In this episode, I’m joined by vegan competitive bodybuilder and coach, John Thomas, AKA the bodybuilding vegan on Instagram. John was nice enough to take the time to come on to the podcast just several weeks out from competition which, for any of you who have dieted super hard before know, is a brutal period that often consists of low energy and brain fog. That being said, I have to say that it wasn’t obvious with John at all, as he got into some absolutely amazing points in this chat and I was feeling fired up and motivated right after!
We get into John’s history and what inspired him to go vegetarian and vegan at a young age, how bullying can affect children years down the road, what drew him to pursuing bodybuilding, his experiences with building muscle on a plant based diet and coaching other vegan lifters, why more high level bodybuilders should consider eating plant based, government subsidies for the animal agriculture industry, and a slew of other amazing content. John is currently aiming to become the first ever vegan IFBB pro in the men’s open bodybuilding category and pave the way for a future of vegan competitors.
He can be found on instagram at @TheBodybuildingVegan and for his coaching and more content, check out thebodybuildingvegan.com.
I think you’ll find this episode as inspirational as I did and thanks so much again to John for taking the time to come and chat. Without further ado, on with the show!
TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Episode preview with John 00:30 - Intro to Podcast 01:00 - Intro to John Thomas 2:30 - Podcast episode start and intro 3:15 - John's contest prep update 4:45 - Who IS John Thomas? 6:45 - Vegan activism, forcing yourself out of your comfort zone, why vegan, being a good exmaple 10:30 - Being understanding and empathetic towards people who aren't vegan yet 15:15 - Why did John go vegetarian/vegan at first? 20:30 - Cognitive dissonance and personal experiences with animal sentience, fishing 25:00 - Meat and masculinity 28:00 - Government subsidies for animal agriculture industry 31:30 - The sugar tax and how big money influences the food industry 34:45 - What got John into bodybuilding? 37:30 - John's goals with bodybuilding 42:15 - Plant based diets for building muscle and strength 46:15 - High fiber and legumes on a high calorie, bodybuilding diet, managing digestion during a mass gain phase, carbs 50:15 - Plant based protein sources, getting enough protein is easy as a vegan 52:00 - Post competition diet plans, cravings, diet fatigue, John's mentality shift 54:30 - Closing statement from John, do what you want! 55:20 - Where to find John on social media, closing 57:00 - Episode outro
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