Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Have you tried massage, chiropractic or acupuncture for your back? Take good care, we're rooting for you.

I was scared to open this thread for fear of you saying you hurt yourself again! Take it easy buddy!

kool 2 hear your back! sorry it isn't 100% yet but at least your getting back at it. I never liked mushroom before until I changed too. I actually I eat a lot more of veggies I wouldn't eat before. Mostly I think it is knowing how good they are for you compared to when I used to just eat crap because I liked that taste of junk. anyway good to have you back!

x1000

I used to HATE vegetables...people would make fun of me for being a vegetarian (at the time) who didn't eat vegetables. Now I love them and can't get enough. Probably about 75% of my weekly groceries is produce.

its funny i went vegetarian in high school but i was such a junk food vegetarian I ate pasta, pizza, bagels, cheese etc though college and then i started getting really sick. (i wonder why?) they caused me to do a lot of research to get healthier and i ended up going vegan and eating a lot better than I ever did before.

Thanks for the encouragement y'all.

@ John V - I considered seeing a chiro when it initially happened, but after I went to my doc's I just kinda let it slip my mind.

@ Mary & Lobster - Once I stopped eating carcasses, I found that I started eating a TON of cheese, and I had to cut back, because it was getting ridiculous. Also, Mary, I'm certain my form was bad when I was DL'ing when I got injured, but I don't know what I was doing wrong. Is it really possible to "forget" the correct form? I mean I used to do more with no problem. I've been trying the actual motion of the exercise but with no weight or anything, and it seems like when you look up while doing it your back stays straighter than if you are looking forward? I don't know. It's frustrating not knowing what you are doing differently than befoe to make something incorrect and dangerous.

03/04/2010
Workout:
I went about 10 lbs lighter on everything just to be safe, since it's been a few weeks.
Bench Press: 150 lbs, 5 sets of 5
Dumbell Flies: 2 x 30 lbs, 3 sets of 10
Assisted Dips: 80 lbs? Assistance, 5 sets of 5
Overhead Press: 85 lbs 4 sets of 5...The way this rack is situated is a pain in the ass. You're seated and the barbell sits above and behind you. But it's a little too far behind, so the lift off each time is really difficult. Apparently its a common complaint with people at this gym. I finished off the last set with 40 lb dumbells x5...It's great being able to do this with a barbell, but it seems like its more trouble than it's worth with the way it's set up.
Eliptical: Interval, 10 minutes (started getting a headache and was hungry...I'll get serious about cardio again soon, I hope )

Food:
bowl of Grape Nuts cereal with soymilk and a banana
1/2 a cran-orange bran muffin
2 more bananas
2 PB Cliffs bars
small navel orange
1 PB Cliffs Builder Bar
leftover jerk tempeh with roasted pineapple, brown rice, and green beans
a papaya (what color should the skin be when you eat these things? mine was green and the pulp didn't have much flavor)
soba noodles, steamed vegetables, tofu & black bean sauce

03/08/2010

An hour of Wing Chun tonight. Would have stayed for the second hour, but came home to have dinner instead.

Was going to go to the gym this afternoon, but was pretty beat from my shift. Plus my wife came home around lunch time, and we decided to nap instead of doing the things we were supposed to do


Food:
Cran-Orange bran muffin
peach soy yogurt
2 PB Cliff bars
an Amy's vegan shepherd's pie
blood orange
tempeh empanadas
soy chorizo burritos

03/09/2010

Workout:
Bench Press: 155 lbs, 5 sets of 5
Dumbell Flies: 35's, 3 sets of 10
Overhead Dumbell Press: 40's, 5 sets of 5
Assisted Dips: 70lbs? Assistance, 5 sets of 5
Eliptical: 15 minutes on Interval

Food:
4 PB Cliffs Bars
2 Navel Oranges
1 Blood Orange
3 Tempeh Empanadas
1 Nectarine
Gardein meat-free Sante Fe stuffed chicken breast
whole wheat spaghetti with marinara, boca crumbles and nutritional yeast
mixed baby greens with dried cranberries, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette

@ Mary & Lobster - Once I stopped eating carcasses, I found that I started eating a TON of cheese, and I had to cut back, because it was getting ridiculous. Also, Mary, I'm certain my form was bad when I was DL'ing when I got injured, but I don't know what I was doing wrong. Is it really possible to "forget" the correct form? I mean I used to do more with no problem. I've been trying the actual motion of the exercise but with no weight or anything, and it seems like when you look up while doing it your back stays straighter than if you are looking forward? I don't know. It's frustrating not knowing what you are doing differently than befoe to make something incorrect and dangerous.


The usualy mistake is losing the lumbar curve in the back and instead of lifting when your legs and glutes curving the back and using the back to lift the weight. And it is possible to forget form. I normally look at a point straight ahead, neutral. neither up nor down. I;ve got some videos of me deadlifting in my log is that helps you any. if you've got the ability to video somehow it helps you see what your actually doing. or have someone watch you that knows how to deadlift. How is the back feeling lately
?

@Mary - back only really bothers me now after standing around for extended periods of time...
I had to have curved it the wrong way, whichever direction that may have been. I know my form sucked, because when I initially injured it, I was very distracted. Someone was in my personal space and I wasn't focusing on what I was doing. When I re-injured it, I don't know...Form probably sucked again, but it also could have been that it was just too soon to try again. Unfortunately I don't have any way to take video. I work out by myself, so no one to help me out there.

03/11/2010
Workout: Tried to take it easy since I haven't done these exercises since before I hurt my back. That may have been a mistake, since everything was almost laughably easy.
Squats: 95 lbs, 2 sets of 5; 100 lbs, 3 sets of 5
Hypers: 3 sets of 10
Assisted Chin-ups: Assistance 80 lbs?, 5 sets of 5
Hanging Leg Lifts: 3 sets of 10
Barbell Curls: 65 lbs, 5 sets of 5
Rotary Calf: 210 lbs, 5 sets of 10 (This machine still seems pointless)

1 hour of Wing Chun class - footwork drills.

Food:
1 PB Cliffs Bar
bowl of Grape Nuts cereal with soy milk and banana
1 navel orange
Sandwich: 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 6 slices of Hickory smoked Tofurky, mixed baby greens, Tofutti sour cream, jalapeno hummus
1 PB Cliffs Builder bar
Shake: banana, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, scoop of soy protein powder, the remains (maybe a scoop and a half) of some Ultimate Meal powder, 1 tbsp of vegetarian omega oils, grape juice
Koka Moka Pro Bar
big bunch of white grapes
vegan quiche that my wife made - red chard, sundried tomatoes, onion, garlic, tofu, soy milk, crust...very good
canteloupe
Smart Ground vegan breakfast sausage

03/15/2010

Workout:
Felt kinda weak today. It showed in the numbers. Don't know what the problem was.
Bench Press: Warm up set 135 lb x 5, 160 lb x 5, 160 lb x 4, 155 lb x 4, 155 lb x 4, 135 lb x 7
Dumbell Flys: 40s 5 x 5
Overhead Dumbell Press: 45s x 5, 40s 4 x 5
Assisted Dips: Assistance 60 lb? 5 x 5
Eliptical: 20 min on interval

Food:
cup o soy peach yogurt
bowl of grape nuts with soymilk and banana
1 PB Cliffs Bar
navel orange
1 PB Cliffs Builder Bar
Shake: Orange juice, pineapple juice, frozen mango & pineapple chunks, about 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, some baby spinach, 1 tbsp vegetarian omega oils, 2 bananas
2 slices of pizza - whole wheat crust, homemade marinara, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, nutritional yeast
big bunch of white grapes
jerk tempeh with pineapple and brown rice
sauteed spinach and mushrooms
tofutti ice cream sandwhich

[quote="Rob PMFF"]@Mary - back only really bothers me now after standing around for extended periods of time...
I had to have curved it the wrong way, whichever direction that may have been. I know my form sucked, because when I initially injured it, I was very distracted. Someone was in my personal space and I wasn't focusing on what I was doing. When I re-injured it, I don't know...Form probably sucked again, but it also could have been that it was just too soon to try again. Unfortunately I don't have any way to take video. I work out by myself, so no one to help me out there.


good curve is the natural curve of the spine so chest open. bad curve in rolling the spine in the opposite direction so rolling the shoulders forward and curling the spine up. hope that helped?!?

03/16/2010
Did vehicle extrication training at the junk yard. Stabilizing vehicles and cutting up cars is a hell of a workout in itself

03/18/2010
Assisted Pull-ups: 5x5 at 60 lbs assistance
Hanging leg lifts: 3 x 10
Tried out the cable row machine, and felt a familiar pain in my back, just not nearly as bad as before. So I called it a day so as not to push my luck. Oh well. Ibuprofein and Ice for me.

sorry to hear the back is still an issue. I got "ART" - active release therapy done on mine and it healed in a few days. ICE is key!

I did a lot of ice this time, Mary, and I think it must have helped. It seemed to have recovered more quickly...not to 100% of course, but it also might have to do with the fact that it didn't hurt as bad this time when I "injured" it (a third time). I'll take icing more seriously from now on.

Also, explain Active Release therapy, if you don't mind.

03/23/2010

Workout:
Bench Press: Warm up set 135 lb x 5, 160 lb 2 x 5, 155 lb 2 x 5 & 1 x 4
Dumbell Flies: 40s 5 x 5
Dumbell Shrugs: 40s 3 x 10
Assisted Dips: 5 sets of 5 at 50 lbs Assistance
Eliptical: 15 minutes

Like I said, the back has still been bothering me, especially lifting patients, the stretcher, and carrying ladders at work, so I didn't want to do anything over my head (literally) today. So no overhead presses or anything like that.
Maybe I could have gotten that last rep on BP, but I felt like I started to arch my back some, and I didn't want to take any chances.

Food:
20 oz soy vanilla latte
Trader Joe's Super Crusade multivitamin
3 PB Cliffs Bars
Bowl of TJ's Raisin Bran with oat clusters with soy milk and a banana
navel orange
Shake: 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, 2 tsp vegetarian omega oils, 2 bananas, frozen pineapple chunks, frozen mango chunks, a handful of pea shoots, rice milk
jambalaya w/ tofurky kielbasa, onions, peppers, rice, etc
2 boca chikin patties
green beans
4 choc chip cookies