Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Keep up the great work Andrea, fantastic dedication.

_________________
Lifts:
250 Bench
445 Deadlift
335 Squat

Thank you so much Zack! Your support is much appreciated!!!

So today I ate just ok. A protein shake in the morning, a fruit smoothie at night, but during the day I didn't prepare food so just had a couple clif bars which have a lot of sugar in them. i'm happy I didn't binge on garbage, there was definitely some self-control but not very nutritional. but all vegan. As for exercise, I opted to get other stuff done, hmm I shouldn't let that happen again. I'll try to make workouts happen first thing.

I wasn't as sore as I hoped I would be from climbing, but i definitely feel my lats and triceps!

I just ordered a bunch of stuff from the internet, more protein powder, extend (watermelon), clif builder bars and a free gift, a dvd with demos for legs and shoulders. I hope I get the stuff before I go backpacking.

Also this week I need to experiment with vegan backpacking meals. Some ideas...black bean hummous, chili, curried chickpeas or lentils, black bean soup, miso soup, ramen noodles, split pea dahl, oatmeal with raisins mixed with protein powder, couscous with veggie broth and lentils. I have to figure out how to prepare lentils so that I don't have to cook them that long....Don't know what to do about veggies yet...

Today is starting out as a challenge. There are bags of chocolate bars, a tray of delicious cinnamon rolls, and an apple pie sitting in the kitchen. I just ate a yummy chickpea dish, with chili, cayenne, garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, onion, ginger, and veggies. So good but I want to top it off with a dessert, perhaps I'll have a strawberry...

So happy that I managed to squeeze in a late workout yesterday. At 10:30 I walked the half hour to late night gym with a heavy pack on. A friend joined me for the walk then decided to try to get in the gym, she did and with jeans on and a nice top worked out with me. I did a similar workout to the last time just cause I didn't bring my workout sheets and didn't remember what else to do.

Front Raises 12lb x 12 x 3 (tried 15 could only do 3)
Walking lunges 15lb each hand x 40 steps x 2, then 20 steps x1
Bent arm raises 12lb x 12 x 3 (difficult near the end)
Deep Squats light weight 15lb x 12 x 3
bicep curls 12lb x 12 x 3
deadlifts 12lb each hand x 12 x 3

cardio: weighted back 30min walk there and back

Eating was alright, I gave into my cravings just a little, half a cinnamon roll. Wonder if I craved so strongly cause I didn't eat enough yesterday? Then had a street veggie dog with bun...but I don't feel as though I failed and plan to stick to healthy eating today.

I think I'm finally developing delts!!! I think I see them, kayaking and climbing help, now I love working them. I hate doing biceps though cause they hurt same with calfs, I got to get on them.

congratulations on your delts. Love reading your journal

_________________
If I am "the man", then where is "the woman"?

Really?! Thanks pazios! I haven't forgotten that I owe you photos.

I finally did something different at the gym and found out that my biceps, quads, pecs and triceps are so out of shape.

Cardio: 1h walk with heavy pack to and from gym

Single Leg Press: don't know what to do with my other leg. It's one foot plate...so the resting leg sort of hovered but it may have helped...i couldn't tell
90lb x 15 x 1 each leg
45lb x 20 x 1 each leg
135lb x 12 x 1 both legs (up it next time)
Leg extension: so weak, especially my right leg! 20lb x 15 x 3
Push ups 10 x 3 (aim for 12 next time)
Standing Calf Raises 60lb x 12 x 3
Dips 12 x 1 wrists hurt so I stopped
Chest Press Machine 30lb x 12 x 3
Tricep Pull down 20lb x 12 x 1, 20lb x 6 x 1-15lb x 6 x 1, 15lb x 6 x 1

So not too impressed but I'll target these muscles more.
Eating not very nutritious, still vegan but too many soy lattes and sugary clif bars.

good work... but I can tell your not doing the One Leg Leg Press the way I'd like to see you do it because of how heavy you have the weights... or maybe your not using the right machine for it., because if you can get above 50 lbs on 1 leg, that is phenomenol, unless you are counting in the existing weight of the bar.

It should be this one:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Qua ... Press.html

When you are doing it 1 leg at a time, your other leg should be resting on the floor. It should take everything you've got to push that leg up and the working leg should be SHAKING.

As far as the ongoing sugar cravings... when you take ALL or nearly all of the sugars and refined and processed foods out of your diet, your cravings will subside. If your cravings are still going crazy everyday, send me an email so I can up your calories. I am suspecting I need to do that anyways because of the intense cardio you are doing (weighted backpack for an hour). If we add in some scheduled extra calories, you may find these cravings easier to control

Keep up the great work.

_________________
http://www.veganpersonaltraining.com;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

andrea wote:


Neither have I

_________________
If I am "the man", then where is "the woman"?

Thanks VP, before we even think about upping calories, I've got to actually follow the plan. I don't eat at regular intervals and I often run out the door without eating cause I'm running late. Plus I have a huge spanish article to prepare, an exam to study for and a debate to prepare for so I tend to go to coffee shops to work and I then hear myself placing an order before I can stop myself.

I need to get my act together, then I'm sure things will be fine. As for the leg press machine, the machine is exactly the same, perhaps the resting leg helped. I'll try it again next time. I'm secretly hoping I have phenomenally strong legs though.

Cardio: only 1h kayaking cause of a (really cool) lightning storm.

I'll be meeting my first VBB member soon! How fun! Lena's coming to Toronto in just over a week.

Yay!!! It's so close now! We're having some vegan fun soon!!!

Back from the backpacking trip. there were sssoooooooooo many bugs, we got bit everywhere. We knew going into this that it was bug season but man they do not lay off. The hiking was very difficult but I feel so much stronger. The last night was a bit freaky, things are so much scarier at night I find, my friend Stace heard footsteps in the bushes beside her tent and started yelling and made noises to scare it away. My initial thought was that she was having delusions cause she got hit on the head by a rock the day before. But then I heard a loud thump in the bushes very close by. We thought bear or moose...we were careful to hang our food away from the tent so we didn't attract a bear but I thought perhaps one found us and wanted to check us out. In any case Stace started yelling again saying something brushed the end of her tent. She didn't have the fly on but couldn't see. We all yelled and it sounded like it went away. Then we heard loud thumping noises on the water and we eventually realized it must be a beaver.. but why would a beaver sound like it's making footsteps? Anyway the rest of the night was uneventful. Leaving now for Quebec for more outdoor fun, but I kinda just want to hang out at a coffee shop and read the paper and relax with a yummy soy toffeenut latte.

I ate very well on the trip though. The four of us ate vegan even though I was the only vegan, one was veggie . We had a delicious just add water hummous with naan. I brought a bunch of bars from the health food store. I made oatmeal with cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar once. One of the others dehydrated tofu, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and peppers with turmeric, mustard and chili, then she wrapped it in whole wheat flat bread. Soo yummy and so vegan. There wasn't a lot of time for cooking dinner. The first night we had pasta with spaghetti sauce with TVP. One backpacker was going to make Pad Thai and I was set to make an Indian tofu curry, I brought garam masala spice mix and coconut milk (coconut milk seems Thai though but I was going to through it in anyway) but we were hiking late and then too exhausted. Another meal we were going to have were fajitas, with refried beans, salsa, lettuce (keeps well, so do snowpeas and carrots, avocado,onions and garlic). No shortage of great vegan backpacking foods. I also found just add water black bean mix, and powdered coconut milk.

I'm back and ready to work out. My legs look like I've been beaten up with burns, bruises, scrapes, and bites all over. I'll hit the gym if I can walk in running shoes without too much pain. Bought a very expensive but very flattering pair of shorts yesterday but it was on a gift card and nothing is cheap at Lululemon. I've lost weight this past week for sure, and it's at the point where everyone notices. I can wear my smaller clothing again without pouring out. So as to not lose the momentum I'll work out now! GO!!!! I'm trying to go! I will go!!! And will report back later with success.

Glad you had a fun backpacking trip!

Way to go!!!! Keep up the great work!

And now that the backpacking trip is behind you, can I assume the eating will be closer to the plan I laid out for you? (she says with a smirk).

_________________
http://www.veganpersonaltraining.com;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You know what I keep saying to myself VP? Before I can start the program I need to get myself organized. It seemed a legit reason earlier but I always use it and I realize it's procrastination in disguise. How sneaky!

I had a very fun evening with Lena! I knew from her blogs that she's super intelligent but meeting her in person revealed many more sides of her. She's artsy, super sporty, a brain, into science and physics, multilingual, good at math and business, martial arts and is a dancer, dancing since the age of 5 in many different styles, like a renaissance woman.

I picked her up from her hotel, went to my place to find running shoes. Then hit the gym. Working out with Lena made me realize what a slacker I was, she's totally hardcore and focused. We did a circuit sort of workout to keep heart rate up and still hit entire body. We took photos for fun. We then rewarded ourselves with a vegan feast at Fresh. Apparently Lena is just as hardcore with the amount of food she eats, we pigged out. SO FUN! I had a wheatgrass/peppermint smoothie, she had guarana and acai smoothie, then she had sweet potato soup. then we had our yummy entrees, then dessert, me a chocolate cake her an apple pie.

Tomorrow we're biking, playing squash, working out, and kayaking.

WOW that's going to be quite a day, right up my alley. You know how to live AndreaFrancis! I love all of those sports and training as well... of course. Have a blast and send my love out to renaissance woman for me

_________________
Where do you get your protein?
http://www.VeganProteins.com