GRardB

Good to know. I was surprised by the good quality of the perfect pushup (though I don't own it). How wide is your doorway? I can't imagine squishing myself into a 32-ish inch door frame to do pullups, I think my elbows would hit the sides. Guess I'd have to keep my knees up as well. My doorway is in the low 30's I think, but my elbows usually don't touch the sides (except when I [successfully] attempt behind-the-neck pullups). My knees are kept down, but my shins are bent backwards. I don't think this makes them any easier, does it?

Well I'm glad this post is still active. We just installed the Perfect Pullup (which is very good, BTW) at my family's log cabin in Michigan and I did my back workout. Regular pullups was my first exercise (I did 3 sets). My number was 10, and I made sure to keep very strict form. So that's 1 more than before! YES! I wanted to take a video, but I wasn't sure how many I would do, so I'll make a video next Thursday when I work out my back again. If anyone's interested, this was my away-from-home workout: Pull-ups (3 sets to failure) Perfect Pull-ups (3 sets to failure) Chin-ups (3 sets to failure) Kettlebell Bent-Over Rows (3 sets of 5) "Australian Pull-ups" (3 sets to failure) Don't ask me why they (the Perfect Pullup people) call them Australian Pull-ups. They're like those easy bodyweight rows (although they're not easy at the end of your workout!) Gerard

I would probably eat more carbs, less fat, and a little less protein, but like Fallen_Horse said, knowing your body type/weight/height/etc. would help us better help you.

New York is TRULY huge lmao. Great place to go (especially Manhattan). Speaking of Portland, I've read/noticed that lots of vegans live there. What's different about Portland? What turns people vegan there (or attracts vegans to live there)?

lmao, that had me laughing pretty good.

I usually just start shouting "lightweight, baby" and "yeah, buddy," along with many sounds and grunts. LMAO, not really, I get naturally "siked" just when I know I'm going to work out (except on leg days, because that's no fun). Sometimes listening to Immortal Technique helps

Before starting, let me state: This topic discusses race/ethnicity/culture/etc. If you are [very] easily offended, I wouldn't recommend reading. I am not prejudice in any way, shape or form. My father is a civil rights lawyer and has taught me better. I am of mixed heritage (Puerto Rican, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish, Lithuanian). I am Roman Catholic, although not religious at all. So, I'm not sure why it's on my mind...I guess it's because I was talking to my friend (Creole or African American, whichever you prefer) and he said that he had met a black girl that he was interested in, and stated "I finally like my own race again!" I always wondered what affected one's taste in the opposite sex (or sometimes the same sex). As I said before, I am Hispanic/white, and I have been attracted to those groups my whole life. I didn't grow up around too many African Americans, or anyone from the east (Arabs, Indians, East Asians, etc.) although I did know a few. Entering a high school in New York introduced me to many different cultures (I am 17 now) although it was an all-boy school, and I don't go that way I transfered to a school in New Jersey with much greater diversity (many more Indians and East Asians specifically). I can honestly say that I've found girls of all different races/ethnicities to be attractive, but I've always had a stronger attraction to Hispanic and white girls. I've only dated one girl in my life (and she's my current girlfriend, 1 year and 9 months so far). She's full Polish Even though I've found many different girls physically attractive, I have never "liked" a girl that wasn't Hispanic or white, as far as I remember. I'm not racist at all, as I said before. As many veg*ns, probably, I love diversity and different cultures (especially because of different foods, haha). I always point out flaws in people's ideas or thoughts about race/religion/culture (like when people refer to Indians as Hindus or when they say Indians = Arabs = Hindus = Muslims, etc.) Racism is obviously not the reason why I seem to be mostly attracted to my own race(s). I've asked other people, and they also usually prefer their own ethnic groups for their mates. Is this the case for most people around the world, just Americans, or just certain ethnic groups? What do you think affects your taste? Post the types of people you are usually attracted to. Don't be ashamed, I won't be offended if somebody says they don't usually date whites or Hispanics, and other people shouldn't be offended either. Also, do you think that restricted taste will affect diversity in individual people in the long run? My dad believes that one day, there will be no "race" (even though race doesn't really exist, although there are many different skin tones, eye colors, etc.). He believes that eventually, all humans will have some kind of tannish skin, with similar eye/hair color (most likely brown/black, since those are most common). Do you think that restricted taste can/will prevent this from happening? Just thoughts and questions thrown out there. If anything I wrote wasn't PC, just tell me and I'll fix it up. Gerard P.S: I don't really agree with the idea of "race". I just use it here as an easy way of categorizing people by their physical appearance (although I know that different white [European] people look different from each other, different black [African] peoples look different from each other, etc.). I just don't know of any other way of referring to groups of people by their appearance.

Why? Well, none of my family has any gluten or soy problems. I barely eat soy (in fact, I probably get 2 or less cups of soy milk a day, thats it). I get more gluten (bread), but I'm just not sure if I believe the whole "gluten shouldn't be eaten" idea. Many people eat tons of bread and don't get acne. I understand gluten sensitivity varies from person to person, but I feel great no matter how much bread I eat. Also, seeing as how my acne gets better in the summer gives me an idea that it's caused by something other than my diet. True, but I don't have facial acne (weird, right?). Only body acne. I still have yet to meet another male (or female at that) with stomach/leg/arm acne. I know it's out there, I just hate having it.

I wouldn't say that acne is ALWAYS caused by a bad diet/lifestyle. It does rely heavily on genetics, as PMvegan said. My girlfriend has the clearest skin in the world. She eats tons of dairy, loves chocolate, loves pizza, loves meat, etc. She eats high sugar, high fat, high sodium, high everything bad. She has no acne whatsoever, I, on the other hand, eat different grains (wheat, rice, oats, etc.), tons of fruits (bananas, açai, apricots, prunes, squash, etc.), vegetables (carrots, broccoli, Chinese broccoli, bell peppers, yu choy, green beans, etc.), and only drink water (excluding my daily protein shake). Some people might think it's the wheat (gluten) or the soy that I eat, but I would be skeptical about that. Regardless, as I was saying, my diet is very good in my opinion (especially compared to 99% of American 17 year olds) and I probably have the worst body acne I know. I'm not sure how many of you want me to go into detail, but lets just say I've got it on my back, some of my chest, my arms, my legs, a little on my stomach, and sometimes my neck. It seems to be getting better now that it's summer time, but I really doubt that I have all this acne because of my diet, when so many other kids eat the most unhealthy things possible, but don't have a mark on their bodies. I do agree that a healthy diet should help, but I don't think that means that if you have acne that your diet is bad, or that if your diet is bad you will have acne. Just my $0.02 Gerard

I want to post a video actually, it's just that I'll feel stupid bringing my camera to the gym and record myself doing a few pullups :-\ If this topic continues into late July, I'll take a video since I'll be on vacation with a homemade chin-up bar

That's incredible, lmao. And that's duck eggs alone? I can't imagine what it is for things like chicken eggs or milk. yeah only duck eggs. and who the fuck eat duck eggs??? i've never even seen duck eggs. LMAO, I was actually going to say the same thing, but I wasn't sure if they were common where you lived or not, so I kept my mouth shut Actually, two weeks ago they started selling quail eggs, duck eggs, OSTRICH EGGS, and some other animal's eggs (starts with a P, I forgot) at the Whole Foods near me. My dad and I were hysterical, especially with ostrich eggs. THEY'RE HUGE!!!! Under the description, it said that they were 3 pounds each and feed 10-12 people. $30 each. Who knew? I'm off topic though, don't mind me, people.

Just make sure it's not organic produce, you don't want any bone meal, blood mealor fish emulsion in your food. http://www.theveganpeople.com/images/smilies/happy0045.gif Got room for a garden? http://www.theveganpeople.com/images/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif O_O Does that make organic food non-vegetarian? I'm about to start crying. Why did people decide to start eating meat... I hate life.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. ANYTHING selling a service or product for fitness has to be looked at with a pretty solid degree of skepticism when it comes to believing that the people pushing the product built their physiques with that thing alone. It's much like when you see a commercial for a Bowflex or something similar - you can't expect that these people who are shown using it built their physique competition-ready bodies simply by using that one piece of equipment. Of course, if you're selling something that people want to use to look better, put in people that have the look they want even if they didn't achieve it via the product/program being shown. Just like how an out-of-shape trainer at the gym will likely get nowhere near as many clients as a person who is in excellent shape even if they're a better trainer, people are drawn toward what they want to look like. I think that the greatest example in the video is the big guy (the one who has about 50+ lbs. on the guys doing the exercises) who seems to be the "host" of the clip - there's no way he's built his size simply by doing the exercises being shown. Based on how he looks, I'd eat my hat if it was proven that he's only done bodyweight work to get where he is. He may not be as lean as the others, but nevertheless, I guarantee that he has done plenty of weight training, and it's quite likely that the guys who are doing the exercise demonstrations have done so as well. Bodyweight training alone can build a good physique, but there are limitations to how far it will take you, and more often than not, people who tout it as being so wonderful have also spent plenty of time building their base in the gym before they became the messiahs of bodyweight-only workouts. Yeah, you guys are probably right. I'm sure they also might take roids, as xjohanx said. I guess I got so caught up in being amazed with what they were doing and how they looked that I didn't think of any of that lmao. Although I can say that out of all the "hoods" I've been in (Newark, Jersey City, NYC [namely The Bronx], Detroit, etc.) I've never seen anybody working out at a bus stop or on street lights.

Florida's Natural uses D3, but I'm not sure about Tropicana. Most of the times it will just say D3 instead of saying cholecalciferol... I remember somebody posted once with all of Tropicana's and Minute Maid's non-vegan and non-vegetarian drinks. I've stopped drinking from them ever since. I wouldn't trust them anyway, they're large companies with only concerns about making money.

That's incredible, lmao. And that's duck eggs alone? I can't imagine what it is for things like chicken eggs or milk.

Eggs come out of a chicken's ass, so I'm guessing a little sheep dandruff isn't a problem. lol, that made me laugh. I never eat eggs. The only time I consume them is when they're used in baked goods and stuff like that, although I rarely eat those anyway. I'll be sure to stay away from Vitamin D3 fortified foods.

Question: I've been reading your posts lately and you seem to believe in things concerning diet/exercise that many people don't agree with. I don't know what to believe, but you seem to have lots of scientific explanations for what you believe and it seems logical. My question is: Are you a scientist? I always read about how you "do studies" and stuff like that. I'm just curious. Your methods seem promising, though.

Is that true? That video is insane...I never would've thought that to be possible. Any thoughts?

Most I've ever done was 12 chin-ups, but I haven't started off my back workouts with chin-ups in a while, so I'm not sure if I can do more/less now. I can do 9-10 semi-wide grip pull-ups. Recently I started doing actual wide-grip pull-ups (hands on the slanted part of the bar) and I can do 7. Weak^^

Well, I don't have the patience to read all these replies and stuff, but there's a recent article on T-Nation about a guy who had a shoulder injury and managed to get through it while staying lifting. http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/fight_the_injury_blues_keep_lifting I actually had a shoulder injury last December and I didn't use my shoulders for lifting for 6 months. I just started recently and it's a lot weaker. It's still not 100% healed after 3 different weeks of not lifting at all and 4 weeks of physical therapy. It's getting better thanks to that article though (I use the stretches at the end of the first page). Those seem to help.

I'm confused. Vitamin D3 comes from sheep's wool? Is that even vegetarian, let alone vegan? I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian, although I eat vegan 99% of the time...I'm just wondering. I wouldn't eat Cheerios anyway. Muesli is better

(USA) Weehawken, New Jersey..... Well I typed in my address on the website and I got 110 listings at first (73 restaurants and 37 stores) although that's not fair because I'm right across from Manhattan, NY lmao. I switched to a 2 mile radius and it became 3 restaurants and 5 stores. There were nothing in a 1 mile radius. So I guess not much where I live, but NY is a great place Makes sense, because I live in a very Hispanic area with TONS of immigrants (not only from Latin America, but places like the Middle/Far East, etc.) and they tend not to be vegetarian or vegan (except the Hindus, but they all live in Jersey City). I love Indian food though Interesting topic.

I used to have bad facial acne, although gladly that went away a few years ago (and I just turned 17, weird, right?). I still have bad body acne, however I've been able to keep it down. Facial Acne (I don't do this anymore because the acne finally left for good): In the shower, I wash my face thoroughly, with some kind of moisturizing soap bar or exfoliating soap. After the shower, I applied oil-free moisturizing lotion to my face. People say washing your face doesn't get rid of acne, although this really helped me. My guess is that the soap dries out the skin pores, and then they get moisturized so that oil glands don't overreact to the dry skin. This was my theory, but I could be wrong. Body Acne: I used to do the same thing I did for facial acne, although it didn't work as well. I haven't gotten rid of my acne, although it seems to get A LOT better during the summer. I don't know if it's the heat, sweat, sun light, or some kind of combination... Also, eat healthy Health = good looks. Hope I helped even a little bit.

So I'm going off to Cheboygan, Michigan for 4 weeks in August, just like every other year of my life. I'll be in front of Lake Huron with access to no gym or weights. I've been planning a lot on what I'll be doing to keep my muscles, gain strength, and lose fat while I'm up there. I've already made a workout plan that involves nothing except my own body and the Perfect Pushup product. However, I've been interested in kettlebells lately and I'm considering buying Mike Mahler's "Kettlebell Solution for Size and Strength" because it looks promising and he's a vegan Instead of buying kettlebells though, I would make them using these instructions. So what do you guys think I should do? I'm thinking about mixing the two together, since I can't imagine kettbells replacing chin-ups or perfect pushups. On the other hand, bodyweight exercises can't replace things like cleans or snatches. Has anyone here had kettlebell experience? If so, would you say it's worth the investment in time and money? If not, should I use nothing but bodyweight exercises? Thanks, Gerard

I guess it's all about your goal. I agree with Lean and Green. I've been trying to lose fat lately. I exercise, and if my stomach growls, I feed it. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. It's been working. For gaining weight, my stomach never growled. For weight-maintenance (which I THINK you want judging by your post), I would do what Lean and Green suggested.