I get asked a lot about my nutrition, exercise and mostly, how I stay so lean. The answer to that can not be given in one word. There are plenty of reasons that I maintain a lean physique all year round, such as hard work, consistency, and a good diet. I have been in the fitness industry for nearly six years now and I still have clients who come to see me and say some of the most ridiculous comments. The worst one I have probably heard is the one when they tell me they want to have a physique like mine (which is a compliment and not a problem) they then go on to tell me they want to achieve this by the time they go on holiday. Yes, not a problem is my response. When is your holiday? Wait for it…I go away in 3 weeks. Sorry but anyone hoping to achieve a lean frame in three weeks is naive, ignorant, and somewhat stupid. [spacer height=”20px”]
I honestly am not writing this blog to put people down I am just highlighting some of the issues that come with people wanting to get into good shape. I think the media portray getting in good shape as an easy thing to do. They don’t tell you all the negatives that come with it such as, you can’t eat out a lot, socialising situations can be limited, and taking food with you everywhere you go. The aim of this blog is what I am going to get onto next. I am going to tell you my daily diet and my weekly training programme.
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So How Do Vegans Get Lean?
Really, I only properly started eating much better and training properly in the last three years. Don’t get me wrong I was in good shape before but I wasn’t educated on food as much as I am now. I would do things like eat brown bread instead of white which if you have read my other blog you will know this is a load of shit. For a fitness model competition I did in May 2014 I went strict paleo (for those who don’t know what this is, it is alot of meat and high fat diet). I got great results and stepped on stage happy and crazily lean. However, half way through the prep I was eating meals and heaving because I was eating so much meat. I carried on this diet whilst searching for alternatives and knew after the competition was over I would try going vegan.
Once trying vegan for a only a week I knew I wasn’t going back. I felt great, the only concern in my head was would I still be able to stay lean and maintain muscle mass? The answer to this is yes quite easily. I don’t even try to hit macros or anything now I just eat what I want to eat as long as it vegan and I still feel and look great. I will say that when I step on stage or have a photoshoot again which is something I’m going to do this year I will be tracking my macros then. This is because I will be wanting to get my body fat really low so will require a bit more monitoring. As for now my daily diet changes as I like to have variety within my diet. Something a lot of people think vegans do is live on cabbage and leaves, this is not true. I will tell you what I have had today but like I said my food does change from day to day. So an example of the food for today…
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Today’s Diet
5:30 am – Smoothie – Consisting of banana, apple, blueberries, spinach, flaxseed, oats, sunwarrior, and coconut milk. You can put in what you want just make sure it is fruit and vegetable based.
9:05 am – Oats with coconut water (don’t knock it until you try it) with two pears and black coffee.
11:30 am – Hummous and rice cakes. Two more pears. I’m mad on these at the minute.
1:30 pm – Rice, vegetables, and kidney beans. This was cooked in the slow cooker which I suggest everyone invest in. So easy and convenient.
3:00 pm – Tomato soup and black coffee.
6:00 pm – Dried mango with green tea.
8:00 pm – Eight fajitas with onions, mushrooms, peppers, and butter beans. Yes that isn’t a typo it’s eight. If I like something I have alot of it and I love fajitas.
10:00 pm – Hit the gym. Quite late for me but anytime is better than never.
Post workout – Smoothie which is similar to this morning’s one.
So there you have it. I’m sure you will all have your own individual opinions of the diet ranging from not enough protein or too much sugar from the fruit. However, I am really happy following this lifestyle and just letting you know what I had today. Whatever you think, I would be interested to either hear you comments or help you guys out. So lets move onto the training programme. I try to change my training programme up every four to six weeks so that I keep my body constantly guessing and so I don’t get bored with training. I know people who have done the same routine for years. For me that would bore the life out of me (probably what you are thinking about this blog but I am nearly finished). My training programme as of right now is as follows:
Training Regime
Monday – Bodyweight such as press ups, dips, pull ups. Also working holds such as planche, l-sits, front level, and reverse lever.
Tuesday – Yoga which I am loving and will do a blog soon on.
Wednesday – Olympic weightlifting session. This session I focus on things like the snatch, clean and jerks, and squats.
Thursday – Yoga
Friday – Rest
Saturday – Rest or mobility work
Sunday – Olympic weightlifting session. Also add a run in which is temporary as I’m doing the Wolf run in April and need to keep up some running until then.
So that is a day in the life of myself. I hope you enjoyed it. Any questions let me know.
By Ant
