rubber_ritchie

Great pics! : )

I went to a hot Yoga class similar to Bikram a year ago. I found the heat very unpleasent but then I am from England! Everyone was wearing skimpy outfits and the room was covered in mirrors. It was not so much Yoga i.e. union with the divine but more of an endurance physical exercise. The founder of Bikram copytwrited the sequence of asanas he teaches. He is a shrewd business man! I heard that someone died in a Bikram class. I would be careful with it. If it works for you though, go for it!

I guess eating all that animal fat is why so many of them drop dead so young.

Hi guys I was wondering what people here reccomend to have after a workout. I am recently having a couple of energy balls (dates, nuts, cocunut) soon after and then a meal 1 hour later. I know a lot of guys in gyms have protein shakes after.

Sorry. i'm not good on uploading pics. There's one here of my Buddha tattoo http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=61795528&albumID=0&imageID=1747706015 This is a tattoo that somebody had of me! http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=61795528&albumID=0&imageID=1587751225

I wouldn't use the one leaning on the wall with the big shadow. Yes, it shows your great smile well but the tan doesn't look good due to the lighting. It also doesn't do your physique justice.

The full body b and w one is good but a little revealing Perhaps you could do a similar shot in shorts. The posing pants are good for bb mags but I think some will see it as too much.

Dudes, I am bench pressing in my program and I ask someone in the gym to spot me. Sometimes, nobody is around to spot me and this screws my whole workout. I also don't like having a stranger spot me. I am wondering if I can build my chest doing dumbell presses instead as I could do these safely without a spot. Thanks for your help. Ritchie

Hi Rob Thanks for the great post. On the subject of goals and telling people, I think it's better not to tell people when you are going for something amazing. I remember telling my sister I was going to go to London to be a professional contortionist and she said 'youll never make any money doing that.' I would say tell positive people but don't tell everyone. I think we have no idea what the human body is capable of. I have no natural flexbility and through working it obsessively I made incredible gains. I can't wait to see all you guys become monsters!

What is creatine?

I'm going to win it next year.

It's a secret!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZzGj8mbK9s This was my second appearence on the Brian Conley show 'Let Me Entertain You' on BBC2 (UK TV) a few months ago. I won the first round making the 3 minutes but was knocked out in this the final. Look out for the vegan plug at the end! That's my main aim on these tv shows! I'm doing a kids tv show in a few weeks and a prime time variety show in the new year. I'm probably going to quit the Rubber Ritchie act at the end of next year.

Hey dudes, I thought i'd reveal my current training program and see what you guys think. I have been doing a lot of Yoga and conditioning exercices like press ups and sit ups for many years. After going to a Robbie Hazely talk a few years ago at the Vegan Xmas Fair in London, performing my contortion act www.flexinthecity.com at a body building contest in Portsmouth and then seeing some awesome vegans like Alex Dargatz and Robert Cheeke I got the buzz to build up. I started with Charles Atlas style body resistance exercises and later began with weights about 4 months ago. I have been doing an all body program for six weeks now. I am training every five days. I was thinking to move to a split lower and upper body program at the end of the month. These are the exercises and what I lifted in my last session. Bench Press - 55k - 6reps and 6 reps 45K - 12 reps Lateral pull downs wide grip 55k - 10reps and 8reps Leg Press - 100k 2x20 reps Dip machine 90k - 10reps and 8 reps Seated row machine 67k 12 and 10reps. I was doing a leg press until a few weeks back. After my last session I had pain in my lower back from doing squats. This was definately pain and not muscle soreness. My friend who is a personal trainer says she has has loads of clients who come to her with back injuries from squatting. I am going to stop doing them until I can get a personal trainer. I notice that very few people in my gym squat and I wonder if it is from the risk of injury. I do stretching exercises every day. I begin the day with six-ten sun salutation sequenes. http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice/sunsalutation.asp I also do little 2 minute stretches about 3 times a day. I stretch before, after and during m weight sessions. I run about twice a week for 20 mins and I do a full hour yoga session about twice a week.

Slayer, the Rollins Band and the mighty Pantera for me!

So that's what happens when vegans fight.

Hi guys, I've put together a Yahoo group to bring together images of vegan tattoos (43 so far!) and also to offer a space to those wanting to share info around vegan tattooing and vegan tattooists. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vegan_Tattoos/ Please forward, Ritchie

Hi Crystal, Thanks, yes the old guy copying me was funny. He was drunk. Actually there is a Korean custom where you pour older people a drink and then you let them pour you one. I had to be poured one even though I don't drink. They didn't mind me giving it away. I just had to be served! Yes, i've got really strong in my upperbody doing really weird push ups daily for 3 years like in the video. Since the last 2 months of lifting weights I can do them more easily. I'm trying to build more strength and muscle. An old guy said to me recently after a show. "You're really strong ...even though you've got no muscle." It's great when people compiment my strength and I always truthfully say "The vegan diet is my secret."

Hi Guys, I am training without a partner and I am getting into lifting heavier weight realising how much I am holding back when benching and squatting due to safety so I have to started to use the smith machine and pushing myself a lot further. What are people's views here on the smith machine?

Hi guys I am very new to body building but I am mega inspired by meeting some of you vegan super heroes that are out there. I love the idea of the image of vegans being strong, powerful looking people and others following on that basis. Its a new way to animal liberation. If anybody wants tips on flexibility, please drop me a line. You can see a show I did in Korea recently here http://www.flexinthecity.com/videos.html