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This vegan bodybuilder is an example of how 41 is
the new 31.
“Stretching after a hard training session is often overlooked, but I
make sure to do it because I have found that my muscle recovery is a lot
quicker and I rarely experience muscle pain due to heavy lifting.”
Name: Kristine Lee MacIntyre
Occupation: Canfitpro Certified Personal Trainer
City/Province/Country: Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Age: 41
Height: 5’7”
Type of Fitness: Bikini Competition
Weight/Competition Weight: 128 lbs, 122lbs
Fitness Accolades: Quebec APQ Coupe Espoir 2014 competition placing 2nd in
master bikini competition and
3rd place open class D
Instagram: @krisleefit
Pinterest: @kayleemac17
Twitter: @kayleemac17
Q: If your life had a theme song what would it be?
If my life had a theme song it would be Imagine by John Lennon. As I have
grown older, this song in particular resonates with my being and the values
that I uphold for myself.
Q: Who is your hero?
My grandmother Rose is my hero. She was Armenian, born in Syria in 1920, her
parents and siblings survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
She grew up very poor and in those days the best scenario for her was to get
married at a young age and learn to be a good housewife. Because money was
scarce, any opportunities were reserved for the boys of the family.
But she always had a strong will to not allow herself to fall victim to
poverty and wanted to go to college to educate herself for the opportunity of a
better future.
She did not marry young, instead she worked and put herself through college
and learned how to speak both English and French. She also taught herself how
to sew and in fact years later, she would become a very successful seamstress.
Moving to Canada with my grandfather and their two children in the early
60’s, they only had a couple of hundred dollars saved up to start their new life
in North America. Both my grandparents worked two jobs to make ends. Eventually
they saved up enough money to buy a building and open a business.
My grandmother took care of everyone and when she became a widow at the age
of 50, she continued to take care of her family, running the business by
herself and often sending financial support to her family in Armenia.
My grandmother is my hero because I admire her courage, her strength and her
perseverance through the most difficult of times.
“She had an incredible will to survive and succeed and she had an
excellent work ethic and business skills. Any time I feel like giving up I
think of the hardships she went through and it always gives me the strength to
keep on and to not give up so easily.”
Q: What are your personal passions outside of fitness?
I enjoy creating vegan baked goods and high protein, nutrient dense vegan meals. This has
become life altering for me, as I have discovered that there are countless ways
to nourish my body with plant based foods. Right now I’m in the process of
perfecting my recipe for vegan french macarons and hope to market them in
the near future.
I have also volunteered several times at the SPCA annexe for the animals who
are in rehabilitation and not quite ready for adoption. I can honestly say that
those hours were some of the most humbling and heartwarming moments of my life.
Q: What uncommon activity do you schedule into your daily
routine?
I try to take a 20-minute power nap at least 5 days a week. I find that when
I unplug from the world, it helps to relieve stress and gives me the energy and
focus I need to take on the rest of the day.
Q: Tell us about the path that led you to vegan bodybuilding?
About two years ago, I was looking for a new cookbook and I stumbled upon a vegan cookbook by renowned author Colleen Patrick
Goudreau. It wasn’t that I was specifically looking for a vegan cookbook, but as I leafed through the pages,
I saw recipes that I thought I might like to try.
Once I brought the book home, I began reading about the way the dairy and
meat industry produces much of the animal-based foods we eat and I was
immediately horrified.
“I was in disbelief and I was angry and I felt that a terrible secret
was being kept from the general population about what goes on behind the locked
doors of slaughter houses.”
I resolved to change my lifestyle one day at a time, one meal at a
time. My beliefs about animal cruelty now extend to the clothing I wear,
and to the household products and cosmetics I use. I do not like labels and I
do not consider myself a vegan, a vegetarian, a pescetarian or any other food
related lifestyle label.
I will say however that I consume absolutely no dairy products and no animal
based proteins or foods other than fish three days a week. And there have been
times when I haven’t consumed any fish in a two and three-week period at all.
My goal is not to be perfect but rather to be mindful and compassionate
about the choices I make every day, and to continue to educate myself as well
as my family.
I don’t know who said this but it is my favorite quote of all time and it
has become my motto in life: “Small acts when multiplied by millions of people
can change the world.” I think that if we could all just reduce our consumption
of animal-based foods and products, the world would be much more balanced,
compassionate and healthier place.
Q: Sample meal plan for leaning out:
My meal plan for eight weeks leading up to a
competition:
- Meal 1 &
3: Vegan protein powder prepared with water and
a half cup each frozen berries and baby spinach.
- Meal 2: 1/3
cup oats or cream of wheat prepared with 1 cup water and half a banana,
dash of cinnamon.
- Meal 4 &
6: 4 oz tofu or other vegan protein such as tempeh, soy based
ground round or veggie burgers, or white fish (such as sole,
cod or halibut), 1/2 cup carbs (such as 1/2 cup sweet potato, brown rice,
bulgar or quinoa) 1/2 cup greens (such as asparagus,
green beans, broccoli or brussel sprouts). Remember to omit the use of
seasonings containing salt and fats.
- Meal 5: Vegan protein bar (either homemade or bought
such as Square Bar, 22 Days or Vega Sport) or my homemade Vital wheat
gluten muffins, and half a vegan protein shake.
- Meal 7: Vegan protein shake and six natural
almonds.
Notes:
- Make sure to
drink at least five to six glasses of water a day.
- Coffee or tea
with unsweetened non-dairy milk and no sweeteners.
- I do allow
myself to have one cheat meal a week limiting the calories of this meal to
400.
- The diet does
get stricter at six weeks out, and then again at two weeks out
with no cheat meal.
You really have to love what you’re doing to keep this up, and for the most
part I really do. I’m excited to see the changes in my body as I continue to
lean out over the next six weeks.
Q: Favorite post-workout meal?
Though I haven’t had this in a while because I’m currently preparing for my
next competition, my favorite post-workout meal is a big bowl of pasta with
tofu-based rosee sauce and a warm bread roll for scooping up the sauce.
I have also learned that the best time to consume “empty calories” is right
after workout, so this is the time I might indulge in my favorite desserts like coconut cake or
chocolate cupcakes.
Q: Philosophy on supplements and which ones you take?
I don’t believe in taking too many supplements. I take my vegan shakes, the best ones I have tried are by
Growing Naturals, Raw Fusion and Sun Warrior.
Their macro and micro contents are perfectly suited to
my needs. I make sure to read the nutritional facts carefully, some protein powders although very good, are too high
in carbohydrates and especially sodium to be suitable for leaning out.
I do take a vegan daily multivitamin and a teaspoons of vegan glutamine in
my shakes twice a day. I was taking BCAA’s for several months but since I stopped
taking them I haven’t noticed a decline in my performance or endurance levels.
I’ve discovered that a good cup of coffee and an apple for pre-workout do wonders for me!
Q: Describe your training regiment:
I train 5 days per week for about an hour or so.
Every session begins with a light warm up on the treadmill for 10 minutes
and ends with about five minutes of stretching all the muscles that I
worked. These are habits that all exercisers need to incorporate into their routines to ensure that both the body and mind are
prepared and focused. Stretching after a hard training session is often overlooked, but I make
sure to do it because I have found that my muscle recovery is a lot quicker and I rarely
experience muscle pain due to heavy lifting.
- Day 1:
Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes & Calves
- Day 2: Chest
& Shoulders
- Day 3: Back
- Day 4: Biceps
& Triceps
- Day 5:
Hamstrings & Glutes
My abdominal muscles are very developed from working them with weights.
I only work them once or twice a week now by doing three sets of 25
hanging knee raises.
My favorite exercises happen to all be for the legs. They include the leg
press machine, dumbbell
step ups with a back lunge combo, the barbell glute bridge
and elevated sumo
squats with kettlebell.
“Ever since my trainer put me on a twice a week leg regimen, I have
noticed a significant change in the overall shape of my legs.”
In fact, leg days are my favorite training days because the results have
exceeded my expectations and this only motivates me to work even harder.
An exercise that I like to do twice a week is a
chin-up. Two years ago, when I first started vegan bodybuilding, I couldn’t even do one. I
would only see men attempting this exercise and I could only do them on the
assisted pull-up machine.
After a couple of weeks of building up my strength, I started with
two sets of just two or three reps unassisted. I was so determined to
do chin-ups and now after two years I’m able to perform four sets of
seven. You can say I feel pretty badass when I’m done!
Q: What tips can you share that have led to your success in vegan bodybuilding?
“One thing that I have learned to do is to be patient with myself. Just
because you don’t see results right away doesn’t mean you will never see them.”
A lot of consistency with your training and diet are key to bodybuilding success as is maintaining a positive
attitude. And in other aspects of my life, I make sure that I enjoy whatever it
is I choose to do.
Another aspect of bodybuilding that is of extreme importance is
proper technique. I see many bodybuilders focused on lifting heavy weights as
opposed to focusing on proper form. Sooner or later, this will inevitably cause
disastrous results leading to all kinds of injuries and time off from the gym.
I always make sure to be focused on things like keeping my abs tight, my back flat on the bench,
no knees passing the toes, no locking the knees, my elbows tucked to my sides
and to watch out for using momentum or compensating with my back.
Q: Where do you think vegetarian bodybuilding is going in the
future?
We are fortunate to live in an age where there is so much information about plant-based diets at our fingertips. Over the past
couple of years, I have noticed an ever growing community of people seeking
change.
Now we are seeing alternatives to the traditional North American diet and
exposing truths about the dairy and meat industry and the food and drug
industry as a whole.
I think vegan and vegetarian bodybuilding will grow to be the norm
in the future. Because more and more people are tending towards reducing their
intake of animal-based products, and because the bodybuilding industry is now beginning to accept
as well as promote bodybuilding as a reflection of good health both
inside and out.
Q: What’s next for you?
My short-term goal is to begin my new career as a personal fitness
instructor. Another short-term goal for next month, is to place in the top
three at Quebec’s APQ Natural Bikini Competition.
Finally, my long-term goal is to open my own gym/studio with a healthy food
bar, where I can offer my clients personal training sessions in a great
atmosphere and introduce them to a variety of plant-based
foods. And, let’s not forget the incredible vegan desserts!
For more vegan bodybuilding tips, watch this video - How to Get TONED
and Build MUSCLE on a VEGAN DIET | 5 Tips to a Strong/Lean/Fit Bikini Body
Author
Bio:
Chris
Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.
V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System
is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users
with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and
vegetarians only.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
To
find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – Vegan Bodybuilding Tips
