Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Run #6
Tues April 3, 2012
Weight: ?

Time: 30 mins
Pace: ?
Distance: about 2.3 mi
Calories: ?


Week 7

Workout #20
Weds April 4, 2012
Weight: ?

5 minutes Warm-up on the elliptical

Squat 5x5@145lb

Overhead Press 5x5@90lb

Deadlift 1x5@185lb

A few thoughts:
- I learned this workout that I can't go to the gym late at night anymore. Just too exhausted. I yawned my way through the squats.
- My technique is good on the OHP and deads, but getting sloppy on the squats. I think my back is straight and my core engaged, but my weight is too far forward. I seem to be lifting on the front of my feet instead of the heel and blade. Makes my feet/toes sore the next day. Gotta clean that up.
- Been really slacking on my meals. I've stopped eating frequent and shorter meals, instead eating fewer heavier meals, which is causing me to crash later in the day. My sleeping patterns are getting much better however. Getting a solid 7 or 8 hours straight lately. I'll be refocusing quite a bit on diet in the next few weeks. I have some vacation coming up which will be a great opportunity to clean up both diet and sleeping patterns.

Week 7

Workout #21
Sat April 7, 2012
Weight: ?

5 minutes Warm-up on the elliptical

Squat 5x5@150lb

Bench Press 5x5@125lb

Barbell Row 5x5@125lb

Form on the squats improved today. Just had to push my knees out, and I was able to get the weight to my heels and off my toes on most sets.

Sad to say, bench is getting tough. This was the first time the last few reps of the last set had to really be pushed out.

I think I'm going to deload the barbell row and get some kind of form. Well, it's not that my form is incorrect, but I just can't figure this thing out. Is it supposed to work the back? I hear people say lift your elbows, don't make it a bicep exercise etc. It just seems hard to really get the back into this exercise.

Run #7
Sat April 7, 2012
Weight: ?

Time: 30 mins
Pace: 12:51/mi
Distance: 2.34 mi
Calories: 369

It was such great weather today I decided to run right after my lift. I used my iPhone this time to track the run and it seems to work better than my nano these days, so I'll stick with it for while. The pace got thrown off a bit because I slowed down once I passed my third lap and circled back slowly, but then realized I had 3 minutes to go, and turned back around and kept going. My pace before the slowdown was about 11min/mi. Getting a bit better. Calibrated the nike+ app with today's run so it should be more accurate going forward. Although I'm just noticing that even though I calibrated it as a run, it's showing that only the walk is calibrated. I guess nike is trying to tell me I'm moving too slow. LOL.

Week 8

Workout #22
Mon April 9, 2012
Weight: ?

5 minutes Warm-up on the elliptical

Squat 5x5@165lb

Overhead Press 5x5@95lb

Deadlift 5x5@195lb



Run #8
Tues April 10, 2012
Weight: ?

Time: 30:13 mins
Pace: 11:37/mi
Distance: 2.59 mi
Calories: 410

This was my best run yet.



Workout #23
Fri April 13, 2012 (this was actually 1am Thurs night)
Weight: ?

5 minutes Warm-up on the elliptical

Squat 5x5@160lb

Bench Press 5x5@130lb

Barbell Row 1x5@130lb 1x4@130lb 1x5@130lb 1x5@130lb 1x5@130lb

First failed set since I started Stronglifts. I tried the second Barbell Row set under hand, and missed a rep. Just experimenting to try to get a better feel for the lift. I'm actually considering dropping to about 105 and just getting my technique down.



Run #9
Fri April 13, 2012
Weight: ?

Time: 30:06 mins
Pace: 11:50/mi
Distance: 2.54 mi
Calories: 401



Workout #24
Sat April 14, 2012
Weight: 201lb

5 minutes Warm-up on the elliptical

Squat 5x5@165lb

Overhead Press 5x5@100lb

Deadlift1x5@205lb

My first 200lb lift came today on the deadlift. Pretty excited about that. And it was actually kinda easy.



Run #10
Sat April 14, 2012
Weight: 201

Time: 30:04 mins
Pace: 11:50/mi
Distance: 2.53 mi
Calories: 400

Things still going well for you and your training? Good to see you are still posting. A lot of us, myself included were just motivated for the first couple of months by the prize packages. When I got mine though I was even more motivated because I had some new supplements to try along with my workouts.
Question, it looks like you do a 5 min warm up on the elliptical. I have been warming up on the tread mill with sprints for 4 mins and then rotating lifting and sprints throughout my workout. I am still in the experimental phase of this routine. Do you feel the 5 min warm up run is beneficial? I don't like the elliptical because I don't feel I get my full leg stride and it feels unnatural, but I guess its no impact so its better. Now I'm just rambling. Hope everything is going well for you.

-Dylan

Restarting this journal after too long. Brief summary: Since last posting in May, I've hit my first weight goal (<=185lb), and my max lifts break down as follows:

Squat 5x5@270lb
Deadlift 1x5@285lb
Bench Press 5x5@140lb
Overhead Press 5x5@120lb
Barbell Row 5x5@135lb

Slacked off a bit in June-July, so I'm building back up to those numbers. I can still hit them, but not without quite a bit of soreness later. My last two workouts earlier this week have me about here:

Squat 5x5@235lb
Deadlift 1x5@235lb
Bench 5x5@115lb
Overhead Press 5x5@100lb
Cable Row 3x10@42.5,50,60lb (switch off from barbell row for a while)

Running 2.79mi@10:48/mi (30mins)

Even though I slacked a bit mostly due to mental fatigue and a life transition, I think I'm in a great position. I'm finally down to a comfortable weight: 185lb down from 225lb in Jan. Waistline between 34-36in down from 40.

Now it's time for some new goals!

First goal is to get back to my mid-June numbers on lifts. I think it'll be about 3 more weeks. Secondly, I'm really focusing on nutrition this time around, and will start logging it. Not sure I'll put a detailed nutrition log here, but at least the calorie breakdown.

2012 4th qtr Goals:
- Increase upper body strength. I want to get my bench to 185lb (current weight).
- Build my core (abs & back) strength AND endurance. I'm envisioning some high volume body weight stuff.
- Squat and Deadlift > 300lb.

Nice to see you're back posting on here. Looks like you're still killin' it with the workouts, well done.

-Dylan