Joe Cecil

I have been using Mark Lauren's "You Are Your Own Gym". He is a former Navy Seal trainer, and the book is entirely bodyweight conditioning. He presents four 10 week programs that grow progressively harder: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and elite. He weighs close to 200 punds, and is pretty muscular. I am in the advanced 10 week cycle, and have put 2 inches on my chest, and 2 inches on my arms, an inch on my calves, about a half inch on my thighs and neck, and my waist has stayed about the same (I would like to lose a little there). I have gained 15 pounds overall. I eat 6 to 7 vegetarian (mostly vegan) meals a day, consuming at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of desired weight, and once a day, I use a vegan meal replacement packed with protein, fiber, and the recommended daily value for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I'm still on the small side (150 pounds at 5'6"). I was always a "hard gainer". But I have seen better results on this program then anything else I have tried. I think bodyweight exercises, like 1-armed push-ups, work more muscles than some forms of weight lifting that often isolate specific muscles. The first time I actually successfully did more than one 1-armed push-up, my obliques were sore for two days, as well as my chest and triceps. When I first started this work-out program, I thought a 1-handed push-up and a 1-legged squat was literally impossible for me, or would take years and years to work into. But I stuck with the program anyway. And 27 weeks later, I am cranking out about 10 of each (1-armed push-ups on each hand, and 1-legged squats on each leg) before hitting failure. And I know how to make these exercises harder when they get too easy - for example, elevate the feet for the push-ups, and stand on a pillow for the 1-legged squats. It simply is not true that you cannot make bodyweight exercises harder when you find it easy to hit high reps doing it the way you were always doing it before. Mark Lauren explains that when a body-weight exercise seems too easy, you can always do it with one limb, or change your leverage, or your stability to make it harder. Move from push-ups to one-armed push-ups against the wall, and then one-armed push ups with the hands elevated on a chair, then one-armed push ups on the floor (which is as far as I have gotten). Mark would have you move next to one-armed push-ups with the feet elevated on a chair (elite course). I imagine that beyond his elite course, you'd eventually do one-armed hand-stand push-ups, then one-armed hand-stand push-ups with the hand on a ball, etc....(you get the idea). By the time you can crank out 50 or 100 one-armed hand-stand push-ups with the hand on a ball, I think you'd have already seen some results in your body!!!! Oh. And if you add some power/ashtanga yoga on your rest days, and get some cardio a few times a week, eat right and sleep right, I don't see how you can't see some results.

I've been using Mark Lauren's "You Are Your Own Gym". He is a former Navy Seal trainer, and he presents four 10 week training programs that grow progressively harder (beginner, intermediate, advanced, and elite). You will be doing hand-stand push-ups when you get to the elite, but not before then.

Thanks again for the welcome. Here’s a little more info on where I am in my journey, and what I am hoping to do. I hope this isn’t too much info to absorb… As stated above, I’m 45 years old, and have been a vegetarian since I was 30. I flirted from time to time with veganism, but haven’t been consistent. I knew nothing of a raw diet. I was a smoker from the age of 20 until just over 3 years ago. During the time I was smoking, I exercised, but typically only once or twice a week. I wouldn’t say I was ever an alcoholic, but I was drinking a little more each year. So, about 4 years ago, I decide it is time to make some changes and be more consistent. I started with making time for daily exercise, and yoga was my exercise of choice. About 9 months in (September 2007), I quit smoking. (An Aryuveda technique of eating cardamom seeds helped, as did prayer). I also decided to drastically cut back on drinking so that I would not replace one bad habit with another. I may have a glass of wine at a social occasion once a month or so, but otherwise try to avoid alcohol these days. As my yoga practice became more vigorous, and I quit smoking and drinking, I decided it is time to pay more attention to nutrition as well – so I wouldn’t get fat like a lot of ex-smokers, but also so I could bulk up with muscle if I did gain weight (I weighed about 135 pounds, with about 20% body-fat 3 years ago). I started reading how non-vegetarian body-builder’s gain muscle without fat, and tried to make it vegetarian friendly. There was a GNC store close to my office, and I bought some of their vegetarian and vegan friendly products. Gradually, I worked some strength training into my daily exercise routine and have done a little less yoga as a result. I now weigh about 150 pounds, with about 19% body fat. I’d still like to reduce the body fat while maintaining my actual current weight. This is what I came up with on my own so far. A Sample of my Current Typical Daily Diet: 5:30 AM – Vegan meal replacement (Veganique) in soy milk and a banana immediately after my work-out (see below). 6:30 AM – Black coffee, no sweeter as a sort of thermogenic (should I drop this habit?) 8:00 AM – Kashi’s Go-Lean cereal in one cup of soy milk (I’ll need to find a vegan replacement for this – it contains honey, but has been a stable source of 13 grams protein, which combines with the soy milk for 20 grams. It also has 40% of my daily fiber requirement). 10:30AM – An apple and vegan protein powder and 16 oz. water 12:45PM – 1 cup broccoli, one cup diced carrots and peas, vegan protein powder and 16 oz. water (I currently buy frozen organic veggies, and warm them up in a micro-wave, which I’ll need to change if going raw) 2:45PM – 1 oz. almonds, 1 oz. walnuts, 1 oz. raisins, vegan protein powder and 16 oz. water 6:45PM – ½ cup brown rice, ½ cup beans, 1 cup steamed veggies, 16 oz. water, another bowl of Kashi’s Go-Lean cereal in soy milk 8:00 PM – vegan protein powder in 8 oz. soy milk For the protein powders, I try to combine rice and pea protein, or alternate the two through the day. Sometimes, I use soy or hemp. I have recently become aware of the Vega line through this site, and would love to try the products – but I haven’t figured out how to budget for them (They cost more than the GNC products, and I am the sole income provider for a family of four). And I rally want to rely less on powders and supplements, if I can.... I actually eat pretty much the same thing Monday through Friday, except the 6:45PM meal, which depends on whether my wife prepared something before I came home from work. My wife and kids are vegetarian, but don’t share my desire to become raw vegans. This is one area where I haven’t been entirely consistent so far (in addition to the cereal, and my clothes). On Saturdays and Sundays, I may add a bowl of oatmeal or peanut butter sandwiches, and try to incorporate different fruits and vegetables. I attend a Catholic church on Sunday, which serves donuts during the social hour after Mass, which is the other area where I am the most tempted to cheat on veganism and healthy eating. To lessen the temptation, I take a bag of nuts, some fruit, and a peanut butter sandwich with me – but I confess that I still have wound up cheating on occasion. Work-outs: I start my work-outs prior to eating at 4:30AM (I wake up at 4:00 AM, pray, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, dress in the first 30 minutes). I am currently using Mark Lauren’s “You Are Your Own Gym”. This is a body-weight exercise conditioning program created by a trainer of the U.S. Special Operations forces – considered by many to be the most elite warriors in the world. I’m personally a pacifist, but that doesn’t prevent me from recognizing and using a great work-out program. The book has four ten-week programs; beginners, intermediate, advanced, and elite. I’m currently in week 2 of the Advanced cycle. On some of the off days, or as a cool-down, I incorporate yoga, which I practiced daily for about three years prior to discovering Mark’s book. Below is the work-out I have done for the last two weeks. Monday: Warm-up, 7.5 minute ladders each exercise for 4 exercises, and stretching cool-down: - Alternating one-armed push-ups, hands elevated on a chair - Assisted pull-ups, concentrating on the negative - Body-weight militaries, feet elevated on a chair - Let-me-ups under a table (similar to an inclined chin-up) Tuesday: Warm-up, 7.5 minute ladders each exercise for 4 exercises, and stretching cool-down:: - Alternating one-legged squats with one hand on a chair at the bottom - Alternating back lunges with a 4 second hold at bottom - Alternating one-legged hip-raisers, feet on a chair - Super-mans (also called hyper-extensions) Wednesday: Rodney Yee’s one hour DVD “Power Yoga: Total Body” Thursday: Warm-up, 7.5 minute ladders each exercise for 4 exercises, and stretching cool-down:: - Alternating one-armed push-ups, hands elevated on a chair - Assisted pull-ups, concentrating on the negative - Body-weight finger-tip militaries, feet on the floor (forming an upside-down V, similar to downward dog) - Let-me-ups under a table (similar to an inclined chin-up) Friday: Warm-up, 7.5 minute ladders each exercise for 4 exercises, and stretching cool-down:: - Alternating one-legged squats with one hand on a chair at the bottom - Alternating side lunges with a 3 second hold at bottom - Alternating one-legged Romanian leg-lift (standing on a pillow) - Iron-crosses with knees bent Saturday: The Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series Sunday: Day of Rest As I stated in my intro, the goal is to run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC next year. My wife finished her first marathon last month, and it’s my turn now. However, I want to do it on a raw vegan diet without losing weight. As stated, I want to maintain my current weight of about 150 pounds, but maybe reduce my body fat to around 14% or so. I'm not sure why my body-fat percentage is pretty much staying where it is on the diet I have. My training plan is to continue largely with the bodyweight strength training I’m currently doing through the winter months, and gradually work in some running beginning around March. I’ll continue to cross-train through the year. I recently purchased Brendan Brazier’s first book, which inspired me to aim for raw and vegan. I also purchased Robert’s book: “Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness”. I discovered towards the end of Robert’s book that he and I have a mutual friend in my area of Washington DC – Javier de la Camara. Robert’s goals are different than mine, but that’s OK. There’s still useful information here, and great inspiration. There’s some great information in both of these books, and I need to follow through (with consistency, as Robert emphasizes). Where I still have questions is that I really would like to move away from using so much protein powder, and rely more the actual raw unprocessed food that the powders are made from. I know many people consider the powders a food. Somehow, soy isolate seems different to me than a soy bean. Can I eat raw hemp (if I could even find it)? It’s not entirely clear to me how to accomplish my goal while ensuring that I get the nutrients I’ll need to accomplish my weight, body-fat, and athletic goals. I’d like to be able to quantify things to have a pretty good idea if I’m getting the right amount of each macro and micro nutrient. Brendan’s (first) book does have daily diet recommendations that rely less on supplements or powders, but he doesn’t tell you the amount of macro or micronutrients or calories in each food source. Robert’s book provides some macronutrient information for his daily diet, but he eats far more than I probably need, and uses some of the supplements I’d like to move away from if possible (simply replacing with the actual raw food source). Does anyone know where I can find this sort of information? Any other tips for achieving my goals?

Thanks for the welcome.

Hello! I'm new here. I've been vegetarian since around 1995, but want to go all the way to raw vegan without getting too skinny. I also want to convert to vegan clothing. I'm a 45 year old male, married with two small children (a 6 year old girl, and 3 year old boy). I am 5"6" and weigh about 150 lbs (about 147 in the AM, and 151 in the PM). I'm a federal government worker who likes his job, and I'm active in my church, with no plans of becoming a professional athlete or bodybuilder at this time (I don't have time or the inclination for that). However, I want to run the Marine Corps Marathon on October 30, 2011. I am currently not a runner, and I'm a former smoker trying to heal. I want to be eating raw vegan food by the time I run the marathon, but I don't want to lose weight as I train. I'm hoping I can get information here to help with that. I exercise daily in the morning, before eating. I eat 6 or 7 times a day. The main non-vegan thing I eat right now is Kashi's "Go-Lean" cereal, which has honey (but 13 grams of protein, and 40% of your daily fiber). I also need to be more consistent in avoiding dairy or food that might contain eggs. Affordability is an issue. My current exercise is either bodyweight training from Mark Lauren's "You Are Your Own Gymn" (I'm in the 2nd week of the "advanced"), or Power and Ashtanga Yoga (primary series, with some poses still in the modified form). I'll be adding some running around March, combining some interval sprints, long runs, easy runs, and possibly hills. This may mean cutting back on strength training, which is why I worry about weight loss. I hope I'm at the right place to get some tips.