Tarz

I am not an expert by any means at all, and everything I know is really anecdotal. But, looking through the profiles on this website, you can see what people have achieved. None of them say "when I switched to veganism, things got much harder". So I find it unlikely that there is a disadvantage, of any significance.

 

The ratio of vegans to non-vegans is very, very low. Add to that, most vegans are actually not interested in fitness or bodybuilding (I think, primarily because the people who become vegan do it for ethical reasons, and are generally less concerned with what they look like, and more concerned with animal rights issues etc). So, there are going to be hardly any examples of vegan bodybuilders (in comparison to non-vegan bodybuilders). With such a difference in numbers, of course there will also be larger numbers of non-vegan bodybuilders who achieve larger size. I don't think that that indicates that it's harder for vegans, it's more likely to me that there are just less vegans who are aiming for that.

 

There may also be mistakes that people make when becoming vegan, but I don't think that means that veganism is "hard" to deal with. The changes needed (primarily, eating more of the right foods) are not complex.

 

Finally I want to add that it's not as clear cut as saying "non-veganism leads to better results than veganism". First of all, non-veganism and veganism are not black and white. It's not as though everyone who eats a non-vegan diet eats precisely the same meals as each other, and likewise, the same is not true of vegans. So it's impossible to compare. But even more importantly, just comparing the lifestyles on what they may do for your bodybuilding short-term (over a span of a few years), is ultimately irrelevant when you consider what high levels of animals products will do to you long term. I realise the following is a little extreme, but you could find a drug which pumps you up and makes your muscles huge for 10 years, then after that it kills you. You might say "people who don't take that drug are at a disadvantage in terms of bodybuilding" - but would you recommend people take it?

 

spot on matey! +1

Seconded!

Great food - highly recommended!

Yep, much respect in continuing to train and lift despite being unwell.

Hope you get better soon SeaSiren!

I just do ab sets between other sets at the gym, whilst waiting for equipment etc. Or whilst I am warming up or down. Easy way of training them.

You can cut whilst also adding muscle.

I've put on more muscle recently, and at the same time become more cut.

Yeah do some cardio. It will help you cut and so long as you train the weights hard you can still add muscle. I wouldn't worry too much about cutting the calories.

Well done Fiona!

http://www.towerhillstables.com/MdSreport2012.html

Well done Fiona!

http://www.towerhillstables.com/MdSreport2012.html

Which pea protein you go for - the Biochem or Natures Whey?

This company also does flavoured hemp proteins:

http://www.goodhempnutrition.com/good-gym-range/11-good-gym-shake-1kg-chocolate.html

Presume you're in the UK?

There is stuff out there. This stuff tastes really good, bit pricey though:

http://www.planetorganic.com/biochem-vegan-protein-vanilla.html

http://www.planetorganic.com/biochem-vegan-protein-chocolate.html

If you'd prefer to purchase only from a purely vegan company, this vegan all in one has recently launched in the UK. Mint and strawberry flavours taste good. Waiting to try the toffee:

http://www.natures-whey.co.uk/product/ignite-ultra-v-mint-chocolate/

Another - cheaper - option is just to throw bananas, berries and other fruit, flavoured ice cream/yoghurt into unflavoured protein. Quite easy to disguise the tase.

Hello veglaxer,

I've been running for 17 years and weight training for 14 years. I get good results for both - of the last five races I have entered I have placed 2nd in foour of them. I win a few too and nearly always place top 3/5/10. I race from 5K up to half marathon. I might have a place for the London marathon next year.

I've got excellent abs even if I do say so myself. Just vary the ab exercises you do would be my main advance and stick to those exercises you can really feel whilst you are doing them and for days afterwards...

What did you want to know about half and full marathons? Obviously they hurt more and take longer than shorter runs and races, and you have to treat the distances with respect by training for them properly.

I wasn't even running marathon distance and my upper body got pretty much slim.

But it sounds like you weren't doing weights then, until you got injured - 'Meanwhile I've started doing some full body workouts/core workout to strengthen upper body and build at least some muscles.'

Runners are by default mostly slim by the nature of their exercise so no surprises there, it's what happens when you run. If you stop running, as you did when you got injured, and then started training with weights it's no great shock that you put on muscle either.

I may be wrong, but what it sounds like you haven't been doing so far, is running and weight training at the same time? Until you are incorporating both into your fitness regime, then you cannot know that running will consume all your muscle. It won't either, so long as you train hard with the weights.

Just keep lifting and you'll retain - most if not all - of your muscle mass.

I run four times a week - I did 75 minutes, approx 12 miles this evening for instance - and nearly always longer than 10K. I go the gym the other three days. You won't lose the muscle so long as you continue to go the gym. Just make sure you train hard at the gym.

You should get good defination and cut by cross-training.

It's not as if you should weight train seven days a week anyhow.

Good to randomly bump into you and your brother at a gym John! Nice to meet you both.

Enjoy Fabric - I'm off there myself next Friday!

Have you always been pale though?

What period does the fort date from? The Napoleanic era???

Four times a week.

One day a week running wouldn't do too much harm.

Where this idea come from that if you state that a country is predominantly one religion thereby you are implying that it is the only religion? That's not what I said.

Islam is not the only religion in Egypt, but try being a Coptic Christian there at the moment.

Christianity is by far the largest religion in the US.

Ryofire - I hope you are as vocal about Christian places of worship being built and protected in Muslim countries and lands.

There has been quite a lot of outrage in the UK - admittedly from the usual suspects: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, the Archbishop of Canterbury - about whether OBL was assassinated, had already surrendered when shot etc and whether OBL should have been taken prisoner.

I think it was the right decision as can you imagine the bloobath and hostage situations that would ensue as his followers would try to ensure his release... How many more Daniel Pearl's, Nick Berg or Ken Bigley's would there have been if OBL was held in custody?

Also his death was instant rather than deciding whether to be incinerated or jump from 100 floors up. I doubt many of the Americans here would of followed the 7/7 attacks in London too closely, especially six years on, but the inquests were concluded just 48 hours ago and again OBL's death was much cleaner and quicker than slowly bleeding to death in some hot, dark and acrid tunnel.

'Normal' running is a good cardio workout, and sufficient.

Interval running may be even better still, but who wants to interval train every time they go running.... I would find a in-effect constant stop and start boring. Even for shorter runs it is much more enjoyable to run at a constant pace and to monitor your progress as your times come down and your distances get longer. You wouldn't get that with continous interval training.

Thanks Seasiren too!

P.S: I won the race, here's my collecting my prize (no trophy, just vouchers):

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d34/Tarz77/100_1381.jpg

Thanks Mary!