Looking Forward to PlantBuilt 2014 by Ed Bauer

Here we are, less than one month away from the 2014 PlantBuilt Vegan Muscle Team Competition! This is happening on July 26, 2014 at the NaturallyFit Games in Austin, Texas. The NaturallyFit Games used to be called the Naturally Fit Super Show. You can find out more about the competition at www.naturallyfitgames.com. This is a large fitness event with many events happening within it, including a car show, a charity auction, a fitness expo, bodybuilding, women’s figure, men’s physique, a model search, bikini competition, Jiu Jitsu, transformation, mixed martial arts, powerlifting, roller derby, Olympic weightlifting, and CrossFit.

This is only the second year of the PlantBuilt Team’s existence. We are a group of ethical and compassionate vegans looking to break the stereotype of the weak and scrawny vegan. We compete in fitness events among athletes who follow and promote a meat heavy dieting approach. You can find out more about us at www.plantbuilt.com. In 2013, we had 15 competitors; this year, we have 34! We will be competing in bodybuilding, men’s physique, figure, bikini, transformation, powerlifting, and CrossFit.

I myself competed in Men’s Physique last year, but will be competing in CrossFit this year. I have been into CrossFit since 2011, but I can’t help wanting to look the part of a lean and strong vegan athlete, too. Luckily, CrossFit training supports aesthetic goals as well. Last year the CrossFit event didn’t seem up to par, so I went with Men’s Physique as a focus instead. I took 2nd Place out of 29 competitors last year. Not bad for my first time in that division! This year, the CrossFit event is being put on by Wodapalooza, and they are sure to bring an awesome challenge. Besides me, there are three other vegans competing in the CrossFit competition. We have two men and two women. Each division is only 30 people so we are aiming at dominating our divisions and showing that vegans can excel at any challenge.

My training for this is getting pretty intense, and I have the standard pre-competition jitters. Of course, I hope to do a great job and be a strong example for vegans, but going against 29 other athletes, who knows how the cards will fall? All I can do is focus on my training and bring the best me that I can to that competition. Once Saturday, July 26th rolls around, all the hard work has already been done. Then it will be time to throw down and have a blast competing with the PlantBuilt Team and changing the face of athletic challenges as we know it. Stay tuned guys, this is going to be an amazing adventure!