Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Like this

http://musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp

I met with a Personal Trainer last night because I really wanted to find out where I am. He measured my bf%. last June when I did it myself I was at approx 26% (if I did it right) last night when he did it I was at 21.4%. not too bad... but not where I want to be. I talked with him about getting some help to reach my goals and he seemed fine working with my being vegan as long as I "eat protein". He said he has worked with vegans in the past but that they wouldn't eat the amounts of protein he said they should to reach the goals they wanted.
I'll have to see what his nutrition ideas look like so I can get some help with the substitutions.

I haven't been to the gym in way too long! on top of massive amounts of homework and a bad cold. My physical therapist thinks my shoulder issue might actually be a rotator issue. I think I might need to hold off on the personal training.
I'm trying not to get frustrated with myself, but I can see a loss in my previous gains (obviously )
this semester is screwing me! my hours are so messed up i'm finding it really hard to get my PT appt's in on top of homework and still have time for the gym.

At least i'm dancing 5 days a week, better than nothing. Once I figure out the arm issue it's truly on like donkey kong

Blah Blah Blah!! I have been doing cardio a lot. Dance 5 days a week plus cardio at the gym (on most days). still in Physical Therapy with not much change in the swelling and pain in my shoulder. My therapist and I think I should see a different doctor, so tomorrow I have an appointment with another doctor. Hope I can figure out what is wrong, I am seriously getting frustrated not being able to life weights, I feel like I'm doing nothing more but maintaining(somewhat) what I gained.


another note, learning Spanish is freaking hard!!!

Went to the new doctor today, he wants me to have an MRI to see if I have a herniated disc in my neck...awesome.... he also told me he's certain I have rotator cuff tendinitis. Blah, at least this explains all the pain I have been in for the past 6 months!

Well you will know what you have. That is half the battle because they you can go and research what works. Tendonitis blows for sure, but if you have something where surgery is not an issue you are ahead of the game. It can take years to come back from a shoulder operation.

Had to MRI yesterday, just waiting for the doctor to review it and I can get the healing process going. in the meantime both my doctor and physical therapist said I can get back to weights as long as I do what we've discussed and not do any type of shoulder press (not lifting above my head). I will post my actual work-out, it's basically M-W-F legs and abs and Tue-thur-sat. arms and abs. Cardio everyday.

there's hope!

Got the MRI results...no herniated discs thankfully!! I do have some reversal of some nonsense in my spine (I don't understand medical jargon) and minimal bulging of a disc (which I also have in my mid-to-lower back) Basically, It just comes down to Physical Therapy and coping with the pain I have from this and the rotator tendinitis. I am allowed to get back to weights (as long as I don't lift anything over my head for a while)


That all being said... I start Personal Training today and will probably start with my new diet plan on Monday ( I admit I will most likely eat everything in sight this weekend) He is able to work with me on the diet and I already blew his mind with tempeh (he had never heard of it) Once he gives me the plan I will most likely need input on how to "veganize" it
The trainer told me because I already have low body fat I will see "freakish results" ....AWESOME

I told him that one day he'll see me in Oxygen

I had a great workout last night...killed my legs, but it felt great! It was nice to learn that there is still more I can do to get over my hump and reach my "freakish results"
I hit a plateau when I was working out with my self and I am almost certain I was not consuming enough calories or the right ones.

I had my third session with my trainer tonight. INSANE!! The burn is unreal, I have actually never had that burn before. That being said, if I saw the results I saw doing the junk I was doing I am going to see some serious results We are going to bulk up and than cut down. I'm thinking I should aim for a competition of sorts. My goal is fitness modeling (hopefully Oxygen, how could would that be?!?!?!)


Also, I finished my Physical Therapy today. I am not seeing anymore progress there so I might try acupuncture. Has anyone tried this? what were the results?

I have all the exercises I need to keep the pain in my neck and shoulder at minimum, but I can get the knot in my neck neck/trap region to go away.

I had another session with my trainer today. I got a little frustrated because of my shoulder. The trainer is worried about doing anything that might further injure whatever is wrong with it. Which I understand, for some reason this just made me feel weak and made me feel like giving up! just when I thought I had my goal in sight. I think I might try to make another doctors appointment and see if I can't get an MRI of my shoulder to see what is going on in there. The trainer is thinking we might just train my lower body and rehab my upper body. Besides the shoulder, I realized that my forearms are insanely weak, so this is one exercise I will be working on!


inspirational quote of the day:

Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter.
-- Dan Reeves

Your trainer should have been doing something else and rehabbing your shoulder as soon as they knew about it..... IMO

This was only my third session with my trainer, and he is still trying to figure out where I am and what I can do. I doubt we'll be doing a lot of upper body work after he saw exactly how weak my left shoulder is.

just wanted to update everyone:

I am not going to the gym tonight, unfortunately I am sick! double ear and sinus infection, plus a fever! Sucky! couldn't come at a better time as usual. I was supposed to have an exam today and have plans all weekend. looks like plans have changed.

I have been working my butt off at the gym! I swear I can already see a difference (of course this could all be in my imagination..)
because of the shoulder issue I am just working on legs, which is fine since that is where I always had trouble getting results. I am sure i will see results now, when I was working by myself I never reached the point when I physically could not do another one. this is not a problem now, it seems to be the case every time I work out with my trainer.
I can't list what it is that we're doing. I have never actually seen or heard of half of the exercises we're doing and the ones that I have heard of are so modified that I wouldn't know what they're called.

I am also slowly educating the trainer on what vegans eat and what it's all about, he's starting to realize that it is possible to build muscle on a vegan diet (imagine that!)

in other news I am presenting in my drugs class on the subculture of bodybuilding, of course with the way I look when I'm sick I'll look like I'm on drugs!

I figured I should post some progress photos. I don't have any new one's...yet but I figured i'd post some before my shoulder injury and when I was taking some time off lifting. I will post some new ones once I hit a month of working out with my trainer.



Before the injury


and after (it's the only one I have that shows my body) :




once I get myself better from my ear infection I will start keeping a food log.