VeganEssentials

Hey, VS! Strength Shop guys are top-notch, they should be able to take care of you very well with their belts. I don't happen to have one (I'm just using a Rehband back support with an old Valeo canvas belt doubled around it for now), but I hear great things about their belts, not to mention they're supposed to also be competition spec-friendly for thickness and overall size. Definitely worth a go if you can get one!

Yep! DB rows are one thing I've been strong at for a while, have done 3x5 @ 200 lbs. before, but they're not all that pretty once I get to that weight Rows are fun, and as long as I belt up now and go with DBs, my lower back doesn't feel like it's about to rip in half

Too busy to do much training this week, but got in tonight for a quick upper back session - Pull-ups (250 lbs. bodyweight clothed) - 2x3 @ bodyweight 3x5 @ 57.5 lbs. added Pulldowns - 3x10 @ 270 lbs., changing grips each set Dumbbell rows - 3x15 @ 155 lb. dumbbell each arm (was originally just planning for 12s, but was easy, so 15 was better!) Wide-grip plate loaded Icarian seated row - 2x20 @ 200 lbs. Between those, I did 3 light sets of reverse hypers, 20 reps @ 60 lbs. to stretch out my lower back as it was a bit tight tonight. Wrapped up with 2x30 for bodyweight shrug-ups from a pull-up hang (using lats and a bit of trapezius to shrug upward a few inches), then one set of barbell curls with 55 lb. heavy-duty power bar, 35 reps normal curl style, rest 5 seconds, change to reverse curl grip to finish. Leg day again (finally!) on Sunday, looking forward to it!

If those three are all I had left, I'd be fine with that. Just don't push a bottle of that wretched Stella Artois at me and expect me to drink it because it's from Belgium! Actually, there's one more, but chances are I won't be coming across it again any time soon: Best damned stout I ever had (and priciest beer I've ever purchased), but at this point in time, I'm not planning on driving two states away and taking a weekend off to camp out in hopes of securing a few bottles.

You don't keep up with The Walking Dead, do you? Hunting got carl shot and Otis killed. All depends on whether you go by the AMC show or the graphic novels as to how the events play out

With that belt, you can actually use it as-is without the carabiner and loading pin setup. You just unloop the blue kevlar strap from the buckle, slide it through the plates or wrap around the DB handle, and you're good to go. The carabiner/loading pin makes it easier to change the weight quickly (you won't have to undo the buckle every time to change weight with it, just unclip the loading pin from the carabiner and you can change out the weight in seconds), but it will definitely work without it. I have their Super Squats hip belt, it's nearly identical except for the fact that it has a rear loop to attach to as well for dual hookups to a barbell instead of just a front hookup. So, it will definitely work even without the carabiner and loading pin, just that it will take a few seconds more to change the weight out if you need to adjust it from set to set!

http://ironmind-store.com/De-Rigueur-Dipping-Belt153/productinfo/1310/ Only one I've seen in a long time. Valeo used to make some, but seems they cut them out from their catalog. You can always improvise and go cheap with a piece of nylon rope. Probably cost $5-10 to get a piece long enough from a hardware store to wrap around your waist and have enough to tie a dumbbell on at the end. I've done it in a pinch once or twice when I didn't have anything else to work with!

Figured it was a compliment, VS! It was always odd being the big guy skateboarding - I averaged about 235 lbs. most of the time I was skating daily (minus all the muscle I acquired over the years, so it was always a chubby 235ish all the time). But, all the years spent praticing gave me a decent sense of balance, coupled with learning to fall to do the least amount of damage for being the size I was. Still a lot of fun, but I have just as much fun watching the younger generation come up and do tricks we only dreamed of back in our day, so even if I just go to spectate it's a good time. The axle is 54 lbs. empty, I call it 55 as I throw on some steel collars on it that are about a half pound or so to try and get it close to 55 lbs total. It's tough to use for anything with deadlifting, rowing, etc. but for pressing, it gets me into a better position and feels WAY better than a normal bar. I was never naturally strong (naturally large, yes, but I spent my first years lifting with a friend who referred to me as either "balloon man" or "super-wuss" for not having strength to match my size When I was just doing general bodybuilding, I never got that strong - only when got into doing other stuff like strongman and odd lift work did I finally realize that not every rep needs to be textbook, not every set needs to be done in the vein of "x reps for x sets = optimal", lots of heavy singles and doubles combined with squats, deadlifts and overheads that I'd ignored for years are what turned things around. Now it's just keeping my fingers crossed that my lower back will stay in decent shape to get my lower body strong again one day, gotta take it slow for a long time to ensure I don't make the same mistake twice. Not to mention, some strongman things like doing yoke training are off my list permanently, as that was one thing that really did make my situation even worse. No worries, Robert, I knew what you meant! Hopefully you'll be back this way this summer, and if so, we'll have to find more time to hang out for sure. I still feel bad that I didn't have the chance to get to train with you while you were here, but next time, it'll be good to go. The Slingshot can be seen here for how it works: http://howmuchyabench.net/ It's a great training tool for overloading on bench, it works like a partial bench shirt by giving some assistance off the chest at bottom and lets you slam your triceps harder than normal by going heavier than you can normally do for chest work. It gives me about 30 lbs. or so extra above my normal bench weights for what I can use, you feel it as the bar hits your chest, but every inch back up, it does less and less to assist and about halfway to lockout, you don't get anything out of it (which is exactly when your triceps will kick in the most). I like to use it for a while, then test my raw bench every so often to see how much it can help me add on when I ditch it for a max single. I'm hoping to hit 315 without it again soon to tie my old PR close grip bench, so we'll see in a month or so if it's helping me out as much as I hope it is!

Hey, VS! Hopefully someone will be taking video while I'm at the skatepark some time, if so I'll post it up here Still got decent balance (started skating when I was 12, nearly 26 years later much of it still has been retained), but the body doesn't cooperate like it used to. Not to mention, it hurts a hell of a lot more when I fall now, I seriously think that skateboarding is half fun, half self inflicted punshment now that I recall how much I tend to get knocked around doing it. Axle is 2" diameter, so same as normal olympic bar sleeves all the way down. I love that thing, almost all my pressing is done with it these days. The axle just rests so much more naturally in my hands, it's hard to want to press with a normal bar again! Lost most of last week to feeling wiped out after nearly 3 weeks of fighting to get over the cold I caught in California, but got in for upper back and chest last night - Weighted pull-ups - 2x3 @ bodyweight (248 lbs. clothed last night) 1x5 @ 50 lbs. added on 1x4 @ 60 1x3 @ 70 1x2 @ 80 1x1.5 @ 90 (first rep decent, 2nd one was close, but not quite) Flat barbell bench w/ axle - 1x5 @ 145 lbs. 1x3 @ 195 1x2 @ 235 1x1 @ 265 Put on Slingshot 5x2 @ 300 lbs. 3x5 @ 285 1x12 @ 250 1x20 @ 200 Icarian plate-loaded seated row - 1x8 @ 300 lbs 1x8 @ 310 1x8 @ 320 Horizontal banded bench machine - 3x20 @ double orange bands, alternating grips each set Pulldowns - 3x15 @ 230 lbs., 1 set wide grip, one medium, one fairly narrow Inverted rows - 3x20 @ bodyweight Called it a day, should be in for some light lower back work tomorrow!

Got a few things that might help - http://store.veganessentials.com/ultimate-fat-metabolizer-by-biochem-p1518.aspx http://store.veganessentials.com/vegan-cla-by-deva-p1993.aspx Throw in some caffeine and green tea, might just help out a bit!

Impossible to answer, I'm afraid. Everyone is too different to have any idea what a specific macronutrient ratio will do until it has been combined with training and given time to see what happens. There's no magic macronutrient ratio to yield ideal results - some here do really well with high carb/lower fat/moderate protein, I do best with high protein/moderate carbs/moderate fat (something along the lines of 40/30/30 works best for me, too many carbs and too little protien and I don't lose much fat based on over 15 years of trying to find what's best). Just as much as anything, the macros and how they affect you will also have a lot to do with WHAT you're eating. You're going to get a very different experience if you were to have half of your carbs from high-glycemic sources (like white bread, white rice, etc.) than if you get the bulk from leafy greens, legumes, etc. so that is another factor that will make it impossible to know what to expect by simply looking at numbers. And, a very slight change may yield major alterations in results, it may offer nothing, the only way to know is to try it and see where things go. You may find that your original plan works well, you may find that you need to up the protein considerably, you just won't know until you try. Many of us here have been on a lifelong quest to find what works best, and most of us haven't found it yet (or, are just starting to figure out how our bodies best respond). The best thing to do is, start with what you'd planned to start with, and if you don't start to see results after, say, 2 months with things starting to go in the right direction, then it means that it's time to change things up.

I wouldn't worry too much about the weight loss from being sick - things happen, and it's not worth scrapping the whole plan because life threw you for a curve when you didn't expect it. That's just the way things go sometimes, and if you're waiting for the perfect lead-in to competition, it's going to be next to impossible to obtain. One thing to remember, sometimes being sick for a few days just makes you feel "flat" from a bit of fasting and loss of stored carbohydrates, but a few days back to training and eating normally often will balance it out better. I lost 9 lbs. in 3 days about 2 weeks ago when I got really sick, couldn't eat more than about 500 cal./day for a few days. Now that I've gotten back to normal, 7 of those 9 lbs. came back, so I'd expect that by next week, you'll likely see some of the weight return. Up the carbs slightly for a day or two if need be (not excessively, but by a bit), that should help things along unless you really need to keep carbs low right now to maintain where you want to be. I think you'll be surprised by how well you do once you get out there, just don't let this setback ruin all your hard work!

Second session back again after two weeks of being sick. 98% better, still one swollen lymph node and a slight throat tickle, but I can't wait another freakin' week to get life back to normal. Quick leg session tonight: Squats - 1x5 @ empty bar 1x5 @ 135 lbs. 1x5 @ 185 1x3 @ 225 5x10 @ 245, again all sets easy, just got really winded on final set (after rep 6, had to take about 5 breaths between each rep to finish, lungs still not 100% yet). Glute/ham raises - 3x25 @ bodyweight Leg press - 3x25 @ 250 lbs. plus black bands (about 50 lbs. resistance at start, about 100 at finish) That was it, queasy afterward and didn't have anything left in me to bother with. Lower back and chest likely in two days, trying to make sure anything interfering with legs will be normal by Thursday so I can play around on this: http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/558701_3579659340341_1538893076_3179536_923893997_n.jpg Friend who owns the skatepark nearby just finished up this little beauty today, finishing the changes to the pool in the background as well this week, haven't skated in a few months but itching to get back out now that there's something new to enjoy. So, plan is lower back and chest Tuesday, upper back Wednesday, skate Thursday!

Yeah, it'll be a fine day when people wake up and realize that, when someone NEEDS to be in the ideal physical form for a film role, steroids are usually what get them there in a hurry. When even Stallone is now open to saying that he's relied on them to get ready for a role, it should be figured that this isn't the exception, rather, it's the norm. It isn't as if Hollywood is going to say "Well, if it takes him 10 months to put on 20 lbs. naturally, that's fine, we'll just postpone everything until then!" When you have hundreds of people waiting for a set date to begin a major project, they will do ANYTHING to ensure that whoever needs to look the part, looks the part the way they'd like by day one. If that means pumping their lead role with 500mg of testosterone once or twice per week to ensure that he looks the part without wasted time, then that's what's going to happen. It's business, and business will do whatever it needs to for ensuring that things run on time and without a hitch.

Finally well enough to train a short session tonight, shoulders and upper back quick workout - Weighted pull-ups (245 lbs. clothed tonight with no added weight) 2x3 @ bodyweight 3x5 @ 50 lbs. added / 295 lbs. total weight Standing strict overhead axle press - 1x5 @ 145 lbs. 1x3 @ 175 1x1 @ 195 2x1 @ 205, just not ready to go heavy yet after being sick 2x8 @ 175 1x12 @ 145 Hammer Strength plate-loaded high row machine - 1x10 @ 360 lbs. 1x10 @ 450 1x10 @ 540, ugly but got 'em done 1-arm standing strict overhead DB press - 2x15 @ 70 lb. DB each arm, 1st set straight through, 2nd set did 13, dropped DB, rested 10 seconds and cleaned DB to finish reps on each arm Pulldowns - 1x15 @ 220 lbs., wide grip 1x15 @ 220, V-handle Done in about 70 minutes total, quick session, should be training again Sunday!

Justin - Omni is simply the short version of omnivorous", which gets used a lot to infer "non-vegan" when it is noted. Like I say, if people feel great on 80/10/10, that's awesome. I just can't do that sort of thing, not just for the sake of it affecting my training negatively, but it's a diet that I simply couldn't adapt to unless I wanted to suffer considerably based on past experiments with going mostly raw. Great for those who can get by on it, but it isn't for me.

Yeah, I hate to say it, but maxing out on machines does NOT equal real strength with a barbell or dumbbells. Not even close. I used to be able to bang out 3x5 on the Hammer Strength plate-loaded incline press with about 360-400 lbs., and my *true* strength for a barbell incline bench was probably only about 265-275 lbs. at the time for a max single. Same thing with their decline bench, I maxed it out for a few reps @ 450-500 lbs. in plates but there's no way in hell I could have come remotely close with free weights. Sure, it looks impressive, but it's a poor gauge of true strength and is more of a "let me show off by slapping on twice the weight I can do with a barbell" sort of thing. They're fun to play around with, and obviously they have their place in some training protocols, but do very, very little to show anything remotely valid for being "strong". One thing about them is that one can learn the leverages better to get more weight moving on them, and when you take out those pesky stabilizer muscles, you'll find that things are a LOT more impressive in the world of machines than they are with free weights. Not meaning to put the guy down, it's obvious he's not weak, but anyone who wants credibility of proof of a bull-strong fruitarian is going to want a lot more evidence than what's in those clips. If you posted those videos anywhere that omni folks are training hard and heavy, they'd only use it as evidence to show to each other that they were right in their thoughts that you can't get too large or strong on 80/10/10. It would do more to validate their opinions than change their minds

Never thought about that factor, but it is true, less wrist strain with hammers than standard curls. I guess that, since I was doing nail bending and loads of grip/forearm stuff back then, I never really thought about taking it easy on the wrists. Once you get into bending, your wrists either learn to deal with the worst stresses of all time or they simply get injured and turn to crap. Even the worst wrist stress from doing heavy curls is 10x easier on the joints than bending steel!

Main reasons I do them for my only biceps work - 1. Lots of guys who are particular about preserving their biceps health (mainly powerlifters/srongman competitors) swear by hammer curls as being their weapon of choice to keep injury-free. 2. Movement feels more natural to me than regular curls. 3. More forearm work with hammers, which translates to more overall awesomeness!

If only people knew the wiseness of that statement, it'd save a lot of wasted time in the gym. At my bloated peak I had just cracked a 20" arm measurement doing nothing but squats, deadlifts, overheads, rows and close grips with 3 sets of hammers thrown in....oh....once or twice each month at very most . I'm sure I'll be long in the ground before the general population realizes that heavy compound lifts do SO much for arm development, since it seems most would rather spend their afternoons curling away in front of the mirror rather than make great overall progress.

No training in a bit Last Sunday night, started to feel really fatigued. Next day, massive sinus infection and chest congestion plus sore throat. Lasted 3 days, sinuses and chest cleared up 90% but throat is still slightly sore AND my lymph nodes are swollen like golf balls. Still waiting on my test results from Saturday spent at the walk-in clinic (could barely swallow water, was NOT fun that day...), probably not strep as originally thought but they never ruled out possibility of other fun stuff like mono (doubtful, but you never know....), so while I'm fairly functional for work duties, training has been a complete no-go, probably won't be until this weekend. Oh well, the throat pain just means more vegan ice cream to numb the soreness for another day or two, I guess I have to look at the bright side

Ah, the "Lunk Alarm" of Planet Fitness! Yes, it's a wonderful chain her. In their quest to be a "Judgement-Free Zone" as they claim to be, they instead judge anyone who they deem to be 'intimidating' to new trainees (which can be by what type of lifting you're doing [don't even THINK about deadlifting or doing overhead pressing!], by any grunts or noise you may make while lifting, or by not setting down weight as if you were putting down an infant for naptime) as "lunks", to where they may sound an ACTUAL alarm, and then either kick you out, or, warn you to stop whatever you've been doing. The only appeal it has is for two groups in particular: 1. They've been said to be REALLY low-cost compared to most gyms, something like $9.95/month, which in the USA is pretty well unheard of for a franchise gym. So, those who have a tight budget or are just concerned with lowest price over quality, that's one group, and... 2. Those who are genuinely afraid of the gym and think that EVERYONE is scrutinizing them by their appearance, exercises they're doing, weight they're using, etc. Seriously, you'd have to be one paranoid person to feel that you need the sort of protection from the reality of what a gym is like, but I guess that there are some out there who would prefer to train around timid people who most likely are different every month (either because they quit training after such a crappy experience, or, they wisen up and move to another facility). That's pretty much it. Messy "someone else will clean it up!" kooks pretty well ruined it for most of us who would have otherwise contained our chalk in an effective manner. Saw it a few times when one gym I went to was still lenient, a guy seriously had a cloud of it surrounding him during deadlifts and it looked like a kilo of coke had exploded underneath him. No cleanup afteward, he must have been too "hardcore" to worry about such a thing. Right after that, guess what happened to the policy at that location regarding being coo about chalk use....

1. Most things are fine and reasonably healthy in moderation. Having a tablespoon or two of agave nectar on pancakes once a week isn't going to kill anyone, that is, unless they're allergic to agave nectar. That, and raw agave isn't processed the same way, but from a site that likes to reference that goof Dr. Mercola (who has some pretty asinine views from time to time) I can see how this would happen. 2. I don't advocate eating tons of processed soy, but their throwing out a range of "alarming" issues that they infer could be developed by eating a few Boca burgers here and there is pretty silly. 3. If people haven't figured out yet that you shouldn't drink fruit juice by the gallon as a healthy alternative to water due to the sugar and calories, there's little hope left for humanity 4. Bragg's liquid aminos aren't intended to be drank by the cupful. It's like soy sauce, and anyone who is "alarmed" about that fact obviously didn't do their homework. And, ugh, the tired old MSG stuff, if people actually knew that the issue that started the whole "MSG is evil!" situation was done as a shot in the dark as to what could be causing symptoms in people and has yet to have a solid foundation in science is only hurting their credibility. Those are the same people who don't understand the differences also in a processed MSG powder and natural glutamic acid, so why aren't these same people crying out about the dangers of sea vegetables and such? As I always say, consider the source - are they selling website subscriptions, books, DVDs, seminars, etc.? If so, they NEED an angle to play to get people coming back for more "great information", and sadly, lots of purported experts love to either leave out useful info (such as, don't over-consume and you'll be okay) or other pertinent details that make their statements less than truly accurate.

You'd be surprised how many gyms won't allow chalk these days - chains are especially particular about it (Bally's, 24 Hour Fitness, Cardinal Fitness, etc.) but independent gyms usually are more lenient on it. I had to smuggle mine in for years and hide it in my gym bag to use in secret whenever nobody was looking, and when they eventually found out I was using it (I never made a mess, only used as little as was necessary), by their reaction you'd swear I'd just set off a small explosive device in the middle of the training area. I even made sure to explain how, by using chalk I was less likely to drop weight and make a racket, not to mention that I was safer with my grip and was less likely to tear a callus, but no matter, they simply said "use it here again, you lose your membership", after which I changed gyms to one that didn't care about my chalk use

If your gym allows it, definitely get some chalk. You can either get a box from IronMind, or, you'll be able to find it at any climbing supply store like REI or something similar. If your gym won't allow it, you can look for liquid chalk, it's usually a combination of alcohol and some chalk mixed in, will dry your hands out without the powdery mess.