Vegan Powerlifter Comes Back Stronger After Giving Birth

People still act like veganism means weakness.

Then Katya Gorbacheva turns up eight months after giving birth, after a C-section, after 18 months away from competition, and lifts a 476kg total.

At Moscow Lights, she competed in the women’s 76kg open weight class, won first place, recorded nine good lifts, set a new personal best total, and was named Best Lifter among all raw female competitors.

They were not “good for a vegan.” They were serious numbers.

176kg squat.

105kg bench.

195kg deadlift.

That bench was a 10kg personal record. The deadlift was a 5kg personal record. The total was a competition record.

Pregnancy disrupted her training. Squats and deadlifts were limited because she could not wear a lifting belt. She kept benching heavy, then came back at a lower bodyweight and stronger than before.

“The female body is amazing,” she said. “We can create life only to come back stronger.”

She fuels this with tofu, seitan, grains, vegetables, buckwheat, oats, flax, TVP and other plant foods. Not steak. Not eggs. Not the strange little fantasy people cling to where strength has to come from someone else’s body.

Katya originally changed her diet for health reasons, but the ethics followed. “I wouldn’t eat my dog. Why would I eat a pig? Why would anyone?” Exactly.

Refusing to treat animals as food is not weakness.

The weakness is needing myths to defend exploitation.