Hey guys!

I will be maintaining a 1 month long training and nutrition journal from May 15th until June 15th. The goal of this journal is to keep me accountable as I prepare for a photo shoot with a friend here in Portland, Oregon. I currently weigh 173.8 pounds at 5.6% body fat. I have done two previous bodybuilding competitions, but I am not interested in stepping on that stage again any time soon. What I am doing however is challenging myself in the realm of CrossFit, with an emphasis on strength increases and improving my Olympic lifts. I have a few specific goals for this month:

1 – Increase Lean Mass by 3-4 lbs.
(More Specifically Upper Chest, Triceps, and Posterior Delts)
2 – Decrease Body Fat to around 4%
3 – Increase my Olympic Snatch (currently 180 lbs.)
4 – Look amazing by June 15th for my photo shoot, which will be used for future promotion of myself and the vegan lifestyle

Here is my current plan of attack on nutrition:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/reports/pri … 2012-05-13

During this month, I am setting a few ground rules. I want to limit all grocery shopping to Trader Joe’s, but I will still eat foods that are currently in my house that were not necessarily purchased from Trader Joe’s. I am going to only use Plant Fusion Protein Powder, http://plantfusion.net/. I just picked some of this stuff up, and this is a company I want to see get big. Also, I expect this protein to help me get big, and lean. I liked the idea of using a vegan protein powder from Trader Joe’s but they do not carry anything worthy. The only vegan protein they have is hemp protein and it is mostly fiber. Also, I only want to allow myself to eat out once a week.

My scheduled workout for today is:

WOD 120515:

BB Gymnastics

5X2 Clean & Jerk @ 80% – rest 60-80 sec.

Strength

15 minutes to establish a 3RM Back Squat.

Conditioning

Tabata:

Pullups

Notes: Alternating sets between strict & kipping (butterfly or glide). 8 rounds total work, beginning with strict.

*Rest 5 minutes.

3 rounds for total reps of:

90 sec. ME Rope Climbs 15′
90 sec. Rest
90 sec. ME Burpees
90 sec. Rest

Courtesy of www.theoutlawway.com

I’ll keep updating this as the days go by. I’m doing this workout at 12:30pm today, so I’ll post my numbers afterwards. I’ll also have a copy of this posted on the http://www.veganbodybuilding.com forum at http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=28262 as well.

Thanks.

Hey guys, I wanted to post my current standings in the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games Open so far. In Workout 12.1, which was as many reps as possible in 7 minutes of Burpees, I got a score of 111. In Workout 12.2, the workout was as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of Snatches. The weight sequence was 30 reps at 75lbs., followed by 30 reps at 135lbs., then 30 reps at 165lbs., then and if you made it that far, as many as you can at 210lbs. Since the most I have snatched at this moment is 155 for 1 rep, my goal was to make it through the 30 reps at 135lbs. This would have put me at a score of 60. I didn’t quite make it that far. My final score as of now is 55 in workout12.2. I am considering performing this one more time tomorrow depending on how sore I am. I really want to get that 60, but since the snatch is a fairly new movement for me, this really comes down to technique. I have been seeing Nick Horton once a week at http://www.pdxweightlifting.com/. I have only gone 4 weeks so far, but have seen respectable technique improvements. I will continue to go, because I’d like to turn this weak point into a strong point in my performance. Thanks for checking in. More to come, as there a five workouts in the CrossFit Games Open. My profile is here: http://games.crossfit.com/athlete/21371 

Hey everyone,

Thanks for following me and what I have to share. January 7th, 2012 is the Grand Opening of my new business, PlantFit Training Studio in Portland, Oregon. http://plantfit.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/plantfit-training-studio-grand-opening/ This has been my dream for years now and it is so amazing watching it come true. This has been possible with the amazing support of Robert Cheeke and http://www.veganbodybuilding.com. Robert has inspired me to take my physique to the next level and become a Bodybuilder. He has also endorsed me many times and there is a good chance you know of me because of him. Bodybuilding was a great experience for me and also allowed me to be a great representation of what can be done on a 100% Plant-Based diet. That means VEGAN. This way of living is about sharing compassion for all life. Not only through diet, but which businesses we support, what message we share, how we treat non human animals, and how we help one another make the best decisions for ourselves and our loved ones. I am so amazed at how many wonderful people are out there following their passion and doing so much for this compassionate lifestyle. In the mid 90’s when I first went Vegan, I never imagined such a world. In American culture where an animal has been the centerpiece of most dinner tables, this change we are living in is truly remarkable. Thanks to Portland’s community and our ability to connect with others online, I have been inspired to live out my dream.

I started in upstate New York, and later spent many years in North Carolina doing odd jobs. In my mid twenties, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. I knew that my message of compassionate veganism had to be shared. I decided to make a plan… Then I had to follow through. I saved up, moved across the country to Portland. I became a vegan personal trainer, one of Portland’s very few if any at the time. Through Training, I’ve met a lot of great people, including Robert Cheeke. I’ve always been interested in bodybuilding but was too intimidated to consider it. Robert called me on it, and I decided to take the chance. I competed at the 2010 NPC BIll Pearl High Desert Classic and placed 1st in the Novice Middleweight Division. This has proven to be a life changer, and I couldn’t be more happy. I have since turned my focus to more functional fitness. You know what I mean, muscles that actually can do something besides make it hard to tie your shoe. I felt like something was missing in bodybuilding and wanted to be a more well rounded athlete. I got interested in CrossFit and have since earned my CrossFit Level 1 Cert. I now embrace these concepts in my training and very often in my programming as well. I have found that I am just as strong, stay just as lean, and have more energy, and way less low carb mood swings. My clients have seen great success as well, and seem much happier with their improvements in fitness. As I am getting ready for tomorrow’s Grand Opening, I am getting ready for my first CrossFit competition next week. I will be competing in Bend Oregon at the Oregon Games http://oregoncrossfit.com/category/oregongames/ I’m excited to see where this will lead to. Push the envelope. See what you are made of. I try to live by this and that’s when life really begins. I represent one of the many facets of vegan living. The boundaries are imaginary, not actual. I don’t write often, so thank you for following. I want to thank my neighbors Chad and Emiko at http://foodfightgrocery.com/ for allowing me to set up shop in the Vegan Mini Mall. Thanks again Portland for supporting a New Local Vegan Business. Thank you all for spreading the word and letting animals live.

Yours in Compassion.

-Ed Bauer

If you haven’t checked it out yet. I opened my own Training Studio in Portland’s Vegan Mini Mall. the website is plantfit.wordpress.com Thanks for following my posts!

As I am preparing for the Oregon CrossFit Winter Games http://oregoncrossfit.com/category/oregongames/ on January 14th in Bend, Oregon. I will be working on various CrossFit benchmark workouts as well as trying out wod’s from previous CrossFit Games and other deserving wod’s I can find online. Today I chose to do a modified version of 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games Friday Event 3 http://games.crossfit.com/node/624524 I kept the clean and jerk weight at 145lbs as that felt like enough weight for mid day on a Sunday. I finished in 14:29. I have some work to do. Good thing  I have a 15 foot rope climb in my new Training Studio at the Vegan Mini Mall in Portland. Life is pretty amazing lately! Thanks Brian from Sip! http://www.sipjuicecart.com/

I am officially finished working at my previous local big box globo gym. I am now available for one on one personal training and I also offer group classes. Contact me at edbauerfit@gmail.com to schedule a fitness orientation or attend a group class session, free of charge. My inspiration comes from living a healthy compassionate life where all living beings are respected and cared for, including ourselves.

I strive to nurture our community and I see it as my duty to support everyone in living a cruelty free lifestyle. I live by my ethics in causing the least amount of harm as I can. Now thanks to Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. and T. Colin Campbell, living a  plant based lifestyle has been proven to minimize or eliminate heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and a list of other detrimental ailments. Below are a list of links that have helped shape me into the person I am today.

http://www.heartattackproof.com

http://www.tcolincampbell.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THIODWTqx5E

http:www.veganbodybuilding.com

http://www.engine2diet.com

http://www.brendanbrazier.com

http://www.mikemahler.com

What did you do this Saturday night for fun? Jade and I just got a workout in. We were feeling a little lazy from taking a nap on the couch so we decided to go work out. It felt a little out of place for a Saturday night, but we both always feel really good after we go. So this is just a reminder that even though things seem challenging and unenjoyable, there really is something to be said for putting in the work.

Latest PR’s at 175lbs:

Overhead Squat 135 – 5 reps (all squats are full range, hip joint below top of knee)

Sit-Ups in 2 minutes – 77reps

Double Unders (no miss) – 50

Snatch 105 – 5 reps

Hey everyone, thank you for following me. I know I do not have a very active online presence. Once a month for updates doesn’t cut it. That will be increasing in the near future. I have a few projects in the works and I’ll be excited to share when the time comes. Thank you for letting me be a stand for veganism and how this lifestyle improves your health and fitness.

Latest Personal Bests at 175lbs bw:

Deadlift (no more straps) 1rm – 355

Front Squat 1rm – 220

Flat Bench 1rm – 260

Flat Bench 41 reps – 135

Ring Muscle Ups – 5

20 Pistol Squats Straight – Each Leg

“Murph” 50 minutes (needs work)

Lately, my girlfriend and I have been eating more raw foods. Mostly because of her influence, I can admit, but I have noticed feeling better and lighter because of it. Workouts have been Crossfit style lately, and no areas of fitness seem to be lacking. I am staying lean post competition and feel great, and this largely has to do with more whole plant foods.

Last night, we had a few friends over for dinner. Jade made chard wraps with cashews, cabbage slaw, carrots, bean sprouts, mango, mint, basil, and cilantro with a tamarind dipping sauce and it was insanely good! She also made marinated and dehydrated shish kabobs, with portobello mushrooms, assorted veggies, and pineapple. Finally, for dessert she made coconut macaroons with a little chocolate chip in the center. It was amazing, and after eating it, you feel really good. Just a little food for thought. I have some new stuff in the works, stay tuned for updates.