(Not so) Newish vegan's progress journal

[lustforlife]

So my workouts have stayed the same now that I've added a set to everything, hence no posts. Does anyone feel like going over what I've been doing and maybe make some suggestions for changes? I think it's time to shock my body a bit.

 

I gained another pound after losing two, so now I'm at 124. The weight gain has been slowing down, though my workouts have been great. I've definitely added some body fat to my stomach which I'm not crazy about. Should I add some cardio? I'm guessing no. I work out really hard, lift pretty heavy weights for my size, not sure why I'm not progressing as quickly as I'd like. I don't think my body is where it should be based on the quality of my workouts/ diet. Maybe even more food? Right now I'm at 1 1/4 cup oatmeal for my pre workout breakfast with soy milk, blueberries, and walnuts, a slice of toast with peanut butter, coffee, and a banana. For lunch it's a peanut butter sandwich with a bowl of lentil soup and a piece of fruit. If I don't eat directly after working out I have a clif builder bar. Snack every two hours (fruit, nuts, clif builder bar, baked chips with salsa, whole grain crackers with hummus, etc), large dinner, etc.

 

Oh, I'm still currently working out 4X a week for about an hour or a little over that. Would adding a day help, or hinder? I know working out too frequently can in fact burn new muscle tissue instead of fat.

 

Thanks!

[lustforlife]

As there isn't much activity on this board, I ceased from posting for awhile. Here's my update/ current status:

 

I ended up gaining 10 lbs in total, which I guess isn't bad in only a few months. I recently switched my routine to a split, which has been very beneficial (I'll post it below).

 

Unfortunately, with this weight came some extra fat (mostly around my stomach) that I'm not pleased about since summer is right around the corner. I've added 20 minutes of cardio 3 times a week. I jog then sprint for about 2 miles, in addition to the mile that I jog before all of my workouts. I'm more than a little frustrated that I'll now end up losing about half of what I put on, and I'm worried that I might not ever be able to have a muscular body with low body fat. Am I feeling badly for myself or could I just have bad genes? I'm also reducing my caloric intake from 3500-4000 calories a day to about 2500. I've also started taking soy protein before and after working out.

 

Day 1: Chest/ Triceps (3 sets of 8-10 unless otherwise specified. I also recently switched from barbells to dumbbells, hence the lower weight. Now that I’m adjusting to the new motion, I’m adding weight almost weekly)

Dumbbell Bench press (45 lb dumbbells)

Incline Dumbbell bench press (40 lb dumbbells)

Flyes (machine, 90-100 lbs)

Incline dumbbell flyes (25 lb dumbbells)

Lower cable crossover (110 lbs)

Kickbacks (30 lb dumbbells)

Tricep pulldown (100 lbs)

Alternate between all of these (a different one every week):

Decline bench press (barbell, 120 lbs)

Upper cable crossover (110 lbs)

Decline dumbbell flyes (25 lb dumbbells)

Crunches on Bosu Ball

 

Day 2: Back/ Biceps/ Obliques

Lat Pulldowns (Machine, 105 lbs)

Wide Grip Rows (80 lbs, plus weight of machine)

Close Grip Rows (cable, 90 lbs)

Reverse Flyes (machine, 60 lbs)

Curls (25 lb dumbbells)

Hammer Curls (20 lb dumbbells)

Preacher Curls (25 lb dumbbells)

Cable Rotation (50 lbs)

 

Day 3: Shoulders

Seated shoulder press (40 lb dumbbells) (might switch to a machine or a barbell; I've been doing this for years and should be able to go much heavier)

Front raises (20 lb dumbbells)

Lateral raises (25 lb dumbbells)

Shrugs (55 lb dumbbells)

Reverse cable flyes (35 lbs)

Crunches on Swiss Ball

 

Day 4: Legs

Squats (1 set at 130 lbs, 2 at 150. Had to go down from 180 as I have a bad knee)

Deadlifts (130 lbs)

Leg press (1 set at 230 plus weight of machine, 2 sets at 270 plus weight of machine)

Leg extension (90-100 lbs. used to alternate weekly between split squats, lunges and reverse lunges, but these fuck up my bad knee)

Calf raises (180 lbs, 3 sets of 15)

Crunches on Bosu Ball

Planks

 

Any advice/ feedback is much appreciated. I was hoping to be 135 (and lean) by the summer, and that didn't happen. Maybe I'll try bulking again next fall. Or maybe there are some red flags as to what I might not be doing.

 

Thanks!

Edited April 6, 2010 by lustforlife

[medman]

I think you might be focusing too much on isolation exercises for someone whose goal has been to gain mass. When I used to do isolation exercises, I never gained any significant amount of weight (which is why I gave up on weight training for a few years). Coming back to it with Stronglifts (all compound lifts), I have gained about 10 pounds in 2 months, with minimal change in body fat.

 

It also seems to me that you could have benefited more from increasing your weights more often. I see you're deadlifting 130 now, and you were deadlifting 130 on February 1st. Especially since you were able to squat 180 (sorry to hear about your knee), I don't see any reason you couldn't have worked your way up to over 200 lbs on deadlifts by now, and pulling big weights on your deadlift would add a lot of thickness to your back and your entire posterior chain. If you have that issue with your hands getting sweaty, you could use chalk or even straps (though at this weight it would be best to just work on grip strength and use chalk), though doing high weight, low rep deadlifts would in and of itself improve grip strength.

 

I'm just trying to piece this together from what information you've included in this journal, but I think a major culprit might have been that you weren't increasing the load frequently enough to progress well.

[lustforlife]

Thanks for the advice! I guess I should clarify. I switched to a split since I had plateaued with gains as per someone else's advice. It's hard getting conflicting information online.

 

As for body fat gain, I'm not so sure it's the isolation exercises or the pot I started smoking to increase my appetite. It lead to poor food choices usually late at night, such ad baked tortilla chips and sugary salsa.

 

I can go up in weight in deadlift now for sure. Someone suggested lower weight/ higher reps which I followed. I am happy that I can run again though, I really missed it.

[medman]

I know what you mean about getting conflicting advice. The best thing in my experience is to try different peoples' recommendations (given that they know what they're talking about) and find the best fit for you. I had several weightlifting friends who brought me to the gym to "bulk me up" in undergrad. One of the pushed me so hard on chest/triceps one session that I pulled both triceps tendons. That was one of the things that scared me away for a long time. I've had far more success with stronglifts than with anything I ever tried before...it was just a matter of finding what worked for my body. High reps, low reps, compound, isolation...I think everyone's body "likes" certain things better, and it's a matter of finding what works for you personally.

 

I'd increase the deadlift for sure, I'm positive you could handle it. And consider trying stronglifts, my squat and deadlift have increased about 60% in two months compared to what I was doing when my bodybuilding friends were taking me to the gym to do their programs.

[lustforlife]

I can definitely add weight to my deadlift, I was doing 8-10 reps. I also realized that if I hold the bar underneath (instead of over) that I don't have the grip problem.

 

Switching to a split has been beneficial, I just haven't made as many gains as I would have liked to, and I don't want to be fat for the summer. With the split, whatever I work out on a given day is now sore for days. It also helped that I switched it up from barbells to dumbells, that gave my body quite a good shock.

 

The full body exercises were keeping me lean, but that was about it. And I'm still doing all the same multi joint exercises, I just split them up differently. I guess I'm pretty muscular (for me) right now. Maybe focusing on my actual weight isn't a good idea as my muscles are quite large for my small frame. I'd still love to be 150 lbs and lean, but maybe that's far off/ not possible.

 

Also wanted to add that while some weights have stayed the same for a few months, my form has gotten much better which is equally/ more important.

 

And I want to experiment with my diet a bit. I know some people are more carb or fat sensitive (as far as adding body fat goes), and I tend to eat a ton of carbs. Not sure what I'm going to substitute for oatmeal now that the weather is getting warmer. It's too hot in my apt to eat a hot bowl of oatmeal in the morning. Maybe a pb sandwich and a protein shake?

[lustforlife]

Hooray for progress! I've added cardio to lose the fat I gained with muscle, and have lost some weight, but I look the best I've ever looked in my life! I definitely look heavier than I am, maybe I just have a small frame and shouldn't get hung up on a number? Anyway, in addition to the slow 10 minute mile I run as my warmup, I now jog then sprint for 20 minutes 3 times a week. Only about 2 miles because my bad knee doesn't allow me to run faster without suffering major repercussions.

 

Can someone look this over and give me some feedback? My questions are, can I add a fourth set to some of my exercises if I'm unable to add weight? Also, is it really bad if I hold the bar underhand when doing deadlifts? This way my sweaty hands don't cause me to lose my grip and not do as many reps. Also some diet feedback would be appreciated as well, I'll post that below. I'm sure you're all going to tell me to eat more since I've reduced my caloric intake (from 3500-4000 calories a day to about 2500), but the bulking I was doing left me with a gut which is now almost gone. I almost have a six pack for the first time in my life!

 

Day 1: Chest/ Triceps (3 sets of 8-10 unless otherwise specified.)

Dumbbell Bench press (45 lb dumbbells)

Incline Dumbbell bench press (40 lb dumbbells)

Flyes (machine, 90-100 lbs)

Kickbacks (30 lb dumbbells)

Tricep pulldown (90 lbs)

Crunches on Swiss Ball (3 sets of 25)

Alternate between two of these every week:

Incline dumbbell flyes (25 lb dumbbells)

Lower cable crossover (110 lbs)

Decline bench press (barbell, 100 lbs)

Upper cable crossover (110 lbs)

Decline dumbbell flyes (30 lb dumbbells)

 

Day 2: Back/ Biceps/ Obliques

Lat Pulldowns (Machine, 105 lbs)

Wide Grip Rows (80 lbs, plus weight of machine; the one you sort of lay on with the long pole coming out of it)

Close Grip Rows (cable, 100 lbs)

Reverse Flyes (machine, 75 lbs)

Curls (25 lb dumbbells)

Hammer Curls (20 lb dumbbells)

Preacher Curls (40 lbs, machine)

Kneeling Cable Pulldown (90 lbs, 4 sets of 15)

 

Day 3: Shoulders

Seated shoulder press (40 lb dumbbells- switching to a machine this week. I realized that if I save the energy lifting the dumbbells off of the ground, I can probably go a lot heavier)

Front raises (20 lb dumbbells)

Lateral raises (30 lb dumbbells)

Shrugs (55 lb dumbbells)

Reverse cable flyes (35 lbs)

Cable Rotation (50 lbs, 4 sets of 15)

 

Day 4: Legs

Squats (1 set at 150 lbs, 2 at 170. Going back up in weight after giving my knee a rest)

Deadlifts (150 lbs !! Happy about this)

Leg press (1 set at 230 plus weight of machine, 2 sets at 270 plus weight of machine)

Leg extension (90-100 lbs. used to alternate weekly between split squats, lunges and reverse lunges, but these fuck up my bad knee)

Calf raises (180 lbs, 3 sets of 15)

Incline pushups on Bosu ball (3 sets of 16-20)

Crunches on Bosu ball (3 sets of 25)

 

Diet:

9:30 am - One cup of oatmeal with blueberries and raw almonds or walnuts. Coffee with soymilk. (As it is soon going to be too hot in my apt to eat oatmeal, would a peanut butter sandwich and a protein/ blueberry shake be sufficient for a pre workout meal?)

10:30 am - 12:30 pm - Workout

1:00 pm - One scoop soy protein isolate powder, one bowl lentil soup with nutritional yeast, one peanut butter sandwich on multigrain bread.

3:00 pm - Almonds, or a banana

6:30 pm - Protein (tofu, seitan, etc), with veggies. Big portions. Try to avoid carbs now in the evening, though I make vegan pizza once a week and have the leftovers the following lunch.

8:00 pm - light snack, nuts, apple, cucumber with hummus, carrots, etc.

10:00 pm One scoop soy protein isolate powder

 

Thanks guys!

[lustforlife]

Still going strong with this routine. However, I've amended my chest workout slightly with amazing results! Here's what I'm doing now:

 

Day 1: Chest/ Triceps

Dumbbell Bench press (45 lb dumbbells) 3 sets of 8-10

Incline Dumbbell bench press (40 lb dumbbells) 3 sets of 6

Lower cable crossover (110 lbs) 1 set of 8-10, then two immediate drop sets (also 8-10 reps); first at 55 lbs, second at 35. Followed by two additional sets at 110 lbs, 8-10 reps.

Upper cable crossover (110 lbs) 1 set of 8-10, then two immediate drop sets (also 8-10 reps); first at 55 lbs, second at 35. Followed by two additional sets at 110 lbs, 8-10 reps.

Cable Flyes (85 lbs) 1 set 8-10, 2 immediate drop sets, then 2 regular sets.

Kickbacks (30 lb dumbbells)

Tricep pulldown (90 lbs)

Kneeling Cable Pulldown (90 lbs, 4 sets of 15)

 

Not sure if it's the drop sets, or the cable exercises, but my chest is definitely getting wider instead of just larger. That was an issue I had that has since started to go away. Here's the rest of my workout routine and progress report (usually 3 sets of 6-10 unless otherwise specified):

 

Day 2: Back/ Biceps/ Obliques

Lat Pulldowns (Cable, 105 lbs)

Wide Grip Rows (80 lbs, plus weight of machine; the one you sort of lay on with the long pole coming out of it)

Close Grip Rows (cable, 100 lbs)

Reverse Flyes (machine, 75 lbs)

Standing rotating curls (30 lb dumbbells)

Hammer Curls (25 lb dumbbells)

Preacher Curls (50 lbs, machine)

Crunches on swiss ball (3 sets of 25)

 

Day 3: Shoulders

Seated shoulder press (85 lbs, machine)

Front raises (25 lb dumbbells)

Lateral raises (30 lb dumbbells)

Shrugs (55 lb dumbbells)

Reverse cable flyes (35 lbs)

Cable Rotation (50 lbs, 4 sets of 15)

 

Day 4: Legs

Squats (1 set at 150 lbs, 2 at 170. Going back up in weight after giving my knee a rest)

Deadlifts (150 lbs)

Leg press (1 set at 230 plus weight of machine, 2 sets at 290 plus weight of machine)

Leg extension (110 lbs)

Calf raises (180 lbs, 3 sets of 15)

Incline pushups on Bosu ball (3 sets of 20)

Crunches on Bosu ball (3 sets of 25)