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Thursday, January 14, 2021

Bikini Bodybuilding Prep Guide – Tips from a Bikini Competition Winner

 

Bikini Bodybuilding Prep Guide – Danette “Diz” Rivera (Personal Trainer and Lead Coach at CrossFit Los Angeles), shared her experience in transiting to plant based nutrition, her staple vegan post-workout meal, training routine and her favourite exercises

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


A LOVE-HATE-LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH BIKINI BODYBUILDING

“Deep down, it felt counter-intuitive to stop doing something that I thought about daily. The reality too is that my bikini comp journey inspired more women to pick up a weight than me preaching hard about the beneficial endocrine response.”

Name: Danette “Diz” Rivera
Occupation: Personal Trainer and Lead Coach at CrossFit Los Angeles
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Age: 48
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 138 (competition weight: 130)
Type of Training: CrossFit and bodybuilding

Q: What were the steps you took to transition to plant-based nutrition?

Over 12 years ago, after I shut down a business I owned, I proceeded to participate in an emotional escapade I like to call The Holiday Gorge of 2003.

I ate everything in sight from Thanksgiving to the Epiphany. It wasn’t pretty, and when all was said and eaten, I felt like living hell.

I had been a semiconductor broker, which was impossibly volatile and stressful like a constant kick in the guts, so when I took my next job, I wanted something as far from that as possible. I became a cashier at a health food store.

“Every day from my register, I stared at the produce section, which was illuminated like a stage by hanging halogen lights. I thought, ‘This is what perfection looks like.’”

I knew fresh food had to be part of my healing and ultimately, my plan for optimal health. A few of the young cashiers I worked with were vegan. I asked a ton of questions and decided to try being vegan for one month.

Though I went cold-turkey vegan then, I had been weaning off animal products most of my life.

In 1980, at age 13, I stopped eating red meat, a choice made from a very limited knowledge I had of the meat industry then. Foods like chicken, fish, eggs, and milk were already a bit gross to me. Eating vegan, even in the beginning, never felt difficult. It felt natural and right. I didn’t feel depraved.

During that first month, as I felt increasingly better physically and mentally, I read in detail about the ethical side of being vegan. When I learned exactly how living beings were treated for overproduction and overconsumption, my stomach hurt. My heart hurt. That month, February 2004, became a lifelong dedication.

“Though I’ve never had a desire to go back, my advice to those starting on a vegan (or simply a more meatless) journey is to explore the science, read up on anecdotes, and then put on your own lab coat to find what works best for you.”

There are so many vegan options now, and there are many philosophies within being vegan; it will be hard not to find something that fits you personally.

Q: Staple vegan post-workout meal:

Immediately after I workout, I usually have a scoop and a half of chocolate Plant Fusion protein powder with coconut water. The first meal I eat after I workout is usually lunch. Sometimes, I’ll have a huge salad with lentils or riced cauliflower with black beans.

Today, I had a baked sweet potato with a Field Roast Apple Sage Vegan Sausage with greens thrown on top. Yum!

Q: Tell us about CrossFit Los Angeles and your role there.

I’ve been a lead, full-time coach at CFLA for over three years.

I coach eight classes a week, including the Women’s Program, which are amazing classes created to provide a safe environment for women to be true to the athlete they are in the exact moment, no matter the level.

I’m dedicated to the empowerment of these athletes. I also have about 12-15 private clients.

What I love about CFLA is that because we’ve been around 11 years (the ninth CrossFit gym to open), we’ve evolved a lot.

Though the basic principles of CrossFit are still pretty spot-on, the way CFLA executes them is relatively different.

We don’t throw clients against the wall every workout in typical CrossFit fashion.

“We ‘practice’ the majority of time: honing technique, working strength, and staying at – or under – 85 percent perceived rate of exertion.”

Believe me, we still get a great workout on practice days, and we definitely have competition days too, but we’ve found this type of training is more sustainable mentally and physically.

It’s the brainchild of our head coach and CFLA owner, Kenny Kane. He calls it Contextual Training. I think it’s brilliant, and it works amazingly for our everyday-athlete clientele.

Q: What does your training look like these days?

I just began training for my second Bikini Bodybuilding competition, so though I still do CrossFit about three days a week, I’ve now incorporated more isolated bodybuilding work. I do a couple days of cardio, which I love, and I do yoga once a week.

Mainly, I love the grind of training. It’s my meditation. Training is my house of discovery. I feel I can explore the entire universe within the context of movement.

Q: Favorite Three Exercise/Movements:

1. Weighted Glute Bridges. I started these when training for my first bikini comp last year to build bigger, stronger glutes, but what I discovered is that stronger glutes meant I got better at everything else physically: CrossFit, running, and so on. I also realized with my clients that most everyone’s glutes could be stronger.

2. Snatch. I am a relatively weak static lifter, but the dynamic lifting takes more coordination and trust, really, which are more my strengths. I’m not breaking records by any means, but I really enjoy the rhythm of Olympic lifting.

3. Double Unders. Again, the rhythm thing. Double unders are a perfect balance of tension and relaxation and finding a rhythm.

Q: Favorite Three Forms of Exercise:

1. CrossFit (How CFLA does it!). I love the variety. I love my community. I love the mental-toughness aspect.

2. Isolated bodybuilding. I love the solitude and dedication this takes. I feel incredibly empowered lifting this way.

3. Riding my bike. Though, I really don’t think of this as exercise; I think of this as a way to commute. Also, being on my bike is pure joy to me.

Q: Tell me a story of the mentor who played a key role in building confidence in yourself.

I’ve definitely experienced glimpses of encouragement and interactions with amazing people throughout my life, but I’d have to say that I’ve been my own best mentor.

“I’ve had to rely on my gut instincts even when they didn’t seem popular or when the road seemed difficult.”

I’ve had to shake off mistakes, and bob and weave through a lot of bullshit, and fall down, and crawl, and get back up, and get angry, then let it go. And forgive – myself, mainly. But I never gave up hope in myself. I still haven’t.

I found that after all the hurt and knock-downs, if you can still be kind to yourself and be your own best caretaker and best cheerleader, nothing can really touch you. Nothing builds confidence more than that.

Q: What would your friends/colleagues say you’re really good at?

I think my colleagues would say that I’m nurturing but still kind of a hard-ass. My clients would say that I’m really good at connecting to them personally and that I have the ability to hone in on what they need in the exact moment.

Q: What unpopular opinions do you hold?

“Currently, I’m exploring the contrast of how my feminism works within the world of bikini bodybuilding. I’ve had a lot of inner conflict about it, honestly, and had some pushback during my last competition, like what I was doing was antifeminist.”

That pushback felt oddly familiar, though historically, the pushback and the tsk-tsking came from conservative sources, not the radical ones!

I was taken aback, frankly, and suddenly, I felt embarrassed that I had enjoyed it all so much.

Last year, I decided not to compete again. Yet, I continued to think about it every day. I missed the training. I missed the dedication. I missed how invincible I felt from lifting that much.

I missed working toward a muscular and athletic aesthetic even though I was still conflicted about the pageantry of the actual competitions and the subjectiveness of judging.

“Why was I so into a sport that is based on aesthetics instead of performance? I’m still not sure.”

Getting on stage – with the tan and the heels and the hair and the makeup and the harder-than-it-looks posing – is only a fraction of the whole process, and as odd as that felt at times, I dug the glamour aspects, too. Then I thought, fuck it. Eff anyone who has something to say.

Deep down, it felt counter-intuitive to stop doing something that I thought about daily. The reality too is that my bikini comp journey inspired more women to pick up a weight than me preaching hard about the beneficial endocrine response.

Lastly, I realized, like anything else, my decisions and my feminism are not up for debate. I do what I like. Anyway, it’s been interesting sorting through all these complicated issues that have come up during the process, and I look forward to writing more in-depth about it in 2016.

Q: What have you changed your mind about in past 10 years?

I’ve finally realized that judgment is the worst kind of poison. And I’m done with it, man, as much as I can consciously be aware.

I wondered why I saw the same exact behaviors and attitudes toward women that I experienced when I was younger still existing for girls and young women my daughters’ ages, even if certain forms of it have shifted.

“We still get judged constantly by the usual suspects, but why are many women still so shitty to each other? And I realized that we’re all trained to judge women no matter what.”

We’re all too something or the other, and it doesn’t even matter what side of the cause we’re on: if you’re a rebel or conservative, some woman is doing something wrong somewhere, in any sector, in any culture, the fitness world being right up there at the top.

“I’m sick of the bulky conversation and the thin conversation and the thick conversation.”

I’m done with the fact that what we do with our bodies is constantly up for debate. And don’t get me started on our own systematic levels of self-judgment. I don’t let other women, especially my clients, talk shit on themselves around me. That conversation is tired and dated.

I make one client do five burpees any time she starts in on herself. She did a lot of burpees in the beginning, but now the story she tells herself is starting to change. The ridiculousness of not holding oneself in the highest regard is starting to become apparent to her. Anyway, I renounce judgment to the best of my current ability; I reject it all now.

Q: Fun fact most people don’t know about you?

In the early 90s, I was hired to be a dancer in the movie “The Mambo Kings.” I turned down the role because I was working three jobs then, and filming would be “indefinite.” It’s my only regret in life.

Q: What three pearls of wisdom would you tell your 18-year-old self?

Since I’m raising daughters 20 and 16 years old, I’m dolling out those pearls left and right!

Everything I say to them, I would tell my 18-year-old self – as well as repeat to my 48-year-old self.

The main things:

1. Always trust your gut, in good and bad situations. Barge ahead when your instincts say “Love!” no matter what others say. And bail the eff out when your gut says “Whoa – no.”

2. Don’t let anyone squash your power. Not a boy/man/partner, not critics, not friends or family. That’s not to say don’t express kindness, compassion, love, generosity, humility, gratitude. We do these things because they are beautiful, human qualities, not because it is our place as girls/women to be demure and modest and selfless, especially if that’s not our nature. Be truly you and be a beautiful human, however those two show up. They can – and do – coexist.

3. You are inherently worthy. Your weight, thigh size, the length of your skirt, your hair color does not determine worth. You’re already great. Now that that’s out of the way, go do some cool shit that makes you happy, which will probably make the world a better place.

For more ideas on bikini bodybuilding prep guide, watch these 2 videos below-

Bikini Competition Guide - EVERYTHING YOU MUST KNOW

 


Bikini Contest Prep What To Know

 


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 – Bikini Bodybuilding Prep Guide

 


Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Plant-Based Fitness - “MAKE PROGRESS” ARE THE ONLY TWO WORDS THAT MATTER

 

James H. Hatchel, III, a personal trainer, shared about the path that led him to plant-based fitness, his sample meal plan for building muscle, training regiment, tips for success in fitness and advice for someone who wants to try a vegetarian diet.

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


“Around that time I ran into an old gym buddy who told me about his son that was playing football at a major Division I school as a vegan with no signs of losing strength or energy. Once I heard that I decided to try it for 28 days, and by day 10 I was in love.”

Name: James H. Hatchel, III
Occupation: Personal trainer and online training
City/State/Country: Marietta, Georgia, USA
Age: 30
Height: 6’0″
Type of Competing: Circuit Bodybuilding
Weight: 224 lbs

Website: www.goefitness.com
Instagram: 
instagram.com/jamesgoefit3
Facebook: 
facebook.com/goefitness

Q: Who is your hero?

My hero is Lee Haney. Lee Haney is my hero for a couple reasons. First obviously his consecutive Mr Olympia victories are incredible, and the time period when did it was a time when bodybuilding was blossoming into the industry that it is today.

Secondly, he was the first Christian Bodybuilder. I used to watch his workout show every morning on TBN as a youth try to mimic him.

Q: What are your personal passions outside of fitness?

Self-development and church-related activities are my other passions. Self-development includes reading books, getting advice from successful people, and always being willing to learn. Church activities include community service and going to church.

Church is my first sanctuary and the gym is my second.

Q: What uncommon activity do you schedule into your daily routine?

Cartoon time is essential. For at least twenty minutes a day I like to laugh at mindless entertainment.

Q: Tell us about the path that led you to plant-based fitness?

I have been exercising since I was six years old. Some children learn how to play an instrument, some do flips, I learned how to do perfect push-ups from my father. I read every issue of Flex magazine during high school trying to figure out how my muscles worked, what they needed, and most importantly how to make them grow.

I have always had a love for fitness and exercise. Around 23 years-old I decided I would become a vegan when I was around 45 years old just to prevent cancer. After my last bodybuilding show I grew to 265 lbs. I wanted to lose the weight with doing hours and hours of cardio.

Around that time, I ran into an old gym buddy who told me about his son that was playing football at a major Division I school as a vegan with no signs of losing strength or energy. Once I heard that I decided to try it for 28 days and by day 10 I was in love.

Q: Sample meal plan for building muscle:

  • Meal 1: 8 ounce sweet potato, 3 cups of broccoli, 1 cup of brown rice, 2/3 cup of beans
  • Meal 2: 3 cups of spinach, 1 cup of avocado, 8 ounce sweet potato, 1 cup of quinoa
  • Meal 3: 8 ounce sweet potato, 3 cups of broccoli, 1 cup of brown rice, 2/3 cup of beans
  • Post-workout meal: 3 cups of green peas, 1/2 cup of quinoa, 1 cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup of pinto beans

Q: Philosophy on supplements and which ones you take?

Supplements are awesome. I do not think everyone needs them. I think most people don’t exercise as frequently, or intense enough, to warrant supplementation. Most people can get the nutrients they need in sufficient quantity through whole food.

Athletes such as bodybuilders, football players, and any person that endures rigorous training may want to consider taking supplements.

I take amino acids, creatine, L-glutamine, and protein powder on occasion.

Q: Describe your training regiment (favorite exercises, weekly training schedule, etc.):

My training is regimen is compilation of everything I have learned over my lifetime. I would call it GOE Fitness. GOE Fitness is high volume and high repetition. My training weekly schedule just changed to:

  • Sunday: Quads
  • Monday: Back
  • Tuesday: Shoulders
  • Wednesday: Hamstrings
  • Thursday: Chest
  • Friday: Arms

I switched training my back to Monday to see if it will help it grow in density.

“I constantly switch something about my training and start a new chapter to my training journal.”

Being in the fitness industry, I feel I should know how theories will affect clients from experience. I would say picking a favorite exercise is like a mother picking her favorite child. There is no way I could pick just one. I do have a favorite per muscle group:

  • Quad-day: Leg press
  • Back-day: Pull-ups
  • Chest-day: Incline barbell press
  • Shoulders-day: Barbell shoulder press
  • Arms-day: Dumbbell biceps curl
  • Hamstring-day: Lunges

On any given day I will do from 5 to 10 sets of my favorite exercise.

Q: If you have to pick only three exercises, what would they be?

I would say:

  • Front lat pull-down
  • Incline barbell bench press
  • Barbell back squats

Q: What tips can you share about your particular method of training?

My method of training goes with the rhythm of your body. Sometimes your body needs to lift light and double the repetitions or your body wants double the reps and the sets. GOE Fitness knows no limits. GOE Fitness is leaving the gym different everyday.

“‘Make progress’ are the only two words that matter.”

Q: What 3 fundamentals would you tell a beginner if you were to start training them?

Pick a time to exercise that fits your regular schedule, not a time that only works when the stars align and the moon turns into a rainbow (be realistic).

Your goals won’t happen overnight so try not to get frustrated. All good things come to those that wait and all better things come to those that work harder than everyone else. So be patient.

Always be truth seeking. Everyone has their own fitness journey and strategy that will work for them. Being truth seeking means to not be afraid to try new methods of exercise and research new ideas.

Q: What tips can you share that have led to your success in fitness?

Being consistent is what I attribute to any amount of success I have had. With exercise I try to only take one week off a year. For instance, in college I tried to study everyday to keep the information fresh on my mind. Every study session was not extensive but served as a quick refresher.

Q: What are the three biggest trends you see in fitness right now?

  1. Being conscious of your fitness level is more pervasive between every generation and socioeconomic status.
  • The addition of the Physique category and Bikini category plus increased fitness consciousness, more people to participate in bodybuilding competitions.
  • Supplement abuse is growing. When people that should be real food for their primary source of nutrient are taking supplements.

Q: What advice do you have for someone who wants to try a vegetarian diet?

I would tell them to try it for at least twenty-one days minimum before you make a final decision. Twenty-one days gives you time to adjust and try an assortment of dishes.

For more ideas about plant-based fitness, watch this video - Plant Based Diet What I Eat in a Day | Plant Based Diet Workout



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 – Benefits of Plant-Based Fitness


What are the Benefits of Vegan Diet for Athletes in Terms of Health and Performance?

 

Benefits of Vegan Diet for Athletes – Patrik Baboumian, a weight lifting champion, shared about effects of adopting a vegan diet on his training, tips for success in strength training, and his sample meal plan in bulking up.

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


VEGAN BADASS PATRIK BABOUMIAM: “I COMPETE TO CHANGE THE WORLD”

“I have won the German Log-lifting Championship every year since it was held for the first time in 2009. I have set three world records…after turning vegan in 2011.”

Name: Patrik Baboumian
Occupation: Speaker, Author, Sport Psychologist, Media Consultant
City/State/Country: Berlin, Germany
Age: 35
Height: 5’6″
Type of Competing: Strongman
Weight: 282lbs
Website/Social Media:
www.veganbadass.com
www.facebook.com/patrik.baboumian.fanpage

Q: Who was your hero as a child?

The Incredible HULK. I was deeply fascinated by his unattainable strength. As he represented a more childlike mental state led by an incorruptible “just” anger. And being practically unstoppable, he was the perfect character to identify with for a child growing up in the early 1980s in Iran (a place of war and uncertainty).

Q: Do you meditate?

I have recently started using meditation as a means to calm down and find a deeper mental focus.

Q: What are your hobbies outside of fitness?

I produce electronic music in my home recording studio.

Q: What inspired you to start lifting weights as a young man?

I was a fan of pro wrestling when I was in my mid-teens, and as I was dreaming of a future wrestling career, I started lifting weights to develop strength. Soon, strength training became my number-one priority, and the wrestling thing was forgotten. I started competing at powerlifting when I was 16.

As I made great progress, I stuck to strength-sports for many years, trying out different sports like powerlifting, bodybuilding, and arm-wrestling. I was quite successful on some level. For instance, I won the junior overall championship title at the 1999 International German Bodybuilding Championship of the IFBB.

Q: What uncommon activity do you schedule into your daily routine?

I do long late-night walks every night with my companion dog, Basco, to relax, calm down, and develop new ideas for the coming day. I live on the countryside near Berlin, and the nights are really quiet here. I love to be in nature when everyone else sleeps. I enjoy the quiet, tranquil atmosphere without the noise of human life that is omnipresent at daytimes.

Q: What are some of your strength competition feats?

  • Won the lightweight German title twice in 2007 and 2009
  • Runner-up heavyweight champion in 2010
  • German champion in 2011, acquiring the title of “Germany’s Strongest Man”
  • National Heavyweight Top 5 in 2007 and 2009 (as a lightweight)
  • National Heavyweight Top 3 from 2010-2014
  • Set a lightweight world record in the log-lift* in 2009, lifting 165kg
  • Placed 4th at Log-lifting Worlds in Vilnius 2011, lifting 185kg.
  • Won the German Log-lifting Championship every year since it was held for the first time in 2009
  • Set three world records at the front-hold (20kg/1m26sec), the keg-lift (150kg), and the yoke-walk (555kg for 10m) after turning vegan in 2011.

*My personal best at the log-lift is 200kg in training.

Q: Why did you initially become vegetarian in 2005? In what ways has your health improved?

For many people I know, external pressures (media, friends, etc.) have played a crucial role in their decision for a vegetarian diet or vegan lifestyle.

For me, that wasn’t the case. One day out of nowhere, I started to reflect on my personal worldview and actions.

I realized that my meat consumption wasn’t compatible with the compassion I felt for the animals.

It was at this conclusion I decided to stop eating meat. The decision-making was done in a rather level-headed way. There were no emotional, external factors that influenced me.

What I realized after thinking about it was that all my life, starting in childhood, I always had felt very compassionate for animals. This was expressed in my need to help animals that were in danger or distress.

For example, I tried to nurse an injured bird back to health, and let it stay over winter at my home. Another time, I spent a whole day with a former girlfriend to save tadpoles from a puddle that was drying out.

We provided refuge for a little abandoned hedgehog (Harald) one autumn to let him hibernate in our house, and set him free the next spring. One day, I realized that when I see a bird suffer in front of my eyes, I have the urge to help it. And that this is inconsistent with me going into a supermarket the same day and buying chicken breasts.

It makes absolutely no sense that I feel compassion for the bird in the first case and that I don’t care at all about the product that I consume in the latter case. I understood relatively fast that in the one case, I saw the suffering directly before my eyes, and in the other case, it just wasn’t visible.

I also repressed the fact that my own consumer behavior lead to animal suffering, just like the greatest part of our society does every day. But I didn’t want to carry on with that. I realized that I could not reconcile this with my own conscience, and I had to make a decision. The decision could lead in two directions.

One possibility could have been to decide not to be compassionate anymore, and to say: “It’s important to me to be able to eat meat and not care about the animals.” The other possibility was to follow my compassion and change something about my life. I had to stop letting my habits as a consumer be responsible for the death of animals.

“To be honest I was very anxious how switching to a plant-based diet would affect my performances before I went vegan. The interesting thing was that none of my fears became true.”

I had expected that everything would be very hard for me to get used to. But that wasn’t the case. It was much easier than I had anticipated. Above all things, this desire for dairy products was swept away within one or two weeks. In retrospect, this is hardly surprising because when you’re addicted to something and you’re abstinent for a while, the craving goes away after some time.

Within two weeks, I had no urge to drink milk anymore. I had no yearning to consume anything that contained milk or dairy products. The second thing was my performance. I had assumed that it would suffer, but nothing of that sort happened. My sporting prowess was totally stable, the only thing that changed was that my overall sense of well-being noticeably improved.

I suffered from constant heartburn while consuming dairy products, and was chronically, overly acidified due to the gigantic amounts of animal-based protein that I consumed.

It’s important to know that animal protein contains especially high amounts of sulfur-containing amino acids.

This leads to an over-acidification of the body. This becomes evident when one gets heartburn, and the fiendish thing about that situation is that at first it helps to drink milk.

The stomach has something to do in this moment, and the acid gets balanced. Though that was my reasoning, I didn’t realize that the heartburn was caused by dairy products in the first place.

I only understood that when I started to omit dairy products that the heartburn disappeared after two or three days. I asked myself what had happened. Before I switched to a vegan diet, I had feared that I would die of heartburn without milk.

“I had assumed that dairy goods were a remedy for heartburn, whereas in reality, they are the cause for it.”

So for the record – and let us savor this one: Nothing of all the things I had feared had become true. What actually happened was the opposite of everything I had expected.

“My athletic performance stayed stable and even improved in the long run. Today, I am significantly stronger than I used to be. And my well-being improved dramatically.”

My acid-base balance is regulated, the heartburn improved – these were naturally only two aspects. If you have a balanced acid alkaline metabolism, there are a whole lot of other bodily effects that are very positive. For example, you recover faster after athletic training. A balanced acid-base metabolism is important for the body to be able to absorb nutrients.

“If your body is too acidic, it can’t digest protein at optimal levels, and for a strength athlete who is concerned about a sufficient protein supply, this is a nightmare.”

As a strength athlete, you are anxious to consume huge amounts of protein. Your goal is to develop a considerable quantity of muscle, and this demands a substantial amount of building material, which after all, is protein.

When your body is hyper acidic and consequently can’t absorb protein, this is actually one of the worst things that can happen to you as a strength athlete. By changing to a vegan diet and omitting animal protein, this has shifted to a gigantic part in a positive direction.

Q: Sample meal plan for bulking up?

Please remember that this schedule was planned according to my needs. You will, of course, find all the listed meals, smoothies, and shakes in my book, “VRebellion,” that can be ordered online.

  • 9:00 – Breakfast: Baboumian Shake
  • 11:00 – Between meals: Snack assortment of nuts
  • 2:00 – Lunch: Bean soup with rice
  • 2:30 – One liter of soy cocoa as dessert
  • 3:00 – Between meals: Smoothie
  • 5:00 – Pre-workout: Protein shake with 50 grams soy isolate and a vegan calcium preparation with D2 (D3 isn’t vegan)
  • 5:00 – Workout: I drink water or a homemade Isotonic drink
  • 7:00 – Post-workout: Smoothie with creatine, 50 grams multicomponent protein, vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium
  • 8:00 – Dinner: Tofu with rice and sweet and sour sauce
  • 10:00 – Snack: Peanuts
  • Before going to bed:  Protein shake with linseed oil

Q: Favorite pre-workout meal?

I do not eat before a workout to keep my blood-sugar-level stable. Instead, I just drink a water-based protein shake with plant-based proteins.

Q: Philosophy on supplements, and which ones you take?

“I have stopped using a lot of supplements as I went vegan, and I feel that I have overrated a lot of supplements in the past.”

I still use some supplements that I feel help optimize my results, such as:

  • Creatine
  • Beta-alanine
  • Nutritional yeast
  • B12
  • Fenugreek
  • Ceylon cinnamon (for anti-oxidants)
  • Glutamine

Q: If you have to pick only three exercises, what would they be?

I think that these three multi-joint exercises are the most effective movements when it comes to building mass and strength. They are also quite functional movements.

Q: How has your training regimen changed over the years?

Not so much [laughs]. I have always loved to train heavy and build strength. I love functional movements. I have always trained according to Mike Mentzer’s heavy duty principles. As I began training more with strongman disciplines and less with gym-based routines, I still stuck to the fundamental principles I always believed in.

Today, 22 years after touching a dumbbell for the first time, I’m still able to improve. So I assume I will go on training this way for some more time.

Q: What unique tips can you share that have led to your success in strength training?

My main advantage over most of the athletes that I have been able to best in all these years have been more on the mental side.

“As I am quite small for a strongman competing in the heavyweight division, my only chance to overcome the physical disadvantage has been to simply be mentally stronger.”

One thing is that I literally never give up.

For example, I have won the title of Germany’s strongest man only three weeks after a muscle-tear in my left calf, barely being able to walk until three days before the competition just by training around the injury and doing everything in my power to recover as quickly as possible.

Another thing is that I know exactly why I do what I do. As a vegan athlete fighting the common stereotypes of vegans being skinny, weak guys, I consider myself more of a warrior with purpose than an athlete.

“I do not compete to win, I compete to change the world.”

Q: What are the three biggest trends you see in fitness right now?

have the feeling that the industry realizes that there is a big movement towards a more health-based approach to fitness and strength-training. I see a revolution according to the “stardom” within the industry, away from the pro-bodybuilders and toward the more everyday guy type personalities fuelled by social media. And I see a big trend towards outdoor training, bodyweight training, and more functional training approaches away from the gym and toward the street or nature.

Q: Tell us about your new book.

I wrote “VRebellion” to answer frequently asked questions about vegan nutrition and how my diet enables me to gain weight, power, and muscles. I also wanted to provide a little insight into the unique particularities of my vegan diet, because I simply think that there are certain things I do differently.

Maybe I can give one or two useful hints to people interested in the vegan lifestyle regarding how they can understand what it involves in practical terms that would save them time and trouble.

Q: What advice do you have for someone who wants to try vegetarian bodybuilding or powerlifting, and struggles with the same fears and hesitations you had at first?

I believe that there is a simple error in reasoning that plays a big role in a lot of the fears and misconceptions people have regarding what a vegan lifestyle truly is: as soon as somebody mentions that he or she is living on a diet that is based purely on plant-based products, people immediately assume greens and vegetables.

The first picture that comes to mind when one hears the word “vegan” is a diet consisting mainly of vegetables and salad. We know that vegetables and salad consist mainly of water, so presumably one has to eat gigantic amounts of vegetables and salad in order to gain any weight. That’s why many people probably ask themselves how one can get so muscular while on a vegan diet.

How is this even possible?

Well, you simply have to think about the fact that a vegan diet does not consist of salad and vegetables alone, but also food like nuts or legumes with high calorie content. Even if we consider the food that many meat-eaters rely on as a source of energy, we find that much of it is of plant origin as well.

Whether it is potatoes or oatmeal, rice or noodles made from durum wheat semolina, there are plenty of wonderful sources of energy for the body that are not meat.

Peanuts, for example, are a wonderful source of protein. They contain a higher amount of protein than a steak, and have a higher energy density than most animal products.

The peanut contains lots of vegetable fats, as well. It’s wonderfully suited to supply us with calories and with protein. I could go on and on about all kinds of other legumes like beans, lentils, or peas. We would find that it is quite easy to supply one’s protein needs.

For more ideas about the benefits of vegan diet for athletes, watch this video - Vegan Diets for Athletes! | Better Endurance and a Healthier Heart



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 – Benefits of Vegan Diet for Athletes

 


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