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Summary
On episode 493 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Matt Frazier and Robert Cheeke to discuss their book, The Plant-Based Athlete: A Game-Changing Approach to Peak Performance. Matt is the founder of No Meat Athlete and a marathoner and ultra runner from Baltimore, and Robert is an American bodybuilder, motivational speaker, and author behind veganbodybuilding.com.
Together they interviewed 60 world-class plant-based athletes across endurance sports, bodybuilding, powerlifting, and even pro wrestling, and found the same pattern everywhere: more energy, faster recovery, and less inflammation on a whole food, plant-based diet.
The conversation gets practical, covering how to hit protein and calorie needs on a plant-based diet, which supplements actually matter (B12, and watching lysine intake), and simple meal planning frameworks like Matt’s “grain, green, and bean” template for dinner.
Links
- https://nomeatathlete.com
- https://veganbodybuilding.com
- https://book.nomeatathlete.com
Key Takeaways
- The same plant-based approach works across wildly different sports. Ultrarunners, bodybuilders, powerlifters, Olympic skiers, and even a pro wrestler in the book all report the same benefits: more energy, faster recovery, and reduced inflammation.
- Protein isn’t the bottleneck most people assume. If you’re eating enough total calories from a varied whole food diet, you’re almost certainly meeting your protein needs, because the body pools amino acids across the day rather than requiring “complete protein” at every single meal.
- Total calories, not macros, explain most plant-based “failures.” People who feel drained after going plant-based usually just cut calories by accident, since many vegetables are nutrient dense but calorie light, and they never replaced what they removed.
- Lysine, not protein overall, is the amino acid to watch. It’s the limiting amino acid on a plant-based diet, but it’s easy to cover with seitan, tofu, tempeh, lentils, and quinoa, or a protein powder if you want a simple fix.
- B12 must be supplemented on a fully plant-based diet. Matt argues that’s a reasonable trade off if the overall eating pattern supports the longest, healthiest lifespan, regardless of whether a supplement feels “natural.”
- Meal planning frameworks make the diet sustainable. Matt leans on a smoothie or oatmeal breakfast, a bean topped salad for lunch, and a grain, green, and bean dinner. Robert’s “rule of three” means picking three seasonal fruits and vegetables at a time to build variety.
- Small, gradual changes beat an overnight overhaul. Matt took four years to go fully vegan and recommends changing one meal at a time, since willpower fades and an all or nothing “perfect” start usually collapses the first time it’s tested.
- Sleep can be an anchor habit. Matt found that once he started tracking his sleep, it naturally pulled his other choices, like workout timing and evening eating, into better alignment.
- Matt and Robert’s strategies to get and stay well: Robert says find a form of movement you’re genuinely passionate about, whether that’s hiking or walking the dog, so it never feels like a chore. Matt adds his own three: take small, gradual steps instead of an overnight overhaul, use a simple daily anchor like a smoothie or big salad to stay on track, and pay attention to your sleep as the habit that pulls everything else into line.
“You’ve got to find what you love to do. When you find your passion, you’re going to find ways to make it happen.”
Robert Cheeke