This vegan bodybuilder no longer fooled by fake natty athletes.

Vivek grew up as a skinny but active child. Through his teens and early twenties he abandoned physical pursuits to focus on perfect grades and entrance to engineering school. After that was over, he tried to get back in the gym, but he was discouraged and quickly gave up after not seeing results. He told MensXP that “fake natties” are to blame.

“It’s the fake natural transformations that many fitness companies put out because of which many people end up setting unrealistic goals for themselves.”

After a year at university, he decided to give fitness another shot. In the summer of 2012 he went on a strict weight regimen and started the then-sensational ‘P-90X.’

“For the first time in my life, I had noticed big differences in my body. This gave me a sense of achievement and the confidence to keep moving forward… Then I was introduced to 5X5 program from Jason Blaha, Layne Norton’s PHAT, Candito’s Training. I saw even better changes with these programs.”

After a few years, Vivek began preparing for his first show. Good work in the gym and a disciplined diet saw him me down to 74kg, and he won Mr. IIT Guwahati 2014.

He says he keeps his workouts simple:

“Compound movements followed by a few isolations. I use undulating set x reps for most exercises. I use paired sets which help me save time and perform better on both the paired lifts.”

He then devoted all his time and money to a fitness education. He joined Bayesian Bodybuilding and began taking clients for online fitness coaching. Eventually, he quit his corporate job and joined Aman Duggal at Alpharaj.com.

“For the last 2 years, I’ve been a vegan. So, my current supplement stack is: Vegan Protein Blend or Pea Protein, Creatine Monohydrate, a basic multivitamin, Vitamin B12 and D3, vegan DHA, Curcumin and Caffeine (mostly from coffee).”

Vivek still looks forward to competition, but is adamant about competing in a drug-free environment.

“In the future, I would like to step on the big stage and compete with the best natural bodybuilders out there. But currently it’s hard to find an Indian organization which is completely drug tested and bans drug users. Until then, the man in the mirror is my only competition!”

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.