Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Here's todays workout:


Preacher curl bent bar
55/12 55/12 55/10

DB hammer curls
15/12 20/11 20/6

Arm curl machine
40/8 40/6 35/8

Assisted pull ups
180/3 200/3 200/2.5

Cable rows
50/12 60/3+50/3 50/8

Lower back extensions
Body weight/12 /12 /12

Crunch machine
110/12 /12 /12

notes/thoughts
-Pull ups are hard, but I wanna do em'! Had as much weight as I could on the stack and still only got those puny results. I'll keep at it.

-Guy I spoke to last week recommended again Mark Ripptoe's "Starting Strength" which I just downloaded to my iPad. Intrigued by this approach of doing only barbell exercises and working with tiny weights and only focusing on form form form. This guy seems to have gotten good results and is also willing to work out with me so.....

-Even in my gym rattiest days of old, I never did squats or deadlifts and those are pretty solid exercises. Seems like it makes sense to focus on those compound lifts and branch out from there in order to build strenght/size and then carve away at it later with isolating exercises. Am I even understanding this correctly? Maybe I should read the book. I'll start with my usual routine this week and read the book in the meantime.

Saw you on the news (youtube) bud that's a really cool idea with the tattoos! I have a full sleeve and a dozen others but nothing vegan yet, may have to get one a little more political (:
Hope you're still training dude :p all the best

Ugh! Took about a month off, but coming in strong in the new year! Just came from the gym, here's what went down:

Chest/Tris

DB Press
35/12 40/12 40/8

Upstairs flys (this machine is shitty.)
60/8 60/5

Downstairs flys (this machine is not as shitty.)
60/12 70/10

Hammer Strength decline
70/10 90/10 90/6

5 fingers of death
30 40 (rough) 30

Cable pull downs
75/10 75/9 75/5

Tri extension machine
50/12 50/12 50/10

Notes:
The guy I have been talking about who recommended the Mark Rippetoe book has made noticeable gains in the one month since I have been absent from the gym. I'm feeling inspired by him and the fact that he works out alone and still gets these big heavy lifts in.

I'm back! I guess if I am going to only be consistent in one way, I'm happy that I consistently start again after losing momentum. I am super focused on writing this music performance piece. I'm doing a first public performance of it in April, so that is sort of eating my brain and freaking me out in a way that makes me want to hide out. NO MORE! I went to the gym yesterday, here's what I did:

lat pulldown
66/12 77/12 88/7

Low row
70/10 70/8 70/6

Lower back extension (no weight)
12 10 12

Arm curl machine
50/12 50/3 (super slow with careful form) 40/6

Hammer curls
15/10 15/10 15/6

Straight bar/cable curls
40/10 40/10 50/4

Not bad, I think. My arms and back are nicely sore this morning. I am headed out to Prospect Park in a few minutes to go for a run. It's nice to be back!

Glad you're back dude! What are the workout goals at the moment?

You know, if I sincerely ask myself this question my overall goals are to build muscle and lose fat, but I think for the next couple of moths while I have some other priorities, I just want to build the habit of showing up at the gym regularly.

How have you been? How has Brooklyn been treating you? I moved my things from Bushwick to Rego park in Queens about a month and a half ago. I already miss Brooklyn, not that I never go, but its a lot less frequent.

I've been back at the gym more regularly for the past month or so. Aiming to lift three days a week and run three days a weem. I realized a couple weeks ago I am strong enough to do dips! That's my big news. hahah

Feeling inspired this morning so I thought I'd get back to posting in this training journal. Here's this morning's workout:

5 minute elliptical warm up
Dips
5 -5 -2

DB Press
40/12 40/6 40/4

Tricep extension machine
50/12 60/12 70/9

Downstairs flys
60/12 60/12 70/7

Skull crushers
40/10 /6 /5

Decline Press (Hammer Strength)
70/5 70/5 70/3

I skipped my run yesterday. >:-(

Back and biceps today:

Asst pull up (alternating wide and narrow grip for four sets)
190/11 /7 /2 /4

Preacher Curls
45/12 /10 /10

Low Row
70/10 /8 60/12

Hammer curls
20/12 /5 15/8

I have been doing sort of low key workouts only *kind of* consistent and noticing that I am getting stronger in spite of my best efforts to be lazy at the gym. I've been saying to myself "well, it's better than not going at all" which is true, but I wonder what would happen if I started pushing a little harder. I would love to have a training partner. Considering posting something on the neighborhood listserv. Honestly, I am 45 years old and worry that my fellow 45 year olds will be even lazier that I am.

There's some brain dump for ya.