Adena

Oh, them's fightin' words! I saw you posted 160 for 1RM squat...that's crazy impressive! I just managed 160 for my 5x5 and was dizzy after each set. Also, I see you've deadlifted 175...that's wicked! I've only done up to 160 so far because I'm trying not to add weight too quickly, but I don't feel I've come anywhere near failure yet so I'm attempting 170 tomorrow with a short-term goal of 200 by the end of the month! Oh, and I think between what you've lost and what I've gained, I now outweigh you by like 3 pounds . I'm totally up for some friendly competition though . My last 1RM for deadlift was 185 actually, and last week I did 185 twice...my back felt like it wasn't really getting worked, but my grip has become a limiting factor, so I just farmer-walked around the gym for punishment after almost dropping the bar. You're actually still ahead of me by a little bit, but that's ok...

I saw a show on PBS the other night about monkeys, some mourned their dead and had a language ever bit as intricate as humans, it was AMAZING to watch. I use agave nectar to sweeten things like tea and such, its pricey so I dont use much of it, but its delicious. Not to step on your toes or anything, but there's a lot of info out there about how agave nectar is just as bad for you as high fructose corn syrup. I think the most important thing is to train oneself to have less of a sweet tooth, haha. (It's pretty hard for me, so lately I've just been doing a cheat day thing. I allow some pancakes and cookies and stuff like that on Saturday and Sunday, but that's about it!)

Wait a second...I just realized we weigh about the same and I'm putting up pretty comparable weights to you! OH NO, I feel a competition coming on!

Yes, I'm 5'1" and I actually lost a teeny bit of my pudginess, so now I weigh 127. Thanks for all the support! (I think I may be an easy-gainer.)

Week of 3/30 SOHP Day SOHP: 1x5x50 1x3x55 1x3x65 BOR: 1x15x65 1x12x65 1x10x65 One Arm DB Press: 3 sets with 20lb dumbells for each arm Assisted Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups Deadlift Day Deadlifts: 1x5x145 1x3x165 1x2x185 My left hand kept slipping on the last set. I pretty much dropped the weight once I got to the top, then repositioned my grip, got the weight all the way up, and my left hand slipped again. I really need chalk. And more grip work. Good Mornings: 3x12x105 Fireman's Walk with 50lb dumbells Hanging Leg Raises with my arms fully extended above me (in the hopes that this will help my grip somewhat) Plate pinches Various planks

Just what I needed to get myself psyched for training this week!

Wow, I haven't read your training log in a while. It sounds like you're hurting yourself a lot lately. That's never good! Did you ever get to a doctor about your knee and foot pain?

Awwww, thanks!

Bench Day Bench Press: 1x3x75 1x3x85 1x3x95 J & Press: 1x12x45 1x12x65 1x10x65 1x8x65 (I'm still learning proper form for this. It's kind of a weird lift. Aaaaand...my boobs get in the way.) DB Press: 2x12x25lb dumbbells 1x10x25lb dumbbells Dips: 1x8xBW 1x6xBW 1x4xBW Push-Ups: 2x10 1x9 Squat Day Squats: 1x3x135 1x3x155 One attempt at 165. I did not go all the way to parallel out of some kind of irrational fear, so I didn't count it. Then I waited about three minutes and attempted 165 again. I went slightly below parallel, and could not go all the way up. Since I lifted 160 from below parallel a couple weeks ago, I'm considering 160 my 1RM for now. I still think it's really weird I couldn't lift 165, but I hadn't eaten much that day. I'm kicking myself for not just grabbing some food before heading to the gym. Oh, well. Box Squats: 3x12x105 Lunges with 25 lb plate held overhead (Those always get me some weird looks, ha.) Leg Press: 3x15x260 Leg Curl: 1x12x50 3x10x65

I use Macbeth shoes for lifting (they're basically the same type of shoe as Converse all-stars) and Asics running shoes for running. I would reccommend something simple, canvas, with a fairly flat rubber sole like Converse All-Stars for lifting because it's important to have stability, especially when performing lifts like the squat or the deadlift. I think it's not too important what type of shoe you wear for lifting other than those two lifts, but I could be wrong.

If you're worried about not making strength gains from squatting less, I would say once a week should be sufficient to still see quite a few gains. I only squatted three times a week when I very first started powerlifting, but that was so I could practice my form more often. After about two months, I started just squatting once a week and still see almost the same gains. (Of course, there's nothing like those noob gains!)

My view on seitan is that it's delicious! And really easy to make. It takes time to make it, but I usually make a batch of it on the weekend and then have it a few times during the week, along with a lot of chickpea and lentil dishes, tofu scrambles, etc. I also make my own hummus. Both of those things are a lot cheaper to make than to buy prepackaged.

There's always hummus and pitas...

3/23/10-3/24/10 Standing Overhead Press Day SOHP: 1x3x50 1x3x55 1x2x65 BOR: 2x12x65 1x10x65 One Arm DB Press: 3x12x20 (right arm) 2x8x20 (left arm) 1x6x20 (left arm) Assisted Pull-Ups & Chin-Ups Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x3x135 1x3x155 1x3x175 Good Mornings: 5x12x105 Hanging Leg Raises 3x10 hanging from my hands on a pull-up bar 3x20 with my forearms resting Various Planks Plate pinches for each hand Tonight is Bench Day, and tomorrow I'm going to find out my 1RM in squat.

eimat, some websites you might find useful are jacknorrisrd.com and http://veggiedietitian.blogspot.com Both Jack Norris and Ginny Messina are registered dieticians and associated with Vegan Outreach.

Do you really think that if factory farming were eliminated, the cows would propagate like they do in captivity and eat up all our grass? In factory farms, they primarily eat corn and soy, anyway.

I like soy milk because it's an easy way to get a little more protein into my day...No, most stories you have heard about soy and estrogen are probably false. It will not give you man boobs. It has phytoestrogens, which are very weak estrogens. Most of the research done that shows a negative impact of soy involve tests performed by injecting animals with far more soy than a human would normally consume.

Gold's Gym. Lots of free weights and they let you use chalk. It gets super busy right after rush hour, of course. It only costs $37.05/month, plus a small maintenance fee twice a year.

Just wanted to add - recently read an article about b12 in nutritional yeast. Red star and and twinlab are the only ones that carry b12 fortified nutritional yeast. B12 is also light sensitive so if its not in a black container than the b12 isn't going to do any good. If you look for non-dairy enriched drinks though, many of those have 50% b12 per serving. Personally, I take a vegan b12 suppliment daily just so i've got my bases covered. Good job, I do that too! I take a B12 sublingual tablet whenever I remember, and it's the ONLY vitamin I supplement with. I don't even have protein shakes after I work out, and I'm still gaining muscle. You're right on track, knowing that you can get enough protein and amino acids from whole grains and legumes. Welcome to the forum. I hope you find it as encouraging as I have.

Week of 3/16/2010-3/20/2010 Standing Overhead Press Day SOHP: 1x5x45 1x5x55 1x5x60 Bent Over Rows: 3x10x65 One-Arm Dumbell Press: 1x6x25 for each arm, or something like that...all the 20 lb dumbells were missing! Assisted Pull-ups and Chin-ups Deadlift Day Deadlift: 1x5x130 1x5x145 1x5x160 Good Mornings: 5x12x105 Hanging Leg Raises: 3x10 ish This time I did them the hard way, by hanging from a pull-up bar rather than by resting my forearms like usual. I was trying to work on my grip. It honestly didn't work my abs much since my grip in my left hand kept slipping. Various Planks Plate pinches Bench Press Day 1RM! Yikes! Bench: 1x3x65 1x3x85 1x3x95 1x1x105 J&Press: 3x10x65 Dumbell Chest Press: 3x12x50 ... 2 25lb dumbells Dips: 1x9 1x6 1x4 Push-Ups: 2x10 1x9 Squat Day Squats: 1x5x110 1x5x125 1x5x140 Box Squats: 3x12x95 Lunges with a 25lb plate overhead Leg Press: 3x12x260 Leg Curl: 3x10x50 V-Ups and No Momentum Sit-Ups Plate Choppers for my abs...I think this exercise really doesn't do enough for my abs so I might scrap it. I did HIIT in the gym on Monday before my lifting week started, and then I tried it outside on the bike trails on Sunday. That killed me! It was pretty fun, though. I could only do six minutes worth of 30 second intervals, but I was going up and down some pretty intense hills.

100 bucks wow! Dangit, I already bought some synthetic Asics on sale. Since I bought them at a store instead of online, I was able to make sure they fit right. At least they're not leather.

I'd be much obliged if you posted that cornbread recipe! Oh, well it's from Veganomicon...I think they wouldn't mind if I posted it. I'll look it up and get back to you! Mmmmmm, cornbread...

Some things my omni boyfriend likes are: 1. Black bean and potato burritos. There's no real recipe for this, just boil chopped potatoes until they're soft, and at the same time, sautee onions, peppers, corn, whatever other veggies sound good. I cook dried beans ahead of time, so usually when the veggies are good and soft I add in the potatoes until they get a little crunchy on the outsides, then stir in the black beans. Put it on a tortilla with salsa or guacamole or both. 2. Chili and cornbread. Use a couple types of beans, even add lentils since they don't taste like much and will add more protein to the meal. I have a cookbook with a recipe for cornbread that I use. 3. Seitan. I sautee it with a couple spices until it's browned on both sides. Add whatever veggies you feel like on the side.

So right after posting my little know-it-all remark about contrast showers, I had a wicked legs day and I'm on my third straight day of DOMS. Dangit, I actually DON'T know it all!

My first thought is it has to do with your hand placement. I've had this happen before. I just paid more attention to how I was gripping the bar before I started squatting. Other than that, I'm not sure how to help.