Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

01.04.12
Lower-Body Hypertrophy Day
The log will look something more like this with notes for each exercise after each lift. Introductions will also probably start including a lot more of "me" in them to keep people entertained and to better utilize my English-based bachelor's degree that's been collecting dust on a shelf since June.

Quote: "There is never enough peanut butter." - My mom

Intro: I worked up a little bit later today than I would have liked – whenever I close at Whole Foods, I like to utilize my mornings in a more productive manner than with my eyes closed. However, I’m slowing coming to realize that my erratic sleeping patterns have more than likely been negatively impacting my ability to make gains. If you couple that with my apprehension to eat big, it’s a wonder my numbers have continuously been going up for the last few weeks. So, I took the extra hour and a half of sleepy time and ran with it. Or, well, you get the idea.

Either way, the extra hour forced me to make a decision: either do both my lower-body hypertrophy and chest/bench hypertrophy exercises and end up rushing through them or go ahead and force myself to turn my 4-day split into a 5-day and maximize my efforts instead of continuing to half-ass them. I opted for the later. No more slamming my bench into my leg-day and therefore burning myself out on one or the other.

So, today was leg day.

And leg day it was.

Work out

Elliptical

5 minutes

Barbell Squat (65-70% of max; speed-work)

3x95
3x100
4x3x105
Notes: While it feels weird not to do at least five reps, my ability to focus on depth was greatly appreciated. The phrase “ass to grass” was my mantra today.

Front Squat

10x75
8x80
Notes: If my grip strength was better, I know I could be doing at least 110 with these. I also noticed that the second set I was going even lower than I usually do on regular squats. I’m looking into ways to improve my grip so that I can really push some weight with these. They might be my new favorite lift.

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts

3x75
10x85
10x95
Notes: I was testing the waters with 75lbs since I haven’t done stiff-legged in months. However, those felt like I was lifting absolutely nothing. Even after bumping up to 85 it felt like I could have been going with 100 but I chose to focus on form. The weight will come in time.

Seated Calf Raises

2x10x150

Notes: Like buttah but vegan and stronger.

Incline Leg Press

10x180
9x200
Notes: Even though I wanted 2x12x200, I knew my legs weren’t going to have it and I was going to half-ass the reps. I wanted ankles to ass on these and that’s what I did. Again, the heavier weight will come. I want to earn it.

Seated Leg Curl

5x110
6x100
5x100
6x90
5x80
Notes: These were a struggle today but I knew it’s because of the calf raises and leg presses. These turned more into drop-sets because of that.

Seated Leg Press

2x6x160
Notes: Same as above basically.

Dumbbell Lunges

5x15
5x20
5x25
Notes: Back in October, I was struggling to do these with 15lb dumbbells. Today, 25lbs felt like nothing. The only reason there were so few reps and sets is because every time I increased the weight, it didn’t feel like it was enough. By the time I got to 25lbs, I had to leave the gym or else I would have been late to work. Next time. Next time.

Macros: 33/175/180 (Last day for post NYE damage control macros. Big thanks to Daniel Brown (thespartanwarrior) for showing me how only a couple of days of lowered intake can help decrease the bloat/water weight from celebrating. Amazing dude.)

Just dropping in to say keep up the hard work. I can't believe I missed this log but so many new ones have popped up recently.

It's way easier to go deeper on a front squat. I don't know what you mean about grip strength all the weight of the bar should be on your shoulders

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-front-squat-with-proper-technique/

The bottom picture there illustrates it pretty well.

How long you been working out for now?

She says nothing processed!

Yeah the nutritional info looks awesome for it.
But right now my diet is super clean and has me eating zero nuts, oils or fruits. It sounds awful but it has been pretty easy so far.

Once I am done I am going to order that PB2 and destroy it!

[quote="vegansludge"]
Quote: "There is never enough peanut butter." - My mom
Our 1st Annual Parma Peanut Butter Drive netted over 1800#!http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/221986/45/Parma-courthouse-hold-Peanut-Butter-drives-
I shop WF U Hts regularly.

Great work mate! BTW I couldn't agree more with your mom!

I suppose grip strength was a poor way to word it - mostly just weak wrists, they start to ache from the positioning and it takes my focus off the lift. Though, that link is definitely going to be put to good use - thank you!

And I'd say "seriously" working out since September. I ran a 5x5 for 11 weeks, did a deload, and then started running the program I'm on now mid-December. Before all of that I was just doing isolation exercises and way too much fucking cardio. Since learned my lesson and caught the "I want to be a powerlifter" bug.

Chris - Do it! It's pretty awesome, though, a bit pricey. I don't know if I'm going to keep it as a dietary staple because of the price/processing, though, especially since I'm trying to put on mass. Ha.

jungle - Nothing at all? Damn. I was considering going a similar route for a while - doing a "clean" bulk and then doing a "dirty" cut later on just to prove naysayers wrong. Maybe I will do that once I clear my fridge of all the Field Roast sausages I have (damn you, work).

John V - No way! I'm a cashier there. If you see me there, come say hi!

01.05.12
Chest/Arm Hypertrophy Day
Weight: 121-2lbs
Last time looking at the scale until 01.19.12.


Quote: “I’m no longer an athlete. I’m a warrior now. There’s a big difference. The athletes are just out to get paid. Warriors stand for something.” – Kenneth Williams

Focus: Explosive power and gripping the bar or dumbbell like my life depends on it.

I think I’ve been fighting the same sinus infection and/or cold for roughly the past month now and today it decided to rear its ugly head yet again. I woke up congested, with a sore throat, and a chill I still haven’t been able to shake just yet. However, as I had today off, I refused to be deterred from hitting the gym despite it not being the optimal conditions to tackle my first strictly arms/chest day so far.

With that said, today was decent. It was exceptional, which I hate, but it wasn’t awful. About midway through the work out was when I finally hit “the zone” so things definitely picked up then but, to be honest, the thing that felt the best was my very first lift. Keeping my focus (noted above) in mind, I was able to literally blast through my six sets like it wasn’t nothing. Form was perfect even though the bar flew up faster than it ever has. Everything after that, though, was a bit down hill, in my opinion.

However, it just means I will have to get my body up to 100% and hit my chest and arms that much harder next time. I might even throw in a rest day tomorrow and hit my shoulders/back on Saturday to give my body some time to rejuvenate. I haven't been sick in over a year and I don't want to get sick now that my goals are coming into focus.

Speaking of goals, today is the first day for my calorie increase and the last day I look at the scale for two weeks. Check out my new macros at the bottom. And, in order to hold myself even more accountable to put on some mass, I took one of those n00dz photos where you're in your skivvies holding the day's newspaper. I don't think I have the guts to post it quite yet but I might do a legitimate before/after once I've been running this "official" version of PHAT for 12 weeks (which would be the end of March). We'll see.

On a more “professional" note, I wrote a response to today’s New York Times article about vegan bodybuilding on my main blog, Vegan Atlas. If anybody’s interested, here's a linkto that as I’d like hear what others that about the article and the still standing attitude regarding vegan strength warriors. Also, the new inclusion of .jpegs from MyFitnessPal account is complementary to my written response.

Song of the Day: "Scream" - Verse

Work out

Elliptical
10 minutes/90 calories

Barbell Bench Press (65-70% of max; speed-work)
3x50
2x3x55
3x60
2x3x65
Notes: Holding the bar like your life depends on it has to be the best advice I’ve received recently. Pairing that with focusing on being more explosive under the bar, these felt better than any sets of bench I’ve had in forever.

Incline Dumbbell Press
8x20
7x20
5x20
Notes: I wanted 25lbs for these today but I couldn’t even get them up to my chest. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t rest long enough in between the bar and these or what. However, the 20s felt a lot lighter this time around than they did during my last work out.

Hammer Curls
8x20
7x20
12x15
Notes: Same thing as with the incline press. After getting caught up in a conversation, I started rushing through sets. There is no reason I had to drop weight on these this week other than not resting enough.

Tricep Extensions (Machine)
2x8x40
12x30
Notes: I tried doing lying tris but my elbows felt like they were going to be torn in two. This has been an issue for me and tricep extensions since I was in high school. However, see Tricep Push Down notes.

Chest Flyes (Machine)

6x60
5x60
8x50
5x50
Notes: Same thing with the elbows. Flyes slay them. I think next week I will try them out with light weight and see how it goes. Using the peck deck makes me feel dirty.

Dumbbell Bicep Curls
2x12x15
Notes: Using the EZ-bar also makes me feel dirty so I will be focusing on dumbbells from now on to ensure that strength gains are equal.

Cable Machine Chest Press
2x12x30
7x40
Notes: I don’t know what you call the machine “officially,” but it’s cable-driven and you chose a weight for each side and perform the chest press. Less bro-y than a regular chest press machine as it requires independent movement from each side as well as focusing on control and form. I can dig it.

Tricep Push-Downs with rope attachment
8x50
8x60
Notes: I was testing these out and I love them. I think I will be doing these instead of tricep extensions.

Lateral Pulldowns
8x50
8x60
Notes: Considering adding these to power day, wanted to try them out.

I also did some assisted dips and pull-ups that are exceptionally embarrassing:

Assisted Dips
3x80
5x90
8x90

Assisted Pull-Ups
3x90
4x80
5x90

Macros:



60/176/195 or 2024 calories. Boom.

Though, I did have 57 grams of fiber in there, too. However, I’m going to take this one as a win since who knows how long it’s been since I’ve hit over 2,000 calories when there wasn’t alcohol or a celebration involved.

Food n00dz:
Nothing noteworthy, visually, as I've been going through my homemade chili for the last couple of days and chili isn't really photogenic. I did have some great PWO-pancakes topped with PB2 and sugar-free syrup, washed down with one of the best shakes I’ve ever made. Maybe I'll post up some pictures once I find my iPhone cable but, to be honest, they're kind of lacking. Pancakes also don't photograph well with an iPhone.

Nice!

I noticed you have taken a liking to tricep rope pushdowns; they are one of my favourite ones too (great for that burn).

I am glad to see you bumped the cals up a bit, oh and those pancakes sound awesome!

Don't worry about the assisted dips etc, you will be adding weights to a chain in no time (just keep on keepin' because you definately have it in you)

Great idea of adding a snapshot from MyFitnessPal, I might have to steal that from you

P.S. I hope you recover from that sinus infection fast, they can really suck!

01.06.12
"Rest" Day

Today was a bit of a flip-flop day for me. Last night I thought I was going to take today off to give my body time to fight off the sinus infection I felt coming on; today at work I most definitely thought I was going to hit the gym since I was feeling 110% better than I did last night. Then, while at work, I was offered to have a few drinks with some co-workers. Luckily, because I thought today was going to be an off day with little activity, I worked my macros out to be high protein, low everything else so there will be no problem fitting in a few drinks at all (I'm currently sitting at 6/130/31 with 12g of fiber).

This is especially true because today, for the first time since November ... I was able to take my bike out. After work it was still about 45 degrees out and I couldn't help it. I know that "cardio" isn't conducive to bulking but there are few things that are better, in my opinion, than going out for a ride at night, listening to good tunes after a long day at work. I only went out for about 35 minutes and it wasn't an intense mash or anything. Mostly it was nice to clear my head and stretch out my legs since I had some serious DOMS today anyway.

Tomorrow: back/shoulders hypertrophy!

01.11.12
Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy

Three surprisingly awesome things regarding training:

1.) I, inadvertently, fasted for 18 hours. I got caught up running errands and, before I knew it, I was having a very late, but exceptionally delicious, PWO shake. It’s nice to slip back into my IF-tendencies occasionally, though, that might be the orange-dreamsicle shake talking four hours later. On that note, Super Green Food is awesome and I’m definitely going to picking up a container of it after tonight’s huge success of mixing it with my vanilla Vega protein. Probably the best way to end a session I felt exceptionally good about.

2.) I was trying on clothes, I saw myself differently than I have before; I was proud of my progress, particularly in my traps/arms. I snapped a few photos, to boot, and I think my numbers reflect the sheer amount of posi-vibes I had going for me today.

3.) I had the entire gym to myself and I lifted without headphones. Normally, I am stickler for listening to a particular type of music and getting in "my zone." However, it was nice to feel like I was "filling up" the gym with my energy instead of just keeping it inside of my head. I never realized how refreshing it could be to, vocally, push yourself. Though I'm glad it's a rare thing since I don't want to get into the habit of talking to myself, or rather swearing at myself, to get those last reps out.

Other than my session itself, today was solid all around. Picked up some “new” (secondhand) “swag” (clothing), enjoyed some sunshine, talked to my mom on the phone a lot, made myself a vegan juicy lucy for dinner, and have been working on some writing since. It was nice to just have a day to myself where I did what wanted, when I wanted, and for how long I wanted. Definitely put me in a good place for lifting and is also helping to through my self-imposed mental block regarding what I wanted to do with my life. All-in-all, today was solid.

Quote: “You’re not going to get fat. You’re going to get big.” – My mom

Work-out
Jump-rope ~5 minutes

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press
3x45
5x45 (I forgot, momentarily, that I am “officially” following PHAT)
4x3x45

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
12x20
8x20

Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press
7x20
10x15
8x15

Bent Over Barbell Row
4x3x65
5x65

Bent Over Dumbbell Row
2x8x30
10x35

Front Dumbbell Raise
10x30
8x30

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
12x30
12x25
12x20

Dumbbell Upright Row
2x10x25 (I could not, for the life of me, get the 30s to come up)
12x20

Delt Flys (Machine ... until I realized I could do ...
11x50
9x50

Delt Cable Flys
9x30
10x20
9x30

Barbell Shrugs
2x12x145

Macros: 55/164/203
I’m a little lower on protein than normal which, I know, doesn’t really affect too much since I’m not cutting but it is weird, for me, to see my CHO higher than my PRO. Oh, well. I did end up eating an +700 calorie dinner for the first time in forever. And it felt good. Will do a big food n00dz post tomorrow probably - now it's to "dessert" and watching some Henry Rollins while I work on some writing.

Great to hear you had a good day mate!

Great numbers, and it's really good that you have notived some gains in your traps and shoulders (always one of the best muscle groups to make gains).

By the way, what's a Juicy Lucy? I am really interested in finding out the recipe etc.

Keep up the good work!

WOw you can fly a 30lb dumbbell on each side? thats insane.... seriously can you take some video?

And what is PHAT?

A routine I am doing:

Layne Nortons P.H.A.T:

http://www.simplyshredded.com/mega-feature-layne-norton-training-series-full-powerhypertrophy-routine-updated-2011.html