Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Thanks Robert! It is nice to be back on the forum. A nice vegan support environment - I've gone without one for too long.

Arg! I left my red book at the gym again. I will have to enter my Chest/Bicep day tomorrow during my rest day. I will say that my Legs are sore on the outer quads today (the day after Leg day) but that is all - I was surprised that they hurt at all since I felt like I breezed thru my routine yesterday.

I did do some new PB's today (one was due to miscalculation of the weight I had on the Smith Press - 140lbs and not 120lbs - couldn't figure out why I was so weak when I did 8+2 reps last time! my partner cradled my elbows on all 8 reps - we are calling it shadowing, where you are there but you only help a little at the sticking points).
So till tomorrow, it is Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Brownie Mix brownies for me tonight! Best thing about bulking up! Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice work!

Enjoy the bulking season. I'm working on it too.

_________________

Check out my Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuildin ... 497&sr=1-1

I tried to send you a PM back...all are in my In outbox.... so...not sure you got...

I wanted to say Thank you...and heck, I will be 100 years old before I let them take my Lululemon and Nikes away from me!!!!!

I got my little red book from the gym tonight. I just totally rested today. Felt really tired. I usual attribute that to perhaps I am fighting a bug that I might have caught. If my body says to sleep, then that is what I do. You sure feel very disoriented when you wake up and it is the afternoon, eat meal #4, and then go back to bed. Only to have to wake up to darkness by 5PM already! Yikes. And then I went on to make pizza for dinner for everybody!
Now all that I did on Chest and Biceps (pecs by the armpit are sore, and the biceps attachments to the elbow area are also sore. Need to work on more belly of the bicep muscle - not so full range of motion).

Chest

Dumbbell Flyes on only 1 notch up for Incline: 20/25 (same warmup), skipped to the 30/15 (same), skipped the 35 and went to 40/15 (same as last time), 45/12+3 (total of 5 more than last time), and went for it - though without my partner I would not have attempted this heavy weight: 50/8 (shadowed my elbow) +2 (partner helped me for these 2) - new PB.

Smith Press, same incline bench: 100/15 (new starting set weight for warming up), 110/9 (same as last time), and by mistake went to 140/8 (partner had to shadow me thru the whole set - I couldn't figure out why these were so hard for me! my face was so red! and then my partner informed me that my weight calculations with the plates was off by 20 lbs!), and then afterwards I could easily do 120/8 solidly.

Have to make a mental note, that this might be a way to get out of a plateau for me. Go really heavy, and then go back to the usual heavy weight, and think that it was very easy to do!

HammerStrength Chest Press #2: 120/15 (same), 150/12+3 (total of 5 more than last time), 180/6+4 (last time was a 5+3 - so increase 1 solidly and with help), and just ff 200/8 (partner shadowed me) - a quasi new PB (a solid PB when I can do it without the mental help of her on my arms)

I remembered that I was so taxed from doing all these heavy weights on my chest, that we took a break, and then proceeded to do Biceps just casually (lots of breaks by talking to the 5PM crowd that was coming in)

Biceps

MaxRack Barbell Curl: no warmup - went right to 20/15 (same), 30/15 (3 more tlt), 40/8~2 (2 not so full range of motion - actually there was rocking involved to get it up, and then slow release on the way down. So 2 more tlt, but not full ROM) and I did 2 sets of these. I was thrashed at this point. Went and drank the rest of my Yogi Green tea to see if I could get some energy to finish Biceps with gusto!

Rope Hammer Curls: 80/15 (same), 90/8~2 (same, but added the attempted 2 more reps with less than full ROM), and pushed onto the new heavy weight of 95/8 (those little black 5lbs rectangles to add to the machine weight stack add up after awhile - I so like to use them just to push a little bit more). Green tea must have kicked in!

Lateral Bicep Curl: 35/15 (same), 40/15 (3 more tlt), 45/8~2 (can't blame a girl for trying to kick out at least more tlt)

the dreaded Descending set of Dumbbell Curls: 20/12.5/8 for 15 reps each, and 4 sets (same as last time - I didn't think I was going to make it through with the 12.5 right after the 20lbs dumbbells). I think I was crying as I put the pretty little blue 8 lbs weight in the aerobic area on my last set (yeah, I was walking there while doing the set). The green tea was gone. . . and I was thrashed again.

Now that it is the next day, I keep wondering where do I get the strength to keep pushing it so hard each time? It has been almost 2 months since I started with my partner, and I have made some incredible gains. Now I am starting to wonder when the plateau is going to hit me. In a way, I am looking forward to it. At least today I am because my body just feels so totally thrashed still: even after sleeping, just light housework (no vacuuming - laundry and cleaning and cooking), and getting my protein (20 grams) every 3 hours. Delts tomorrow, and early as I have something to do in the afternoon (so no nap for me tomorrow - though maybe I can fall asleep in those massage chairs at the mall where I will be tomorrow! Oh, that sounds like a good, very good, plan! except I won't be able to execute it as I will be wondering how many germs are on it. sigh.).

Woke up with a little tickle sniffle that made me sneezed. Yeah, I think I am fighting something. I slept in as much as I could, and then proceeded to eat meal #1, went back to bed, woke up and ate meal #2. Then I felt a little better, and headed off to the gym early today on this weekend Saturday. It was great at the gym because it was pretty much dead and me and my partner had it all to ourselves! at least in the beginning. . .

Awesome Delt Day! last day to push really heavy before we switch up our routine with new exercises or order of exercise for next week (last week in November already! We did this particular Delt routine for 4 times this month - not counting the 4 sets of 25 rep of new exercises in the new delt routine day)

MaxRack Military Press: heaviest 55/7+3 (1 more solid and 1 more help than last time)

Rear Delts: heaviest 105/8 (new PB)

MaxRack Front Barbell Raise: heaviest 40/8 (new PB)

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises: heaviest 30/8 (new PB)

Descending sets of 15 reps for 4 sets dumbbell side laterals: 15/12.5/7.5 - same as last time

And that is all I did. Now I will say that my form sucked at the end reps of most of my heavy sets. I will say that I was just seeing what I could do outrageously, as it was our last time doing this routine, and I wanted to push the envelope . . . just a little. And wouldn't you know it, some muscle guy that I see all the time in the gym came over and wanted to give us some "advise". He advised us to cut back on the weight because we were going to hurt ourselves. My partner was flabbergasted. I told him that we know, and that we were just being goofy today as it was our last time doing this routine. He then looked confused and advised us again, that we were going to hurt ourselves because even he can't pick up the 30lbs dumbbells and do the side laterals. I just smiled this time, just nodded my head at this remark, and then he left the gym. My partner did comment for awhile how we usually do the advising to other people, but it is to show them how to do something correctly - when they ask us. It was one of those weird awkward moments at the gym for me. Technically he was right. We could have hurt ourselves - and maybe we did. We will know for sure tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be towards making big muscle gains with this kind of hurt!!!!

Now, to finish off those brownies!

I guess maybe I did overwork it yesterday. I am going to take my own advise. The back of my nose still has mucus dripping down every now and then. My traps are so sore from yesterday's side laterals (so I did overdo it yesterday, but I did not injure myself). And a weird pain in my right thumb and the associated pointer finger hurt (my grip from yesterday's workout perhaps was too much for my right hand?). Anyways, all this and that it is a Sunday, I have called it a day of Rest for today. If the sun comes out a little bit more, I might do a trail walk, but other than that I am just cleaning and cooking today, intermittent by naps here and there I think.

The extra day of rest was good for me! Though I was worrying about not being able to lift heavy for my last exercises for this Back and Tricep routine (due to the traps and neck being still sore alittle), but I surprised myself by doing some new PBs (personal bests).

Back

Cable Low Row (V-bar): 75/warmup (as usual), 120/15 (did not feel the need to push it one more than last time at this particular time - I'm saving it up for the heavy set!), 135/12 (solid this time), 150/10 (all solid this time, so 4 more than last time), and decided to push it up one more notch to 160/8 - new PB (but to be fair, the reps were not all the way back with the elbows - but far enough to look like a 'row' )

Neutral-Grip Widebar Pulldown: 120/15 (same, saving it up), 135/12 (solid this time), 150/6+4 (no ceasing up on me this time. my partner helped me get the bar down below my chin and then I fought it on the way up - eccentric)

HyperExt with 15lbs body bar: same 4 sets of 25 reps as last time - But this time I came all the way up with the bar at the end of the 25 rep and stood to get out of the apparatus! with some more energy to spare.

HammerStrength Back Row (Underheand grip): 90/15 (same), 120/15 (same), 140/8+4 (4 more than last time, and an extra help rep) - a new PB

LifeFitness Assisted Machine Pull-Ups: 50/15 (same), 45/10 (same), 40/8+4 (2 more help from my partner) - wont count it as a new PB till I can do it solidly by myself.

No Shrugs - I was not going to push my luck! Traps still need to be repaired fully.

On to Triceps

Straight-bar Pressdown: 90/25 (same), 110/15 (same), 125/8 (solid), so I upped it to 130/6~2 - a new PB

Dumbbell Tricep Extension (my partner likes this better, so we stuck to it this workout also): 22.5/15 (same), 25/10 (2 more than last time), and I pushed it with interesting results for 27.5/3 - dumbbells went too far down behind my head that I was stuck! and couldn't get them out. Wiggled free of them, and began again -5 = total of 8 reps - new PB

LifeFitness Assisted Machine Dips: Body for 4 sets of 8 reps (killed my clavicle at the end - interesting as it is usually my sternum that hurts with these dips)

And thus ended my Back and Tricep routine for the month of November already! Tomorrow is going to be another rest day. I decided to add an extra rest day in between these last routines, so we can go heavy for this last routine of exercises for the bodyparts for this month.

Rest day was alittle unbearable. I was itching to do something. I was going to go to the gym and just walk on the treadmill, but it was cold and raining at the time so I decided that I didn't want to drive in that. Plus tomorrow was going to be Leg day, and didn't want to let all my mojo go on the treadmill. So I saved it all up for today's Leg Day.

Leg Extensions: 90/25 (usual warmup), 285/15 (2 more than last time), 300/15 (3 more than last time), 310/15!!! a new PB (all of these were a solid 15 also, with no jumping up in pain. I had alot of mojo saved up for legs today!)

Pile/Sumo Squat: 180/25 (solid warmup), 240/15 - and then something unexpected happen. I did not respect the Smith Machine. I went to put the barbell into the notch, but my shoulder somehow knocked it out, and it slammed me with all that way down to the ground - so it seemed. Lesson learned: don't leave the safety on the last rung for sumo squats. I tried to hold the weight as I was leaning forward with all of my lower back till it clanged really loud in the lowest rung safety hooks. It was pretty traumatic for me.

I can laugh now, and say that it was like a 240lbs yoga instructor helping me with a forward bend by sitting on my shoulders - being so flexible from doing yoga probably helped me out alot in this situation. It took me awhile to get my breath under control, and I did not move any part of my body for a couple of minutes, until I noticed that I was going to probably pass out (noises were starting to get muffled and it felt like I was closing my eyes when I wasn't). My partner cradled my head as I tried to get it to the ground so that it was level with my pumping heart. Within seconds it went away and I could talk to the trainers around me (seems I gave a little cry as I tried to hold the weight on the way down). I kept my core tight and hips straight forward as I got up, put an ice pack on my lower back, and 2 IBprofens into me. Within 10 minutes I was training my partner with the rest of her Leg workout and was able to do some abductor work on the machine at the end. It was a test to see if I could drive home.

I am now icing it and have taken another 2 IBprofens to keep the swelling under control (the pain is minimal, but I can feel the muscles around the last 3 thoracic and the first 3 lumbar spine vertebrae are very tight like they are in a state of contraction - figure it is localized swelling - edema). I have another rest day tomorrow, so I will baby it till then. I should be able to do Chest and Biceps on Friday without too much back work - though it does have to keep me upright and I have to be able to let my back be smashed into a bench when I lift the weight up. I shall stay positive. The last time I hurt myself was the deadlift six years ago - two weeks in bed, chiropractic adjustment for 2 weeks, and not lifting for 2 months - but at that time I couldn't even get myself up, and had to lie down for half an hour in the gym's locker room just to not pass out from the pain - I had no pain this time - just tightness.

Yes, I feel so stupid. But a lesson for me. I was getting sloppy with safety: taking it for granted that it would always be there - not if you don't put them in the right position properly! I would also like to say that it was not the Smith Machine's fault - it was mine. It is not scary . . . . I am . . . being so sloppy/stupid/etc.

OMG how are you feeling now? I am so sorry that you had to experience that...I hope you are recovering..and had a nice tofurkey day!

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

I am recovering pretty well. It was really sore the next day when I woke up. It seems to be in my middle back and the left shoulder for some reason. I didn't suffer too much on tofurkey day - I was still able to kick out two bags worth of mashed potatoes (with EB butter, rice milk, and Tofutti's fake sour cream), corn, green beans, and an apple and pumpkin pie for everybody to eat. I also went to the gym and did 20 minutes of treadmill walking, some leg curls - even up to my last time's weight of 140 for 8 reps, but I didn't use the leg press. Instead there is a StarTrac machine leg press that I did (the one I do my calf raises on) and only went up to 240lbs on that one for 4 sets of 25 (or even more to get a burn instead of a contraction of muscle). I think I should be able to Chest and Biceps today. We shall see in an hour. . .

I am touched by you asking me how I was doing. Actually, I think the worse thing I will get out of it, is remembering the sheer terror of not being in control of that much weight. Thinking that I was going to snap in half, and I could do nothing to stop it. But the reality is that I am hurt just alittle, and will recover with more muscle in my middle back. And to be humble - that I am not the beast I think I am . . . yet .

Glad to hear it wasn't too bad of an injury! Of course Id ask you're my mentor! I ate a ton of eb myself.

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

My cardio for today was mall walking. I headed out around 10AM to the mall for some Black Friday specials, but actually ended up with some regular deals - because I was specific in what I needed to get, and was hoping that they would be really cheap. Not. But I did find it at the discount outlet store, so it was really cheap after all!
I got a good half hour nap in before my cell phone alarm woke me up (complete with a drool of course! that is when I can tell I had a good nap) to get ready for the gym.
I was a little intrepid about doing the dumbbell flyes right off at the beginning (because of my back), so I suggested we start at the bottom with the easy HammerStrength Press (where I am sitting upright and my core can help keep my back in the natural position where it doesn't hurt).

Chest

HammerStrength Press (#2): 90/25 (warmup that I picked randomly), 120/15 (I am playing it safe and doing only what I did before, so a solid 15), 150/14 (wanted the extra 1 to make it 15 but I started to arch my back to push, so I backed down - but it is still 2 more solidly than last time), 180/8+4 (2 more solidly than last time), 200/8 (solid this time! a new PB)
-Of course I would do new PB on this as it is my first exercise, and not the third-

Smith Press Incline: 110/11 (2 more than last time), 120/8+2, 140/6+2 (solid 6 this time, and 2 extra with partner help)

Now on to the dreaded Dumbbell Flyes. It hurt to lay back with the weights in my hands, till I noticed that if I keep the weights on my knees and lowered back slowly using my abs, I didn't use the back muscles too much. And I would just dropped the weights when the set was done, and my partner gave me her arm so I could pull myself up (my back would hurt like a pinch somewhere when I tried to get up by myself the first time): 22.5/25 (warmup to see how it feels on my back), 30/15 (nice and solid as last time - so far so good), 40/15 (same), 45/15 (solid this time - 3 more than last time), and I did not want to do the 50lbs because I was tired and scared I might hurt myself with those (I was able to do them last time because it was the first exercise and I wasn't hurt).

onto Biceps

MaxRack was being used by someone for squats - so it was going to be awhile, so I went to the next one.

Rope Hammer Curls: 80/15 (same), 90/15 (7 solid ones more than last time), 95/10 (2 more than last time), 100/8 - a new PB (apparently my biceps are OK - plus this is my first bicep exercise)

MaxRack (now free to use!): 20/15 (same), 30/15 (same), 40/10 (2 more solid than last time) - these were very hard to do. I could not rock at all, otherwise my back would hurt.

Lateral Bicep Cable Curl: 35/15 (same), 40/15 (same), 45/13(5 more solid ones than last time), decided to up it a notch as my partner looked on and grinned at my biceps she said to give me mojo as I was doing them - 50/8 - new PB! good mojo!

Pretty wiped out by now - and hungry! but onward to the dreaded Descending Dumbbell Curl Set: 20/12.5/8 for 15 reps each weight, and for 4 sets. Same as last time. I had trouble with the reps after 10 reps on each of the weights but continued to do the last 5 reps with maybe some decrease in the range of motion .

Yeah, another rest day tomorrow for me to repair and recover everything - but especially my back! Then it is on to 4 sets of 25 reps with medium weights with a new routine! I also ordered VersaGripps (Black Friday special was free priority shipping -big wee on that savings. . sarcastically said) Pink Pro series ones. I hope they can help me pull some heavier weights without hurting my wrist (like the straps do by cranking the opening so tight when I try to get a good connection with the bar). They had better be awesome for the price they cost!

New Delt routine:

Machine Military Press with barbell grip (the grip is right over my middle deltoids - and I am sitting down. Isolates the deltoids very well. the neck did come into play, but not as much): 4 sets of 25: 45,55,55,55 (45 was too easy, 55 was just right with it burning on 20 reps and the last 5 reps were a struggle to do)

tried to do Side Laterals with Cables, but the 20 lbs minimum was too much for us to do 25, so I looked around and found resistance bands to do instead -
Side Laterals with Resistance Bands: 4 sets of 25 with the yellow resistance band (the easiest one)

Rear Delt Flyes on an Incline Bench: 4 sets of 25 - 10lbs dumbbells (neck crunching up on the last 5 reps)

Machine Dumbbell Grip Military Press (same machine as the first exercise, but different hand position): 4 sets of 25 on 55lbs.

Descending sets of Dumbbell Presses: 12lbs and 7.5lbs dumbbells for 4 sets of 25 reps back to back with each weight. It was hilarous! The guy next to us, whom my partner and I both know, was laughing at me because I was grunting the last 10 reps with the 7.5lbs dumbbells, and I wasn't even aware that I was doing it until he made a comment about my grunting. I automatically disregarded his sexual overtone of a comment, but realized the absurdity of me, the Beast, grunting with the pinky weights of 7.5lbs!

The workout felt light and nice on my body today. My partner complained about pains around her neck and scapula, and that she felt beat up with our heavy workouts. She is now not recovering as fast as me I guess. I've started to add wheatgrass tablets to my supplement regiment, and noticed improvement right away. Told her about it, and she said she use to do that stuff, so maybe she will get some for herself. And we both like the idea of getting deep tissue massages (I helped her with a muscle knot between her spine and scapula - it was pretty big - and she said I helped it feel better so she could finish the workout at least) and possibly an adjustment with a chiropractor.

Ew!

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech