awaken375

new protein powder came in the mail today. this time it's 70% gemma, 20% hemp 10% rice. i just wanted to say the chocolate peanut butter cup flavor is freaking amazing. it actually tastes like peanut butter cups. that is all.

have you looked at profiles on the front page? veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios

305lb deadlift x7.. around there. grip was failing, and i was wearing normal shoes. the gym said i couldn't go barefoot so i went and got wrestling shoes.. and last time, it wasn't bad, a tiny bit of elevation off the ground, but less than normal. it hurt my feet a lot wearing the wrestling shoes though, so i tried to do the normal shoes thing again.. immediately reminded why i chose to start going barefoot. not low enough to the ground = intestinal health compromised. the other option is getting toe socks, but wrestling shoes for now to save money. they'll probably stretch out. i'm also thinking i'm not getting enough protein, because 72 hours of rest hasn't been enough to make serious gains. it's easier to do than last time, but the reps aren't increasing much. 60lb overhead press - around 14. 65lb bench press - around 14. 45lb dumbbell raise - 24 45lb dumbbell shrug - 24 i forgot to bring my iphone with me so these are only estimates. i must've been getting more protein a couple years ago when i trained before, because i doubt this is all just playing catch up. going to increase protein intake and expect more next time.

found this searching for info on the new vega product i got.. the protein powder. vega meal powder = good with almond hemp or soy milk, bad with water (chocolate). vega pre-workout drink = good with water (berry) vega post-workout drink = good with water (apple strawberry) vega protein = revolutionary with almond milk (chocolate). tastes like ground up marshmallows with a thick consistency. fluffy and scrumptious. vega antioxidant oil = tastes like candy if you shake it up patiently, slow movements. tastes almost like water sometimes, depends how well you mix it. in the morning the first thing i do is mix vega meal with vega oil and vanilla almond milk. i will eat that and a breakfast burrito or something, which i know isn't very nutrient dense but it doesn't feel right to go without adding something else. that keeps me full for a few hours. it's also plenty to get me through a workout if i head out the door with the pre-workout drink in my stomach. and i'm talking like, deadlifting or something. i honestly believe that people who say vega protein tastes bad probably are lying to insult vegans. it's one of those things that is better than taking a plane to a fancy restaurant in europe and asking for the most expensive dessert. or maybe it's just bad mixed with water. i will never find out!

240lb barbell bent rows x24 80lb ez-bar preacher curls x5 (the plates were wobbly, maybe that explains the low reps) 11 160lb assisted dips (same as last time, but got a better range of motion) 150lb machine crunches x24

well, I found out that there are 35lb plates between 45 and 25 at my gym, so now I don't know how many pounds I was doing before in deadlift. But as of this morning I can do 8 reps at 305.. also.. 60lb x2 dumbbell overhead press, 12 reps 65lb x2 dumbbell bench press, 11 reps 40lb x2 dumbbell shrugs, 24 reps 40lb x2 dumbbell raises, 24 reps

235 lb barbell bent rows 3x8 24 reps 75lb ez-bar preacher curls 3x8 24 reps 11 160lb assisted dips 3x8 11 reps 160lb crunches 2 reps, 150lb crunches 5 reps, 140 lb crunches 16 reps got some vega recovery powder, 2nd serving of it. it probably helped me prepare for this yesterday.. still taking the vega sports energy powder before every workout.. i agree with people it doesn't make you jittery.. this is the 2nd time now ive added weight to bent rows without failing at doing all 24 reps.. reminds me of a few years ago when i went from about 135 pounds to 225 pounds in a month on it.. i don't know if i'm genetically gifted in the upper back or what. my deadlift didn't go up this quick at that weight range..

305 lb deadlift 7 reps 55 lb dumbbell overhead press 24 reps 3x8 65 lb dumbbell bench press 5 reps

Vega uses a protein ratio of about 40:30:30 of Yellow pea protein, hemp, and rice. I don't remember exactly. Trueprotein.com lets you make your own mix for 5 bucks a pound. Gemma protein isolate = yellow pea. Plus all of their premium flavors are synthetic/vegan. Chocolate chip cookie dough ;D mixes with water. (at least this flavor)

So tonight I was impressed with myself, as I did 230 pound bent rows, all 24 reps. 3x8 of that. I did less dips, but I used towels as padding for the handlebars and that raised the angle slightly, but it also made it easier for me to do them quickly because it prevented me from feeling any pain in the process. It was probably a better workout because of this. Preacher curls also coming along, and the abs are getting strong like they used to be.. 24 reps 70lb bar preacher curls 3x8 7 reps 160 assist dips 24 reps 140lb crunches 3x8 not going to do pullups again for a while since they are basically the same thing as bent rows and it would slowdown my recovery.

thrive diet and thrive are two different books

I didn't read through this thread very carefully so I don't know if I'm being redundant or stabbing in the dark. I've had energy issues as a vegan, and I'd recommend focussing less on calories in general and more on the requirements. From vegan nutrition: plain and simple: Protein, Carbohydrates, Enzymes, Vitamins, Minerals, Fats. Make sure you're getting enough of each of these every day. A multivitamin like vitamineral green, or the Vega whole food meal replacement will cover your vitamins and minerals. Fats include omega 3/6, and whatever is in avocadoes. Another high fat fruit is coconut. Don't forget nuts. Protein: get a protein powder if you aren't eating fake meats at every meal or if you're bodybuilding you probably need both. A 6' male needs 200g-220g protein a day to gain muscle without slowdown. Trueprotein.com lets you make your own mix with a vegan flavoring for ~$5/lb. Gemma protein isolate blends nicely with hemp and rice.. I use a ratio respectively of 60:30:10. Enzymes: once again, in vitamineral green or vega. Carbohydrates: You're going to need complex and simple carbs. Complex carbs are slow burning for when you plan on going hiking, or cardio exercise. It's also required for basic body heat, and simple things like getting out of bed. Simple carbohydrates on the other hand are 'explosive' and burn quickly for things like rapid muscle movements, and weight lifting. Without both, you're likely to feel very low on energy all the time. Complex carbs come from things like noodles, rice, whole wheat, quinoa. Grains/pasta. Simple carbs are provided by medjool dates, and other high-sugar fruits. Make sure before you go to the gym to get an energy bar with dates near the top of the ingredients list. Much of this information is found in the book thrive diet.

So after reading through my log, I recognized that I didn't ever do more than 5 or 10 reps of deadlift at 305 pounds before adding weight. I'm usually strict about 3 sets of 8 reps, so I must've gotten my ego boosted a bit high after accomplishing a goal of 305 pounds since that's when the bar bends. Which is why tonight I deloaded from 325 (3, then 4, then 5 reps over the course of 2 weeks) to 305 and did 5 reps again. I figure this was due to not eating enough protein lately. So, time to focus more on getting enough of that. also, 55 x2 overhead press dumbbells: 18 reps, 2 more than last time. 65 x2 bench press dumbbells: 7 reps. this was the same amount as last time, but I got more of my chest into it. an educating and disappointing exercise. came home and doubled my usual protein powder drink, and ate a ton of salad, since there's more organic fruits and veggies in the kitchen than usual nowadays. let's hope my kidneys enjoy the 60g of protein.. 'cuz I've been slacking on going upstairs for frequent 30g increments.

360mg of sodium per serving of 100% gemma with natural premium banana flavoring. I don't know how much is too much, but that's your number

230 lb barbell bent rows tonight. doing 3x8, i got 19 reps. the bar flew up at first. i wasn't expecting it to be easy. i expected grueling, embarassing low reppage. 70lb preacher curls, this time with a straight bar rather than ez-bar at 65 (these bars are preloaded, i couldve added weight to an ezbar that you put plates on, but didnt feel like it mattered) - 3x8, 15 reps in. 2 160lb assisted pullups, didnt get chin over.. figure it was hard from the bent rows. same muscle groups.. different direction.. dont mind, it still gives a direction to the muscles. 10 160lb assisted dips (3x8). im not totally positive i failed too much to keep going, but i didnt care, mainly because it hurts on this machine. it's meant for skinnier people i guess. the hand bars could have more cushioning. anyway this is still good for me because i could do twice as many this time. i still feel a little gimpy because i was capable of 3 freeweight dips a couple years ago. 8 non weighted crunches, then between 37 and 45 120lb machine crunches, 8 reps a set. i lost track of how many sets i was doing. the gym used to have a standing cable crunch which i could do the max weight 3x8 (230lb), but it's gone missing. i'm tempted to pick up a 45lb plate and use that instead.. going to research freeweighty crunch exercises after this. got home and took some vega with soy milk and vega oil squirt. delicious. thanks for posting, robert, btw.

230 lb barbell bent rows tonight. doing 3x8, i got 19 reps. the bar flew up at first. i wasn't expecting it to be easy. i expected grueling, embarassing low reppage. 70lb preacher curls, this time with a straight bar rather than ez-bar at 65 (these bars are preloaded, i couldve added weight to an ezbar that you put plates on, but didnt feel like it mattered) - 3x8, 15 reps in. 2 160lb assisted pullups, didnt get chin over.. figure it was hard from the bent rows. same muscle groups.. different direction.. dont mind, it still gives a direction to the muscles. 10 160lb assisted dips (3x8). im not totally positive i failed too much to keep going, but i didnt care, mainly because it hurts on this machine. it's meant for skinnier people i guess. the hand bars could have more cushioning. anyway this is still good for me because i could do twice as many this time. i still feel a little gimpy because i was capable of 3 freeweight dips a couple years ago. 8 non weighted crunches, then between 37 and 45 120lb machine crunches, 8 reps a set. i lost track of how many sets i was doing. the gym used to have a standing cable crunch which i could do the max weight 3x8 (230lb), but it's gone missing. i'm tempted to pick up a 45lb plate and use that instead.. going to research freeweighty crunch exercises after this. got home and took some vega with soy milk and vega oil squirt. delicious. thanks for posting, robert, btw.

Yeah that was my reaction too! third agreement here

It doesn't sound like you're eating too much food. If I were eating that much I'd be worried I wasn't eating enough. But, here are some tips... Omega 3 gives your brain the ability to burn fat as energy. Make sure you get an omega 3 supplement. Green tea has catechins which burns fat (regular is highest) Conjugated linolenic acid / CLA (veganessentials.com) burns fat. Cold water burns calories because you stay warm with them. Keep your stomach full of vegetables between meals if you want to avoid any overeating temptations. Another thing to remember is weight doesn't mean the same thing to a bodybuilder. Muscles weigh more than fat. Plus they burn fat without moving. If you want to burn fat, gain some muscle and you will need to eat more to stay the same.

One of the best protein powders out there is gemma protein isolate. You can get it from trueprotein.com for 5 bucks a pound. That's a lot of protein. You can mix it with hemp and rice if you want (there's a link for making your own mix). Also there's like 30 different synthetic vegan flavors (I'm currently working on 60% gemma 30% hemp 10% rice with chocolate chip cookie dough flavoring). It even tastes good mixed with water. Another choice if you have the $$ is Vega whole food meal replacement which is similar (gemma/yellow pea being the main protein source) but also includes a bunch of other things like chlorella, a berry mix, all your vitamins and minerals etc. and is about 260 calories before putting in liquid. Vega also has a protein-only mix for athletes which is probably cheaper, I haven't tried it.

My experience with creatine is that its totally adjacent to your energy levels unless you are in the middle of doing something.. in other words it will help you pull more reps off but you wont notice it otherwise. Maybe thats just me. Make sure you drink a crapload of water though or you can hurt yourself. It puts all the water in your body into your muscles... can dehydrate your brain. So drink lots of water when you take it. Dont go without available water near you for a few hours.

Deadlift 325lb x5 tonight. Making gains here, but slowly. My grip fails more than my legs/back. Also overhead press 55x2 13 reps (3x8), less than last time but done more slowly. Bench press 65x2 7 my routine is back to usual but I'm still playing catchup. I'm doing only dips, pullups, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, bent rows, crunches, and I've been adding preacher curls (65lbx24 on wednesday). Tomorrow is a rest day, and then: bent rows 230lb, 160lb assisted dips and pullups, empty crunches, and 70lb preacher curls.

I picked up some $6 packages from Whole Foods of organic cauliflower+broccoli, and carrot+celery+onion mixes that are in those cellophanes on black styrofoam plates. Jesus, one bite of celery and I was amazed. I've never had organic vegetables, as far as I can remember. First thought was now I know why kids think vegetables and fruits are boring. That is all

So I went to the gym tonight, and pulled off 225x24 barbell bent rows (3x8). yippee! also, 85x3 preacher curls, and 65x22 (3x8) preacher curls with that ez-bar shaped inner grip. also hit the pullup assist machine and did some dips and pullups there. the heaviest weight is the 160lb assist, and that's all I could do easily, so I did about 5 reps with various weight doing pullups on that and 5 reps of dips with 160lb. i love how it feels to be failing again lately! also, 32 3x8 body weight ab crunches

You get what you put in. Higher reps and lower weights is endurance training, lower reps and heavier weights is strength training. A noteworthy example is the tendency for people who do 5 reps of heavy weight to be able to lift a heavy amount, but can't for a very long amount of time. One other aspect worth mentioning is that muscle size is partially dependent on reps. In other words the muscle gets trained to hold more energy in it so it can move more often, and thus becomes larger. Strength still increases size, but so does plain old endurance. I was put to start on a 3x8 program, where 3 sets of 8 reps is a moderate average of strength and endurance with an emphasis on strength. 5x5 is pretty much 'hardcore strength' and something like 3x15 is 'hardcore endurance'. Don't expect to get strong as fast doing more reps, but if you're talking about doing something like basketball as your sport, it's a good idea to do both.

So it's been a few years since I had a gym membership. Now that I have access to some more convenient weights (floor-bound 200lb plates plus 45lb bar weren't cutting it), I have been able to do more. My muscles haven't fatigued too much, but I'm now only capable of the following: 325lb deadlift 3 1/2 reps 55lb dumbbells overhead press, 18 reps (3x8) 65lb dumbbells chest press, 4 reps 235lb bent row, 18 reps (3x8) 100lb machine crunch, 24 reps (3x8) this is pretty much where I'm at now. I'm guessing I should drop the weight a little on some of these, to build up a more complete likeliness of reaching 24 reps. By the way, I just picked up some vega from whole foods, since they carry it now. Also, their new pre-workout mix, and some of the vega omega. (i like saying that)