Meatless Muscle

Vegan IFBB pro NIMAI DELGADO is proving that you can build a championship physique without eating animal products. Here’s how he used the produce aisle to sculpt a trophy-winning body.

- Jim Schmaltz

NIMAI DELGADO HAS never eaten meat in his life. Not a bite, not a morsel, not a taste. Delgado (his first name is pronounced “KNEE-my”) was raised as a vegetarian by his parents, practicing Hindus who lived in a temple in southern Mississippi. Now 28, Delgado maintained his vegetarian lifestyle on his way to becoming a mechanical engineer and later moving to Bakersfield, CA, where he currently lives. He became a vegan three years ago—that means he eats no cheese, milk, fish, or eggs. This is relevant because of what Delgado does in his spare time. He’s a successful bodybuilder, weighing 175 pounds (much of it rippling muscle) while competing in the IFBB physique category. He’s a living refutation of the stereotype that you can’t build quality mass without meat and dairy protein. And he’s fixing to change the public’s attitude of what’s possible as a vegan.

“There’s a huge misconception that you can’t build muscle without animal protein,” Delgado says. “The moment people find out I won an overall title without ever eating meat, and did it strictly eating plants, they become very interested.” Delgado won his pro card at the 2016 NPC USA Championships in Las Vegas. He competed recently at the Arnold Sports Festival in the physique category, where he finished a disappointing 11th. But Delgado is determined to bring his placings up to make his mark. And to make history.

“I’m the only IFBB professional who’s competing as a vegan,” he says. “I plan to compete a couple of more times this year and then hopefully be the first vegan to make it to the Olympia stage. That’s my ultimate goal.”

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