Liberacion-Igualdad

Pure awesomeness! He's one of my favorite weightlifters. Here's another interview, with a transcript translated to english where he talks more about it. Apparently he's doing it just because of health reasons...but hey, pretty cool nonetheless. http://www.allthingsgym.com/dmitry-klokov-interviews-ilya-ilyin/

Was looking for info on vegan weightlifting shoes and found this thread...and also these shoes: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/275-2075381-3448045?url=search-alias%3Dshoes&field-keywords=do+win+gong+lu+II&rh=n%3A355005011%2Ck%3Ado+win+gong+lu+II Anyone here has tried them? Details on those shoes: Olympic lifting shoe with solid wooden heel Non-slip rubber outsole Closure: hook & loop Heel Height: 2.5 centimetres Material Composition: Mesh - Synthetic Leather Velcro metatarsal strap for extra stability Worn by Gold medal winning Chinese team in Beijing Cheers!

Hey! I haven't posted since November, but I've kept count of (most of) my push-ups. +1,704 60,242

Hi! I'm a vegan of about 3 years. Shortly after going vegan I lost a lot of weight - 58 kgs (around 128 lbs) at my lowest. About a year ago, and after dislocating my shoulder, I decided that it was time for me to grow some muscles, both for my shoulder's sake and because I wanted to defy the skinny-vegan stereotype. I started with 65 kgs (143lbs)-bodyweight and a very convoluted workout. I have only been able to workout with a pair of dumbells, a backpack full of everything I could put on it, a multi-purpose machine at my building's "gym" at first (before the rope got cut) and everything else I could do with my own bodyweight. My goal was to gain 10kgs-bodyweight by the end of the year. A friend took some pictures of me on April last year (after two months working out), but the sucker didn't send them to me and he's on Spain now, so the 'before' pics will have to wait. I did reach my goal of gaining 10 kgs. by mid-November, but I've lost a little weight after that because of traveling overseas (not working out and eating poorly), not working out due to a tendinitis after that, and not much working out since due to sheer laziness. I haven't checked, but I might be weighing around 73 kgs (161 lbs.) Took these pictures on February 26 (day before the huge earthquake here.) http://i40.tinypic.com/29prj82.jpg http://i44.tinypic.com/6du32p.jpg http://i41.tinypic.com/2m6tws9.jpg http://i41.tinypic.com/2uf6nf5.jpg So, now I'm going to join a gym at last, and begin with the 'Starting Strength' program. I hope to post some progress on the upcoming months. My goal is to get stronger and gain at least 5 kgs. in the next 3 months or so. After that I'll try to get ripped (which will probably be the biggest challenge for me.) Feel free to comment and advice critically! I know I have to train my legs harder (I've always been lazy on them). I also have weak/skinny calves and forearms though I'll put some blame on my genes for that. On these pictures it does look like my right-side is bigger in general, though I don't know if the lighting might be responsible for some of that. And of course, I have a lot of fat that could be gone, but I'll work on that later. Anyway, I should stop writing now!! This is getting boring. Cheers!

Awesome!

Uh-huh! And the "Thats why I had to stop drinking. Cuz when I start drinking is when I stop thinking" part. Not that I feel identified with that... ...but yeah.

x2

I've noticed that at the end of my shoulder workouts, my left shoulder fails earlier than my right. My question is, should I do some extra-work just for my left shoulder? Thanks.

Thanks. So, obviously it depends on how much one eats, but with a regular smoothie, then, an hour should be enough?

Lately I've been having a 'light' smoothie (just banana and soymilk) about 5 minutes before a workout. I've felt quite good doing this but I still wonder whether this is too short before the workout and, if so, why? I began to do this after reading about the positive effects (in terms of muscle gaining) of having a higher level of aminoacids in the bloodstream while working out. My bad that I haven't checked the science behind this but it sounded reasonable. Does any of you have any data and/or arguments for or against this position?

+ 291 since last time I posted. Running total: 53,451

+50 52,485

+40 52,300

+60 52,260 PS: Yo, VeganJoe, stop the thread-hijacking!

Marc, I’ve been steadily getting stronger (adding weight and/or adding reps and/or reducing resting time between sets), but in the first couple of months I didn’t gain much weight. In the first month I gained about 2 kgs. in a 10-day span, or so, but then I lost them. Besides the obvious reason (not eating enough calories) I didn’t know the importance of the rest time between sets. So I’d do one set, rest until I felt COMPLETELY recovered, which could take up to 5 minutes (or even more!) and then do another set. I could spend almost 2 hours exercising this way. Then I read something about keeping the rest between sets as short as possible (from 30 to 120 secs. depending on the exercise, muscle group, etc.) so I tried it in my leg-workout day. Needless to say, I felt like I was going to die. I wanted to throw out for at least an hour after I finished. So I realized that I hadn’t been working out with any intensity at all. Once I began to train like this (and improved my calorie intake) I began to make some good progress (and I also reduced the time I was at the ‘gym’ to 40-50 mins.) So I’d say that the more ‘visible’ progress came after the third month of training. Btw, if you feel like you eat a lot, but still lose weight, you should try eating more calorie dense foods. Try adding vegetable oils to your meals (ideally flaxseed oil, for its omega-3 content – if you don’t have any, olive oil is also a good option) – these oils provide a fair amount of calories without adding bulk to your meals. Also try drinking fresh-fruit juices or smoothies after finishing your meals, and between meals. How heavy are your dumbbells? And what kind of exercises did you do with them? ¡Saludos!