Plant-Based Muscle

by Robert Cheeke, Vanessa Espinoza

Genres: Health, Fitness

243 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Robert Cheeke is an American bodybuilder, motivational speaker, and author. He is a vegan activist and spends his time touring the United States for speaking engagements and book promotions.

Cheeke is the co-founder of C-VEG, a Corvallis-based Vegan group, a former Board Member for non-profit groups OrganicAthlete and Northwest VEG in Portland, and the founder and president of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness.

Robert Cheeke transitioned to a full vegan as a teen and began organizing animal rights events at Corvallis High School including the initiation of recycling programs and providing vegan meals to those in need with the organization Food Not Bombs. He is proud that all of his gains as a bodybuilder has been made on a cruelty-free diet.

Cheeke began his athletic career as a cross-country runner for Oregon State University in 1999 but soon developed an interest in weightlifting and strength training. He became a competitive bodybuilder the following year in 2000. Five years later, in 2005 Cheeke won the title of INBA Northwestern USA Natural Bodybuilding Overall Novice Champion. In the following years he competed in the Natural Bodybuilding World Championships in 2006, and the Northwestern USA Natural Bodybuilding Championships in 2009 (where he took first place in his class).

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok? Cheeke and Espinoza, two professional vegan bodybuilders, give their recipes for success including sample meal plans, workout routines, shopping tips, and their overall philosophies on fitness. It was compelling getting a window into just what it would take to have such an impressive physique and overall athleticism eating only plants, but it just solidified for me that it's pretty out of reach of your average schlub like me hitting the barbells after (or before) work. They do make a nod to 'anything you can do to improve your health is good and you don't have to do exactly what we do' but overall I think it's a bit disingenuous to advertise this book to a general audience. I think for anyone new to a vegan diet and/or to bodybuilding, there's not enough done to help the reader understand the basics. Also, other than one body weight training plan, you would need access to a full gym with cable machines, barbells & dumbbells to do their routines.

I personally am an intermediate lifter, and lapsed vegan who was hoping to find more ideas for high protein plant-based meals. In this the book was interesting yet not super useful. The recipes are extremely minimalist and mostly pretty boring for anyone who likes to cook or enjoys complex flavours. What I found interesting was that Cheeke actually eats a relatively low protein high complex carb diet (I think around 10% protein IIRC) which is pretty interesting given that high protein is basically a universal shiboleth of body builders. My guess is, the carbs help his performance, and while his diet may be low protein compared to most body builders, he is still likely getting the .8-1.8 g of protein/kg of bodyweight that science says you need (higher end for athletes). Many body builders are eating more protein than would actually provide an advantage, though they'll all swear it makes a difference. Cheeke is an interesting counterpoint!

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy read with workout routines and meal plans. Nothing super new for me as long-time vegan athlete, but perfect for anyone just starting their fitness or plant-based journey.

[Karl Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading a book which included two opinions and without hyperbolic statements that this is the only way to get fit. R and V both have different approaches to diet and exercise.
I am inspired to get in the gym and to prepare some of the meals.
A few typos which made me wonder who read it before publishing. (ebook)

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful look at the workouts and nutritional regiment of plant-based athletes Robert and Vanessa. Rather than going deep into the science of plant-based diets (such as Michael Greger's books for example), this book is a reflection of what has worked for the authors personally. Seeing their meal plans was particularly useful for me to learn what food (and quantity) I should be eating to gain muscle.

I loved getting two different perspectives on diet and fitness from the authors, as opposed to just one view. In fact the authors contradict on some points, such as Vanessa's use of protein powder and Roberts abstinence. It was amazing to read about how neither author is very concerned about meeting protein requirements when building muscle, but instead they are obsessed with eating healthy, balanced meals.

I would have appreciated a bit more explanation of each exercise in the workout routines. Instead there are references to YouTube videos, which I look forward to checking out.

[Meghin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful if you're trying to seriously get into building muscle without doing a ton of research on your own time.

Definitely not written for the average person just trying to get into weight lifting or casually building muscle or shredding. The workouts are all long and intense, the meal plans and "recipes" very simple and made only for effectiveness.

Lots of other vegan athlete books are aimed toward beginners and have more complex recipes, this one is probably the most realistic in what it actually takes to get this big. Lots of dedication, time in the gym and eating things that are just baked tofu, lentils and yams lol.

[Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a wealth of knowledge, but id didnt see much difference from the information presented here and the information presented in Roberts previous book (Shred it).

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unrealistic workouts for any non professional fitness person. Recipes are ok.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't adopt the specific workouts in this book, so cannot comment on that part, but the food and eating tips were useful especially those from Vanessa. It was refreshing to see the sample meal plans with lots of simple-to-prepare nutritious foods with an emphasis on lower cost whole foods (particularly protein choices) rather than lots of expensive supplements.