Review: Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Happy Halloween and last day of Vegan MoFo!! Even though I didn't blog every single day, this really got me off my butt and back to blogging more regularly. So thank you!

I asked Robert Cheeke for a copy of his book Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness: The Complete Guide to Building Your Body on a Plant-Based Diet and he kindly sent me one, signed even! It seems to be pretty relative to my current lifestyle, as I started the P90X program and wanted more info on how to train on a vegan diet. Now, I'm not actually doing bodybuilding, but it is a pretty intensive workout program combining cardio, yoga, and weight training.

I finally got through the book and really wanted to review it during Vegan Mofo....I've been ultra busy, but I finally did it.

He begins by telling us how he started eating a plant-based diet and how he got into bodybuilding. It's always nice to have some sort of background information. It brings you closer to the writer. He talks about how he started his company, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness and he lays out some great points for starting out in the bodybuilding world, which could really go for any hobby or career.

He then goes on to discuss a nutrition program and how to go about putting one together. Cheeke encourages you to go out and research what your body needs and gives a great overview of various nutrients and how they interact with your body. He gives some sample meal programs, some to build mass, some for fat burning, and some for competing in bodybuilding competitions. Though he doesn't follow a raw food diet himself, he also gives sample raw food meal programs, based on a fellow bodybuilder, Giacomo Marchese.

Cheeke discusses how to create your own training programs from warm-ups to exercises to include that don't require any equipment at all. He includes sample training programs in Chapter 4 and makes sure to include the inevitable question: "Where do you get your protein?" in Chapter 5.

Now I did skim my way through parts of the book, as I'm not competing in any bodybuilding competitions, nor do I want to bulk up. But there's definitely good info in there for those of you that are doing just that. Towards the end of the book he talks about various supplements and amino acids, and gives sources for finding equipment and products/supplements needed for bodybuilding.

This is definitely a great book to have if you're ready to start bodybuilding on a plant-based diet. Or even if you just want some helpful tips on what to eat pre or post workout, what supplements to add to your diet, and which exercises are most helpful for you.

Thanks, Robert!

Eat smart,
T.