Long, long time no post! I am currently 2 weeks out from my next show, the OCB Battle for the Tidewater, so I knew I had to get on here and make an announcement before anymore time went by! This show…
Author: Derek
Vegan Muscle on TV!
I’m a little late in posting this, but about a week ago we had a great trip up to Manhattan, NY. We ate some fantastic food, saw the sights, and I was honored to be a guest on The…
Posture – The Unsung Hero!
If you look around you in any public place you’ll quickly notice that everyone slouches! It’s understandable given that all day long people are sitting at a computer, on a sofa, in a car, or hunched over their smartphones, but…
12 Week Champions 2012 – Plant Based Nutrition Wins AGAIN!
As some of you know already, May was officially my last month with Gold’s Gym (although I’m now a member and still train there!) and we are now striking out on our own to do bigger and better things! (More…
Overall Posedown From Last Weekend’s Show
I’ve gotten all the video from last weeks show uploaded to youtube now, and I thought I’d post my posedown with the novice short class winner for the overall title. He ended up winning it, but I’m really happy with…
The 2012 OCB Bodysculpt Open!
Yesterday I competed in the OCB Bodysculpt Open and had a great time! I competed in two classes: the Men’s Novice and Men’s Open, placing first in Novice and second in the Open class! It was a very long day…
2 Weeks Out!
The OCB Body Sculpt Open is only 2 weeks away! I can’t believe time has gone by so fast! We’ve both been extremely busy with work, personal endeavors (contest prep/belly dancing), and preparing for the new addition to the family…
Plant Based Nutrition – Will I Get Anemic?
As a personal trainer I’ve talked with many people and even seen clients struggle with iron-deficiency anemia after adopting a plant based diet. I’ve even had people describe to me how much better they felt eating this way until the issue…
The Paleo Diet – The Ultimate Review Released!
Walk into any Crossfit gym these days and the predominant nutritional advice you’ll hear is unfortunately that of the Paleo Diet. Now I am by no means knocking Crossfit – it is a fantastic style of exercise programming that…
Exercise During Pregnancy
So you may have heard we are expecting… we’re actually half way there – crazy!! I’ve been looking into exactly what level of exercise is safe and beneficial during pregnancy, and one of my colleagues was kind enough to…
What’ve We Been Up To?
Sorry for the prolonged radio silence! As Marcella mentioned in her last post, we’ve been really busy. It’s amazing how easy it is to get bogged down in the day to day stuff! I’m even behind on emails, so if…
My Client Todd Berry’s First Contest!
3 Weeks ago my client and friend Todd Berry joined the ranks of competitive bodybuilders by competing in his first bodybuilding contest! Todd started working with me in January of this year and in only nine months he made an…
My High Carb Pre-contest Diet!
It has now been one month since our trip to Seattle for my last contest – time flies! I wrote a review of my experience competing for Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness, so if you haven’t read it yet check it…
Heart Attack-Proof Diet in the Media! Watch it Tonight!
I’m really excited because plant-based nutrition as a means of improving your health has been in the media a lot the last few days! Former President Bill Clinton was in a special on CNN this past Thursday discussing his dramatic…
Contest Pics and Videos are In!!
After a few days of waiting by the mailbox, the pictures are finally here! With the immediate departure to Asheville after our return to Richmond the last two weeks have been pretty crazy! It’s good to be back now and…
Back Home After a Phenomenal Trip to Seattle!
We are now back in Richmond after having a fantastic time in the Pacific Northwest! We had a great time at my contest, hanging out with our friends, going to our old favorite restaurants, AND summer in the northwest is…
7 Days to Showtime!
The final week of contest prep is here! This Wednesday we will be flying to Seattle for my second bodybuilding show on Saturday and I can’t wait to see old and new friends and hit the stage! The final week…
4 Weeks From My Second Bodybuilding Contest!
On July 30th I will be competing in my second bodybuilding contest – the North American Natural Bodybuilding Federation (NANBF) Washington State Championship in Seattle Washington! That’s 4 weeks from now! After my first encounter with competing last month I’ve been as…
Richmond Vegfest 2011 Is Almost Here!
Hello Richmonders! For those that haven’t heard, Marcella and I will be hosting the Vegan Bodybuiding & Fitness booth at this years Vegetarian Festival THIS SATURDAY June 18th! Several other fit vegans will be joining us in spreading the…
The New MyPlate Food Guide
By now you’ve probably seen that the USDA has come out with it’s latest rendition of the food guide pyramid- MyPlate. Its release last week led to some buzz (at least from my perspective on facebook and twitter), and I…