Do you even lift bro?

[Wu-Ji]

I apologise if this isn't the right section for posting this, so I would appreciate it if the moderators can place it in the right location if that is indeed the case

Anyway, just wondering if there are any body builders or people who lift for vanity and health etc? If you are also vegetarian and vegan what is your diet like?

Hoping to start some wholesome bro talks

[Jainarayan]

Right here.

I was a non-competitive powerlifter for years before back and shoulder surgery (not gym related, ironically). I still train, but differently. I won't deny that my lifting and training had a great measure of vanity in it. I needed to be bigger and badder than the average bear. Health came secondary. I've recently begun another attempt at vegetarian... lacto-ovo primarily with some occasional fish. I use whey protein, tofu, and lacto-ovo protein sources. The typical legumes and grains are kind of carb heavy, so I try to limit that. I try to keep my macros at about 40% protein, 35% carbs, 25% fat. I am also gluten intolerant.

[Johnny Dangerous]

Club bells, Chi ishi, medicine ball, heavy bag, headache bag, body weight exercise..probably less than I should be doing of all of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojo_und%C5%8D

Not much lifting just for the sake of lifting.

Would like to go vegetarian again but my family ain't havin it, got taken off gluten and dairy after an elimination diet a couple years ago.

[Grigoris]

I lift as part of my martial arts training. For health and vanity!

I tend to do lots of reps with lighter weights and limit myself to chest, shoulder/pec excercises since they work triceps and biceps at the same time.

I have old back injury problems (from my jiu jitsu and aikido days) so I limit standing exercises. I also have knee problems (mainly from yoga) so I limit leg exercises. Being a muay thai kru I don't want to bulk up my legs and reduce speed and flexibility anyway.

Like I said: I do weights to supplement my martial arts training.

I am a vegetarian since, shiiiiit, I don't remember since when... 20 years? I do not really take supplements and it is a battle getting protein without overloading on carbohydrates, but I am 1m72cm and weigh 70kg (at 45 years of age) so I am not doing too badly.

[Jainarayan]

Kettlebells are an excellent training tool, especially kettlebell swings done properly, which is not difficult. They work the entire body, especially the core and posterior chain. I have 25s and a 35 lb. I should do them more often.

[Jainarayan]

Club bells, Chi ishi, medicine ball, heavy bag, headache bag, body weight exercise..probably less than I should be doing of all of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojo_und%C5%8D

Not much lifting just for the sake of lifting.

Would like to go vegetarian again but my family ain't havin it, got taken off gluten and dairy after an elimination diet a couple years ago.

Chi Ishi sound like Indian clubs; ishi sashi sound like kettlebells. I like this part...

Chi Ishi (weighted levers) are concrete weights that are attached to a wooden pole. The practitioner strongly grips to the end of the wooden pole (opposite the concrete weight), and moves his or her wrist and arms in motions used in techniques normally used in kata or against opponents. This weighted training helps strengthens the fingers, hands, arms, and chest.

Is there a "formal" training technique? It sounds like these are movements that one would use in sword fighting also. I'm all for alternative training techniques. Weight lifting can take you only so far.

[Admin_PC]

I've seen Chi Ishi workouts in person, but never done them.
I would say they are similar to club bells, but the weight distribution & balance are a bit different.
I saw Judo players using them to improve grip strength, don't see why they wouldn't be good for sword grip.

Myself, I do a few different types of lifting.

Most consistently, I'll do a circuit of various exercises as part of conditioning for martial arts training.
A circuit will usually consist of things like kettle bell swings, basic calisthenics, plyometric type exercises, and weighted exercises at a medium/high rep range to build rotational core strength. Circuits usually last about an hour.

Occasionally I'll do a heavier weight training workout for strength, most often I do this when coming back from time off. This strength workout consists of what I call the Big 4: Squat, Deadlift, Chin-Up, and Dip. Occasionally I'll swap in Olympic lifts like the Clean, pseudo Olympic lifts like the Clean & Press, or more standard Powerlifting lifts like the Bench Press.

I guess it's vanity, but for me it's mostly about sanity.

After experiences with an earlier thread, I don't talk about my own diet.
If you want help with lifting heavy and looking good on a vegetarian diet, I think Bill Pearl definitely has a lot of good info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pearl
http://www.billpearl.com/

[Jainarayan]

I've seen Chi Ishi workouts in person, but never done them.
I would say they are similar to club bells, but the weight distribution & balance are a bit different.
I saw Judo players using them to improve grip strength, don't see why they wouldn't be good for sword grip.

K'bells have their mass distributed unevenly too. A 26 k'bell will feel way heavier than a 25 lb d'bell. Must try club bells.

After experiences with an earlier thread, I don't talk about my own diet.
If you want help with lifting heavy and looking good on a vegetarian diet, I think Bill Pearl definitely has a lot of good info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pearl
http://www.billpearl.com/

Bill Pearl in his heyday, as lacto-ovo vegetarian:

[Johnny Dangerous]

Different schools of Okinawan Karate have a number of different exercise sets for Chi ishi and other implements, they are not alot different from things like club swinging, minus the fact that they are specifically meant to do things like get you in the habit of engaging your lats to stabilize punches, pack your shoulders, to step in a way where the weight moves around less, train the grip in a certain manner, and things like that. There are a couple books written and sets of exercises, but they vary alot...Okinawan martial arts tends to be pretty informal and unstandardized. But yeah the the weight distribution is a little more even with clubs.

I haven't done normal weight training since I was 18 or something, Not putting it down by any means, just never hooked me, so these are what I do instead...9 times out of 10 though I would rather practice hitting something than do any kind of strength training anyway heh..for better or worse, I probably should spend more time on strength training, especially as I get older.


One of my favorite exercises with either Chi Ishi or Club Bells is just swinging it above your head like a barbarian and then doing a sword-cut motion

[Admin_PC]

I've seen Chi Ishi workouts in person, but never done them.
I would say they are similar to club bells, but the weight distribution & balance are a bit different.
I saw Judo players using them to improve grip strength, don't see why they wouldn't be good for sword grip.

K'bells have their mass distributed unevenly too. A 26 k'bell will feel way heavier than a 25 lb d'bell. Must try club bells.

Yeah, club bells are like baseball bats that are heavier at the end, but it's more of a gradual thing.
The Chi Ishi is like a concrete wheel, at the end of a wooden handle that's attached at the wheel's axis point.
The balance is slightly different between the two, but may not be overly noticeable.

[Jainarayan]

Thanks. I saw the pics of the Chi Ishi, which made me think of club bells.