11 Vegan Bodybuilders Proving Plant Power

In the Golden Era of bodybuilding, meat and dairy were staples in a lot of diets. The iconic Bill Pearl on the other hand (though a vegetarian, not a vegan) ditched meat and despite his diet change, his muscles and strength were unaffected.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, arguably the greatest bodybuilder of all time, was always a passionate meat-eater during his prime. However, he has recently had a change of heart. “As I got older and I started reading up on it, I recognized the fact that you really don’t have to get your protein from meat – or from animals,” says Arnold in a recent interview.

In this article, we will list 11 influential bodybuilders who are active on social media and who show that it’s entirely possible to be a competitive bodybuilder, even as a vegan. This article is not to compare between vegan and meat-eating bodybuilders.

If you are considering changing your eating habits, these bodybuilders prove you can fuel workouts without animal products. Today, we will discuss some of the most impressive vegan bodybuilders. The ones who can build some serious muscle entirely on a vegan bodybuilding diet plan.

1. Nimai Delgado

Nimai was raised in Mississippi and has been vegetarian his entire life. He switched to a vegan lifestyle in 2015, citing ethical and environmental reasons.

He is one of the few competitive bodybuilders who have never eaten meat in their life. Since becoming vegan, he has made it his mission to prove that you can still build an amazing physique without meat.

He got his IFBB Pro card at the Las Vegas NPC USA Championships in 2016. According to Delgado, he is the only IFBB pro who is vegan. His ultimate goal is to compete in the Olympia competition.

You can learn more about vegan bodybuilder Nimai Delgado by visiting his Instagram page. He also runs veganfitness.com, which provides workout routines, recipes, and meal plans.

2. Zack Belknap

Zack is one of those game-changers as a vegan bodybuilder since he only went vegan in 2016. His physique has only gotten better since, and he won his WNBF Pro card in 2018 to prove it.

He credits a bodybuilding friend with getting him to align his morals with his diet. Once he made the change, he never looked back.

He competes as a natural bodybuilder for the WNBF and is also a personal trainer. He owns Bold Body Fitness in Eugene, Oregon.

One of his missions is to promote vegan bodybuilding to his clients and others in the industry. You can view his workouts on his Instagram page.

3. Anastasia Zinchenko

Not only does Anastasia compete in vegan bodybuilding, but she’s also a competitive powerlifter. A native of the UK, she considers herself a science nerd, having a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. She’s also a fitness and nutrition coach.

As a powerlifter, she competes in the 63kg (140 lb) and 72 kg (160 lb) categories. Here are her best lifts:

• Squat
  • 63kg class – 115kg (253.53 lb)
  • 72kg class – 117.5lg (259 lb)
• Deadlift
  • 63kg class – 140kg (308.65 lb)
  • 72kg class – 142.5lg (314.16 lb)
• Bench press
  • Both classes – 75kg (165.35 lb)

She is the co-founder of Science Bakes and has been a vegan since 2013. Anastasia creates workouts for herself and clients backed by science. When competing in bodybuilding, she focuses on hypertrophy using full-body workouts with heavy weights.

Check out her workouts and myth-busting facts about veganism on Instagram.

4. Karl Bruder

Karl became a vegan in 2016 and has been winning competitions since. Just a few months later, he won the tall class in the WABBA Grand Prix. He also placed sixth in the Mr. Universe competition.

He credits the documentary “The Game Changers” for turning him into a vegan bodybuilder. It was easy for him to transition as his wife was already a vegan.

According to Karl, veganism has allowed him to build muscle faster than he ever could when eating meat. He is an advocate for meatless muscle, citing his own story of massive muscle building after going plant-based.

Karl recently took first place in the tall class of the PCA Physical Culture competition. Also, he took second place in the WABBA Mr. England competition. 

You can check out his posing routines on Facebook and Instagram.

5. Torre Washington

Torre has been vegan since 1998 but didn’t hit the competitive bodybuilding stage until 2009. Since then he’s competed in over 16 competitions, ending up in the top three almost every time. He won his Pro card his first year competing.

He says that watching Golden Era legend Arnold Schwarzenegger movies convinced him to start competing. Torre has read all his books and magazine articles, studying his physique to help fuel his workouts. He’s known as “The Vegan Dread” for his long dreadlocks. 

Torre has been a vegetarian his entire life before committing to a vegan lifestyle. He anticipates more bodybuilders adopting a plant-based lifestyle to help them achieve a natural physique.

Torre creates bodybuilding and nutrition guides, is a physique coach, and travels as a public speaker. You can check out his workouts and what he’s eating on his Instagram page.

6. Jehina Malik

Jehina has made history in the world of competitive bodybuilding as a vegan. She is the first-ever IFBB Pro Physique competitor to be vegan since birth.

She started competing as a teenager in 1999 and has been doing it ever since. Jehina plans to compete on the Olympia circuit, continuing to break barriers in the bodybuilding industry.

Hit by a car while walking on foot, she had to take an entire year off to recuperate from her injuries. Her belief is that her vegan diet not only helped her recover but also helped keep her from gaining unwanted fat.

Jehina is better now, ready to compete and continue to move up in the world of competitive bodybuilding as a vegan. Her goal is to show the world that being vegan doesn’t mean you can’t build serious muscle.

You can follow Jehina on Instagram to see where she goes from here.

7. Abhishek Thevar

A vegan bodybuilder from India, Abhishek is also known as the Vegan Beast. He’s been a vegetarian his whole life, cutting out dairy in 2014. After watching videos on the dairy industry, he says he decided to go vegan overnight.

Once he was vegan, he started working out at the gym. Abhishek didn’t start competing professionally until he adopted his plant-based lifestyle.

Coincidentally, he was involved in an accident similar to Jehina and cites his diet with a faster recovery. He broke his fibula and tibia and also suffered nerve damage. After just three months, he was back in the gym, working out, and making gains.

Like some of the other vegan bodybuilders on our list, his eating habits are consistent throughout the year. Abhishek is also a dancer and personal trainer. You can follow his workouts on Instagram.

8. SuzAnne Llano

Reaching the milestone age of 50 this year, SuzAnne is a natural bodybuilder who went vegan in 2015. She has won her Pro card in three different federations, ANBF, NGA, and NFF, all after changing her diet. She is also a Master Trainer and has six ISSA certifications.

An athlete most of her life, SuzAnne got serious about bodybuilding in 2009. She started competing in Figure and Bikini divisions and has now placed in over 20 competitions.

The China Study, conducted by T. Colin Campbell and his son, is what made her and other vegan bodybuilders change their eating habits. Her partner and fellow bodybuilder, Greg Moormann, was already a vegan, so the switch was easy for her.

SuzAnne offers workout programs and meal plans on her website.

9. Kenneth Williams

Kenneth made history as the first vegan bodybuilder to make the USA Team in the Olympics. In 2005, he became the first vegan athlete to get an endorsement deal because of his diet.

His was a spiritual decision in 2000 to stop eating any type of animal products. He soon realized that his health was better for it, and he even became an animal rights activist. He mainly works with In Defense of Animals (IDA).

A natural bodybuilder since 2003, Kenneth is also a TV show host and personal trainer. He played football in college and even went pro, but it wasn’t until 2001 that he took weightlifting seriously.

As other vegan bodybuilders on this list, he says it’s easier to build muscle and recover eating this way. You can check out what’s new with Kenneth on his website.

10. Billy Simmonds

Billy stopped eating meat in his teens but didn’t go fully plant-based until the early 2000s. He’s an Australian martial artist, powerlifter, and natural bodybuilder.

Once he realized the amount of muscle and power he could produce, he was hooked. He went from being a novice at weight lifting to winning titles in a short amount of time.

Within three years of going vegan, he had earned the title of INBA Mr. Universe in 2009. He’s also broken two powerlifting records and was the first Australian to compete in the International Fitness Professional Association (IFPA).

He’s a devout lover of animals, especially his dog, who he says helped him make the decision to go vegan. You can keep up with Billy’s latest endeavors on Instagram.

11. Derek Tresize and Marcella Torres

Husband and wife bodybuilding duo Derek and Marcella didn’t always eat this way. Marcella was obese when she read the book Diet for a New America and decided to go vegan.

In 2007, her husband Derek went vegan for health reasons, not expecting it to make an impact. However, to his surprise, he could shed stubborn body fat and still put on enviable muscle. 

As a personal trainer, he committed to veganism and he and Marcella continued to work out together. In the best health and shape of their lives, they wanted to make their mark on the natural bodybuilding world. They competed against meat-eating bodybuilders and won.

Derek’s won several titles since 2011, earning his WNBF Men’s Physique Pro card in 2014. Marcella has been competing on the vegan team for Plantbuilt since 2013 in the Bikini division.

Together, they run Vegan Muscle and Fitness, offering recipes and support for aspiring vegan bodybuilders and those who want to get fit. 

Final Thoughts

The vegan bodybuilders showcased today all have a few things in common. They have low body fat, serious muscles, well-defined physiques, and are admired by their bodybuilding peers.

If you are considering making some changes to your diet, these are some of the best vegan bodybuilders to follow. They can show you how to eat to fuel your workout goals and which exercises you should focus on.

Some find the change in diet a challenge, but it could be just the change you need. If you’re frustrated with body fat or have health issues, you may want to investigate further.

One of our great vegan supplements, Vintage Bloom is full of anti-oxidants and perfect for health and immune system support.

Have you considered adopting a vegan lifestyle or, if you’re already a plant-based eater, how has it helped your workout routine? We’d love to hear about your journey in the comments below.