How to build muscle on a vegan diet. I had exactly the same question almost six months ago, and despite seeing evidence to the contrary online, I remained very skeptical that it was possible to see the same gains on a vegan diet as when eating meat and dairy. However, I took up the challenge and over the past five months on a vegan diet I have gained 8. I prepare my meals every morning, and yes, I weigh my food. Doesn't work for some people, but for me it's just always been the easiest way so I know what I'm putting in my body.- Over the first month, courtesy of the 4. HB, I followed Occam's Protocol in the gym, essentially two workouts, with two exercises, lifting at a 5/5 cadence and going all out with maximum intensity. Generally, people who aren't gaining muscle from lifting aren't eating enough. I did everything I could to ensure I wouldn't be one of those people, and probably took it too far. My first month's diet equated to 4,5. As a vegan getting this from natural, unprocessed source, this is A LOT of food. Below is a photo of a day's food during the first month. This is also missing one extra shake!- My meal plan then looked like this: 5am: Shake with banana, mixed berries, hemp protein, linseed, hemp oil. Leek & Potato soup. Quinoa, lentils and kidney beans mix with onions & peppers. Potato & kidney bean mash. Lettuce, kale and seeds/nuts salad. Quinoa, lentils and kidney beams. Shake pretty much same as above. Before bed: Peanut butter & almond milk. It was a crazy amount of food. I felt bloated constantly and wanted to be sick anytime I moved!- I ballooned in the first 3. It's amazing how much you can change your body in a month. Can you build muscle and strength on a vegan diet?? Yes, you can build a great amount of muscle and strength on a vegan diet. Sam sent this article my way the other day, "Raw Deal: Can a Guy Build Muscle on a Vegan Diet?". Building Muscle and the Vegan Diet. How do I build muscle on a vegan diet? Here are my own experiences of how I built muscle on a vegan diet. How do I build muscle on a raw food diet? 1200 Calorie Vegan Diet
I gained 3. 4kg of muscle, having not been in the gym more than 3 hours total over the course of the month. However, I also gained 7. My bodyfat percentage went from 2. I started to 2. 7. I didn't mind too much - figured I could lean out anytime, as long as I was gaining muscle.- I used that priceless feedback to tweak my diet. Realising I was clearly eating way more than I needed i dropped the calories to around 3,7. I also wanted to lift more in the gym - psychologically I wanted to feel as if I was working for it and transforming my body. I went to more of a bodybuilding split with a lot higher volume. That programme can be found here: A Simple Program for Complex Results- In the second month I gained another 3. I stayed with the programme and same diet plan for the third month. I gained another 1. Though I still saw gains, they weren't as monumental as the first two months.- I then began the phase I am currently in - trying to lean up quicker (I want to get to around 1. I switched up the programme, doing Joe Defranco's Westside for Skinny Bastards, Part III. This incorporated sprints for the first time, and I also dropped my calories to 3. In that month I lost 2. First time I had a negative muscle month! But thanks to doing the bod pod, I had the data and knew I needed to make changes. So I did.- I re- upped my calories to 3,5. It seemed to work - this past month I gained 0. When we reach May it will officially be six months in and I'm pretty pleased with my transformation so far. I guess the biggest things for me are the photos and bod pod measurements. They have been invaluable in letting me know what is working and not working so I can adapt accordingly. Of course, it hasn't been cheap either. It's all about what you choose to spend your money on I guess. For me, the biggest investment I can make is in my own health and wellbeing. I think the best thing you can do is experiment and see what works for you - just take your initial photos/measurements, and begin. Track everything and make changes accordingly. Eat a lot, lift heavy and you can't go far wrong.
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