Bodybuilding is a sport in which competitors display their perfectly built muscled bodies.
Bodybuilders rely on intense exercise to build muscle. During exercise the muscle fibres get slight tears which shows up as body pain the next day. Bodybuilders take plenty of rest after a short burst of intense training. During this period, the tears in the muscles get repaired. A good diet ensures that that the repaired muscle cells are longer and thicker thus increasing the strength and size of the muscles.
Natural bodybuilding is bodybuilding without the help of illegal stimulants, steroids or other performance enhancing drugs
Vegetarian bodybuilding is going a step further. Athletes and sportsmen all over the world are increasingly taking to vegetarianism. Carl Lewis, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Edwin Moses are prime examples of successful vegetarian sportsmen.
There are different types of vegetarian diets. Lacto vegetarian, the vegetarian and vegan diets are some of them. Vegetarianism is actually a lifestyle focusing on a healthier today and a disease less tomorrow.
Nutritious diet, planned exercise and adequate rest are the three requirements for success in bodybuilding.
Nutrition is the base for success in bodybuilding. Unfortunately, supplements have become more important than nutrition these days. This is mainly due to the large publicity that health supplements get. All supplements are not really effective and they are sometimes addictive. Abuse of supplements and stimulants to burn fat and help workout result in bad health later on.
It is the right mental attitude along with right nutrition and correct training that really matters in bodybuilding.
A vegetarian bodybuilding diet should contain Vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the right proportion. One common myth about vegetarianism is that vegetarians do not get enough proteins. This is not true. Soy, nuts, seeds, lentils, legumes and beans are rich sources of proteins and they also provide vitamins, minerals, fibers and antioxidants which are not found in meat. So a vegetarian diet is actually healthier.
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Aerobic exercises like cardio burn off fat and anaerobic exercises like lifting weights build muscle. Scientifically planned exercise is a must for bodybuilding and it should never be in excess. An injury due to over training must be avoided so that all the work done till then doesn’t go waste. Hence proper technique is a cardinal rule to be followed while training.
Adequate rest is the most important part in bodybuilding. This is the time when the muscles repair themselves and the cells grow. If you do not get enough rest the muscles fibres do not get rebuilt and continuous exercise may tear the muscles causing injury.
By: John B Stevens
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Read more on Vegetarian Bodybuilding – Is Successful Vegetarian Bodybuilding Possible?…
Filed under Recreation And Sports by on Sep 13th, 2010. 
Some people have found that animal meat and byproducts don’t fit their lifestyle, whether it is for spiritual, health, or other reasons. They remove these products from their life, and find better health or happiness as a result. Some are known as ‘vegetarians’, and choose not to eat meat, but will often consume dairy products and other animal byproducts. Others, known as ‘vegans’, choose not to eat any foods in which an animal has been consumed in any way. They do not eat dairy, and many even abstain from whey products.
Bodybuilding is known for its rigorous physical demands and enormous meat consumption. What happens when a bodybuilder determines that a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is right for him/her? How should he make the transition? Are there any long-term pitfalls of which he should be aware?
Make the change gradually
If you’ve been consuming two pounds of meat and 4 protein shake a day, changing over to a meatless diet overnight will be have a tremendous negative impact on your body. Remove meat slowly, perhaps scaling down to fish only for a week. Then remove whey protein, if going completely vegan. Take two to four weeks to make the complete transition.
The numbers matter
Count the calories. Watch the macronutrients. If your caloric intake drops off by 1000 calories per day, you will lose muscle. Likewise, if your protein intake drops from 350 grams to 50 grams per day, you will lose muscle. Track your numbers as you substitute soy and other products to ensure you stay consistent to keep your muscle.
Take your vitamins
Consult with your doctor and take all required supplements to ensure you don’t miss out on any vital vitamins and minerals. Be sure you supplement your diet with adequate B12, Calcium, Iodine, and others. Watch for any health side effects over the coming weeks, and be prepared for setbacks if your health falters due to a nutrient deficit.
Enjoy it!
Finally, make the best of your new, cleaner diet. Remember that vegetarianism, like bodybuilding, is a tool designed to improve the quality of your life.
By: Dane C. Fletcher
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Read more on Vegan And Vegetarian Bodybuilding Tips You Need To Know…
Filed under Recreation And Sports by on Sep 5th, 2010.
It’s a myth that muscles, strength and endurance require the consumption of large quantities of animal-based foods. This myth began before anyone even talked about protein. During the Olympics, it’s a good time to take a look at some amazing athletes who are champions and vegetarians:
Charlene Wong is a champion figure skater who represented Canada in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. She began competing at the age of 6 and in 1980 was named to the Canadian Team and represented Canada in the Junior World Championships. She was highlighted in The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide by Lisa Dorfman. Paavo Nurmi, a Finnish runner, was a vegetarian since the age of 12. He is often considered the greatest track and field athlete of all time. A long-distance runner, he competed in the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics, winning 12 Olympic medals. Chris Campbell, wrestler, trained for the 1980 Olympics but did not compete as the American team boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics. At age 37, he began training again and secured a place on the US team, winning a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics, becoming the oldest American to medal in Olympic wrestling. He says, “I take care of my body. I don’t eat meat, and I do yoga every day. It makes a difference.” Carl Lewis, vegan athlete, won 10 Olympic medals, including 9 golds, in a career that spanned from 1979 to 1996, competing for the US. He said, “most athletes have the worst diet in the world, and they compete in spite of it.” Surya Bonaly, professional figure skater, represented France in the Olympics of 1992, 1994, and 1998. She is also now a US citizen. A vegetarian, she has appeared in PETA ads protesting Canada’s baby seal hunt and English and French fur trade. Debbie Lawrence, vegetarian racewalker, has been a three-time Olympian (1992, 1996, and 2000) and is the world record holder for the women’s 5K racewalk event. She attributes her success to hard work and a vegetarian diet. Murray Rose, a vegetarian since birth, has six Olympic medals. He was born in 1939 in Nairn, Scotland, but he moved to Australia with his family at an early age. He was an Olympic champion at age seventeen. He was known for his vegetarianism during his career, earning him the nickname, “The Seaweed Streak.” He competed in the Olympics from 1956 through 1960, winning six medals. Al Oerter, discus thrower, won four Olympic gold medals for the US – in 1956, 1960, 1964. He was also an abstract painter. Edwin Moses, hurdler for the US, is a gold medalist who went eight years without losing the 400-meter hurdle. Over his career, he won two Olympic gold medals. After retirement from track, he in completed in a 1990 World Cup bobsled race in Germany and won the two-man bronze medal with US Olympian Brian Shimer. Edwin Moses is a vegetarian. Leroy Burrell, sprinter, twice set the world record for the 100 meter sprint. He won a gold medal for the US in 1992 in Barcelona. He is a vegetarian.
As stated in “Vegetarian Diets” by the International Center for Sports Nutrition, Olympic Coach Magazine, Winter 1997:
“If care is taken to include a wide variety of foods, vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate to support athletic performance.”
“Whether an individual is a recreational or world-class athlete, being a vegetarian does not diminish natural talent or athletic performance. As far back as the Ancient Games, Greek athletes trained on vegetarian diets and displayed amazing ability in competitive athletics.”
Looking at these 10 vegetarian Olympic athletes, it’s clear that the need to eat meat to be strong and a champion is a myth. A whole foods, plant-based diet will give an athlete all the excellent nutrition he or she needs to be a winner.
By: Mary Jane Moses, D.C.
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Filed under Recreation And Sports by on Sep 1st, 2010.