Vegan Athlete Wins Britain's Strongest Man Title

Vegan Athlete Wins Britain’s Strongest Man Title

Tom Butts is Britain's strongest man in the 90kg category

25th July 2025

3 Minutes Read

Tom Butts, a vegan athlete and strength coach, recently won a Britain’s Strongest Man title.

Butts took first place in the under 90kg category at the Official Strongman British Championships earlier this year. The competition is a common route for athletes to gain entry to larger, international competitions, which makes Butts Britain’s strongest man in his category.

In order to win the championships, Butts completed four 280kg deadlifts, two reps of a 130kg “Atlas” stone-to-shoulder movement in 22 seconds, and carried a 140kg bag 110 metres. He also managed to complete four reps with an 80kg strongman dumbbell and a timed sandbag toss.

Writing on Instagram shortly after his victory, Butts said: “Such an awesome title to hold, and I’m very proud to do so. Individually, not at all the performance I was hoping for, but somehow it was enough on the day, with challenging events that were troubling us all.”

Butts previously became Natural World Champion in the under 90kg category in 2023 and successfully defended his title in 2024. He competed in the US with the Vegan Strong Plantbuilt team and made it to the podium in the 100kg class at the Mr America Sports Festival. He coaches other athletes alongside another vegan weightlifter, Daniel Jay, and the pair work together under the name “Cold Blood Coaching” out of Southampton’s The Barbell Division gym.

Vegan athletes and nutrition

Photo shows vegan athlete Tom Butts on the podium alongside peers and competitors at the Official Strongman British Championships — Tom Butts Tom Butts took first at the Official Strongman British Championships by lifting over 1000kg across several movements

According to Great Vegan Athletes, Butts adopted a plant-based diet about five years ago for animal welfare reasons.

“I prioritise carbs and protein in my meals,” said Butts. “Oats, rice, and potato meals are my go-tos. I have four meals a day and roughly 3,700kcal. Meals vary in size, but usually have around 50g [of] protein and are just shy of 1,000 kcal.”

An increasing number of plant-based athletes are achieving notable success in their fields. In June, vegan triathlete Max Hoffmann took first place in the DTU Championships to become German Champion. Just a few weeks later, Hoffmann won the Bavarian Championships. Speaking to Plant Based News (PBN), Hoffmann also highlighted the importance of healthy carbs for vegan athletes.