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I never did end up going for a swim yesterday...the workout was pretty decent though. I even worked out my issue with my wrist straps on my dead lifts, so those sets were pretty solid.

I went for upper body today...my fascination with a guy in the gym is totally working out in my favour haha because I want to stick around more often to see him, I end up doing more exercises than what I originally plan. My shoulders and upper back are still aching Oh, and he's a personal trainer

 

I've FINALLY worked out my gym schedule to something I can keep to.

Upper body on monday, wednesday, and saturday.

Legs on sunday, thursday, and possibly the occasional friday if I think I'll have a long lunch hour.

For the most part, tuesdays and fridays will be days off.

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I like stepping on the scale at the end of the day for motivation for the next day...but tonight it made me feel AMAZING!

I've been under 14% fat several times, but I tend to average 14 - 15, and right now I'm at 13 for the first time!! Ideally, I'd like to hit 10%, and depending how I like the look I'll make adjustments from there.

I'm just really psyched right now! Had to share my excitement with people who wouldn't freak out because they think dropping fat means I'm going anorexic!

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Congratulations, Sam! That's great news! And the part about your gym crush made me giggle.

 

Haha whatever works for motivation, right? His presence in the gym all the time definitely hasn't hindered my progress...lol Thankfully I'm not the type to start wearing makeup and dressing girly just cause of him...it just makes me work harder.

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Keep up the good work girl !!

 

Thanks! I appreciate the support

 

-

 

Hitting the gym today and trying out some of my new vegan protein Quite excited about that.

I don't really have a set schedule for upper body...I have a few exercises for each muscle [group] and I pick and choose what I want to do. Generally, if I did something on monday, I won't do it wednesday. With some exceptions.

Today I'm thinking...

Flat bench 9 reps x 3 (I have been doing 8...weight hasn't improved in many weeks, time to change that)

Incline bench, 3 sets superset with pushups (I alternate the sets...I stole this idea from fitness model Annik Nayler (http://www.simplyshredded.com/fitness-competitor-and-model-annik-nayler-talks-with-simplyshredded-com.html).

Incline bicep curls 8 reps x 3

Preacher curls 10 reps x 3

DB lat raise/peck deck...(no idea if it has a name) 8 reps x 3

Behind the neck shoulder press (smith machine) 7 reps x 3

Tricep dips, 10lb weight on lap (arms are on a bench, feet on a stability ball) 10 reps x 3

Skull crushers superset with tricep press

Widegrip lat pulldown 10 reps x 3

Cable row 10 reps x 3

BB row 15 reps x 3

 

I'm also very excited because today I'm going to have a whole wheat bagel after...I love my carbs! Restricting them I think is the worst part of my diet haha If I could, I'd eat them every time I'm hungry. ESPECIALLY right before bed lol

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haha Carbivore, I like it! I might have to use that term from now on!

 

So it occurred to me when I got home from work tonight that I'm due for a logged weight check (I weigh myself several times a week, but only track on the first of the month).

On Jan 1, when I started my new clean diet and started hitting the gym harder, I was 57.5kg

Feb 1 - 56kg

March 1 - 54.7kg. I'm going to recheck this in the morning, though. Regardless, still quite pleased.

I'll take new pictures this weekend.

 

I made an attempt at working legs today...I had nothing in me, and was running on minimal sleep, so it was rough. I pushed out all the reps I would normally do, however. Plus 3 sets of 8 for deadlift with 115lbs. My trainer friend was impressed that that's not a heavy weight for me

Before the workout I felt off, afterwards I could tell my brain was running really slow, so I grabbed some Subway for lunch to get some carbs in me...the bread was delicious lol It's not as bad as it seems though. I fill mine with thermogenics..hot peppers, jalapenos, and hot sauce. It was fantastic. I felt much better afterwards, too..my brain was functioning at a more normal level.

 

Tomorrow is an off day, then back at it with upper body on saturday! 7am start...yuck.

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So weighed myself this morning for a 'recheck' - 54kg on the nose. Tonight it was back up to 54.9kg, so I'll go half way and say 54.5 lol However...my fat percentage was at a wicked 12.8% tonight!! I don't know how accurate my scale actually is with that, but a decrease is a decrease! Loving it!

 

Tomorrow morning I'm going to try the Vega pre-workout energizer that came in the awesome prize package I got...quite excited to see what effect it has!

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Didn't find the pre w.o energizer to have much effect this morning...I did feel a little less cloudy, but that was about it. I wasn't in the best state to begin with though, overly tired and extremely distracted, so I'm not sure I gave it a fair chance. Decent workout, regardless. It would have been nice to not have to watch the clock during it, but unfortunately my presence was required at work lol

 

I'm really intrigued by this essay contest! I love to write, and this is one subject where I'm not short on words. I have a feeling limiting it to 1500 words might be an issue... Gunna start writing this weekend!

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Loading up on carbs and calories as a whole this weekend...as much as I love all the food, I'm not enjoying how bulky I look. I feel AMAZING, very strong, very energetic, but bulky. My obliques are all but non-existant lol Hopefully dropping back down to normal tomorrow will make all this worth while. I'm hoping to try and get the pace back up a bit...I feel like I've been in a 1%/1kg range for weeks. If it doesn't work...at least I had a delicious weekend of carbs.

 

Hit the gym for legs this morning...Went into it feeling pretty blah, but deadlifts just make me feel awesome. I felt so good after doing them. I checked with 2 women I work with about their deadlifts because of my friend's comment. These women don't really workout like I do, but still their weights are significantly different than mine. I had no idea that other women didn't lift like I do...makes me feel kinda good.

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I hear you, sometimes if you want to be strong you have to carry a little 'extra'. I'm noticing a bit of difference in strength from going from 143 to 147, you tend to have more energy reserves as well which isn't a bad thing.

 

I find if you stay within a 5 or 6lb range it isn't that hard to drop back down to where you were if you wanted/needed to. Just my opinion of course.

 

Do you do your deadlifts on leg day rather than back day?

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I hear you, sometimes if you want to be strong you have to carry a little 'extra'. I'm noticing a bit of difference in strength from going from 143 to 147, you tend to have more energy reserves as well which isn't a bad thing.

 

I find if you stay within a 5 or 6lb range it isn't that hard to drop back down to where you were if you wanted/needed to. Just my opinion of course.

 

Do you do your deadlifts on leg day rather than back day?

 

I find it pretty easy to drop weight..most of the time, but I don't have a target weight, and I don't compete so I don't really have anywhere I need to be, either. I'm loading up this weekend to try and drop some more fat.

 

I do my workouts in lower and upper body splits, and I tend to prefer my deadlifts on a leg day. I only work legs twice a week, so having the extra time between workouts lets me lift what I want without worry of recovery time/over doing it. I'm thinking that when my groin is fully healed I'll up legs to 3 times a week, but I might just keep it at two and go harder...not sure yet.

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I tried the 'Garden of Life' Raw Protein powder that came in the prize package before my workout...I took 2 sips and dumped it. Just couldn't stomach that one...Thanks to the amount of carbs I consumed in the last 2 days, though, I was able to have quite a successful workout despite the lacking protein beforehand. I think the normally low level of carbs is the reason my bench has been sucking lately, too...I did 65lb for 3 sets of 9 with ease, whereas most days I'm doing that weight for sets of 8 with extreme difficulty. Damn carbs...

I have to thank Mini Forklift for his post the other day, as well, because when I wanted to quit in several sets I just thought of that post and cranked out the rest of the set and a few extra. Felt pretty damn good.

 

For lunch, a few hours before my workout, I tried that ProBar meal bar...that thing was delicious! More carbs than I'd like, but sooo worth it.

 

If any women are reading this, can you give me some insight as to what you're lifting for standing BB row? I only know 2 women who lift, and neither do this, but I'd like to have an idea of what I should be doing. Currently I'm using a 40lb pre-set BB for 3 sets of 15.

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Nothing quite like taking out frustrations on the weights...I felt really weak and tired going into my workout, and that added to my frustrations so I just killed it. Saying no just wasn't an option today. On most exercises, if I didn't increase the weight, I increased the reps. On a couple things I did both. My DB shoulder presses destroyed me, putting the weights back I couldn't stop my entire arms from trembling.

With my tricep dips, I have been using a 10lb plate on my legs, but after 2 sets today I decided that that's not enough. I switched to a 25lb plate for 2 more sets (same number reps), failed on the last rep, but then something irritated me more, so I cranked out several more reps. That hurt.

To finish off the workout I did my 3 sets of push ups and by the last few reps of my last set (the incline push ups) I was about ready to scream or cry.

LOVED IT!

I have pictures to put up here, hopefully I'll upload them a bit later today.

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Really, really struggling to find motivation to get my ass to the gym today..It's only a leg day, too. Since my groin still isn't 100%, that means a quick, 40min workout without a lot of strain. And still I can't find the motivation. Blah.

I probably will get there, simply because I don't want to screw up my schedule, but it's just the process that's dragging me down.

On a brighter note, I ate A LOT of food yesterday, it was delicious, and today I'm cutting down big time...my nutrition log has been all over the place the last week or 2 since up'ing my calories, and I'm actually excited to get it back under control. Bring some order back to my diet lol I started this morning with a delicious protein shake...30g protein, frozen strawberries, and water Oh, and an earl grey tea...that was delicious, too.

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Good session today..Took everything to near-failure. On my last set of everything (except bench since I don't have a spot) I went at least 4 reps extra.. Shoulders are pretty sore at the moment. I did pull-ups for the first time today. I can't believe I waited this long to do them! I felt that everywhere.

Today went...

Bench press 65lb x 9 for 3 sets

Pec Deck 60lb x 12 for 3 sets (I couldn't crank out anymore than that..)

Incline DB Curl 15lb x 10 for 3 ..Last set went to I think 3 or 4 extra reps per side

Standing DB Curl 15lb x 12 for 3 ..4 extra per side on last set

BB Shoulder Press 30lb x 12 for 3 ..I had to pause for a few seconds before I cranked out 6 more. Had to use my legs on them.

Lateral/Front DB raise type thing 10lb x 9 for 3 ..3 extra per side on last set

Tricep Extensions 25lb x 12 for 3

Skull Crushers 30lb x 8 for 2 Super set with Close grip bench with 30lb x 12 for 2 ..Last bench went to 15 reps.

Deadlifts (Since I didn't do them yesterday) 100lb x 10 for 3. I wanted to do more, but I'm a little hesitant to push too hard when it comes to back.

Pull-ups - I used the Gravitron (I think that's the name?) and was lifting 76% of my bodyweight, did 3 sets of 8

Push ups - 3 sets, 1 incline, 1 flat, 1 decline and up'd reps to 14 per. (Arms nearly gave out on me)

After I sat for a second, I felt like I needed more so I did 6 more pull ups.

 

This workout made me feel much better today

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Hey Sam! Looks like you're doing great! Good job keeping up with your fitness. Seems like there are a bunch of us (myself included) who have been struggling to keep it regular lately, so kudos to you!

 

Sorry to hear you didn't like some of the protein powder in the prize package. I haven't tried that Garden of Life one yet. As for the Vega Pre-Workout Energizer, I often use it and think it's great. Sometimes I don't feel much of an effect either, but then other times it makes a huge difference. I know it works, though, because this past summer I made a lot of long roadtrips, and drinking that stuff woke me up even better than coffee when I felt myself drifting. BUT, glad you love the ProBar. I LOVE them, too! I love the acai one and the berry one, if you haven't tried those, I'd recommend them!

 

Happy to read about your progress!

 

All the best,

Karen

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I bribed myself with a bagel today in order to ensure that I went to the gym after work...the bribe worked lol The option to have the bagel was conditional on going to the gym. Let me tell you though, doing a full workout is ROUGH after 11hrs at work! I got through everything I should have for upper body, though it felt like I was forgetting to do something, and I'm still not sure what it was.

I had to go to the gym tonight since tomorrow there won't be enough time, and screwing up my schedule just wasn't an option. I'm not sure if that's a little OCD of me or not...but hey, it gets me into the gym, so I'll allow it. I'm really hoping I'll be in good enough condition (aka only minor hangover) on sunday to make it into the gym...otherwise I'm ok with doing a double on monday, or I guess it would just be considered a whole body workout.

As far as diet is concerned, we're just going to pretend like this weekend didn't happen. I have a feeling it's going to be bad. Not one of my friends that I'm having for the weekend eats anything like I do...they all still eat chips, pizza, etc. I got a selection of veggies for snacks...but who knows how long that good intention will last.

 

It's an hour early, but as I won't be posting tomorrow, Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

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Hope you're enjoying the weekend, Sam! And that it doesn't throw you too far off-track. But, with your determination, I'm sure you'll be right back on it tomorrow!!

 

Thanks, Karen! I did have a great weekend...definitely didn't make it to the gym yesterday lol but made it today despite being called into work. I even managed to up my squats! I'm still at a sad 65lbs, but it's an improvement, so I'll take it lol

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Pulled a double yesterday...those kinda days make me happy. Especially when one session is heavy lifting. First time in the gym, on lunch, was supposed to be legs, and it was essentially, but I only did leg extensions/curls to waste time until a squat rack was free. Hit deadlifts first, 135lbs x 8 for 3 sets (back is feeling that today - but in a good way!), and a squat rack STILL wasn't open, so I used the smith machine for one set...there's unknown resistance on the bar, so no idea what I was lifting. Moved to a real rack - went 65lbs for 3 sets of 10 and my groin still felt good, so I went for a fourth with 75lbs. It felt SO good to start increasing weight again!

I went back to the gym after work, and some of the employees definitely called me out on the two-a-day...Apparently I'm there a lot, I'm becoming well known. No weights this round, just Zumba, and that makes the day seem awesome. This was my first form of cardio since...very beginning of January.

 

Yesterday was a good day.

 

I also finished my fat burner...just knowing that I'm not on it has a bad mental affect. I'm not about to rely on a pill to make me feel lean, though, and since I'm getting back to cardio, I don't need them anymore. We'll see how this goes!

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