I can remember how I wanted to puke afterwards(have to remember not to eat to soon before I work out)).

Back and Tricep day: went early at 12 noon to 1 pm. Saw my old buddy that does all the mountain biking and snowmobiling in the winter. Said he was going to go to the Rockies and try extreme mountain snowmobiling this Christmas. How cool is that!


Hammer Strength Back Row: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 230/8, tried 250/only 4

Cable Pulldown: 110/15, 130/10, increasing to 140/6+2

Cybex Back Row (pull back to mid back/between shoulder blades to get the lower traps more fuller) 125/12, 137.5/10, 150/8

Cybex Chin-Up: 14/8, too fatigued at this point in the lats.

Hyperextensions: 35lb plate/20 X 4

Shrug Machine: 230/20 X 4

V-bar cable Pushdown: 60/15, 70/10, 8/6

V-bar Cable Overhead Extension: 50/15, 60/10, 70/8

Bench dips: Bodyweight/ 25 X 4

Body is fatigued pretty well. I haven't been taking my protein shakes today since I ran out and my mail order stuff should be here tommorrow. It is a fact for me that I need to have my protein/green superfood shakes to keep me feeling better.

Leg Day again. Since it is Saturday, I went around noon today, and hardly anybody was there again. In fact, nobody was doing legs today! I mixed it up today by starting with the leg press, and then went to the leg ext and leg curl.

Leg Press: 360/15warmups, 450/15, 540/8 (complete! no hand help! thought I'd see how much heavier I could go), 580/ 4+4 (the extra 2 tens on each side hurt the outside of my quads, but with my hands on the outside of my knees I pushed out the extra 4, barely . Could I possibly get to 7 45's on each side by the end of December? maybe for only 4 reps)

Leg Press Calves: 360/50 X 4 (went slowly for the first 25, then whipped out the last 25)


Leg Extension: no warmups, 180/15, 210/10, 225/still at 5

Leg Curl: 150/15, 170/8, 200/4+2 (had a little left in me so I did 2 more with less than strict form, but the grunt was in strict form )

No Plie (Power) Squats today. Outside quads hurt too much and don't need to be further worked to shreds/I pushed it in the leg press today and that's enough for me.

Shoulder Day today and it is a cold day, down below 30 all day. Went to yoga first and I am amazed at how tight I am getting to be. Need to do more of it at home to loosen up my joints (anytime I can't get my hands over my head and bring my palms together easily means I am getting tight in the shoulder girdle).

Mixed up the order from last time.

Smith Press Military Press (I lean back a little in the chair/it is on the second to last hole/emphasizes the front delt): 50/15warmups, 60/15, 70/10, 80/8

Icarian Rear Delts: 40/25warmups, 50/15,60/10,70/6+2

Cable Laterals: 15/15, 20/13, 25/8

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 90/10, 100/8

Straight Barbell Front Delt Raises: 30/15, 40/10, 50/8

Icarian Shoulder Press (Dumbbell Grip): 60/15, 70/12, 80/8

Shoulders are done and throbbing. I want to do Upright rows again. Should I do them when I do Back? or when I do Shoulders? maybe Back cause by the time shoulders are done doing all the above they are pretty well wiped out. With my Back workout, I might be able to lift heavier.

Rest Day. I took a nap for about two hours today (though I did get up at 5:30 a.m. this morning). I feel sore, big/fat, and grouchy today. Battle of the hormones probably. That and winter has settled in Michigan for good, with a high of 23 degree F today and horizontal snow. I also do not want to eat! I am forcing myself to even eat a bagel and like Jonathan I am just drinking my shakes for the protein and what carbs they give me. Low day for me.

Chest and Bicep day: Still sleepy today. Drank some green tea before heading for the gym, so I had a little energy to get me going.

Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 200/10, 230/5 (one more than last time)

Cybex Flyes: 80/15, 90/8, tried the 100/5+1(leaning forward on this one)

Incline Smith Press (#3 on the bench): 80/15, 90/solid 8!

LifeFitness Chest Press (dumbbell grip): 105/11(tried real hard to get 12 ), 120/6+2 (upped it up a notch!)

Cable Flyes: 50/just 8 and my chest was done (I could only do 8 pushups, that's enough for me!)

EZ barbell Bicep Curl: 20/15warmups, 30/10

Dumbbell Hammer Curl: 25/15, 30/8+2, 35/4(a little too hard to get up in strict form)

Cable Curl: 110/8, 120/6

Overhead Cable Curl: 5/10, 4/10, 3/10 decreasing weight set/rep of 10

Day is done.

Back and Tricep day: I had to go around 6 pm and the gym was full.

Hammer Strength Back Row: 90/25warmups, 180/15, 220/10, and 250/8

Cable Pulldown: 110/15, 130/10, and could not do the 140 today, pushed to hard on the 130 (maybe if I rested longer but I wasn't feeling the strength in my lats anymore)

Hyperextensions: 35/20 X 4

Shrugs: 250 (some guy had on 35s instead of 25's over the two 90s, and instead of taking them off I just jumped in with him)/20 X 4

Cybex Back Row: 125/12, 137.5/10, 150/8

Cybex Pull-Up: 14/solid 8 but no more. My back was a mass of hurt

Biked for 10minutes and rubbed my back on the seat to try and ease the tightness out of it, and then on to triceps

Cable V-bar Pushdown: 60/15, 70/10, and 8/4+2 (struggling with this)
(Extra fun I did Cable Rope Pushdowns: 60/15, 50/10, 40/10 at failure)
Cable V-bar Overhead: 50/15, 60/8, 70/8

Bench dips: Bodyweight (180)/25 X 4

Didn't feel well after today. May have been too much after pushing hard at yesterday's upper body workout of chest and biceps (brachilias hurts again today). That or I am going to have a nasty PMS this time. Emotions are all over the place, so it is probably going to be a painful weekend all around. Cramp bark tea helped last time (I went and bought myself a pound of the stuff, so maybe I will be OK).