Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Last workout of the week!

Chest/Delts
Man, I needed a spotter tonight
5 min warmup
Flat bench press with Olympic bar
12 reps/ bar 10 reps/bar + 10# 8 reps/ bar +20# 6 reps/bar + 25#
Overhead BB shoulder press 4 sets 6 reps 40#
Hammer Strength Iso Lateral Incline Chest press 4 sets 8 reps 50#
DB lat raises ran the rack 12.5#, 10#, 7.5#, 5#, 3# all to failure
Cardio: dreaded and vile stepmill 15 min plus 5 min cooldown intervals of level 3 and level 5

Food:
B: vegan sausage, fresh blueberries, 2 organic high fiber whole grain vegan pancakes, 2 tsp coconut oil
L: big ass salad, homemade vegan green goddess dressing, 1 gardein ultimate burger with mushroom & onions, 1 small pc homemade oil free whole grain vegan cornbread, coffee with 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
S: builder's bar, pu-errh chai tea (unsweetened)
D: 1/2 can black beans, 1/2 cup brown rice, salsa, 2 cups mixed spinach, red peppers & yellow squash cooked with veggie broth & garlic, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, squeeze of lime
S: 6 oz strawberries

Very tired. Bedtime!
Maria

Well, it's my last workout for January! It's been an awesome month, despite challenges and sadness. I'm getting my bodybuilding calluses back on my hands and that makes me happy

Bi/tri/abs
5 sets 20 swiss ball crunches
4x8 40# ez bar curls
DB overhead tri press 12 repsx20# 10x22.5 8x25 6x30
DB hammer curls 4x8 15#
dips machine 4x8 70#
15 min cardio, running late and had to leave!

Last day of January! Total rest day for me...I went to see Rip Esselstyn speak tonight and it was fantastic! I feel so inspired and grateful to be vegan.

Food:
B: green smoothie, ezekiel toast with 1 tbs peanut butter
L: lentil soup, pc vegan cornbread, big ass salad with oil free green goddess dressing
S: builder's bar
D: black bean burger with veggies and avocado on whole wheat, baked chips
S: plain unsweetened soy yogurt with fresh raspberries

Collapsing into a tired vegan heap!
Tomorrow is legs, whoo hoo!
I am going to continue logging at least 4 days a week for February. Since I am turning 42 this month, I feel like I owe it to myself to keep going. Why not keep the ball rolling?
Maria

First workout of February!
Back/Hamstrings/Glutes
4 sets 8 reps 25# bent over DB rows
Bosu bridges 3 sets 10 reps each leg (body weight only)
4 sets 8 reps 70# lat pull
Hamstring curls 12/35# 10/40# 8/50# 6/65#
Cable rows 12/35# 10/40 8/45 6/50
"Crab crawls" with band
Single leg leg presses, no rest between sets 3 sets 10 40#
Rear delts on pec dec machine 4 sets 8 reps 20#
20 min treadmill intervals

Food:
B: 1 slice ezekiel toast, 2 tbs peanut butter, 1 apple
L: kale superfoods salad, california quinoa salad, 1 slice field roast, cellnique green drink
S: medium almond milk latte, greens plus bar
S: 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 banana, 1 cup almond milk
D: 2 slices ezekiel toast, spinach, pea sprouts, tempeh, apple

Maria

Active rest day--- yoga for me.

Food:
B: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tbs flax meal, 1 oz walnuts, 1 cup strawberries, 1/2 scoop protein powder
L: apple, 2 slices ezekiel toast, spinach, pea sprouts, tempeh
S: 1 cup soy yogurt, 1 cup raspberries, 1 tbs flax meal
D: Soul Bowl: 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 can black eyed peas, 5 cups collards/kale/mustard/turnip greens, BBq sauce (organicville sweetened with agave)
S: rye crips, oil free hummus

Maria

Hey Maria! Great job on your journaling! As one of the VB&F team members, I can tell you that the prize packages we'll be sending out soon will be awesome! We'll be preparing and shipping the packages beginning next week. You've done a really great job. Were you able to reach your goals during the month of January?

All the best!
Karen

Hi Karen! Thanks for your post

It's funny, I stuck to my schedule and showed up and worked really hard. For the first time in a long time I did not see the two pounds a week weight loss on the scale that I've gotten used to, but I did notice a dramatic difference in muscle tone and my clothes got looser. I also developed more strength and endurance. Hey, I'm happy with that! I don't want to be a flabby, saggy, huffin' and puffin' 42 year old. Would I rather see numbers on the scale or a firmer, more muscular and healthier body? It's a process and it takes as much time as it takes. I think my body is going through a little adjustment period, and I'm not that worried about it. I might have forty or fifty more pounds to lose, but I am accepting that it will come off as it is supposed to if I keep eating clean and hitting the gym. This is not a race. I'm in it for the long haul!

This month's goals: still getting in 4 weight training workouts a week plus cardio. Yoga at least twice a week. Trying some new things, like a few home workouts to change it up. I would also like to start doing some hiking for cardio since it's starting to warm up a little bit here in Vegas. Cleaning up my food a little bit more, too.

Trusting the process,
Maria

Holy CRAP I was tired on Friday! My SIL and I were both feeling exhausted. I didn't want to work out at all, but we went to the gym together for cardio---15 min treadmill intervals and 15 minutes on the Stepmill (I hate that freaking machine, but I am determined to master it!) with a 5 min cooldown. Not my best workout, but I showed up and did it.

Persistence not Perfection,
Maria

Another day of total fatigue...it's hormonal. I hate it! This getting old sh$t is for the birds.

Food:
B: 1/2 cup grape nuts, 1 cup almond milk, 1 oz almonds, 1 apple
L: awesome lunch at our local vegan restaurant, Pura Vida: vegan chili, amazing salad, vegan garden "quesadillas" (amazingly healthy and loaded with veggies, actually), cafe sin leche
S: protein bar, apple
D: white bean and kale soup, big salad with sesame tahini dressing at WFM
S: unsweetened soy yogurt with strawberries and flax meal
S: 1 slice ezekiel toast with 2 tbs peanut butter (starving!!!)

Workout:
Biggest loser bootcamp DVD at home, which kicked my ASS, followed by Jennifer Kries Yin Yoga DVD and then some very chilled out Buddhist meditation and chanting.

M

OK, I haven't tried to do this yet, but here goes nothing---me, pre-vegan in 2009.

I need to get a full body shot for you guys!

I hope all is going well!

Great to see you updating your journal nearly a full week into February!

So happy to see so many people hanging around here beyond just the month of January.

All the very best!

-Robert

The best thing about the Superbowl? The gym is dead! Unfortunately, I only had time for a short workout today which is probably for the best. I feel like I am getting a sinus infection

Chest/delts
5 min warm up
4 sets 8 reps flat DB press 25# dumbells
DB shoulder press 12 respsx15# 10x17.5# 8x20# 6x22.5
Incline HammerStrength Iso Lateral Chest Press 4 sets 8 reps 50#
DB lateral raises 3 sets 8 reps 12# dumbells

Going to do some yoga later tonight to help me sleep...provided I can actually bend over without feeling like something is stabbing me in the eyeball!

Maria

WOW! Awesome work, Maria! Your weight loss transformation is impressive and inspiring! Keep up the incredible work!

Thank you so much, Karen!

I am taking a much needed rest day today...my sinuses are really on the verge of super nasty infection time, so I am just taking it easy tonight. Tomorrow is another day!

B: 1/2 cup Bob's multigrain apple cinnamon hot cereal, 1 oz walnuts, 1 cup almond milk
L: two portobello poblano tacos with avocado on corn tortillas, pinto beans
S: 3 kavali crisps with oil-free hummus
D: massive amount of veggies (red pepper, yellow squash, broccoli, mustard greens, kale, collards AND spinach), 1/2 can black beans, 1/2 cup mixed black & brown rice (yum!), 3 T vegan fat free queso, mango salsa and 1/2 of an avocado, 6 oz mixed berries
S: 1 scoop nitrofusion, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 banana

I realized that I have now been living in Las Vegas six years as of today!
Snuggling up with my dog and going to bed now...will not get sick will not get sick will not get sick...
M