0:00:03.640,0:00:06.620 We all knew that this day was coming. 0:00:10.940,0:00:15.360 Well at least I knew…and those of you who follow me on social media. 0:00:21.180,0:00:29.400 This series is all about vegan[br]athletes and he talks about vegan athletes....A lot. 0:00:35.840,0:00:39.960 If you’re on YouTube and have a pulse,[br]then you know his name. 0:00:45.160,0:00:49.840 Or at least his channel’s name. You may not know his real name. 0:00:50.980,0:00:52.010 It’s Richard. 0:00:52.690,0:00:53.660 It’s time. 0:00:53.800,0:00:54.760 [heartbeat] 0:00:55.060,0:00:55.880 To interview. 0:00:56.260,0:00:57.540 [heartbeat] 0:00:58.290,0:01:01.580 Vegan Gains!!!! 0:01:11.740,0:01:17.440 Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome[br]to another vegan nugget. The most trending, 0:01:17.450,0:01:23.829 fastest-growing and most polarizing vegan[br]channel is that of Vegan Gains. He came on 0:01:23.829,0:01:32.429 the scene Dec 14, 2014, literally almost exactly[br]six months ago, and exploded to where he’s 0:01:32.429,0:01:39.519 now at almost 55,000 subscribers, which he[br]has most likely blown past by the time I post this. 0:01:41.099,0:01:46.389 And on the first day of 2015 he launched what[br]is now his flagship series, 0:01:46.679,0:01:48.709 the Worse of the Fitness Industry. 0:01:48.969,0:01:55.129 So when I interviewed Richard we of course[br]had to address this viral and incredibly controversial series. 0:01:55.400,0:01:58.179 Well, Richard, I just want to thank you so[br]much for taking time out of your schedule 0:01:58.179,0:02:02.189 to talk to my viewers and to give us your[br]own experience. 0:02:02.969,0:02:04.310 Alright, no problem. 0:02:04.980,0:02:10.830 Alright, so first, can you just tell[br]us a little bit about yourself, like when 0:02:10.830,0:02:17.110 you went vegan and why? And then a little[br]bit...ah, just start with when you went vegan and why? 0:02:17.570,0:02:23.580 Okay, well I went vegan about 4 years[br]ago. It was back in April, so a little over 0:02:24.010,0:02:30.020 4 years now. And um, I watched a Gary Yourofsky[br]video, somebody linked it on facebook. And 0:02:30.020,0:02:36.040 I was like ‘hmm, well I’m not into veganism’,[br]but I was interested in it. I’ve never heard 0:02:36.040,0:02:42.600 any great arguments about going vegan until[br]then. All the vegans I knew, they were like 0:02:42.600,0:02:48.490 ‘oh, you have to end animal suffering and[br]everything’. I was a little disconnected 0:02:48.490,0:02:54.420 back then. I didn’t really get it, the whole[br]animal suffering thing and I thought you needed 0:02:54.420,0:02:59.580 to eat meat for health, so I thought that[br]kind of justified it. And then I watched Gary’s 0:02:59.580,0:03:06.270 video and it just totally flipped things around.[br]He made me get more of an emotional connection 0:03:06.270,0:03:12.220 than I’ve ever had before and I also never[br]knew animal products caused heart disease, 0:03:12.220,0:03:17.800 diabetes, cancer, and then I ended up learning[br]about doctors, Colin Campbell, and Caldwell 0:03:17.800,0:03:21.600 Esselstyn, and stuff like that. And then just,[br]right that day, went vegan. 0:03:22.440,0:03:27.980 Awesome, so you’ve been vegan for[br]about 4 years. How long have you been an athlete? 0:03:28.980,0:03:33.520 I’ve been training since I was[br]a little kid, like doing hockey, so just my 0:03:33.520,0:03:37.650 entire life basically, but weight training[br]specifically, it’s been about 8 years. 0:03:38.310,0:03:43.670 So, for those people on Youtube who[br]most likely, if they watch my videos, they 0:03:43.670,0:03:50.940 know you. You’re known as Vegan Gains who[br]does these incredible, incredibly like caustic, 0:03:50.940,0:03:55.340 to a certain extent, callouts of people in[br]the fitness industry. So, I just wanted to 0:03:55.340,0:03:59.260 talk about that, I mean, you call it ‘the[br]worse of the fitness industries; the series’. 0:03:59.810,0:04:04.410 Why do you think that the industry and individuals[br]within it need to be criticized? 0:04:05.350,0:04:11.240 Um, they’re just...like it’s[br]weird. The whole bodybuilding thing, that’s 0:04:11.240,0:04:16.590 what it really is, the fitness industry who[br]focus on bodybuilders, physique competitors, 0:04:16.590,0:04:22.920 bikini models. It is just such a negative[br]thing for people, not only help wise, but 0:04:22.920,0:04:28.350 just mentally. And if you look at the comments[br]it’s a lot of younger kids in their teens 0:04:28.350,0:04:33.900 and early 20’s who are saying, ‘your arms[br]are so skinny’. It’s like, my arms are 0:04:33.900,0:04:39.940 literally bigger than my head and they’re[br]calling me skinny. They’re causing like, 0:04:39.940,0:04:44.930 mental illness and they really need to be[br]called out for this. It’s not just a health 0:04:44.930,0:04:51.250 thing, it’s a mental health issue. And it’s[br]just, in every freakin way, it’s the most 0:04:51.250,0:04:57.610 unhealthy thing you can possibly think of.[br]They’re kids like...I get messages a lot 0:04:57.610,0:05:02.090 kids saying, ‘wow, you really opened my[br]eyes. I didn’t realize I had an eating disorder 0:05:02.090,0:05:06.180 until now’. They actually don’t know that[br]they have eating disorders and these people 0:05:06.180,0:05:11.980 are driving these crazy, retarded, starvation[br]diets, and they’re taking steroids, not 0:05:11.980,0:05:17.100 telling people. They have these massive fuckin[br]arms, huge shoulders and they’re injecting 0:05:17.100,0:05:21.850 Synthol, and it’s all fake. Everything is[br]fake and people think it’s real, and they’re 0:05:21.850,0:05:30.820 just going after this stupid ideal body image,[br]and just really ruining their entire freakin lives up. 0:05:30.820,0:05:34.510 They really need to be fuckin called[br]out. People say I’m harsh but they’re 0:05:34.510,0:05:39.600 literally ruining lives. They’re shortening[br]their lives just from all the meat and crap 0:05:39.600,0:05:45.470 they’re eating but just from a mental health,[br]and just general all around quality of life, it's just terrible. 0:05:46.160,0:05:50.810 I think it’s good to[br]have, especially more of a focus, and I know 0:05:50.810,0:05:57.790 you hit both sides, but this side of male[br]body dysmorphic disorders, and the hidden 0:05:57.790,0:06:02.430 world of male eating disorders. Because it’s[br]not seen as that, it’s seen as ‘getting 0:06:02.430,0:06:05.639 pumped’ or ‘getting tough’. But just[br]as for, and I know you have pointing this 0:06:05.639,0:06:09.940 out, just as for females who can never get small[br]enough, males feel like they can never get 0:06:09.940,0:06:16.919 big enough, and it’s the other side of the[br]same spectrum. So, this may seem a bit of 0:06:16.919,0:06:23.350 a stupid question, but you utilize a lot of[br]peer reviewed studies in your videos that 0:06:23.350,0:06:29.880 you link up in your description. Why should[br]people go by these empirical studies that 0:06:29.880,0:06:33.510 have been done rather than the apparent results[br]that people seem to have? I think there can 0:06:33.510,0:06:40.090 be this idea that, well isn’t someone’s[br]muscle growth or their weight loss more concrete 0:06:40.090,0:06:43.690 than some numbers some scientists, you know,[br]dreamed up? 0:06:44.050,0:06:49.390 Right, well...you can have the worst[br]diet imaginable and still lose weight. There 0:06:49.390,0:06:53.780 are people who have lost weight on twinkie[br]diets. Literally, there are studies done on 0:06:53.780,0:06:58.290 twinkie diets and people have lost weight,[br]lowered their cholesterol, and all that. Obviously 0:06:58.290,0:07:03.290 twinkies are unhealthy, and especially when[br]you factor in, these people are insanely genetically 0:07:03.290,0:07:08.740 gifted. They’re just in the top top genetically,[br]forget steroids, they’re still...even if 0:07:08.740,0:07:13.600 you take all the drugs in the world, you’ll[br]never get like them. Plus, they have an insane 0:07:13.600,0:07:17.900 amount of steroid use and an insane amount[br]of hard work, and they’re just so mentally 0:07:17.900,0:07:23.210 driven to do this. You factor in all those[br]things together, these anecdotes just really 0:07:23.210,0:07:26.979 don’t make any sense. So, it’s really[br]best to rely on the scientific data because 0:07:27.899,0:07:32.990 they’re just so far out of anyone’s reach,[br]their genetics, their steroid use, their hard 0:07:32.990,0:07:38.030 work. It’s just not going to apply to you[br]so...yeah, focus on the research, something 0:07:38.030,0:07:45.010 empirical that you can actually measure rather[br]than just these crazy people who just don’t... 0:07:45.410,0:07:49.140 ...you know, come anywhere close to you at all. You[br]should just focus on the research. 0:07:50.290,0:07:52.710 So, you did, I can’t remember, have[br]you done... 0:07:52.710,0:07:55.040 ...you actually done competitive bodybuilding at one point? 0:07:55.040,0:07:55.759 Yeah. 0:07:55.959,0:08:01.229 So, what is it that, I know we’ve[br]talked a little bit before about the horrors 0:08:01.229,0:08:06.419 of that industry to an extent. What is it[br]that you personally….what happened where 0:08:06.419,0:08:09.110 you personally decided, okay I’m going to[br]stop this and I’m not going to do this anymore? 0:08:09.450,0:08:16.550 Well, it was more of a gradually[br]thing. The last show, I really tried my absolute 0:08:16.550,0:08:25.169 hardest to do my best for that show. And you[br]know, it’s such a mental drain on you, like 0:08:25.649,0:08:31.340 dieting...anyone can throw weights around[br]in the gym, that’s easy, but dieting for 0:08:31.340,0:08:36.370 a show. I don’t think anyone who’s ever[br]competed before just understands how insanely 0:08:36.370,0:08:42.390 difficult it is. You just have to take it[br]to the absolute limit and those days leading 0:08:42.390,0:08:46.210 up before the show, you literally think, you’re[br]not gonna make it, and you feel like you’re 0:08:46.210,0:08:52.800 gonna die. I can normally curl 60lbs. and[br]I’m pretty strong, but a few days before 0:08:52.800,0:09:00.830 the show I can only lift 20lbs., and I looked[br]strong but you are that...just dead from dieting. 0:09:00.830,0:09:06.790 And I just didn’t want to go through that[br]again, and my eyes were opening up to what 0:09:06.790,0:09:12.560 the industry really is. And after that I just,[br]you know, I thought I was going to compete 0:09:12.560,0:09:17.560 but then I learned about the high carb vegan[br]thing. You don’t have to restrict calories 0:09:17.560,0:09:25.370 and I basically got rid of my body image issues[br]too. So, yeah that just made me kind of quit 0:09:25.370,0:09:27.080 bodybuilding and give that up. 0:09:27.690,0:09:33.030 If you could accomplish one thing with[br]your ‘worst of the fitness industry’ videos, 0:09:33.780,0:09:37.150 what is it that you’re hoping to accomplish[br]with them? 0:09:38.260,0:09:42.839 Well, I just want people to realize[br]that just because these people look good and 0:09:42.839,0:09:48.620 they seem nice, they’re not really trying[br]to help you out. They want to sell supplements. 0:09:48.620,0:09:53.160 They want to sell their lifestyle. They want[br]to get money from sponsors. And all of this 0:09:53.160,0:09:58.370 is just completely unrealistic. I think people[br]should just focus on health and if you want 0:09:58.370,0:10:04.760 to be athletic, and go after some real athletic[br]goals, then you shouldn’t really be focusing 0:10:04.760,0:10:10.209 on these bodybuilders because they’re not[br]really athletic. They’re really out of shape, 0:10:10.209,0:10:15.440 really. If you take a look, especially leading[br]up to the show. To diet down that much you 0:10:15.610,0:10:22.020 can’t maintain any level of athleticism, you need some body fat. So, just be healthy, 0:10:22.020,0:10:27.750 eat well, don’t eat a ton of freakin meat.[br]Hopefully that at least stops people from 0:10:27.750,0:10:31.180 eating so much meat. Yeah, that’s basically[br]it. 0:10:31.860,0:10:35.460 Is there anything else you would like to say regarding that series of yours? 0:10:37.769,0:10:40.810 A lot of people say it’s about[br]jealousy that I’m doing it or it’s about 0:10:40.810,0:10:46.220 hating on people, and it’s not jealousy.[br]I’m not jealous or...I don’t really even 0:10:46.220,0:10:52.890 necessarily hate any of these people. Some[br]of them, I think they really do believe what 0:10:52.890,0:10:59.160 they’re saying, and people just need some[br]perspective. Just look at the videos objectively. 0:10:59.570,0:11:04.550 Just get some new perspective on things. It’s[br]not about hating. It’s not about jealousy. 0:11:04.710,0:11:09.270 I just want people to open their eyes and[br]just see the other side of things, and see 0:11:09.270,0:11:11.040 what’s really going on behind the scenes. 0:11:11.590,0:11:15.810 Alright, well thank you so much for[br]your time and thank you for what you do with 0:11:15.810,0:11:19.779 trying to let people know the dangers that[br]are out there within the fitness industry. 0:11:20.149,0:11:21.260 Alright, no problem. 0:11:21.280,0:11:25.570 I hope you enjoyed hearing from Richard on[br]his flagship series. If you don’t like the 0:11:25.570,0:11:30.720 way he approaches his activism or feel that he’s[br]too harsh, I’ll reiterate my thoughts from 0:11:30.720,0:11:36.910 my controversy video: go do your own form[br]of activism with all that you’ve got. 0:11:37.480,0:11:42.630 To paraphrase Gary Yourofsky’s paraphrasing[br]of what Martin Luther King said when asked 0:11:42.830,0:11:50.040 to stop Malcom X’s violent rhetoric, Vegan[br]Gains will stop being so insane when the fitness 0:11:50.040,0:11:57.110 industry stops being so insane. You want to[br]shut him up? Help end the cruelty and misinformation 0:11:57.110,0:12:02.510 that he’s reacting to. Be proactive. Be active,[br]period. 0:12:03.240,0:12:06.490 Now I’d love to hear what you thought of[br]the interview and Richard’s approach to 0:12:06.490,0:12:08.370 activism in the comments below. 0:12:08.640,0:12:12.390 If you enjoyed hearing from Richard, give[br]this video a big thumbs up and share it around 0:12:12.390,0:12:16.709 to help bring light to the insanity of the[br]fitness industry. If you’re new here, do 0:12:16.709,0:12:21.519 hit that big red subscribe button down there[br]for more awesome vegan content every Monday, 0:12:21.519,0:12:26.649 Wednesday, and some Fridays and to not miss[br]out the on the rest of the Vegan Athlete series. 0:12:26.649,0:12:30.500 If you want to help support Bite Size Vegan,[br]check out either of the support links in the 0:12:30.500,0:12:35.660 video description below or click on the Nugget[br]Army icon, or the link in the sidebar. 0:12:36.270,0:12:41.890 Now go live vegan, make some vegan gains...I'm not gonna do the thing 0:12:42.210,0:12:45.270 'cause it would just be ...depressing in comparison 0:12:46.160,0:12:47.480 and I’ll see you soon. 0:12:47.750,0:12:53.140 I'm just like...I’m still amazed by your arms, like...what[br]is, how is…yeah... 0:12:53.610,0:12:59.880 ...I measured them like a year[br]ago and they were over 19 inches, and I think they're 20 now. 0:13:00.640,0:13:06.990 That’s crazy. That’s like...like an infant in there….[laughs] 0:13:07.632,0:13:20.275 [music playing]