Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

NASM! You go! I have taken their test twice ( and passed, probably best all around cert, in my opinion.)
When are you competing...loved your comment on giving up mass for lean--found a ton of photos recently from when I was 38- 40 and was not lifting but was bigger lower body size wise and lean but not ripped. I think it changes in various seasons of our lives. Love teh food variations you posted...great "food for thought", and inspirational as always. And laughing, cause, I always have someone saying, "Oh, I will train with you...just call or text...and I do...and they NEVER show up". Anyways..thanks for the inspiration today!

Thanks for sharing with so much detail in your journal. Especially about food. Lots of people on here only keep track of their workouts which is fine, you know whatever is important to them. I really find it fun and interesting to see what everyone is eating too.

-Dylan

Did the 10 miler CRIM this morning: time: 1:45:23. Not bad for a bodybuilder, and not a runner. Did not stop once, and my son (who was behind me at the 3 mile mark - first time in history that Mom passed him and he never passed me back! I beat a 21 year old! Still he did not train for this, so it was an honest attempt by him) pointed out the hole I had in the bottom of my Vibrams afterwards when we got to the car and ditched our shoes for the sandals and socks! Time to get a new pair I guess. 2 years is what I got out of those!
Passed out when I got home, after rehydrating and fueling myself. Woke up with very sore and stiff Achilles' tendons and calves on both legs. Time for repair processes to start to go to work. A green smoothie is called for in this situation I think! Yum!

Time to refocus again. BigMeech has got me motivated again, and Synny is always inspirational to me also.

I am learning alot from my NASM book. I would definitely say that I am overtraining, so I have backed away on some things. I am doing 12-15 reps for 4 sets on some days - when my bodypart is not 100% willing to do heavy, and doing my morning cardio. I have to refocus on the image I want to shape my body into. Right now it is too blocky I guess is what I would say it is. I want to stream line it alittle bit more, and that is going to mean taking off the bodyfat also. It is just so hard to keep healthy and keep lowering the calories, and keep up with my workouts. And I am staying the same with all these fights I keep having with myself. If I want to do the cardio (did 7 and 1/2 miles on a new trail path yesterday - so awesome as it is cool and the leaves are starting to change - well the poison ivy is a brilliant scarlet red right now), I have to back off on the weights so I do not injury myself. Or go crazy eating at night cuz my body needs the calories to function.

So I have a mini goal of getting down to 140 again by the end of September, because I will be heading over to Osaka, Japan to visit my daughter (who is working as an English teacher at Amity - like a Kumon here in the States - private tutoring company) on Oct 6. She is having a hard time being away from her family, and I got a call at 4 AM this morning (5 PM Osaka time) with her wanting to hear my voice. She also is sick for the 2nd time around since being there in May. My heart goes out to her, as she was one who could never stay away from home for 2-3 weeks at a time (her college was MSU, which is only 1 and 20 minutes away), so I knew this would happen. And she is frustrated because she took the job to learn more Japanese over there, but the company only wants here to speak English. She did hire a Japanese tutor this week, and the first meeting went well - so hopefully this will channel here anxiety alittle more, and she can focus on learning kanji and speaking Japanese.

Me inspirational??? Awe you are to kind. I hope your daughter gets to feeling better and enjoy those trail runs for me!!!

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Got a call at 4 AM from my daughter. Had a heart attack because I have never gotten a call that early before! Thought the worse - but it was because she is so homesick, and then she is actually sick with the chest congestion and coughing up phlegm. Ugh! So I got up and Skyped her for about an hour. I got up an hour later and made lunch for my High Schooler that has a 0 hour Jazz band class (a class that begins an hour before the school actually starts!), but then I passed out till 9 AM! No cardio this morning, and did a super heavy Leg workout -

Leg Press sets started with 2 45lbs plates on each side first and went up to my usual 11 45lbs plates on each side for 8 reps (had to try twice to get the load up - began to hurt myself on the first try and got scared and backed away from trying to push it up. readjusted my thinking and form, and pushed with the core at first and then continued on into the legs - instead of just only the legs)
supersetted with BOSU ball deep squats with MaxRack barbell with 10lbs on it, holding it in my arms in front cradled like a baby, for 25 reps (flat surface for my feet, ball part on the ground) for articulation stability and neuromuscular coordination (balance)

Leg Extension sets finally ended with a set of 10 reps with the whole stack (285lbs) and was starting to feel fatigued so I did not push it by adding the little weights to it (to make it go up to 315lbs), but I did a descending set with a lower weight till failure

Leg Curl sets went up to 105lbs for 12 reps, and my stomach was acting up by then, and my Legs were like noodles, so I stopped after I reached this heavy set, but did one set of lower weights till failure for the burn.

I also did some Stability ball Pullovers and ab crunches in various positions - so maybe that was what was making my tummy feel icky.

Food macros were : Calories 1713, Protein 126, Carbs 193, and Fat 46. Weight was 150.2 (with no cardio and no BM - so not dehydrated and full colon LOL!)
Proud of myself for allowing no wheat to touch my lips today. Laid out in the sun and enjoyed the last warm rays in this transitional month of September.

I have to add that I did a Heavy Leg workout because I haven't done Legs for awhile now - have just been trail running and biking for two weeks now. So I thought it was about time to push them heavy. Next time will probably be the moderate 12 -15 rep range like I said I was doing for all my bodyparts in the post before - so I can tone up the bulk - plus watch what I eat which is why I am back on MyPlate on LiveStrong.com.

I am also off my BTT (herbal testosterone booster), and soon will be cycling off my creatine (which might help me feel more toned and not so bulky). It will be interesting to see what my body does being off of these (I did ProStack during the winter and really increased my weights, and BTT during the summer while dieting and maintained my weights pretty well, though the dieting was not as well. . sigh . still working on it!).

You are my rock star!!!! I am really trying to stay away from the gluten but grrr so hard some days. I would love to TRY to hang with you during just 1 of your workouts!!! You are a beast and I mean that in a good way

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Thanks Synny! And as always, inspirational for me!

Woke up and the Legs were a wee bit sore (Awesome! about time!) and decided to still do a walk around the short part of the trail (2 miles for 1 hour). The purple asters are now starting to bloom! And the bittersweet vine has the berries on them also. Ah, so pretty again! just like in the spring with all those flowers blooming - now it is autumn's turn with its flowers!

Still 150.2 today - a little disappointed that it didn't go below 150 yet (of course it has only been 2 days since I last binged and had wheat). Chest day today at the gym. Says on my calendar that I went heavy last week, so I guess I plan to do a high rep, moderate weight workout today - Burn the pecs!

You could be retaining water since you went heavy on legs. I know that on legs day I gain or stay the same

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Yeah, my Legs do feel like tree trunks today, so that is probably it.

I call that the thunder thigh effect. Big and powerful

_________________
I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Been awhile since my last post. I can't decide to either go onto bulking now, and eat normally, OR to keep trying to get down to my comp weight and then let up a little bit and eat normally. As I am preparing to be a PT, I guess I should keep going and get down to where I can see my abs at least. Yes, that will be my new goal: 6 pack.

I am also back on ProStack from ABS World Labs sports nutrition. The BTT was OK, but the ProStack helps me handle my estrogen alittle bit more (keep it in check: estrogen tries to keep up with testosterone, so when one hormone is encouraged to go up, the other usually follows). To me, it keeps my periods in check, and as someone looking at menopause in a couple of years, this may actually help me. Plus endometriosis runs in the family, so it will also help keep that in check.

I actually ran yesterday in the low 30 degree F! I was amazed at myself, because I am usually so cold inside my body, that going out in the cold was unheard of last year. I did force myself to go, and was still cold (sweat turns icy on my back and butt), but it was tolerable. . . this time. Now it is the next day. A little bit of thunder and lightning to the north just past, and the wind is now just a good breeze (though when you go biking - which was my choice for this morning's cardio - you go so fast and create your own breeze and freeze). Could go do some Elliptical at the gym. But my days outside are dwindling down (I won't even be able to go on trails as they usually get snow and ice all over them by December). I guess I shall pile on the clothes and a rainproof windbreaker. I will enjoy the hot shower when I get back!