In my last post I discussed all the injuries I was forced to overcome in the last year and some broad strategies on how to go about doing so (start small, build slowly). In years past I’ve suffered numerous injuries,…

In my last post I discussed all the injuries I was forced to overcome in the last year and some broad strategies on how to go about doing so (start small, build slowly). In years past I’ve suffered numerous injuries,…
It’s now nearly 7 weeks past my WNBF Pro Physique debut and over the past two months I’ve been laying plans for my off-season and setting goals for 2016. Designating a period of recovery and focusing on rehabilitating past injuries as I…
We’ve just returned from a trip to Manhattan NY where I competed in my debut Pro Men’s Physique Contest! It was a short and busy trip, and there was stiff competition so I’m very happy to share that I placed…
Derek has been sharing his personal journey as a vegan athlete with Bite-Size Vegan over the past weeks, and his most recent interview covers the bean shake that we have used ourselves and with clients so successfully over the years…
It’s been a long time since I’ve shared a progress update! I’ve been training consistently, but my training has changed dramatically over the last 6 months. Ever since shortly after my Men’s Bodybuilding victory in 2013 with Team Plantbuilt I’ve had…
I keep hearing all these complicated and different ways to lose weight. So I wanted to write this series of articles to help simplify what makes a successful weight-loss plan. Someone’s plan doesn’t need to be complicated to be…
Whether you’re a gym newbie or a veteran of the iron, we all want to make sure our time in the gym is being spent as effectively as possible. In my years as a competitive athlete and trainer I’ve found…
Since the holiday season is upon us and most of you reading this are very pressed for time I wanted to share a trick I’ve used with myself and clients to get a grueling workout done in under 30 minutes.…
We are very excited to be featured in Robert Cheeke’s brand new book Shred It! as contributors and examples of plant-based athletes! If you’ve read Robert’s previous book Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, you know just what a wealth of information…
I’m very pleased to go head-to-head to defend bodybuilding on a plant-based diet in this month’s issue of Men’s Fitness Magazine! In the article, the question of whether or not you need meat to build muscle is presented, and an…
While we were in Austin Texas this past July competing with Team Plantbuilt, these awesome people Matt and Sasha were shooting footage for their video series that follows all manner of vegan athletes, Strongest Hearts. They helped the team cover the event,…
YES One of the next most popular (and frustrating) questions besides “where do you get your protein?” we hear all the time goes something like “Do you have to combine foods at every meal for a complete protein?”. No. No…
I’ve been writing a lot about dietary protein lately! The research I did for my recent articles on it’s dangers and how much you really need to gain muscle got me to thinking about another issue – how much protein is…
As a vegan physique athlete I get asked a lot about the soy products in my diet. It’s high in protein, moderate amount of fat and low in carbs. So a lot of vegan athletes will utilize these macronutrients to…
Naked Food Magazine is the newest plant-based magazine on the scene, and I am honored to be a contributor along with such giants as Dr. T Colin Campbell, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Michael Gerger, and the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine! Naked…
The research behind my May article on the dangers of excess protein (and specifically Leucine) consumption really got me thinking, so over the past several weeks I’ve been researching different aspects of protein to see what else I might turn…
It has long been discussed in the fitness community that eating extra protein can help you build more muscle mass. In fact, new articles seem to come out every month in the muscle magazines on the best protein sources you…
Tired of the same old ‘Train each muscle group once a week with a 5-Day split’ articles everywhere you look? I get tired of seeing that all the time too, especially because it isn’t necessary, and I would even argue…
Ever wonder if your mass-gaining plan is covering all the bases? There are a few basic necessities that anyone on any kind of diet (vegan or otherwise) needs to considering if gaining muscle is their goal. In my latest article…
Who makes a video of cooking something as obvious as a burrito? Me, that’s who! Why, WHY would I further saturate the internet with something so inane, you might ask? Well, here’s why: There actually are a lot of people…