The Vegan Superhero AcademyReviews of thevegangym.com

I’ve signed up for their 90 day plan and it has been an outstanding experience. I was paired with Zach for the program and he is the best coach anyone can ask for. He is supportive, motivational, understanding when things got difficult for me, and very knowledgeable. He shared his passion for fitness, health, nutrition, mindset, and veganism with me. Additionally the entire staff and the community of others going through the program just like you are so welcoming The academy’s mission of spreading awareness to those around us through compassion and visible results is exactly what I wanted to embody and they have helped me achieve that goal.

I'm about to finish my time with the Vegan Superhero Academy (VSA). My goal in seeking out a program to improve my health and fitness was motivated by a desire to have more energy to meet the demands of my life. I have tried several vegan meal subscriptions in the past. While they were decent, I could not use them long-term for cost and sustainability concerns. I also researched multiple personal trainers. While they offered a personalized program that included exercises and a nutrition plan, none of them seemed thrilled that I was mostly vegan. Thus, when I came across VSA, I was so thrilled. This is a program designed FOR vegans. After chatting with Anders, one of the co-founders of VSA, via Instagram, I moved forward with a 1-hour intake/interview see if the VSA program and I were right for each other. I totally appreciated that time to learn about the program in detail and share my goals BEFORE investing my money. I felt that VSA was everything I was hoping for and signed up for 3 months. The price included a personal coach, a vegan nutritionist, an extensive online video of health and fitness learning modules, and an online community of people supporting and encouraging each other. I wasn’t necessarily overweight, but after meeting with my coach, we decided that I would start with a cutting phase to shred about 10 lbs and drop my body fat to about 10%. Honestly, this sounded like a very tall order and potentially painful. I feared that I would be starving for 12 weeks. But looking back as I finish up, I am BLOWN AWAY by what I have achieved with the support of my coach and the VSA team and family. I did it! I lost a little over 10 lbs and got down to about 10% body fat. I didn’t suffer and starve. Of course, achieving any goal takes dedication and hard work. Still, through the knowledge I gained in this program, I became competent in properly FUELING AND NOURISHING my body WHILE dieting. This is so much more valuable than getting a food subscription. I have learned a new skill that I will carry for the rest of my life! I didn't starve and dream about food all the time because I learned how to get enough Vegan protein to stay satiated. The VSA program doesn’t force you into a generic formula/frequency of working out. Your unique program depends on your goals and your life context. My coach considered my very busy life as a healthcare worker. Despite that, he crafted a 4x/week weight-training program that I could fit into my hectic schedule. Throughout my time, I had continual meetings with my coach to adjust and optimize my body recomposition. I am STRONGER after my 3-month cutting than I was before I started. That is amazing to me. I didn’t lose valuable lean muscle mass to become “skinny fat.” I look and feel so much younger and fitter. I don’t think I have felt this comfortable in my body since I grew up more bookish than athletic. One big takeaway I learned about myself in VSA is that I can do a lot more physically than what my emotions and old beliefs used to dictate. I can't say enough good things. VSA is true to its promise. They really do train you to graduate and arm you with the skills and knowledge to keep growing and improving in your personal health and fitness journey. I am really proud of myself, grateful to VSA and Coach Marc, and feel like this is one of the BEST INVESTMENTS I have made in my life!

I started the VSA on January 3, 2023. I came to this program looking to finally resolve some lingering mental debris from an eating disorder (ED) that I dealt with for many years. My goal coming into the VSA was to learn how to treat my body with kindness and to be its friend and advocate. My intention was to improve my mindset versus lose a certain amount of weight or obtain a certain physique. For some further context I have been vegan for 18 years, so I was already on board with the vegan aspect of the VSA. And while I really enjoy being active, my physical fitness had slipped in part due to the pandemic and in part to a negative and punitive mindset toward fitness. I share all of this upfront to show how flexible the VSA is and how customized and personal the program can be. When they say it is not "one size fits all" they really mean it. At the start of the VSA you are asked (though not required) to share your weight, body measurements and photos of your current body as a means to track and measure your progress over time. I do not own a scale and I was not comfortable submitting measurements or photos as this hit too close to home with some body image/ED issues. I was worried about how this was all going to work as my coach would not have any data to work with. But incredibly it was all ok. While you are in the VSA you are assigned a coach based on what your goals are and how best the coach and your goals align. I was nervous and scared to start this program as I knew I would have to revisit some difficult moments in my past so that I could move forward. Talking about my ED and body image struggles is tough, and I knew if this program was going to work I would have to be vulnerable, honest and trusting of and toward my coach. Enter Coach Andrew. From the beginning Coach Andrew has created a space where trust, honesty and vulnerability are welcome, present, honored and encouraged. I will admit that I was skeptical as first as to how the VSA could be so personalized. But from the beginning Coach Andrew really listened to me and made an initial plan that just served as a guideline based on my goals.He understood that measuring food was not a good option for me due to past experiences with my ED. Coach Andrew simply gave me some examples of high protein plant based meals and I simply increased my amount of daily plant based protein without actually measuring out portions. In terms of fitness, we started out with the weights I had at home because I was still uncertain about returning to the gym. From the start of the program we dove right into mindset topics but in a very conversational and natural way. I did not feel rushed or hurried or told I needed to be at a certain point in the program at a certain time. Our coaching relationship feels very natural, organic and collaborative. Things unfold as they do and we respond to them and move forward. If something happens (for example I have a bad experience with food or my body) we talk about it, learn from it and move on. But there is also space for taking steps back as will inevitably happen when you are trying to grow and change. Coach Andrew is always there to support me when I take a step back and to help me to learn from the experience. He mentioned on our first Zoom call that growth is not linear and that we are all "works in progress" and that mindset permeates all of our interactions. Coach Andrew also had me start daily reflections on how I am feeling about both my body and food. This too was a collaborative effort-we decided together what to ask, how to format it and how best to use this tool. We then further refined the reflection process to create a program within a program where I can literally text him any time with a negative body thought that is followed by a positive- or neutral- body thought. The idea behind this is that I am learning in the moment how to rethink these topics and by accumulating repetitions of a healthier mindset we will work to change my old thought patterns. The amazing thing is that Coach Andrew started to share with me some of his occasional body image concerns. I cannot stress how amazing it is to see your coach- who is a very fit and muscular man-share that he too still struggles in this area from time to time. This really makes me feel that we are part of a team and my coach still has a "beginner's mind" where he is humble enough to know he is still growing and learning too. I have grown a tremendous amount in the short time I have been in the VSA. I am beyond grateful to be working with Coach Andrew. He is a very kind, thoughtful and encouraging person. He is also very responsive, generous with his time and can own a mistake if he makes one. He also acknowledges how you feel and never dismisses it or diminishes it. He will honor your struggle while still looking forward. I highly recommend the VSA! Give it a try-it might just change your life.

I had a really positive experience with VSA. The coaches are amazing and very supportive. I personally worked with Coach Emma, who is kind, helpful, knowledgable and always has a positive spirit! I learned so much in the 1 yr+ I had with VSA, and I encourage anyone who's looking to follow a plant based diet and get lots of expertise and support to join!

VSA has been an incredible journey for me. I started in February 2023, and I currently have about 4 weeks left. I was a mess when I joined- I was gaining weight uncontrollably, I was constantly tired, I felt bad inside and out, and was feeling generally defeated. I had a few failed attempts at course-correcting prior to joining VSA, and was beyond ready for someone to tell me how to fix things. I had been a vegetarian since 2008, and was an on/off again vegan ever since. I realized that just eating vegan wasn’t enough to be healthy, and I needed to find an intentional and calculated approach to my diet & exercise plan. Zach Smith has been my coach at VSA, and I feel like I hit the coaching jackpot with him! Not only has he mastered the art of vegan macro-friendly recipes (that are insanely good), but he seems to know a little bit about everything. He is super patient when I get off course, and has helped me figure out how to jump back when I feel ready to quit. Zach practices what he preaches, and knowing that he was also tracking everything alongside me was so encouraging. VSA has helped me lose 11lbs already, but the scale isn’t even my main focus anymore. I feel better, I sleep better, I’m in such a good mood, my blood pressure has even improved (I was at 112/78 yesterday, that’s the lowest it’s been without meds). Zach has taught me perseverance, and has given me an entirely new perspective on my health and life goals. I’m endlessly grateful to Zach and VSA- I know I will carry these principles with me for life! I can’t wait to see where my journey will take me, now that my approach to vegan health and fitness is more clear. Thank you Zach- what you do matters so much, and it changes lives.

I discovered VSA at a crucial time in my life. I had tried to get back on track with health and fitness for some time on my own and it just wasn’t happening. With VSA I met Coach James who supported and encouraged me to fulfill my dreams. It gave me accountability like I’d never had before and a community of other fellow vegans on the same journey. I lost 14lbs of fat in my first month and then discovered I was pregnant. Coach James got with his team and adjusted my program to accommodate this huge life change to ensure I maintained my weight and started off this pregnancy with the resources I needed to have a safe and healthy vegan pregnancy. I’m so grateful that this happened while I was in VSA as it prepared my body and gave me the tools I needed know how to fuel my body appropriately. I’m truly grateful for my time with VSA and recommend it to any vegan ready to commit to a life-changing transformation!

VSA has course corrected my life. This program is so much more than just another fitness endeavor. Not only are you helping to collectively save the planet and animals you are gaining immense knowledge and wisdom from like minded people all over the globe. Having Coach Sarah as my guide and navigator the past 3 months has been the biggest blessing. I consistently had questions that were answered with honesty and heart from her every week. Anytime I needed to change something or felt as though the meal plan wasn't working out with daily life there was never any resistance only adjustments made to cater to my needs that did set me up for success. This community shows so much acceptance for exactly who you are and where you are along your journey without any judgement ever. Feeling a sense of belonging to this community has been one of the greatest take aways along with learning how to properly exercise and fuel my body with the right foods to live a sustainable fitness lifestyle. I have full intentions of coming back to this program later this year as it has forever changed the way I see myself and others who are committed to changing themselves and our planet! So much gratitude for all of the coaches who put all of their effort into the group calls and master classes every single day. Thank you for holding such a safe space for me to step into and begin this new way of living! See y'all soon!

Working with VSA Coach Mark for the last 8 weeks has been unreal. As a coach, Mark has kept me so motivated and accountable and has always taken the time to answer all those questions I’ve had along the way (and there’s been a few!). On top of that, through the VSA program, I’m developing the tools and knowledge I need to generate my own motivation so I can continue to push myself also. The program itself is well structured and organised in a way that is easy to use. One of the coolest things about VSA is that you gain the support of an entire global network of like minded people who are here to learn and grow. VSA is so much more than a fitness program; it’s changing what I thought was possible and has helped me to operate at my peak. If you’re on the fence about this one, take the jump.