Raw Talks - by The Raw Temple

Wanna hear more about our Raw Chef Trainings? Check: https://www.therawtemple.com/dM4IMOSUMMARYIn this episode of Raw Talks, host Alex sits down with John Thomas, vegan bodybuilder, coach and founder of Vegan Squad, to talk about how to build muscle on a plant-based diet. John shares how he went vegetarian at ten and vegan at 13, and how he moved from being a quiet "lone wolf vegan" to an outspoken activist using his physique to challenge the myth that you need meat to build muscle. He breaks down the fundamentals of training, recovery, protein, calories and supplements, and speaks openly about the trade-offs between competitive bodybuilding and long-term health. He also explains the difference between bodybuilding divisions and why he drew the line at 275 pounds. This conversation covers vegan muscle building, training to failure, creatine and key supplements, longevity, and building a global vegan community.LINKSThe Raw Temple: https://www.therawtemple.comThe Raw Temple IG: https://www.instagram.com/therawtemple/John Thomas IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebodybuildingvegan/Free Vegan Resources: https://vegansquadcoaching.com/resourcesVegan Squad Retreat: https://vegansquadcoaching.com/retreatCHAPTERS00:00:00 - Intro00:00:31 - Welcome John Thomas00:01:46 - Early moments that shaped a young vegan00:04:04 - Going vegetarian at 10 and vegan at 1300:05:43 - From wrestling to bodybuilding00:08:33 - From lone wolf vegan to outspoken activist00:11:40 - Vegan Squad athletes and the vegan competitive edge00:14:05 - Top tips for building muscle as a vegan00:16:35 - Protein, calories and easy-to-digest foods00:19:58 - Bodybuilding vs health and longevity00:25:42 - PEDs, risk and becoming the biggest vegan bodybuilder00:28:42 - Essential supplements: B12, vitamin D, magnesium, creatine00:33:23 - Training frequency, intensity and training to failure00:38:51 - Building muscle vs building strength00:42:08 - Men's open bodybuilding vs men's physique00:45:25 - What's next: Vegan Squad retreats00:47:57 - Final advice: don't do it alone

Wanna hear more about our Raw Chef Trainings? Check: https://www.therawtemple.com/dM4IMOSUMMARYIn this episode of Raw Talks, our host sits down with Alex E Lamber — the man usually asking the questions — who takes the guest seat to talk about the eight-year path that took him from a corporate life in Sydney to a mainly raw vegan lifestyle in Bali. Alex shares the reading, documentaries and spiritual awakening that shifted his perspective, and why proving you can build muscle without meat matters so much to the people watching. He speaks candidly about staying open-minded rather than dogmatic, about the forces that profit from people being unwell, and about what veganism has to do with healthy masculinity. He also opens up about stepping into fatherhood, planning a natural home birth with his partner, and why he supports her choices even when they differ from his own. This conversation covers raw veganism and athletic performance, the protein myth, Gen Z and the carnivore movement, predator versus protector masculinity, natural birth, and how to get involved with the Raw Temple community in Bali and online.LINKSWebsite: https://www.therawtemple.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/therawtemple/Alex E Lamber: https://www.instagram.com/alexelamber/CHAPTERS00:00:00 - Building the body for nature and the animals00:01:22 - The turning point into veganism00:02:23 - Sapiens, factory farming and the fresh-eye perspective00:04:13 - Proving muscle can be built without meat00:06:22 - The protein myth and the next generation00:08:08 - Gen Z, carnivore influence and freedom of choice00:09:23 - The forces that profit from sickness00:11:21 - Logic versus embodied experience00:12:47 - Why dogma harms the movement00:13:28 - Five years, five sick days00:15:49 - Fatherhood and raising a child plant-based00:17:30 - His partner's path and the eggs question00:19:30 - Planning a natural home birth00:23:39 - Veganism and healthy masculinity00:25:01 - Predator or protector00:27:58 - Strength put to the test00:31:06 - Events, trainings and community00:34:56 - Who's coming next on Raw Talks

Wanna hear more about our Raw Chef Trainings? Check: https://www.therawtemple.com/dM4IMOThe first episode we did together: https://youtu.be/NleVzzd2to4SUMMARYIn this episode of Raw Talks, host sits down with Dr. George Cromack, a 72-year-old chiropractic physician who has been high-raw, high-fruit vegan for over 53 years and has treated more than 50,000 patients. After covering diet in their first conversation, they go beyond food into everything else that determines how well we age. Dr. George breaks down his daily practice of asana, pranayama and meditation, his strength training split, his sleep protocol, and the simple biohacks he actually finds worth the money. He also shares the accident and decade of chronic pain that shaped his approach, and why purpose and self-love are the foundation everything else is built on. This conversation covers spinal hygiene, headstand safety, insomnia without drugs, sauna and ice plunge, protein on a raw diet, and what it really takes to thrive past 70.LINKSThe Raw Temple: https://www.therawtemple.com/The Raw Temple IG: https://www.instagram.com/therawtemple/Dr. George IG: https://www.instagram.com/cromackgeorge/His free video: https://yogi-doctor.com/We will add the discount to his course when it is ready in the coming weeks.CHAPTERS00:00:00 - Intro & Welcome Back, Dr. George Cromack00:02:44 - The Diet Is a Tool, Not the Goal00:04:35 - Asana, Pranayama and Meditation Explained00:07:33 - Headstands: Done Right, and Who Should Avoid Them00:10:18 - Building a Daily Practice Your Mind Won't Reject00:16:21 - Raw Temple Academy00:19:02 - Sleep, Insomnia and Drug-Free Solutions00:23:15 - Qigong, Morning Sun and Grounding00:26:26 - Strength Training, Sarcopenia and Independence00:34:49 - Simple Biohacks That Actually Work00:42:55 - The Accident and the Dark Years00:48:51 - Purpose, Community and Service00:53:30 - Self-Love and the Energy Savings Account01:02:12 - Why Purpose Drives Everything Else01:19:48 - Sauna, Ice Plunge and Wim Hof vs Pranayama01:27:14 - How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?01:33:50 - Renew Yourself: Book, Course and Coaching01:36:12 - Outro

Wanna hear more about our Raw Chef Trainings? Check: https://www.therawtemple.com/dM4IMOSUMMARYIn this episode of Raw Talks, host Alex sits down with Joey Bilotich, a 22-year-old men's coach and plant-based athlete who went from a hedonistic lifestyle to winning a natural bodybuilding competition on a vegan diet. Joey shares how his brother's ethical arguments dismantled his carnivore beliefs, why he views veganism as the most masculine dietary choice a man can make, and the moment before his second competition that redirected his whole mission. He breaks down the four pillars of men's work — physical, mental, sexual, and spiritual — and explains why purpose only arrives once a man becomes internally abundant. Alex and Joey also dig into why so many intelligent people still eat meat, the social pressure that pulls vegans back, and what a world without slaughterhouses could look like. This conversation covers veganism and masculinity, bodybuilding on plants, activism, self-development, sexuality, and finding purpose as a young man.LINKSThe Raw Temple: https://www.therawtemple.com/The Raw Temple IG: https://www.instagram.com/therawtemple/Joey Bilotich IG: https://www.instagram.com/joeybilotich/CHAPTERS00:00:00 - Intro00:01:38 - From Hedonism to Self-Development00:03:29 - His Brother Goes Vegan & the Logic That Broke Through00:05:41 - Muay Thai, Bodybuilding & Losing the First Show00:07:14 - The Download in the Car00:09:16 - Two Vegan Winners: One in 10,00000:14:37 - Documentaries & Resources to Start With00:22:08 - What Is Men's Work?00:25:08 - Raw Chef Academy00:27:01 - Why Veganism Is the Most Masculine Diet00:31:02 - Why Intelligent People Still Eat Meat00:36:30 - Slaughterhouses and Battlefields00:43:56 - Social Pressure: Why Vegans Go Back00:51:46 - Is Veganism a Conspiracy?01:01:56 - A World Without Slaughterhouses01:09:17 - Purpose, Self-Love & Discipline01:14:38 - Relationships, Sexuality & Semen Retention01:23:07 - Martial Arts & Confidence01:26:38 - Closing Message

Wanna hear more about our Raw Chef Trainings? Check: https://www.therawtemple.com/dM4IMOSUMMARYIn this episode of Raw Talks, host Alex sits down with Dr. George Cromack, a chiropractic physician who has been eating a high-fruit, high-raw vegan diet for 53 years and is still training six days a week at 72. He shares what his diet actually looks like across the year, the mistakes he made starting out at 19 in 1970s New Jersey, and why going too fast with detox and fasting is the main reason so many people abandon raw food and swing to carnivore. He makes the case for a flexible, practical approach built around raw till 4, explains why he considers spirulina one of his most valuable tools, and breaks down why the fear of fruit sugar rests on a misunderstanding of basic biochemistry. He also covers Ayurvedic body types, why one protocol doesn't fit everyone, and the blood markers long-term vegans should actually be testing. This conversation covers diet percentages, detox pacing, fasting, spirulina, insulin sensitivity, protein myths, supplements, and omega-3, B12 and folate on a plant-based diet.LINKSThe Raw Temple: https://www.therawtemple.com/The Raw Temple IG: https://www.instagram.com/therawtemple/Dr. George IG: https://www.instagram.com/cromackgeorge/His free video: https://yogi-doctor.com/We will add the discount to his course when it is ready in the coming weeks.CHAPTERS00:00:00 - Intro to Dr. George Cromack00:02:07 - What 53 Years of High Fruit, High Raw Actually Looks Like00:04:13 - Why Climate and Food Quality Change Everything00:08:19 - Going Raw at 19 in 1970s New Jersey00:10:57 - The Biggest Beginner Mistake: Not Eating Enough00:12:13 - Aggressive Detox and the Pendulum Swing to Carnivore00:21:03 - Family, Social Life and Allowing Some Flexibility00:24:48 - The Practical Perfect Diet: Raw Till 400:31:31 - The Problem With Three Gourmet Raw Meals a Day00:32:59 - Are Humans Frugivores? Anatomy and the Protein Myth00:37:45 - Why Spirulina: Amino Acids, Chlorophyll and Blood Sugar00:46:25 - Emotional Detox and Healing Crises00:52:42 - Fruit and Blood Sugar: The Diabetes Misunderstanding00:58:28 - Ayurvedic Body Types: Why One Size Doesn't Fit All01:07:06 - Superfoods, Herbs and Supplements01:12:32 - Omega-3, B12 and Vegan Deficiencies01:17:08 - The New Book, the Course and Closing