Think_machine

BTW I realize there is a very heated debate within the vegan community about whether or not oysters should be considered vegan, so this certainly wouldn't work for everyone.

Carbs are your friend as a very active person, so if grains are an issue for you, I would eat lots of sweet potatoes, which are high in carbs and offer complete protein as well. One large sweet potato usually fills me up with no side dishes. Put oil in everything that you can (including the sweet potatoes). Avocados are awesome, I wish I weren't allergic to them Get some dried fruit and mix that with some really fatty nuts and seeds and you can get full pretty quickly. (There are lots of carbs in dried fruit, which i like to think of as nature's candy) and they help to curb your cravings. So to recap, I would focus on: Added oils: Olive and coconut oil Sweet potatoes Avocados Nuts/seeds with dried fruit: Cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, prunes, dates, raisins, dried apricots, dried figs. I would get all of these, rip up the larger fruits and mix thoroughly. Then you can carry them around with you everywhere.

There is one source of cholesterol for vegans! It looks like oysters, of all things, are actually vegan. They do not feel pain, they do not have a brain and so that technically makes them okay. They also have a vitamins minerals. 6 medium oysters have 67% of your vitamin D 272% of your b12, 31% iron 509% zinc (holy crap) and 76% selenium based on a 2000 calorie diet. This is a super food for vegans, considering how difficult it is to get some of these nutrients in general. They have 54 mg of cholesterol per 100 grams. Still not as much as beef but that is definitely a lot more than nothing!

That was extremely inspirational! Somehow I never came across that interview with him, although I already knew who he was. I suppose I was worried for no reason lol. I wonder what he would look like if he had gone vegan years ago. Possibly even more incredible? Who knows. I'm glad I started young.

it smells the same but i guess my mentality has changed, so i percieve the smell differently. It is surely a turn-off. Especially eggs, sausage and certain fish (the main three I used to eat).

I have some concerns over some conflicting evidence about bodybuilding/strength training. I am going to seperate bodybuilding/strength training into a list of pros and cons. I'm not sure how much of this is heresay and how much is true, and I would love some guidance and even some links to scholarly articles if you can produce them. Pros- 1. You can achieve a more impressive physique 2. muscular endurance increases 3. emphasis on functional lifts that transfer to every day strength and ncreased flexibility 4. enhances the mind/body connecton 5. teaches physical and mental discipline and goal setting, among other invaluable lessons Cons- 1. High-cabohydrate diets are said to have negative health effects in the long run on the heart and circulatory system, as well as the endocrine system (due to constant blood sugar spikes) but many lifters see the best gains with a high carbohydrate diet (myself included) 2. Excess weight in the form of muscle mass makes it harder for the heart to pump blood through the circulatory system when compared to other intense forms of workout that do not promote so much hypertrophy 3. A serious injury can easily take away all of the benefits in the pros section Of course I would like anyone to challenge these cons. Another noteworthy fact is that a vegan wieghtlifting diet is very different than a meat eater. Not many studies (if any) have examined the difference between vegan bodybuilding, regular bodybuilding and overall health over time. Just for the record, I do want to be big and strong. But if there is a certain size that puts one at risk, then I don't want to cross that threshold. (well... maybe)

Define "Heavy". It's all relative. If you just did heavy squats, and you want to do heavy deadlifts, you clearly will have to reduce the weight to complete the amount of work you could do with a fresh pair of legs. But as far as your body is concerned, it is still heavy and is still going to produce gains. For instance, if you normally rep out 5x5 with 315, but you just did heavy squats, it is a great idea to drop down to 225 (don't take these figures literally, you make your own decision based on how you feel and not compromising form...) Personally, I actually feel better when I varry the weight each and every set. I go up, down and up again in the same lift sometimes... Does anyone else do this? I don't see a problem doing both lifts "heavy". I do heavy squats and then immediately do deadlifts after that. These are the two most demanding lifts of leg day so i get them done first.

Very Interesting... while I tend to gravitate toward strength training, this could work while well for rounding out a powerlifter's physique. Personally I tend to neglect my abs, calves and traps the most. This could be the answer. Your approach reminds me of how people use the 21's for their bicep development, but more intense!

I added weighted dips and reverse curls to my chest/arm day three weeks ago and I have already gained a half inch. Crazy and hard to believe but it worked. Also, I do my curls standing up with absolutely NO shoulder or elbow movement. It is too easy to cheat on curls, keep them elbows tucked in and move slow and controled.

Glute-Ham raises without a doubt. I have yet to meet one person who can do one rep without assistance.

Thanks Rob! I'm a constant skeptic about what I should and should not be doing, so this is great advice. I have never had a serious injury in my life, so my health is certainly at the top of my priority list. Do you think using a lower weight will help me stay away from injury or would you suggest cutting them out all together? My atg squats have me squatting far less than I normally would already. For instance, If I were to go just to parallel and back up, I would probably use around a pyramid routine going up to 375lbs at this point, but I am only using 260lbs with ATGs.

Is C4 vegan?

I think you should focus on more fats in your diet. I bought a big fat tub of coconut oil and I put that in a lot of stuff. I use a lot of olive oil too. They both go well in oatmeal and other grains, as a substitute for butter they are amazing, and I even put them in my protein shakes (unflavored, then sweetened with molasses for a few carbs) to make it a meal replacement. Add some powered oats and you turned it into a weight gainer lol. This isn't the best nutrition since it lacks a lot of vitamins and minerals, but it does help you attain the macronutrients needed to feel energized and full. One or two of these meal replacements on top of your fresh fruit and vegetable servings should have you feeling like a champ. Remember that you need to change your macronutrient levels depending on your body type and activity levels, so play around with the ratios until you find what works for you. Are you avoiding grains? It is really hard to stay full if you avoid them as a vegan. Have you calculated how many calories you need/how many you're getting?

Awesome, I guess I am good to go then. I am still making strength increases each time. The soreness seems to be going away, finally. I think I will give my legs one more day of rest by switching it up and doing arms/chest tomorrow. As for the atg squats, I heard going below parallel is actually safer because the most unstable part of the motion is when your thighs are parallel to the ground, and the strain on the knee is greatest at the bottom of the movement. Is that wrong? I do feel stonger regardless, and my flexibility has increased dramatically since I started doing atg squats, so I am a bit hesitant to cut them out of my workout.

I recently gained about 10 pounds in two weeks, along with some pretty nice strength gains. While I have no idea how i gained that much, that fast (without increasing body fat) I also got some tendonitis above the knee. I have never had tendonitis here, and I used to squat even more than i do now. The big difference is that I now go ass to grass when i used to just go to parallel years ago. Either way, I can't help but wonder if I should take a week off or something. I have been going pretty hard for two months now. Usually i do shoulders and back on day one, legs on day two, arms and chest on day three and repeat. i take the seventh day off. Idk if I am on th brink of overtraining or not, because my energy is the same. I wonder if this is actually the time to push through for maximal gains. What do y'all think?

I think there is no way to know for certain, but there is a lot of evidence that suggests meat eating was a part of human culture for way more than 10,000 years. Early humans had to be smart enough to make tools but we see primates use tools too so once again, we do not know if the intelligence or hunting came first. There are dumb and smart herbivore creatures. Elephants are extremely intelligent, rabits... not so much. I will admit that most meat eating land animals seem to be smarter. Hunting is difficult, if you have ever tried it. Only thing I know is that it feels wrong to kill animals, and that nobody has proven to me that there is any nutrient we need which can only be found in meat. I think it is a bad argument to have since there are good points on both sides yet we can prove nothing. So at the end of the day, I would tell that lady that she cannot prove anything, and continue to show off what a meat-free physique looks like; proof that one can live healthy on a vegan diet.

Although we all know the importance of staying hydrated, it is still more difficult for some than others. I live in a place that is extremely dry and with high elevation to boot (Colorado). I drink water constantly and still feel dehydrated. The only times i feel hydrated are in the morning of the days where i work evening shifts because i can focus on drinkong lots of water, or my days off. Supplements (protein powder, beet powder, Vega pwo) require me to drink even more water, and I drink about 1.2 liters around workout time alone. I would guess i drink around 4-5 lifers a day, which is less than stellar, judging by the way my body feels right now. But that seems like a lit of water to me... Thank goodness i have a non alcoholic, non medicated lifestyle, because these could make things worse. I just woke up and have drank nearly a liter of water. I will need about 1.75 liters before i do anything else, or I will be trying to "catch up" all day long. I carry two blender bottles with me everywhere I go. I refill each one as soon as i finish it. I find myself being more dilligent about drinking water when i use this method compared to a jug. Please offer any tips as to what i can do to avoid dehydration or improve my water retention.

I think you need to vary it constantly for best results. Train your body to lift heavier and then you can focus on adding reps to that heavier weight, rinse and repeat. Changing things up is the best insurance against plateaus anyway, so that is a good enough reaon by itself. I also adore drop sets for a similar reason. In my limited experience of 6-7 years, drop sets have given me the most fulfilling workouts ever. I used to do 10x3, 8x4, 5x5, increasing the weight each time, then start over with more weight. It worked, just like nearly anytbing will as a youngster. I am a fast twitcher btw.

Yes i know we all produce creatine naturally. I was just making a point that we all have to make a decision and take potential risks. Make your decision and move on, that's a good philosophy. If you want my opinion on whether or not I believe creatine supps will be found to be safe, my opinion is yes. But that doesn't stop me from being a cautious creature. I took it in high school and had only good things to preach about it. It worked, and I may take it again. If I get rich then I can buy new organs in fifty years hopefully lol. Not saying that creatine will be found as harmful though. I am coming around to the thought of using a vegan one this time around, and that is a potential risk I eill have to deal with. But even back then, I wasn't naive enough to believe we know exactly what this stuff might do to you down the road of a lifetime. Let me repeat, I do not think creatine will be found to be harmul down the road but who can see into the future?

I have certainly been staying hydrated. The last three weeks have been a rededication to the gym and bulk dieting. No increase in fat pecentage, but I did gain around 15 pounds. how much is water? Not so sure about that. But it certainly is not all water weight. I'm getting stronger on every lift every time, and I think my tendons and ligaments are ready for a challenge to see some impressive strength increases soon. I'm taking 5-10 grams of BCAAs with 10-15 grams of protein powder when I wake up, go to sleep, between meals and 15 grams straight during workouts. It tastes so aweful but I've gotten used to it. I have to believe it is responsible for some of this fast mass gaining, because my nutrition is not very sound right now lol. I do see a noticable difference in recovery time with BCAAs and I'm hooked lol.

My morning shake has water, a few tablespoons of blackstrap molasses, powdered oatmeal (i put it in the blender), two tablespoons of sunflower oil, protein powder and BCAAs. It works well as a weigbt gainer in the last three weeks. I'm up 15 pounds!

Now i'm having an issue gaining strength as fast as my size. the odd thing is I am still at the same body fat percentage. so it has to be going somewhere. i went up from 160 pounds to 175. I feel like my body is ready for a real weight lifting challenge. I'm gonna try joker sets after a warmup and two regular sets on squat to see if I can get a bit of a boost.

forget that. anything that I cannot be confirmed as safebis out of the question for me.

I used to do these and i think they work better than push ups, dips and bench press because it is a full body workout. The only thing that keeps it from being a better strength training workout for arms and chest than bench press is the fact that it is so darn hard to add weight. My solution was to wear the backpack in front and do the push ups above ground level. With this strategy, i improved my range of motion (I could go down past where ground level would normally be) and avoided a stupid injury (i fall on the weight, not the weight falling on me.) So it is now easy to not hurt yourself and harder to preform any given amount of reps. I have a few questions. 1. Has anyone else tried this method? 2. I want to get to the point where I can rep out the equivalent of 275 pounds bench press. Although weighted push ups are not truly comparable to bench press, what do you guys think is the equivalent from weighted push ups to 275 pound bench press? I'm 165 pounds. I wish i was good at physics, because there has to be a way to calculate this. 3. Is there a heavy duty backpack that can hold like 200 pounds of stuff? Im sure i could find metal to fill it with.

Very interesting. I know I have gained a good 2 pounds in the last two and a half weeks. This could be due to increase in glycogen stores, but I have not been staying hydrated which is horrible and I have not gained any fat. Now I am stagnant. I need money so I can buy food and get in the gym, or I will not get much bigger.