Muscling Through: Vegan Weight Lifting with Karina Inkster
Vancouver-Based vegan personal trainer Karina Inkster won’t let obstacles get in her way. We caught up with her about her upcoming book, love of weight training, and 3,000 calorie a day plant-based diet.
How did you get started on your personal training journey?
I started working out in 2003, which is the same year I went vegan. But it was only three years ago that I decided I was going to make a living and help other people. Since then I’ve launched a business and written two books – a vegan cookbook (available for pre-order on Amazon) and a tome on body rolling (to be published in 2015).
On your website, www.karinainkster.com, you talk about both diet and fitness obstacles you’ve come up against. Can you tell us about some of the challenges you’ve faced?
I was in grad school doing my MA in gerontology trying to finish my thesis while working three jobs and planning my wedding – and that’s when I experienced my first food allergy. My food allergies didn’t turn up until later in life, and to make matters worse, I found out that my seasonal allergies were triggering my food allergies. As a result, I had to cut out any foods related to trees – which is super difficult, as a vegan, to be told that you can’t eat any more raw fruit or nuts.
That was a big change for me diet-wise, to figure out what to eat from there on, and involved a lot of experimentation to learn how to change my diet to not trigger allergic reactions. Now, five or six years later, it’s on autopilot, but there was definitely a year where it took a lot of mental effort just to figure out how I would sustain myself.
Those are my food-related obstacles, but the training-related one is that if I eat something that I’m even somewhat sensitive to and I work out within up to eight hours of eating it, it can cause a serious anaphylactic reaction. So I can’t train with any intensity after having eaten anything other than oatmeal, which is the only thing I know is safe at this point. I wasn’t about to give up working out.
You’re getting to be well-known around Vancouver for specializing in weight training.
Weight lifting is one of the best things you can do for your physique. I lead the [free monthly] Vancouver Women’s Weightlifting Group. My gym gives us a private room for free, so we either meet there or outside. My next session is going to be all about chin-ups, so we’ll meet at a park. It’s a bring-your-friends environment – people get to meet workout buddies and learn about weight training in a casual environment.
As a vegan trainer, people must seek your advice on nutrition, as well.
Nutrition is always an aspect of fitness, even if you’re not doing a set nutrition session. I work with a lot of people who are vegetarian or vegan or even just interested in having a trainer who won’t say, “Okay, where’s the whey protein and your steak and animal-based protein sources?”
Can we peek into your lunch bag?
I personally have to eat about 3,000 calories a day. As a vegan, that’s a lot of food. I’m lucky to have a kitchen at work. I bring a lot of food, but I also get to make some food as well. I might bake a yam in the microwave, and I’ll bring my protein source from home – some steamed edamame or pan-fried tempeh or tofu, something that I’ve cooked in advance at home; I’d couple that with additional veggies, or veggie sushi made with brown rice.
Can you give AHAALiving.com’s readers a sample workout?
Sure thing! Here’s a full-body workout, so all the major muscle groups will be worked. Do three sets of 10 reps for each exercise.
Dumbbell squat: Stand upright holding one dumbbell in both hands at chest height with your feet flat, shoulder-width apart. Lower your body toward the floor, sending your hips back and down, while bending your knees. Push through your heels to return to the start position, keeping your back flat and head up throughout the movement.
Dumbbell bench press: Lie on a bench holding dumbbells at shoulder level with your elbows bent. Press the dumbbells up over your chest, straightening your arms. Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder level and repeat.
Deadlift: Start in a squat position with a barbell on the floor, your feet hip-width apart, your head up and your hips low. Push through your heels to stand up, lifting the barbell, keeping your arms straight and your back flat. Lower the barbell back to the floor, pushing your hips back and down, and bending your knees. (You can also perform this move with dumbbells.)
Military press: Sit upright on a bench holding dumbbells at shoulder height with your elbows bent and your palms facing forward. Press the dumbbells overhead, extending your arms fully. Keep your back flat and remain upright throughout the movement.
Wide grip pulldown: Grasp the pulldown bar on a cable machine using a shoulder-width grip with your arms extended straight overhead. Pull the bar down in front to the top of your chest, bending at the elbows. Straighten your arms fully, returning the bar to the top position. Keep your chest up and shoulders back throughout the movement.
Stability ball roll-out: Support your body with your forearms on the ball and your toes on the floor with your legs straight. Push the ball forward, rolling it along your forearms as you extend your arms, keeping your back flat. Use your abs to pull the ball back in to the start position.
For more inspiration from Karina Inkster, visit www.karinainkster.com.
