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Patrick Baboumian has been a vegan since 2011

Former body builder Patrick Baboumian, 33, is a strongman competitor and a strength athlete who completes all over the globe to show off his immense power. Also known as Popeye, the Armenian German currently holds the world log lift record in the 105kg-category as well as the title of the Strongest Man in Germany. But he also has a surprising secret, as the strongman has followed a strict vegan diet for more than five years.


He said: "The most powerful animals are herbivores. The gorillas, buffalos, elephants, and now me. "I just found myself thinking that if I would have to kill the animals I ate with my own hands I couldn't because I was to compassionate. "I felt that I was fooling myself eating meat considering my inability to kill an animal so I just thought I'd better be honest to myself and stop eating meat." Baboumian, who is also the face of animal rights organisation PETA, says thanks to his diet he has never been stronger.

GETTY Baboumian is also the face of animal rights organisation PETA

GETTY Baboumian set a world record after lifting a 150kg beer keg above his head


He added: "Why do I not eat meat? Vegetables give me all the nutrients I need to be a high performance athlete, including proteins. "The difference with meat and animal products is that vegetables don't clog your arteries with saturated fat." Despite the lack of meat, it seems to be going well for the athlete - who weighs in at 116kg (255lbs) of muscle with biceps half a metre thick. In 2012, he set a world record by lifting a 150.2kg beer keg over his head and added 10 seconds to the fronthold record which involves holding a 20kg weight with straight arms in front of the body.

GETTY Venus and Serena Williams are raw vegans during their season