Nimai Delgado
bodybuilder vegetarian from birth
Nimai grew up in Mississippi raised by Argentinian-immigrant Hare Krishna parents. He has been vegetarian since birth, initially for religious reasons, and has never eaten meat
- Pro card bodybuilder with IFBB
- 3 wins, 2 seconds from first 5 competitions
- Vegetarian from birth
Nimai grew up in Mississippi raised by Argentinian-immigrant Hare Krishna parents. He has been vegetarian since birth, initially for religious reasons, and has nevereaten meat
“Both of my amazing parents are converted Hindus, and I was raised with a strong sense of compassion” he explains. “Growing up, my diet has always been about 95% vegan, with the exception of dairy products.”
During childhood Nimai struggled to fit in, both his religious and cultural background as well as dietary habits failed to fit the status-quo in southern Mississippi. However, Nimai never faltered from his beliefs, much as he doesn’t today.
Turning vegan
It wasn’t until 2015 that Nimai went completely vegan, cutting out dairy, eggs, and all other animal products. Many might believe this stunted his growth as a bodybuilder, but it did just the opposite.
But once he transitioned to full vegan diet, there was no more room for any animal product. Nimai says the transition wasn’t difficult for him, the only slight problem he had was cheese on pizza, which he could no longer eat.
“I am taking a stand against the violence, suffering, and death of innocent living beings”
However, as there are vegan alternatives to cheese. Nimai quickly adapted to his new lifestyle, and continued dieting and training without any problems.
Nimai’s reason for this decision was simple – he wanted to live the healthiest lifestyle possible, basing his diet on unprocessed, plant-based foods. Another reason why Nimai wanted to become a vegan was to spread awareness on the health, as well as the environmental benefits of leading this lifestyle.
“I decided that I wanted to not only live the vegan lifestyle, but I also wanted to help spread awareness on how to become the best version of yourself while living this lifestyle.”
Nimai is is also making a difference.
“I am taking a stand against the violence, suffering, and death of innocent living beings” he says. “I am helping people understand, realize, and learn that it is possible to push your body to its physical peak and compete against elite athletes while living a vegan lifestyle!”
Nimai quickly began to see how much his body benefited from a plant-based diet and how he still was able to build significant muscle.
What started as Nimai’s personal mission to stay fit and healthy, quickly turned into a career, and eventually a platform spreading the benefits and possibilities of a vegan lifestyle.
Nimai has been keen to tackle the belief that vegans are all protein deficient and couldn’t possibly build muscle. He has conclusively proven these, and many other, vegan stereotypes wrong.
Nimai soon realized that his story was unique. There were a handful of vegetarian and plant-based bodybuilders but none of them had never eaten meat. He now uses himself as living evidence of the possibilities of a diet without animal products.
Beyond just his physique, Nimai is launching a website entitled veganfitness.com, hosts a podcast interviewing plant-based athletes and advocates called Generation V, and hosts fitness and lifestyle retreats around the world all while balancing his career as a professional bodybuilder and social media influencer.
His journey has shown others what can be achieved.
“Learn how to look inside yourself for answers, not outside. By practicing mindfulness we can really tune into how/why we are feeling and then once we identify it we can make a shift. But first, you have to learn how to calm the mind and become aware of those feelings!”
Nimai also stars in a new film, TheGame Changers, directed by Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by James Cameron.
This film follows plant-based elite athletes, soldiers, scientist, and everyday people all around the world and works to dispel the myth that meat is necessary for strength and health.The Game Changers premieres worldwide in 2019.
Eating “Masculine”
The bodybuilding community especially, views veganism as borderline ’feminine’ in many cases. In order to sculpt a ‘desirable’ physique, many believe meat is a crucial component.
Nimai feels that eating with compassion in mind shouldn’t be emasculating, but quite the opposite, and that nothing defines an individual’s character more than dedication to their beliefs and navigating their lives with compassion for others and the world around them.
Delgado also heavily preaches the importance of micronutrients, which counters the heavy emphasis on macronutrients in the bodybuilding world. Common foods he consumes are oatmeal, fruit, avocado toast, broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, lentils, seeds, and so much more.
The commitment to his training and to veganism is evident as part of his attitude to life.
“Life becomes so much clearer when you have a purpose. Your purpose will constantly inspire you and provide the necessary motivation to work for it.”
“I’d always rather have a passport full of stamps than a bunch of material things I don’t need. You’ll eventually forget about those shoes you bought that one time, but I guarantee you that you’ll never forget that one sunset you watched from the top of a mountain in a foreign land. Accumulate experiences. Not things.”
“What motivates you? I believe that too many of us forget to search deep within ourselves to find what truly motivates us. We are told from a young age to grow up and get a good paying job to buy nice things. But we are rarely taught to follow our heart and do what makes us happiest.”
Bodybuilding Competitor
Delgado also has several bodybuilding titles under his belt that led him to the platform he has today.
By the end of his first year of competing on the bodybuilding stage, Nimai won several contests. Including the NPC USA Championships, which saw him become a Pro card holder with the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB).
To qualify for this an individual must first win a regional contest weight class and then receive an invitation to compete at the national championship. Then, if you win overall you will earn your pro-card.
He also placed 13th in the 2018 Europa Orlando Men’s Physique, 5th in the 2018 Hawaii Pro Men’s Physique, and 11th in the 2018 Arnold’s Men’s Physique.
An issue ofMuscle & Fitness featured Delgado on the cover including a lengthy article about bodybuilding as a vegan.
Accomplishments
2015
- Fresno Classic, NPC, Men’s Physique Class C, 2nd
- Fresno Classic, NPC, Men’s Physique Novice Class C, 1st
2016
- Grand Prix Championships, NPC, Men’s Physique Class B, 2nd
- Fresno Classic, NPC, Men’s Physique Class C, 1st
- USA Championships, NPC, Men’s Physique Class C, 1st – Pro Card Earned
- Sacramento Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 6th
2017
- Hawaii Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 8th
- San Jose Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 5th
- Vancouver Pro, IFBB Men’s Physique, 7th
Long term, Delgado has set his sights on Mr. Olympia. This is the most prestigious title in bodybuilding awarded at Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness and Performance Weekend.
“You can be an athlete and only eat plants and just save lives.“
Training
Nimai likes to have a lot of volume in his workouts when he trains for size. He feels that doing many sets and reps, combined with heavy weight loads, induces the highest levels of muscle hypertrophy.
However, when preparing for a bodybuilding contest, things look a little different in Nimai’s training routine. Around this time, he’ll drop his workout volume down, and also decrease the weight.
Nimai does this mainly to avoid a muscle injury, as cutting down to low body fat levels makes his body more prone to receiving damage.
Nimai’s Arm Workout
When training to gain size, Nimai will follow his principle of incorporating high amounts of volume while using heavy weights. He’ll also use progressive overload, as he says; “I do 4 sets of each exercise and my rep ranges are 12/10/10/8 with increasing weight each set.”
The exercises:
- Heavy Barbell curls
- Seated dumbbell curls
- Preacher curls
- Single arm cable curls
- Tricep pushdowns
- Close grip bench
- Skull crushers
- Cable kick backs
Nutrition
When Nimai was a vegetarian, he ate 95% plant-based diet alongside consuming animal products like eggs and cheese.
But once he transitioned to full vegan diet, there was no more room for any animal product. Nimai says the transition wasn’t difficult for him, the only slight problem he had was cheese on the pizza which he could no longer eat.
However, as there are vegan alternatives to cheese. Nimai quickly adapted to his new lifestyle, and continued dieting and training without any problems.
“You Are What You Eat”
Nimai is a firm believer in the saying “you are what you eat.” In his opinion, there is a big correlation between the foods he eats, and the way he looks and feels.
For this reason, Nimai chooses to eat only the healthiest of foods – including dark leafy green vegetables, whole grains, beans, etc.
Soy and Hormones
Nimai believes how increased estrogen in men who consume soy is just a myth.
He says how soy is completely harmless for men’s hormones, and is in fact, one of the best sources of plant-based protein.
Nimai also says how soy “contains all of the essential amino acids and is a very quality source of protein.” He continued; “In fact, soy actually has shown to decrease the likelihood of certain types of cancer in men.”
Diet When Cutting
When Nimai wants to cut down his body fat for a contest, he’ll have six meals – each meal having this macro ratio:
- 35 grams of protein
- 15 grams of carbs
- 11 grams of fat
Nimai says it’s okay if he goes a few grams above or beyond of the targeted macro range per meal. That is, as long as his overall daily intake is in align with his goals.
An example of one of these meals would be:
- 1 packet of vegan chicken
- 1 avocado
- 2-3 handfuls of spinach (Nimai never counts the exact weight of his veggies. He always tries to get as much as possible as they are low in calories, and rich in fiber)
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1 medium zucchini
- Lemon Juice and Balsamic vinegar for salad dressing
Nimai Delgado’s Favorite Vegan Dish
Nimai’s favorite vegan meal is a fresh avocado on toast. He’ll typically have this for breakfast, as it’s rich in fats and carbs which give him the energy to begin the day:
- 1 whole avocado
- 2 slices of toasted whole-grain bread
- 2 slices of tomato
- A dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Oregano
He’s also prepared for the occasional treat.
“Even though vegan pizza isn’t the healthiest vegan option. I still like to live a balanced life and satisfy my cravings sometimes. It’s important to know that one piece of pizza won’t make you fat just like one salad won’t make you skinny.
“I would rather satisfy my craving than completely eliminating certain foods from my diet and end up binge eating and falling off track.”
What we can learn from Nimai Delgado
If anything, Nimai Delgado has shown us that you don’t have to do what everyone else does to become successful.
He plans to take challenges further, and has long-harbored ambitions to be the first male vegan to compete in Mr Olympia.
Nimai also said he wants to show people how you can be vegan and maintain health. He said: “You can be an athlete and only eat plants and just save lives.
“[We should use our voices] in a manner that’s going to change this generation.”
Many people doubted Nimai on his journey towards becoming an IFBB Pro as a vegan. People said how there’s no way he could get as far as he wanted by just eating plants, but he proved everyone wrong by accomplishing each and every goal he set for himself.
What this tells us, is that you should strive towards your goals without trying to replicate what others are doing. Focus on your own path, and stay true to yourself – just like Nimai Delgado did.