This Aussie Fitness Junkie Is Totally Ripped — and 100% Vegan
Simon Hill is building a rock-hard physique one broccoli floret at a time.
The Australian fitness expert — who also happens to be a millionaire entrepreneur who made his fortune selling tea and coconut vodka — has been making waves with some recent Instagram posts showing off his muscular build.
The catch? He says he built it by following a strictly plant-based diet.
If you want to go vegan, there are ways to follow the diet without sacrificing your fitness goals. (For proof, just ask this vegan bodybuilder.)
“The world’s changing — there are so many options that are plant-based," Hill told Men's Health. "It’s ... no longer this weird thing you have to be quiet about when you order at a restaurant. It’s only getting easier.”
Hill's Diet: "Heaps of Hempseed"
Hill splits up his daily calorie intake into a 50/30/20 model. Fifty percent of his daily calories come from carbs in the form of brown rice, quinoa, and legumes like chickpeas; 30 percent comes from protein including soy, organic tofu, tempeh, and beans; and 20 percent comes from fats found in nuts, avocados, and "heaps of hempseed."
“I’m pretty strong on intermittent fasting,” Hill added. That means he eats his meals within an 8-hour window, then fasts for 16 hours a day. Intermittent fasting remains slightly controversial, with at least one study proving it’s no more effective than classic calorie restriction.
A typical breakfast for Hill — which he eats around noon, since he stops eating around 8 p.m. — usually includes some overnight oats with lupin flakes, almond milk, berries, and hemp seeds.
As for lunch and dinner, Hill enjoys grain bowls stacked with veggies and proteins like tempeh or soy.
"Everything I eat is typically available to the masses,” Hill said.
Hill's Workout: Hitting the Beach for an "in and out"
Hill works out every day because he'd "go crazy" without it, but keeps each session to 45 minutes or an hour.
“I do go into the gym, but I don’t lift heavy like I used to,” he said. Because of his training as a physiotherapist, he likes to create his own moves that are far away from a classic squat or deadlift.
One of his favorite workouts involves hitting the beach with his buddy and MH Action Hero, Tim Robards, to do what's known as an “in and out.”
“We go into the water to about belly button height and then we turn toward the shore," he explained. "Through the water there’s a lot of resistance, so essentially you’re pushing through the water and then sprinting all the way to the backside of the beach."
"It sounds relatively easy, but pushing through the water is really hard," he added. "Just to get the heart rate up.”
They spend the rest of their workout doing soft sand runs for about 4 kilometers — about 2.5 miles — and finish off with some body weight calisthenics.
Hill is also gearing up to launch Plant Proof, a website revealing exactly how he got in shape.
