*** The 2014 Gym Rats Thread ***

[elmarko]

Yes you do seem to be doing an awful lot! I could quite happily have a roasted/fried chicken thigh with a little seasoning without worrying too much about it, as I could chop it up in the dish - you could just roast it in the oven and effectively "forget about it" as you're cooking the veggie meal?

However, you need to do what you feel is right.

Just ensure you get all your nutrients At least you can eat dairy and eggs!

Ay, feels that way sometimes! - having trouble finding time to tinker with the old mx5 .

Yeah, the dairy & eggs will be a lifesaver - the daily post work-out shake along with a few nutritional supplements should do the trick. I already eat the dark greens enough already, will just do a little study on any potential gaps which may open as a result of omitting meat.

 

[Boscher]

I might be embarking on a volunteer position that requires lots of digging hard ground and splitting large logs with an axe.

Other than practicing those, what would be the most beneficial exercises in the gym to strengthen my lower back? Deadlifts?

Also for endurance too, I know my back is going to ache badly after a few hours hard labour as I'm not used to it.

 

[Delvis]

You want to improve everything, not just your lower back.

 

[Suarez7]

These guys crack me up:

 

[Supercow]

Some sound sciencing going on, on my Facebook wall.

He even ended up calling me a moron for my response :/

 

[tom_e]

WTF is the difference between a vegan or a vegan by diet!?
What a wally.

 

[Supercow]

Meat protein ultimately stops your muscles grow - because clog innit :x

 

[Suarez7]

Facebook, the world where everyone is right.

 

[icecold]

It's actually impressive to be that wrong.

How on earth could he have convinced himself that all top athletes are vegans?

 

[opethdisciple]

If you ever want a completely 100% fool-proof way of separating **** from fiction just drop Nate Silvers a trust message and ask him. Whatever he says is guaranteed to be a load of cack so you know to do the opposite.

I laughed hard.

 

[spoffle]

Some sound sciencing going on, on my Facebook wall.

He even ended up calling me a moron for my response :/

Demand he cites his sources. I reckon he'll have a hard time with that.

 

[Supercow]

I bowed out of that conversation quickly.
I'm usually one who is happy to argue for days - but sometimes people say things so stupid, it's just not worth getting worked up over it.

 

[davestar_delux]

It's actually impressive to be that wrong.

How on earth could he have convinced himself that all top athletes are vegans?

I did actually read a couple of articles about this recently on the BBC and The Guardian I think.

Not that ALL top athletes are vegans but a few are.

I just googled and got distracted by this site instead http://www.greatveganathletes.com/ probably says the same thing

 

[mrthingyx]

I did actually read a couple of articles about this recently on the BBC and The Guardian I think.

Not that ALL top athletes are vegans but a few are.

I just googled and got distracted by this site instead http://www.greatveganathletes.com/ probably says the same thing

The problem is that none of the athletes listed on that site are tier 1 (i.e. The best) at sports I am interested in (athletics or strength stuff). And no, Carl Lewis went vegan after he was awesome.

Either way, this proves that it is perfectly possibly to be a good whatever on veganism, but it takes hard work, and even then the individual will only be exceptional if they are exceptional anyway.

 

[semi-pro waster]

And no, Carl Lewis went vegan after he was awesome.

I've got to admit that I've got a certain amount of suspicion that it wasn't only meat that was powering Carl Lewis but perhaps I'm being unfair here. I'm guessing from the wink that you may have your own thoughts on the matter.

You're absolutely right though, you can be a good or even great athlete as a vegan (or vegetarian) in the same way you can achieve great results on many different types of diets that exclude certain foods but it is, if anything, even more difficult than it is for those who don't have those restrictions. Patrik Baboumian is rather impressive but you're right that he's not amongst the elite. You could make an argument that Scott Jurek as an ultra-distance runner is performing an extension of an athletics event but that's possibly not the type of athletics you're interested in anyway.

 

[Fireskull]

Some sound sciencing going on, on my Facebook wall.

He even ended up calling me a moron for my response :/

Is he a friend? I wouldnt be able to resist the urge to track him down and beat him to death with a frozen pork chop!

 

[Supercow]

Is he a friend? I wouldnt be able to resist the urge to track him down and beat him to death with a frozen pork chop!

No, friend of a friend - battering meat with meat sounds a bit, hmm homo erotic tbh!

PS: If anyone has the inclination, I been making some Ostrich biltong, and my word, it's the perfect protein snack! Really easy to make as well - would definitely recommend it for anyone who is as carnivorous as me.

 

[davestar_delux]

The problem is that none of the athletes listed on that site are tier 1 (i.e. The best) at sports I am interested in (athletics or strength stuff). And no, Carl Lewis went vegan after he was awesome.

Either way, this proves that it is perfectly possibly to be a good whatever on veganism, but it takes hard work, and even then the individual will only be exceptional if they are exceptional anyway.

Yeah I posted the link before I read it really, I think the Guardian and BBC articles had better more modern British Olympians or something. I'm not vegan myself so don't care too much.

I'm curious about it though. I can't see how it would be more work as the same formula should apply of enough calories and enough protein.

Although eating enough with a normal diet is hard work for me so obviously anything to do with this is hard work in a sense.

 

[duvet77]

I'm curious about it though. I can't see how it would be more work as the same formula should apply of enough calories and enough protein.

A bit more consideration needs to be given to the sources of proteins to make sure you get all your essential amino acids.

 

[mrthingyx]

Yeah I posted the link before I read it really, I think the Guardian and BBC articles had better more modern British Olympians or something. I'm not vegan myself so don't care too much.

I'm curious about it though. I can't see how it would be more work as the same formula should apply of enough calories and enough protein.

Although eating enough with a normal diet is hard work for me so obviously anything to do with this is hard work in a sense.

It's not rocket science at all, to be blunt.

Spoiler

The issue is that eating for one's athletic performance is very simple if there are no restrictions (dairy, meat, eggs, etc.). Most of these are great sources of dietary fat, protein and micronutrients that support one's performance.

As soon as these 'easy' dietary sources get removed, a person has to think a bit harder about what they're eating. Fruit and veg are great, but protein and gat is harder to come by. Nuts are a good source, sure, and so are beans (lots of starchy sugar is their downside), but things like creatine, certain classes of micronutrients (vitamins, trace elements, etc.) are harder to come by in the vegan world. The second type of problem is that protein sources from unrefined vegan food are not quite as readily useable by the body as animal protein.

It doesn't mean a vegan diet is difficult by any stretch of the imagination, but it is just not as easy to access everything an athlete would need to perform at their highest level.

This is then complicated by the more bellicose elements of the vegan community who will scream that enough protein can be had from cucumbers or whatever, and other BS that leads to very bad dietary decisions, generating stylised perceptions of vegans.

TL;DR

If somebody is destined to be an awesome athlete or have the ultimate physique by virtue of their training, effort and genetic capacity, then a well-balanced diet (vegan or otherwise) will help them do that. Vegans just have to think that much harder about how they fuel and support their bodys for their sport.