chewybaws

My eating wasn't that unhealthy, I just wasn't taking in enough calories. My body type is ectomorph, if I don't keep up the eating my bodyweight and strength fade quicker than other body types. It was just down to lazyness and it snowballed. The worse I felt the less I could be bothered.

Cheers man! Mon 29th August 2011 Bodyweight = 85.8kg Squat (with belt) 2x3x155kg (struggling to hit depth) Bench 1x3x82.5kg 1x3x80kg (loading error - heavier at one side) 1x3x82.5kg Barbell rows 3x6x67.5kg Felt like total shit, my weight's been doing and eatings been horrible the last 5 weeks. On top of that shit sandwich I nearly got crushed spotting a 225kg squat from behind by a 105kg lifter falling backwards on me. Luckily all I came out with was a scraped and bruised bicep. Wed 31st August 2011 Deadlift Single at 180kg, 200kg and 210kg Close grip bench 1x10x65kg Fri 2nd September 2011 Bodyweight = 86.8kg Sumo Deadlifts (no belt) 1x2x140kg 6x2x142.5kg Romanian Deadlifts 3x10x90kg Leg press 5x10x105kg Knee raises 5x5 Chipping away at form on the sumo deads. Left adductor was pretty sore. Was guinea pigging my assistance exercise plan for deadlift day for after the comp. RDL's were quite easy but my grip nearly gave out on the 3rd set so called it there (was just using double overhand). Leg press there was already 2x25kg and 2x10kg plates on the machine and I loaded on top of that. Only to find out when I was stripping it at the end that one of the 25s was actually a 20kg. My hamstrings are still incredibly stiff (Monday I'm writing this) from Friday's RDL's. Sat 3rd September 2011 After work practiced my Sumo setup with 70kg. Trying to force my knees further out instead of forward. Was doing a decent job. During the week I started getting my eating sorted out again by making a eating plan with less in it. But I've been sticking to it at least. Will build on it over time.

Strong benching!!

Glad to hear things are going well =] I started practicing sumo pulls recently. Not easy for a guy with bad flexibility lol. I hope you're still squatting in front of these fancy lifts

I echo VE about the single leg stuff (try out bulgarian split squats - beast!) and machine weights for when compound lifts become too much. What kinda sets/reps you doing on the compound lifts?

Just read the thread over here http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=26127. You seem to have a more unique case rather than just "weak core". I know Strength Shop in UK do vegan belts; http://strengthshop.co.uk/index.php/powerlifting/powerlifting-belts.html Not sure how much shipping etc would be.

Your hands will heal tougher. Have you tried chalk? Powerlifting belts aren't for protection. They increase internal pressure giving you something to "push off" of and therefore lift more, and only work effectively when you learn to hold a deep breath in your stomach. If you learn to do this without a belt and keep your abs tight, that will protect your lower back (along with loading smartly and not attempting weights you shouldn't be lifting). If your form sucks or you're attempting something stupid, you're going to get injured - belt of not. Personally I wouldn't bother with one till you're squatting about 1.5x your bodyweight and deadlifting about 1.5 - 2x times with good form and full range of motion. Don't be that guy who wears a belt/gloves for his whole workout.

Well yeah, you said you didn't do many pushups and only 1 warmup set of the exercise before a max effort set - so don't do that lol. But you already know that. It doesn't take long to build back previously built muscle. It's not like starting again. I would keep the eating up while concentrating on your cardio and get your fitness levels sky high. It will do wonders for avoiding depression as well. Keep your chin up man, you'll be healed in no time!

That's all there is to it man, forget about your test levels and creatine. In regards to your knee, what lower body exercises do you currently do?

I squat to just below parallel. You should squat as deep as you can without losing your back position. A lot of people have their tailbone tuck under when they try to go ass to grass. It just depends on flexibility and what type of squat you're doing. You'll be able to get deeper on a front squat/high bar squat than you will on a low bar squat, for example.

Welcome to the boards. There's no point of cutting if you've got no muscle. If the flab around your stomach isn't enough to see with a shirt on then there's no point of being insecure about it. My advice is to eat enough consistently to gain weight weekly and start a beginner's strength program if you have access to a gym or equipment. And do it for at least 6-12 months before cutting.

http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/907554_Lifeplan_High_Strengh_Vitamin_B12_30_tablets.html What do you make of them, too much?

So my multivitamin has 1µg, but the recommended dosage for my age is 25-100µg?

Fri 26th August 2011 Morning weight = (a feeble) 86.8kg Wide stance squats (no belt) 1x3x100kg 1x3x115kg 1x3x120kg 1x3x125kg Bench(from dead stop) 1x5x60kg 1x5x70kg (called it here, wasn't feeling good today) Sumo deadlifts (no belt) 1x5x70kg 1x5x90kg 1x5x110kg 1x3x130kg 1x3x140kg 1x3x145kg Got all my squats/deads on video to watch back. Depth was inconsistent on squats, especially near the end. I noticed as well my knee (at least my left one) doesn't stay completely out at the bottom. Will need to bring stance in slightly or point toes out a bit more. My upper body was pretty stiff and bench wasn't feeling too good so just cut it short. Sumo deads as you'll see in the video my back angle came over more and more towards the end, however I done a good job keeping it completely straight. To be honest I think I just rushed the last 2 sets. Going to take my time more next week and really work on forcing the knees out and pushing the hips forward in the starting position, and also try pulling back a bit. Things I noticed about sumo pulls - 1) Harder off the floor 2) Lightening quick lockout 3) Don't feel much in the back 4) Felt it more in adductors

What do you recommend as a daily dosage for the average vegan? I think the only source I currently take is part of a multivitamin.

As mentionned this table hasn't been updated in over a year (since cubby left the boards), so unless he comes back this thread isn't going to be updated. There are barely any active members on that list that are still here, and only a small handful have posted updates in the long space of a year. To anyone interested there is a frequently updated, competitive and busy strength table over at the Vegan Fitness forums; http://www.veganfitness.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22315

Thu 25th August 2011 Wide grip pullups 5, 7 Cable curls 1x10x30kg 1x10x35kg 1x10x40kg Wide Lat pulldowns 2x10x50kg 1x10x60kg Unexpected pumper workout in the place I'm doing work experience at.

Wed 24th August 2011 Deadlift (with belt) 2x3x200kg OHP 3x3x45kg Close grip bench 1x12x62.5kg Front squats 2x5x82.5kg Kettlebell Swings 16kg (both hands), maybe about 2x10. Didn't count was just trying them out Pretty mediocre day for deadlifts. Wanted a 3rd set but last rep was such an unbelievable grinder at the lockout that I couldn't. Kettlebell swings were fun, however there's none at the club, one of our lifters just brings one in when he's in.

Cheers guys! Wed 17th August 2011 Deadlift (with belt) 1x5x180kg 1x5x185kg 1x4x190kg OHP 3x5x40kg Close grip bench 1x13x60kg Front squats 3x5x80kg Chins 2x8 Felt kinda bogged down this day, but just ploughed through. Could've made an extra rep on deadlift at 190kg but form was getting a bit shitty and nothing was feeling good. Fri 19th August 2011 Wide Stance Squats (no belt) 1x3x100kg 1x3x110kg 1x3x115kg 1x3x120kg Bench (from dead stop) 1x5x65kg 1x5x67.5kg 1x5x70kg Really comfortable day, form was coming together on squats and bench managed to pause for even longer on the last reps. Mon 22nd August 2011 Squat (with belt) 3x4x147.5kg Bench 2x4x77.5kg 1x4x80kg Barbell rows 3x8x62.5kg Weighted Plank 3x30s +30kg Although some crap reps, was good numbers on the squat. First set of bench felt hard but got easier from there.

Haha sorry man read this when I was in a rush the other day and forgot to reply. In the powerlifting club we slag the hell out of each other, I forget when speaking in other circles that not everyone appreciates the "strength or die" attitude lol. When I say stuff like that just take it as sarcasm even if on the surface it just looks like I'm coming across as a dick. The funny thing is after my next competition I'm going to be doing bodybuilding style assistance (or at least my interpretation) to try get a bit more size on. To be honest for size in bodybuilding I actually agree with you, just do high volume once a week if size is the goal (which for you it probably is), but for getting better and stronger (especially for hasn't done it frequently in the past) at a particular exercise, I'd always subscribe 2 or 3x / week (volume/intensity would depend on level).

sent you a pm mate

Program looks cluttered and within 7 months it's doing an advanced split which I would only recommend for advanced bodybuilders (guys who have been training for years and years consistently). But the biggest problem I have, it doesn't tell you how to progress (adding weight over time). Saying that, in the first few months you'll notice gains with any program that hits the fully body assuming you're eating enough. I can only recommend a program like stronglifts or starting strength because that's what I had success with, but hopefully a lot more guys on the board can chip in with prog ideas.

Haha my girlfriend noticed the other day that I snore when I lie on my back (I normally lie belly down). It's kinda hard to control if I roll over in my sleep or something though lol.

It did look like a tough group, well done on placing 3rd man! Looking forward on seeing your progress for your next comp!