Barny du Plessis, 40, from Bristol, has competed in 55 shows in 20 years (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

In 2014, Barny du Plessis made his third attempt at the coveted Mr Universe amateur category. He was 40 – and he took home the title.

Winning the competition was the pinnacle of his bodybuilding career to date and, after he’d smashed it, he decided it was time to hang up his posing pants for good.

Constant training and dieting had left Bristol-based Barny exhausted and drained, He wanted to experience a ‘normal’ life.

But months after winning the title, Barny turned vegan – and says he found himself in better shape than ever.


He claims that his meat-free diet gave him more energy and endurance in the gym than ever before.



With his passion for pumping iron reignited, Barny is now preparing to slip the posing pants back on to compete in Mr Universe 2015.

Mr Universe 2014 winner Barny du Plessis is a GMO free vegan (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

Here is his story…

‘I was raised as a vegetarian from birth until I was 18.

‘My parents were New Age hippies and so were all of their friends, so the whole vegan, vegetarian thing was completely normal in my life.

‘I reluctantly started to eat meat for the extra protein, namely tuna, then chicken, then slowly progressed on to the hard stuff: red meat, mostly beef. I couldn’t ever bring myself to eat pork or lamb.

‘I used to work on an intensive pig farm in my school holidays when I lived with my dad in the country. I witnessed many things that distressed me greatly and it was another reason why I didn’t eat pig.

‘In fact, thinking back to those poor pigs and their suffering helped me when I decided to go vegan.

‘Unfortunately I didn’t know what I know now about nutrition, nor were there many alternatives available that I could realistically eat in the amounts required to adequately sustain the level of protein needed to build the muscle that I was in hot pursuit of.

‘On a typical day I would have eaten either four chicken breasts, 500g of mackerel, four tins of tuna or 18-20 eggs, plus 150g whey protein each day. At the weekend maybe 250g of lean beef mince or steak.

He eventually saw vegan bodybuilding as a viable pursuit – and feels happier than he’s ever felt (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

BARNY'S MEATY AND MEAT-FREE DIETS THEN Breakfast: 10 egg whites, nuts and corn flakes Mid-morning: Whey protein, cereals and a banana Lunch: Chicken, rice, veg and seeds Mid-afternoon: Chicken, rice and veg Post-workout: Whey protein Dinner: Oven chips and a 10 egg white omlette Pudding: Quark with whey and rice crispies. NOW Breakfast: Vegan protein shake and a banana Mid morning: Rice flakes, seeds, vegan protein powder, super greens, flax oil Lunch: Veg, brown basmati rice, mixed lentils, beans and chickpeas Mid-afternoon: Same as lunch Pre-workout: Coconut oil, coffee, and beetroot juice Post-workout: Vegan protein shake and a banana Dinner: Same as breakfast

Barny has opened a vegan stall on Norwich Market called Mr Universe’s Health Hut, with his partner Josie, 41 (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

‘Around 20 years and 55 shows later, with multiple national and international bodybuilding titles, I finally won the prestigious Mr Universe title in 2014 on my third attempt.

‘After winning this coveted title I became very depressed and lost my motivation. I had nothing left to fight for or prove. I was bored of shows, fed up with dieting and feeling drained all the time.

‘I hated the fact that I was eating so much in the way of meat and animal byproducts.

‘My body felt worn out. For all my adult life I’ve been fighting hard to win shows and get the results I wanted in the gym. That would involve 4-7 days a week all year round.

‘It seemed a pointless pursuit to continue to train with the same focus. Prize money doesn’t motivate me whatsoever. I thought it was the sensible and right thing to do and retire at the top of my game.



‘I had never done normal things like just going to the pub or a restaurant. I started to really want to experience a normal life without bodybuilding in the picture.

‘Bodybuilding aside, I’ve also been a personal trainer for many years, a supplements shop manager, online body transformation coach, plus I own my own gym and the Health Hut on Norwich Market.

‘Thus I felt it was probably the right time to retire… at 40.

‘A good age and still in good health, it seemed like the right thing to do. So I hung up my posing trunks for good, or so I thought!

‘But when my parter Josie [UK’s strongest woman 2010] and I turned to veganism, everything changed.

‘These days I train half as much, do half as much but get better results. Why? Only one answer, going vegan, GMO free and organic. My body is running perfectly.

Barny du Plessis won the prestigious Mr Universe 2014 title, and is now set to compete in 2015 as a vegan (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

‘There were many reasons I went vegan to begin with, namely mass farming methods for mass consumption – not to mention my digestive issues.

‘I was getting constant hiccups and pain in my stomach as my hernias were being irritated by meats. Now I feel lighter and never in discomfort or bloated.

‘How many vegans do you see getting heart attacks or high blood pressure? I was thinking about my health, too.

The vegan pair are set to compete in Mr & Miss Universe 2015 (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

‘Josie and I love animals. I couldn’t kill one. So why was I eating them? I was ashamed. We knew it wasn’t right and made us hypocrites.


‘We felt even more uncomfortable being bodybuilders and consuming meat and animal products in far greater quantities than that of normal people. This was another reason I thought about retirement from bodybuilding.

‘However thanks to turning vegan I have just as much strength and power as before – but I have less fat, and greater lean muscle mass, plus better energy and endurance. My recovery is much better and I feel excellent all the time.

‘My training sessions are on fire every time, which is a significant improvement as I used to feel very lethargic and uncomfortable on my carnivorous diet.

‘I am the best I’ve ever been and suffer no delayed onset muscle soreness after heavy sessions.

‘I used to wake up every morning feeling like sh*t. Now I feel awesome.

Barny and Josie with their metalwork (Pictue: Barny du Plessis)

‘So I wanted to train hard again. Josie and I both felt awesome and it became very clear to us that we should both compete at the next Mr & Miss Universe show in October 2015 as the world’s first vegan elite level professional bodybuilders.

‘We now have a point to prove and a massive incentive. We are representing the vegans of the world, all the animals and the environment.

‘My crusade is to show the world that we can live a healthy, happy and prosperous life without exploitation of innocent creatures.

‘The consumer is totally removed from the link to the origins of the food and the suffering; just eating without a thought and sh*****g it out.


‘If there’s one thing you can take away from my story it’s that you don’t need to add to the misery, exploitation and mass murder of animals to stay fit and healthy, look good or build muscle.’

Barny and Josie opened Mr Universe’s Health Hut, which he describes as ‘one stop shop for all your nutrition and sports requirements at awesome prices’ (Picture: Barny du Plessis)

To follow Barny’s vegan journey or for coaching enquiries head to Twitter @MrUniversesHut

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