Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hope you feel better soon, Maria!

Man, I got so behind on logging this week!
Took Monday off, sinuses were too icky. Feeling better now and just accepting that yes, it's February and it's already allergy season in Vegas! Taking my herbs and enzymes and logging in serious time with the neti pot...

5 min warm up
4 sets 6 reps 40# EZ curl BB
4 sets 8 reps 25# DB overhead triceps press
4 sets 8 reps 15# Db hammer curls
4 sets 8 reps 50# triceps rope pressdowns
30 min cardio with sister in law!

M

5 min on elliptical for warm up
leg extensions on the bizarre roc it machine
12/4 10/5 8/6 6/7
Hamstring curls 12/40# 10/45# 8/50# 6/60#
Smith machine lunges, bar plus 20# 3 sets 10 each leg
Glute kickback machine 12/60# 10/80# 8/90# 6/100# (ugh!)
3 super sets of box step ups/medicine ball sumo squats no rest 12 reps each leg/set
20 min low key cardio on treadmill because I was thrashed!

We moved really fast between sets and didn't take much rest.

I decided to take two days off from the gym in a row on Thurs/Friday, which I haven't done in awhile. I had a date last night (gasp!) and I seriously thought for a hot minute that I'd rather be at the gym than on a date! I'm crazy.

And thanks for the well wishes Karen!

Maria

Nice! How was your date?

The date was nice! We will see what happens...I keep wishing for a vegan man to materialize out of the ether, but it hasn't happened yet! As long as they don't run screaming when the fact that I am vegan comes up, then I am ahead of the game as far as I'm concerned.

Today was chest/delts...
5 min warm up
4 sets 8 reps 25# DB's, flat chest press
DB shoulder press 12 repsx15#, 10 repsx17.5#, 8 repsx20#, 6 repsx22.5#
Hammer Strength Iso Lateral Incline Press---the rotten boys had hogged all of the 25# plates, so I was forced to use the 35's
3 sets 6 reps 70# (yow!)
Db lateral raises 4 sets 8 reps with 13# DB's, super set with 4 sets of 20 swiss ball crunches
20 minutes treadmill intervals
5 min cooldown

Here's me at the gym in the middle of shoulders...this is as close to full body as I could get. Gotta get a friend to take some pics. I am sporting my favorite "Shut Up and Train" t-shirt, tho

Back attack Sunday!

5 min warm up
Hammer Strength Isolateral Pull Downs
12x70#
10x90#
8x110#
6x120#
Single leg hamstring Hammer Strength curls
4 sets 8 reps 25# plate
Bent over BB rows
10x40#, 3 sets of 8x50#
Bosu Ball Bridges with body weight only 4 sets 12
Cable machine rows
10x50#, 3 sets 8x60#
20 min treadmill intervals
5 min cooldown

B: green smoothie (3 handfuls of spinach, 1 scoop nitrofusion, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 banana)
S: luna bar, vega pre-workout goodness
L: 3 corn/wheat tortillas, baked. 1/2 cup fat free refried beans, vegan queso, salsa, roasted lime broccoli with yellow squash and peppers
S: soy latte
D: steamed asparagus with lemon juice, 1 gardein burger with mango salsa, 1/2 cup black & brown rice, 1 oz shelled pistachios
S: 1 cup nitrofusion, 1 cup unsw almond milk, 1/2 banana, PGX fiber

M

Hey Maria! Great job in the gym! Hope all is well!

Man, crazy work week! I'm only working out 4 days instead of 5 this week and it is making me feel lazy! Crazy how much difference one day makes...and I am way behind on logging.
Bi/Tri/Cardio
4 sets 6 reps 40# ez curl BB curls
4 sets 8 reps 80# machine dips
4 sets 8 reps 15# hammer curls
4 sets 8 reps 50# triceps rope
45 minutes cardio on TM and elliptical, cracking up while watching Joan Rivers.

M

My workouts are all screwed up this week. I do not like it one single bit. It's also screwing with my food. My work schedule is getting out of control, but this happens sometimes. Next week will be more normal.
Food:
B: 1 slice ezekiel toast, 1 tbs peanut butter, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
S: orange
L: McDougall's mexican seitan lasagne, big ass salad with oil free vegan cesar dressing & pumpkin seeds
S: apple, zing bar
S: (before gym) starving 1 oz dry roasted almonds
D: 1/2 cup FF refried beans, 3 corn tortillas, builder's bar (WTF?)

Legs, ugh!
warm up of box steps
hamstring curls
12x 45#
10x55#
8x60#
6x65#
10x40# (dying)
leg extensions
12x50#
10x70#
8x85#
6x100#
wall squats as low as I could go (aaaaahhh!!)
15, 15, 20, 20
Glute machine
3 sets 40#
cardio: 5 minutes on treadmill, was deadly bored and went upstairs to walk/jog indoor track for 30 min. 5 minutes stretching.

M

Saturday was chest/triceps/abs/stepmill of doom...I think it should come equipped with the Death Star theme song.

5 min warmup on TM
gym was banged out so I had to change things up depending on what was available.
4 sets 10 reps 50# on Hammer Strength Iso Lateral Incline Chest
4 sets 8 reps Overhead BB shoulder press 40#
4 sets 20 reps swiss ball crunches
4 sets 8 reps DB flat chest press 25# dumbells
DB lateral shoulder raises--used to be my favorite exercise of all time and now I dread it, WTF?
12/10# 10/12# 8/15# (actually, 6---couldn't lift the damn things anymore!)
15 min intervals on stepmill
5 min cooldown on treadmill

I love that what USED to be my least favorite day, back, is now my favorite. And I dread shoulders which I used to love...weird.
I had to take Sunday off because my brother and SIL got into a freak sledding accident. Yup, that's right---sledding. My poor SIL broke her freaking leg and has to have surgery. I was taking care of them yesterday and am doing it today, too. Maybe going to try to squeeze in a workout at home....some kind of total body crazy circuit thing. Haven't done that in awhile so might now be a bad idea.

Oh yeah, and before I forget: weighed in today and I FINALLY am below 200# for the first time in over a motherf#@king decade!! Holla!!!! I've lost a total of 76 pounds now...39 more to go! Thank you vegan food, bodybuilding, Buddhist meditation and 12 step recovery programs. I couldn't be doing this without all of the great people in my life who support me every day.

I just want shoulder dents. And a non-saggy ass. Is that too much to ask?

Maria

I did 45 minutes of yoga last night.
Tonight was my favorite, back/abs/cardio!

Food:
B: 1 slice ezekiel toast with natural pnb, 6oz strawberries, 1 cup unsw almond milk
L: tofurkey/hummus/avocado vegan sandwich on whole wheat, small bag of pop chips (there's my junk food for the week!)
S: apple, larabar
S: apple, 1 oz almonds
D: exhausted and too tired to cook! also didn't want to eat a full meal so late at night---gives me nightmares. green smoothie (3 handfuls spinach, 1 cup unsw almond milk, 1 tbs almond butter, 1 banana, 1 scoop nitrofusion, 1/2 cup oats)

Workout:
5 min warmup
Hammer Strength Iso Lateral Pulldowns 12/90# 10/110# 8/130# 6/135# (new personal best!)
2 sets swiss ball crunches
3 sets of 8 assisted chin ups
plank, 2 sets twisting bicycle crunches
4 sets 8 Bent over DB rows w/ 25# DB
15 min intervals on gnarly stepmill (alternating between level 3 and level 6. Someday my lungs will stop screaming at me!)
5 min cooldown

I was about to bag on myself for how weak I am when it comes to cardio and conditioning, but I have to remember that last year at this time I couldn't even pull myself onto the damn stepmill! It is amazing what my 42 year old, formerly morbidly obese body can do these days!

Beat up from the feet up---bedtime!
Maria

I was extremely stiff, in a lot of pain and having an overall kind of crappy attitude. I did a brief leg workout and then 30 minutes of cardio, which loosened me up and made me feel better. Definitely not setting any personal best records, but that's OK! Sometimes I get really frustrated with my chronic injuries, but I need to listen to my body and take it easier if I need to. Honestly, I need a LOT of stretching and yoga. All of the time!

Thursday was my birthday! I turned 42. I initially typed 24, LOL!
I usually do not do any dessert type foods, but I did have a piece (more like 3/4 of a piece) of raspberry raw vegan cheesecake. Man, it was good! The best thing about my birthday was that I received my AWESOME prize package!!! It was so cool to actually get that on my birthday, and you guys were so generous. It blew me away! Can't thank everyone at VBB.com enough.

Maria

Happy belated birthday! I hope it was a day full of love for ou! And crap food. An unmade bed and whatever you wanted to do!

I thought I'd be raring to go after taking my birthday off as a rest day. Although technically I didn't do much resting, since I went out dancing and then stayed up until 6am! Super tired today. Getting my thyroid levels checked again soon...I think it's just garden variety tired, tho.

Chest/shoulders
5 min warm up on stepmill
4 sets 8 reps 25# DB chest presses
4 sets 8 reps 40# BB overhead shoulder presses
4 sets 8 reps 50# Isolateral Incline Chest Press
DB lateral raises 12/10# 10/12# 8/15#
burn out sets: 4 sets 12 reps 10# cable chest flyes, 4 sets 12 reps 20 pounds shoulder press
cardio intervals: treadmill, spin bike, stepmill (UGH!!!). I have a feeling I'm going to be getting really up close and personal with that spin bike in the next few months.

Food:
B: 1 cup rip's big bowl, unsweetened almond milk, black coffee
S: vega bar
L: whole grain WFM pizza with mushrooms/spinach/herbed cashew cheese, big ass salad with mache, red peppers and persian cukes, oil free dressing
D: veggies, soba noodles, tofu (post-workout)
S: 1/2 banana, 1 scoop nitrofusion, 1 cup unsw almond milk

Maria

Food:
B: rip's big bowl
S: pro bar
L: whole grain bun, gardein burger, big ass salad with oil free dressing and 1 tbs hemp seeds
S: before gym 100 cal raw pro bar, vega pre-workout drink
D: vega WFO with 1 banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Not very hungry today? Might try to squeeze in another meal before bed, but probably not. Took a rest day last night.

Workout: Bi/Tri/Abs/Cardio
warmup
Ez curl BB biceps curls 4 sets 8 40#
Overhead DB tri press 4 sets 8 27.5#
Superset: 4 sets 8 reps hammer curls 17.5 DB's/ 5 sets 20 reps swiss ball crunches
Dips: 4 sets 8 reps 70#
burn out circuit: 4 sets 12 reps overhead cable triceps 12#, 4 sets 12 reps 10# low cable biceps curls no rest between anything
intervals on the stepmill

Maria