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4/24/08 Announcing: The Raw Food Bodybuilding Training Manual is now available (see below) 5/7/08 Announcing: Raw Food (and homeschool) bumper stickers, see our sister site at: www.LibertyBellStore.com (go to the bumper sticker page) or see image at bottom of this page
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| Bodybuilding & Weightlifting on the Raw Food Diet? | |||||||||
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That's the question I'm so often asked, "Can you actually lift weights and build muscle on a Raw Food Diet?" The whole question is asked in a state of disbelief, especially the words Raw Food Diet, which bring to mind images of people looking like concentration camp victims, with protruding ribs, trying to live on lettuce and celery, and oh so woefully deficient in that magic ingredient: PROTEIN. But when I tell people that I'm a bodybuilder; I'm 49 years old; I just won 3rd place in an actual bodybuilding contest; and my diet consists of of fruits, vegetables, and only 1/2 cup or less of nuts per day (considered a protein food); well, they really don't know what to say. And then I go on, "OK, so if you're eating all this protein - meat, fish, chicken, eggs, milk, and I'm not, in fact, according to you I'm not getting any protein," then, rolling up my arm and showing my baseball size biceps muscle, "then how did I grow these muscles, in fact, let's see your biceps muscles!" To which I've yet to receive much of an intelligent response, and certainly not a response that has any facts or research behind it. I really can't blame anyone for their interest in protein. I grew up on the Standard American Diet myself. As a bodybuilder in my teens and 20's, I read the bodybuilding magazines and I too, was convinced enough to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on protein supplements along with eating all the protein foods: meat, dairy, eggs, etc. But then my life changed, and I started to learn differently. In 1999 I opened a personal training studio, and my life's work was to show people how to reap the benefits that a strength training program could offer. I sought to deliver to people the most effective methods I could find in both training and nutrition. We'll talk about training methods later, but right now the focus is on nutrition. As I sought the best nutritional information, I read book after book, fascinated by what I was learning. I was definitely in the correct occupation because I loved what I was doing, eagerly devouring new information. What I found was that a plant based diet, and specifically a raw plant based diet, was incredibly healthy for humans. I read stories of many people who were even reversing serious "incurable" diseases by adopting such a diet. I even made my own glaucoma go away at age 40 by changing my diet and not using medications. (I'll go into more detail on diet later). The reason this is important, especially for the strength trainee, is what I heard from listening to the contestants at the last bodybuilding contest I entered in May of 2005, which was the first contest I had entered since 1982. You see, these bodybuilders are under the impression that what they're doing, their sport, is healthy for them, and it is. But, they never consider the fact that their habit of consuming large amounts of protein, especially animal protein, is hard on their bodies. They just accept it without question. Bodybuilding started out as a health promoting sport, designed to improve your health and well being by virtue of the fact that the inner health and vitality from healthful living manifested itself in the outward strength, vitality, and large muscles. But then the sport was ruined by not only steroids, but multitudes of other drugs. So I was careful to enter a bodybuilding contest that offered strict drug screening via urinalysis. So backstage at this contest, I spoke to contestants about things like: "did you hear what happened to such and such famous bodybuilders? He had a triple bypass surgery . . . both brothers died in their fifties. . . he had kidney failure." These were the things that we only heard about through the grapevine, but what about first hand knowledge? Well, I personally know of a weight lifter in his sixties that had both hips replaced. I actually saw one famous bodybuilder who was featured in the documentary Pumping Iron, who is getting around on crutches these days. And one of the contestants I spoke to at this last contest I entered told me that his doctor told him not to do squats anymore, because all that weight pushing down on his spine will cause degenerative disc disease. Then he told me that "even people who don't workout get degenerative disc disease." And when he told me that, I realized what I said earlier, that bodybuilders think that what they're doing is healthful, but they never even consider the possibility that excess protein is slowly degenerating their bodies. So when I read about the plant based diet, I thought, you know, it sounds good, it makes a lot of sense, but I just need meat for adequate protein - I'll think about it. And I did think about it, for two months or so. And then I thought to myself, "Ok, I'll try it. I'll experiment on myself. I'll try a vegan diet and see what happens." And so I did for two years, and then I progressed to a raw vegan diet for the next 3 years. So far, it's been working out great - I'm strong, muscular, healthy, and happy - what more could a man want? And so, through this website I have the opportunity to pass on to you what I found out. Enjoy your visit, and please, e-mail me with any questions or comments. Also, let me know if I have explained things clearly and if it would help if I wrote a more in-depth training manual or perhaps made a video/dvd of a training session so you can see proper form and intensity. This information on this website on training and nutrition applies equally to women, although obviously they will not have to eat the quantity of food that I do, and even some men will eat more or less depending upon their size. So are you going to become a famous bodybuilder after reading this site? Most likely not, but with high intensity training and a healthy diet, you will become as muscular as your body will allow, and build your health at the same time, and not risk your health at the expense of building large muscles. My ideal is to build my muscles as large as they can be, as strong as they can be, and at the same time build my health and live as long as I can, and with the raw diet I no longer worry about developing the disease from a Standard American Diet - I live worry free.
Since moving to Hawaii, I have been off line and unavailable. I am revising this website now, page by page, and am once again available for questions via email.
April 24, 2008 Its here, its available now and ready to be shipped out! www.Charliesgym.info presents: The Raw Food Bodybuilding Training Manual How to succeed on the Raw Food diet and build muscles too. Charlie Abel Natural Bodybuilder for over 34 years Table of Contents Part I: Succeeding on the Raw Food Diet Introduction: Can you actually lift weights and build muscle on a RAW FOOD DIET???? 1 You Gotta Have a Reason
.4 2 My Daily Diet
.7 3 The Protein Issue
9 4 Whole Natural Foods
13 5 Foods Biologically suited to Humans
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.16 6 The Digestive System
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.18 7 What to expect the first year on a Raw Vegan Diet
20 8 Transitioning to a Raw Vegan Diet
....23 9 Trusting your body
..25 10 The Healing Crisis
26 11 Avoiding Unhealthy Foods
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.28 12 Vitamin B12 and eating meat
..30 13 Mono Eating and Food Combining
..32 14 Neuro-Adaptation
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36 15 FAQ about the Raw Food Lifestyle
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.....37 16 Questions from women
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.....50 Part II: Bodybuilding How-to 17 On the importance of exercising
..52 18 The Dynamics of Muscle Growth
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53 19 The first month of Training
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.56 20 Intermediate/Advanced Training
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58 21 Questions on Bodybuilding Training
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..61 Resources / Recommended Reading
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.75 How to order: Online copies in PDF format will be emailed to you and may be ordered for $10. cash, (or silver or gold) See next paragraph under printed copies for ordering instructions. Please be sure to send your email and contact address (in case email should not work for any reason and I can contact you in some manner.)
If you wish to order the PDF file (not the printed version) you may pay with your credit card at www.LivingNutrition.com bookstore and get it right away. Printed copies: may be ordered for $15. (cash only--this means you send CASH in the mail. $10 or $15 dollars is a small amount and people put that much in birthday cards every day. I even received an order recently and the customer forgot to seal the envelope! The money was still in there! checks, money orders, credit cards NOT accepted) inside the USA, which includes first class postage. Copies shipped internationally are $23. which includes $11. for Priority Mail International Flat Rate shipping which takes 6 to 10 days for delivery. If you're still leery about sending cash in the mail, I will also accept an equal amount in postage stamps. Gold and Silver are gladly accepted at the spot rate, please email through the website for details. I accept pre-65 and 70 silver coins, bullion coins, and pre 36 silver dollars. Yes, mailing a small denomination in cash is safe to send in the mail, just dont call any special attention to it. Wrap the cash well such as with colored paper or the page of an old magazine. There is only one person, myself, who will be receiving the mail. If you include your email address with payment, I will notify you via email that your payment was received and that your booklet has shipped. The reason for cash is that I dont want to pay credit card charges or deal with personal checks bouncing. Send payment to: Charlie Abel PMB 102 16-540 Keaau-Pahoa Rd. Suite 2 Keaau, HI 96749 Your order will be shipped immediately within receipt of payment. Please send your comments after reading the booklet. This booklet is self published, printed on a copier, and stapled Im a true do-it-yourselfer! It is 76 pages in length, the size of an 8 1/2 x 11 page folded in half, and is a total of over 36,000 words. I chose to print it myself because this way I can print small quantities as needed, and make changes rapidly if needed, without waiting for hundreds of copies to sell first. I feel the quality is adequate, but its the information that counts.
Note: so far I have answered all emails, however, I've run into a problem so far with two people that when I respond to their email, my response is returned saying that the email address is no good! I don't understand how this happens since they sent it from that email address. Anyway, if you send an email with a question and don't get a response, that's why. So please try again or try sending from another email address. Heres the questions I answered in the booklet: Chapter 15 FAQ about the Raw Food lifestyle Q: What do you think about seaweeds - sea vegetables like dulse, laver, Nori sheets. Are they natural or do they have too much salt and minerals? Q: Do you think coconuts play an important role in a raw foods diet? I've been reading a lot about including coconut oil in a daily diet for losing weight. Also, do you recommend a diet high in bananas if weight loss is desired? Q: My daughter is finding that she needs to go on a raw diet but I went to a raw food meeting and most raw foodists were very weak and I checked their heart which also was very weak, so I need some direction so I can help my two kids. Q: My daughter feels like her energy is low even though she is a full time student and does go to the gym and has a job. She says if she doesn't eat protein her energy drops more. Q: I have been training for almost 25 years now and I was a vegan for 10 years and did raw food for 2 years. I lost a lot of weight and mass on the raw food diet although I must say I did feel great and did not need a lot of sleep on it. I switched back to meat for muscle gains and have since put size back on. I would like to try raw food again, but do not want that loss of muscle to occur like before. My question to you would be not so much where do you get protein but what about the amino acid profiles? It is said that plant foods are incomplete proteins and do not contain all the essential aminos. Q: How do you get enough vitamins and minerals eating raw? Q: How do you eat a well balanced diet? Q: How do you afford to eat raw? Isnt organically food more expensive? Q: I understand that lifting weights will help build mass and power, however I'm curious in what to eat.....Of course, I have to increase the number of calories, but I'd like to find out how much to eat, and what to eat. How do I measure the number of calories to take in? Are there any resources online geared towards to strength athletes and raw foods? Q: My first question regards the number of bananas you consume. You get at least 1/3 of your calories from bananas. I was wondering if you can explain why this is a better choice than a more diversified diet. I understand that you need the caloric density that bananas provide, but 40 per day just seems like an unusually large number. Another question I have relates to your interactions with regular doctors. Have you found endorsement of your current diet within the medical community? Have you had any blood tests taken, and if so, what were the results like? Q: What about people prone to Candida? Shouldn't fruit be eaten by itself? Does this follow an acid-alkaline diet? I've read that the sugars in most fruits are harmful? Q: Do you believe raw veganism is healthy for a teenager? Q: How much sleep and rest do you get? And how much would one need if they have dark shadows under their eyes and wake up still somewhat tired? Q: Should one exercise while detoxing? Q: In getting enough sleep, how do I condition myself to actually fall asleep when my body needs to? And quickly? I could lie in bed at night twiddling my thumbs for hours and hours, and by morning I would feel really deficient in sleep. Q: I am an acne sufferer. I have been researching diet and have been led to the raw food diet. I was unsure if I would be able to intake enough food as I weight train as well. This is how I found your site. I noticed you have an extremely high intake of bananas which have a quite high sugar content. This is known to irritate acne. Is there any suggestions you have to replace the bananas? Or would you still recommend these? Q: I'm still not sure how you can build muscle without protein. I am a female 45 and did natural bodybuilding 2 yrs ago. I had to work so hard to get protein in or my muscles would not grow. Last year I have been eating mostly veggies/legumes/fruits but I seemed to have lost most of my muscle. I do work out but my muscles are just not growing. I can't see enjoyment from your diet. Don't you miss treats like ice cream or chocolate? If your muscles grow from what you say you eat I think it is amazing. Q: I'm a 6ft., 21 year old guy and only weigh 56kg (123 pounds), I have been battling facial eczema for the last 2 years and have been trying to put on muscle for the last year. The doctors have said that I have to live with the eczema and the only way to treat it is with tropical steroids 'drugs'. Ive been In search of a clean diet in the hope that my eczema would 'permanently' go away, but I havent been able to maintain a strict high calorie diet. So far I have cut dairy and wheat from my diet. Next step is to try the raw food diet. If the raw food diet cures my eczema I would be interested in putting the raw food diet to test and trying to pack on a large amount of muscle in a short period of time. Do you have any suggestions and do you think you can help me? I have the dedication. Q: How many meals do you generally eat? Dr. Graham says that eating bigger, less frequent meals is better because it stresses your digestive system less. Q: How much time before sleeping should you eat your final meal? Q: Can the 80/10/10 be done just on raw Vegetables, & exclude fruit? Do you personally or know anyone that does this? What do you think of the 'pH Miracle' diet which says to exclude sweet fruit, since it causes acidity in the blood, & can lead to Candida. Q: If I do have to eat cooked foods because Im at the pub with buddies or on a trip or something, which foods do you recommend I select besides salads? I usually go for the carbs like pasta/rice and lots of veggies and ask for no oils or butter. And I try for no salt too. If its available, I drink water with lemon juice. Of course, fries and nachos are hard to say no to, and so when I do binge on that I count it in as my fat for the day. Traveling and the social world, how do you deal with that? Q: If someone chose to drink some water, would you recommend spring water, distilled, alkaline, or ionized? The reason I am asking is because some people say distilled water is dead water and it leaches calcium from our bodies. It's confusing because Paul Bragg used to say that under no circumstances drink spring water, only distilled. This is because of organic particles in spring water, which is not good for our body because it hardens joints and so on, so what is your take on that? Q: In the previous answer, you stated in the rare occasions when I drink. You mean to tell me that you dont drink water? I thought water was essential to health? Q: Can you go into detail a bit about healthy bowel habits on a raw food diet? Im afraid Ill be running to the bathroom all the time. Q: My personal trainer insists that I eat meat, what do I do? Q: The only reservation I have about you, intelligent as you obviously are, is what am I to make of someone who eats three to four DOZEN bananas A DAY? In England this would be regarded as completely nutty. I must say I concur with this. Chapter 16 - Questions from Women Q: My question for you to include in your book is this: What about women bodybuilders? It has been hard to find good women resources for diet & weight training. I am not trying to bulk up like the men. I want to be lean, strong and healthy. What should I do as a woman? Answer this and you will have a loyal following! Q: My question to you is... Is body fat difficult to lose without having to be in a gym 24 hours a day? I need to lose my stomach and tone my thighs. Will eating raw help with those areas and what exercises do I need to do? Chapter 21: Questions on Bodybuilding Training Q: How important do you think the short rest between sets is in regard to your results (size and hormonal release and/or cut)? I can see that you do have great abs even though you don't do cardio--I don't have great abs and my knees hate cardio. I've been doing "pseudo-HIT" with longer rests between sets to emphasize strength, but after reading about the Colorado Experiment and such, I'm considering dropping the rest between sets to about one minute. Do you have any thoughts or recommendations on that? Q: Have you ever used Static contractions or negative only in your training and obtained any results using them? Q: Why dont some of your routines have squats, the best overall exercise in the world? Q: You mentioned that squats were not essential? Q: What do you consider to be good form? There are those who advocate very slow repetitions, and those who normal or a faster speed. Which do you find works best? Q: Are size and strength related? That is, is a stronger muscle always a bigger muscle? Q: How do I monitor my progress and tell if Im gaining or losing either fat or muscle tissue? Q: Whats proper breathing while lifting weights? Q: I would think you would need to do more than 8 exercises in 10 minutes. To me, that isnt enough exercise to get stronger. Q: What are the best conditions to work out in? Q: The foundation of High Intensity Training is training to failure, and youre telling me that training to failure isnt necessary? How is this so? Q: So why dont you just train to failure each workout, if its the fastest way to make progress, then just reduce how often you workout, as is the latest trend in High Intensity training circles? Q: Can you tell me how to set up a home gym? Consultations with the author via telephone or email are available through this website using the contact us page. The current rate is $25. cash (gold & silver accepted too) for each 15 minutes of consult or each email response. After payment is received, I will contact you to make an appointment for the phone consult. Introducing: The Hawaii Raw Food Bodybuilding Experience If you would like to make a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii to experience the tropical climate, relax and see the attractions, and taste the wonderful variety of tropical fruits available here, please contact me. I would be happy to let you see how I work out, and work you out too. I can give you classes in Natural Hygiene while youre here. I can locate any type of hotel for you to stay at, or I can make accommodations for you to stay on my land in my guest jungle tent if youre on a budget, or want to rough it and experience the tranquility of life in the Hawaii jungle. I can pick you up at the Airport and show you the many attractions: Akaka Falls, the current Volcano eruption, lava tubes, the nude beach at Kahenna, the black sand beach, the beaches with spinner dolphins, and show you the whole Island if you wish. Another advantage is that I can have the best of all the fresh, ripe, organic fruit you will need ripe and ready for you. Normally when people visit, they dont know where to buy the best organically grown produce, and if they do find something good, they may not be here long enough to have it ripen so they can enjoy it. You may even be lucky enough to be here when I harvest my own homegrown bananas and be in for a taste treat! Base rates are $45. hourly, $160. per 8 hour day, with additional hours at $20./hour, all expenses are additional. You can set your own agenda. I can assist you to any degree that you desire. Contact me through the contact page of this website.
Site updates:
6/13/08 Updated high intensity training page
5/14/08 Raw Food Booklet can be bought at www.livingnutrition.com bookstore with your credit card (PDF file only)
If you bought the book, you can email me questions about it free.
5/7/08 Added announcement of Raw Food Bumper stickers now available
4/24/08 Added announcement of the Raw Food Bodybuilding Training Manual
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