Vegan Contest Prep: Are You at a Disadvantage?

Is it truly possible to bring a competitive physique to the bodybuilding stage on a vegan diet? The answer is YES —but only with a comprehensive understanding of plant-based nutrition and its unique demands.

I can speak from personal experience as I’ve competed 9x in the bikini division as a vegan athlete. During my career, I never placed outside the top five and competed internationally, including once at NPC North Americans —the largest amateur bodybuilding show of the year.

The point is that being plant-based never held me back… not in terms of muscle growth nor conditioning. And my personal experience is just one of many.

Some of my greatest vegan inspirations in the fitness industry were Natalie Matthews (better known as Fit Vegan Chef), as well as Nimai Delgado. Both are IFBB Pros and have had a lot of success in bodybuilding as vegan athletes.

In this post, I’ll cover three of the most common challenges you might face as a vegan competitor and how to mitigate. Bodybuilding doesn’t mean you need to compromise your ethical beliefs or lifestyle!

1) Choosing the Right Protein Sources

People who lack knowledge in plant-based nutrition (or just nutrition in general) often claim that you won’t be able to hit your protein targets during prep on a vegan diet. This is because people mistakenly associate plant-based protein with foods that don’t actually contain much protein at all! In example, nuts, seeds, and grains.

But there’s a whole WORLD of better vegan protein sources out there. Ones that non-plant-based people may not even be aware of such as seitan, soy-free tofu, and more. In fact —I made an entire post about my top 5 best vegan protein sources for FAT LOSS here!

These plant-based proteins with high protein-to-calorie ratios will make hitting your protein targets during prep a breeze! And without going over your carbohydrate and fat restrictions.

2) Accounting for Protein Bioavailability

Admittedly, the body generally digests and absorbs animal-based proteins more easily than plant-based proteins. Typically, this isn’t an issue for the everyday vegan person. Their diet probably consists of enough variety to consume all essential amino acids, and enough protein total for their lifestyle, despite slightly lower bioavailability.

However, as contest prep progresses, food variety is typically lowered for predictability, and protein demands are higher than the average vegan. This is to preserve muscle and improve recovery while overall food intake is low.

To account for the possibility of lower bioavailability, I tend to prescribe higher protein than I would for a non-vegan. Depending on the individual and the stage of prep they’re in, protein intake could be anywhere from 1.25 to 1.5 grams per pound body weight.

Luckily, plant-based protein sources are low in saturated fat! Meaning an excessively high protein diet will most likely not negatively impact heart health. So, increasing protein is a simple solution to the lower bioavailability argument.

3) Prioritizing Digestion

One of the most amazing benefits of plant-based foods is that they’re naturally high fibre and high volume! This means increased satiation, improved digestive regularity, better cardiovascular health, and stable blood sugars.

That being said, contest prep requires an EXTREME level of conditioning. So it’s generally favourable to slowly reduce fibre and volume in order to avoid stomach distension, water retention, gas, and bloating. It’s also recommended to limit variety of foods more and more throughout prep to increase predictability and prevent surprises from happening.

As a result, I always make a point to test out different foods during the off-season for clients and monitor how the body responds. I make note of any foods that didn’t digest well or caused abdominal distension to ensure that we avoid this during prep.

Over the course of the prep diet, I then gradually narrow down the food options. Meanwhile, I also slowly reduce the individual’s intake of high volume foods such as oats, raw vegetables, legumes, and quinoa. These can be replaced by rice, cream of rice, potatoes, and other easily digestible, lower volume foods.

Conclusion

I won’t lie —a plant-based bodybuilding prep does have REAL challenges. But these are totally manageable! As long as you account for a few extra variables. High quality protein sources, high protein intake, and maintaining smooth digestion will be your recipe for success!

Ultimately, if you’re interested in competing as a vegan, I’d recommend getting expert personalized guidance. This will not only help you bring a competitive look to the stage, but it’ll also serve as an excellent educational experience for you to learn how to apply plant-based-ism to bodybuilding.

Vegan Prep Coaching

Looking to compete? I’m here to help! I offer 1:1 online coaching, in-person training, and posing for individuals of all levels. With expert nutritional guidance, custom training protocols, and precise attention to detail, we can build a winning physique together.

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