Justin Morgan
CarbedUp VeganMuscle
Hi, I am
Justin Morgan, aka Carbed Up Vegan Muscle, and I am going to tell you about how
I became a Vegan strength sports competitor.
I became a
vegan late in 2011, and it all started with an interest in fitness. I had been
watching calisthenics videos, trying to see if I could grow some muscle and
loose some fat when I stumbled across Frank Medrano on YouTube.
The video read, “Hot New Vegan Calisthenics,” and although I wasn’t interested in the vegan part, the guy on the cover looked pretty jacked, so I was interested in his workouts. I clicked and to my surprise there were pictures of factory farming with cows hanging by meat hooks, and hens stacked on top of each other’s cages in a warehouse. I suddenly lost interest in the video and was kind of put off, but later I searched for other video’s about animal cruelty and was really horrified by what I saw.
In a spur of the moment decision I told my wife I was going vegan. I remember going to thanksgiving that year and kind of picking out the meat from some of the dishes at my wife’s families house. They are from Guam and although a lot of their food is plant based there are usually small amounts of meat thrown into the dishes. By December I had gone full blown vegan and was eating plain rice at family gatherings because it was the only thing I could find that didn’t have meat or other animal products in it. At first I planned to finish the meat that was in our fridge and that would be it, but after a few weeks the thought of meat disgusted me with the thought of the cruelty that had gone into it, and I couldn’t eat that either. I really didn’t know what to eat. I started losing a lot of weight.
The video read, “Hot New Vegan Calisthenics,” and although I wasn’t interested in the vegan part, the guy on the cover looked pretty jacked, so I was interested in his workouts. I clicked and to my surprise there were pictures of factory farming with cows hanging by meat hooks, and hens stacked on top of each other’s cages in a warehouse. I suddenly lost interest in the video and was kind of put off, but later I searched for other video’s about animal cruelty and was really horrified by what I saw.
In a spur of the moment decision I told my wife I was going vegan. I remember going to thanksgiving that year and kind of picking out the meat from some of the dishes at my wife’s families house. They are from Guam and although a lot of their food is plant based there are usually small amounts of meat thrown into the dishes. By December I had gone full blown vegan and was eating plain rice at family gatherings because it was the only thing I could find that didn’t have meat or other animal products in it. At first I planned to finish the meat that was in our fridge and that would be it, but after a few weeks the thought of meat disgusted me with the thought of the cruelty that had gone into it, and I couldn’t eat that either. I really didn’t know what to eat. I started losing a lot of weight.
At the time I
was eating mostly fruit, sweet potatoes, nuts, and some beans. I saw all these vegan diets on the internet
about raw foods, The Starch Solution, 80/10/10 etc…. I read “The China Study,” and watched “Forks
over Knives” and I became very interested in role that nutrition played in
health. Around this same time I had also
gone back to college and was studying exercise science. Part of my curriculum involved a nutrition
class taught by an RD (Registered Dietitian) named Kim Brubaker. Kim and I got along really well and I became
very interested in studying dietetics.
So after completing my certificate in Exercise Science, I applied and was
accepted into the Dietetics program and spent the following years working
towards, and finishing that degree. This
is the field I currently work in and really love.
While all
this was happening I had also developed an interest in strength sports. I approached learning about strength sports in
much the same way I did nutrition; by reading a lot of books on programming, powerlifting,
weightlifting, and watching a lot of strongman videos. Eventually I competed in my first power
lifting competition, and shortly after that I competed in a small unsanctioned
strongman competition. After that I was
hooked. I like powerlifting, but I love
strongman. Recently I competed in my
first sanctioned strongman event with North American Strongman. I love the training and what goes into
it. I love meeting with the guys I train
with and working on the events.
Currently I am registered to compete at the Ohio State USA Powerlifting Championships on July 31st as a 105kg (231#) lifter, and then Raw Nationals in October. I am hoping I can find another strongman competition to compete in between now and then as well. My “Iron Cred” may not represent the best lifts in strength sports, but I’m a little stronger each month, and every competition I’m hitting bigger numbers than the previous. For more information I can be found on Instagram and YouTube at “CarbedUp VeganMusche”
Currently I am registered to compete at the Ohio State USA Powerlifting Championships on July 31st as a 105kg (231#) lifter, and then Raw Nationals in October. I am hoping I can find another strongman competition to compete in between now and then as well. My “Iron Cred” may not represent the best lifts in strength sports, but I’m a little stronger each month, and every competition I’m hitting bigger numbers than the previous. For more information I can be found on Instagram and YouTube at “CarbedUp VeganMusche”
My best
lifts are:
Squat –
227.5kg/501.5lbs
Bench –
155kg/341.5lbs
Deadlift –
250kg/551.2lbs
Log Clean
and Press – 255lbs (Push Press w/12” log)
Atlas Stone
– 300# to 48” platform
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