Anybody else out there who loves the weight room? I've been lifting for 22 years and have been floatin' on a cloud since day one. The human body is so freakin' beautiful, it just takes my breath away. People in the gym always ask me why I'm grinning all the time--I wish they could all feel the rush that I do. I can't get enough.

rawsomebodybuilder

Form follows focus.

allthoughtswork.wordpress.com

Another lover of weight lifting here man.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Sah-weet! What's your split like? I usually do a pushing-pulling-leg week and simply rotate moves every six months or when I get bored. I gain strength and put on muscle very fast so my biggest challenge is actually remembering to take a week off here and there to let the rest of me catch up. I usually have to up my weights after the rest period.

I'm with you on the doing moves that mimic or at least support everyday bodily movement. I love the standard hard core isolation moves with free weights, too, but I'm constantly visualizing how it's going to improve my uphill hiking or my reach during construction projects or something. VMR (Visual Motor Rehearsal) is one powerful mamma jamma in the gym.

RB

Form follows focus.

allthoughtswork.wordpress.com

Nice one man, usually follow full body workouts 3 times a week, consisting mostly of compound exercises.

Throw in some isolation exercises and other bits and pieces here and there but mostly train for functional strength, the hypertrophy gains are a bonus.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Oh yea!
I started lifting in 1980,and have done it ever since.
I love the feel of a workout,and using the equipment to get a pump.Built alot of my own stuff too,like a preacher bench,lat cable machine,hack machine,and varoius handles and accessories.
My original hero was Arnold,and I bought his "Education of a Bodybuilder" book that summer and I knew from that day on I would always be in the gym.
I have always worked out at home,not in a gym.
I have the motivation to peel myself off the couch,sometimes at 9 oclock at night,and go down to my basement gym.
I wouldnt trade it for anything.

Vinny

I'm just getting into weightlifting and I really enjoy it so far. I plan on sticking to free weights, but there is one machine that gets me pretty excited! Its a pull-up and/or dip machine. There are three grips available for the pull ups that work (1) arms/shoulders/chest (2)biceps (3) Range of back muscles. It also has a counter weight knee pad to assist you when doing pull-ups if necessary. Each week I look forward to hopping on it. I do chest/biceps/abs monday and friday. Back/abs/triceps on Wednesday.

Machines are ok as a supplement to free weights but yeah don't rely on them, not only do some limit your ROM(range of motion) they also tend to not strengthen the stabilizer muscles.

Pull/Chin-ups and dips are great exercises if you can i would leave out the assistance.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

newhoove Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
there is one machine that gets me
> pretty excited! Its a pull-up and/or dip machine.
> There are three grips available for the pull ups
> that work (1) arms/shoulders/chest (2)biceps (3)
> Range of back muscles. It also has a counter
> weight knee pad to assist you when doing pull-ups
> if necessary. Each week I look forward to hopping
> on it.

Man, I WISH they had that at my gym. My old gym in Denver had one and it was so sweet. It allowed me to strengthen my joints without straining them by going through a whole range of motion with the assist bar while my muscles got bigger. My muscle tissue tends to grow far faster than my joint's ability to sustain the tension and torsion. I've learned over the years to go slower than I want to and let nature take its course.

Right now, my favorite is the sled. I can't do squats for a variety of reasons but I love the sled. My goal is twelve plates plus a quarter: my top press in my heyday. I'll get there, no problem.

Gotta love those endophins! Woo-HOO!

RB

Form follows focus.

allthoughtswork.wordpress.com

I've been into fitness for a long time but I'm finding it hard to understand how to do it while being vegan. What do you guys eat after your workouts?

Corathegreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've been into fitness for a long time but I'm
> finding it hard to understand how to do it while
> being vegan. What do you guys eat after your
> workouts?

Any concentrated vegan protein source usually sunwarrior raw protein(great amino acid profile and best tasting minus soya, easily digestible also) or vega sport protein.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Yeah... 50 dollar bags of protein powder aren't anywhere close to being a possible reality in my world... that stuff looks nice though.

Corathegreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah... 50 dollar bags of protein powder aren't
> anywhere close to being a possible reality in my
> world... that stuff looks nice though.

Thats the only problem with the good stuff, but there is raw hemp protein powder etc which is cheaper. Or if not raw then soya(i think you have problems with if i remember) or pea protein isolate powders.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Cora, after suffering through rumbling stomach syndrome every day at the dumbbells, I've learned to bring along my raw hemp protein powder smoothie and sip it in between sets. It keeps me fired up, fueled up, and ends the post-lifting nap attacks.

Here's what goes in it, typically:

Water
Fresh-Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil, While Kernel Unrefined
Chlorella
Kyo-Green powder
Flaxseed
Sprouted oats or barley
Raw Hemp Protein Powder
Banana
Fresh or flash frozen fruit
stevia
raw cocoa powder

It's the only time I consume anything powdered. 99.9% of the time, I keep it raw, organic, and fresh as possible. I sometimes follow up post-workout with some Maca to off-set the adrenal stimulation I get from the cocoa. My body is sensitive and on a hair trigger when it comes to stimulation--coffee would be like crack cocaine for me. I also keep my workouts slow and easy, no HIIT or tricky compound moves. I'm such a spaz all day, anyway, if my workouts were high energy, too, I'd explode or have a nervous breakdown. :-D

Gotta go--biceps routine is calling me!

RB

Form follows focus.

allthoughtswork.wordpress.com

Hi guys'n'gals
I love the free weights, but also do the machines. I'm with 'powerlifter' re the stabilizer muscles, and also 'RB' re tendons that play catch up. If I go too fast with the increase in weight, than my elbow tendons scream, and then takes weeks to heal up. slow'n'steady wins it seems, in my case anyway.

I have trouble growing muscle. Like, I'm just as strong as some of the guys who look bigger, but my muscles don't grow like I'd expect. Well, I grew a six pack granted, but I'd like to also look bigger in other areas also. Maybe I'll bring in some kind of protein drink like I've been reading that you guys do. Would it help?

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.
Cheers, geo

Depends geo, your right in that hypertrophy is largely dependent on diet i.e getting enough calories and protein. But routine is also important, whats your routine and diet look like at the moment?

Mass gain comes from consuming an excess of calories whilst following a sound routine.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Hmm I mostly do an hour to an hour and a half each morning. I don't have breakfast, maybe a juice or couple of peices of fruit. After training I jump in the sauna for ten to fifteen minutes, shower, cup of chi, then home to prepare my main meal which is a large veg salan with soaked chick peas or butter beans etc. My evening meal is fresh and dried fruit, as much as I can eat. I find that I sleep much better only eating fruit for the evening meal.

Just writing this, I can see that I don't eat near enough calories to grow muscle quickly. What do you think? What if I add a snack just before training (mid morning), and one mid avo? That would add maybe 1000cal or more. The thing is that I get stronger, just doesn't look like it (no big muscles) haha.

Thx geo

I agree you probably don't get enough calories for muscle building geo. Have you ever tracked your daily calories out of interest? It does look low protein which doesnt really fair well with hypertrophy(this doesnt mean you need to consume excess like some are bound to say, just that you need a little more than the average for muscle building).

Muscle adaptation can happen through CNS conditioning and result in strength gain. Muscle gain i.e hypertrophy does largely result in consuming excess calories especially protein.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2011 10:33PM by powerlifer.

No, never checked calorie intake, but think start adding a smoothy with a protein powder or something. I'll have to check out my local health food store. That's interesting what you said about CNS conditioning. Can you tell me more, or direct me to some info on it?

Thx geo

Ill try to dig out some information for you tomorrow geo man, bed time for me tonight lol.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Ok, thx PL. For me the day is only beginning haha.

Hey powerlifter,
Could you at least give me the general run-down on the 'central nervous system' (CNS) conditioning you spoke about! I understand that our muscles can work more effeciently, and I know that big muscles may have a lot of fatty tissue within them. And look at a chimp, they are around three times stronger than the average man, yet you wouldn't think so by the size of their muscles.
Cheers, geo

geo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey powerlifter,
> Could you at least give me the general run-down on
> the 'central nervous system' (CNS) conditioning
> you spoke about! I understand that our muscles can
> work more effeciently, and I know that big muscles
> may have a lot of fatty tissue within them. And
> look at a chimp, they are around three times
> stronger than the average man, yet you wouldn't
> think so by the size of their muscles.
> Cheers, geo

I havent had time to dig you out anything good, but do a search for cns adaptation strength training and you should get some more information.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Hey powerlifter, I found quite alot of info on the CNS and muscle activation. I wasn't far from the truth about smaller muscles becoming more efficient. What actually happens is that there are more neurons firing to activate muscle cells/fibres. One source says that this ability is left over from caveman days when the human body needed an extra boost if a person was confronted by an enemy or some other life threatening situation. The body would need extra strength for fight or flight, and since there wasn't time to build muscle, there is additional potential for muscle activation through neuron firing (action potentials). It's difficult to explain.

Cheers, geo

@ rawsomebodybuilder WOW!! 22 years. I've on ly been doing it for the past couple of years, but for fitness modeling. Most people find it hard to belive I'm a high percent raw vegan (foodie) and I love their reactions STELLAR! I agree the body is a beautful work of art but the art on the inside matters just as much as the outside!

www.erawticvixen.wordpress.com

AWESOME -

Me and Chef Sal work out alot on Raw Diets and I find little problem with it.

I've also checked out sites like veganbodybuilder.com

Chef Sal and Rich
[www.evolvewithflavor.com]

Award-Winning, 73 year old Chef Stays Young by Eating a Raw, Alkaline Diet

He also has a beautiful new recipe book.