Vegan Muscle Building – How To

Are you wondering how vegan muscle building is supposed to work? Then read on!

Strong, broad, muscular.

Is this how you want to describe your body? Then your goal is clearly to build muscle. After researching on this topic, most people realize that in addition to proper strength training, an appropriate diet also plays a role.

However, the usual recommendations are designed for people with a mixed diet. Diet plans for building muscle usually include large amounts of meat, cottage cheese, and dairy proteins. But is this absolutely necessary? What if you do not want to consume these products for ethical reasons? Our article will show you: This is how vegan muscle building works!

Does Vegan Muscle Building Work?

More and more vegan strength athletes are proving that it is possible to build muscle on a vegan diet. Among them are, for example

• Bodybuilders: Alexander Dargatz, SuzAnneLlano
• Powerlifters: Anastasia Zinchenko, Nick Squires
• Strongmen/Women: Patrick Baboumian, Kim Best
• Calisthenics: Frank Medrano, Derek Simnett
• Weightlifters: Kendrick Farris, Clarence Kennedy

They all rely on a vegan diet to fuel their muscles – with success. Research suggests that there is probably no relevant difference between a vegan and a mixed-food diet in terms of muscle building and strength if it is high in protein (> 1.6 g/kg body weight) (Hevia-Larraín et al., 2021; Lim et al., 2021). You will learn more about this later in the article.

The explanation for why vegan muscle building is possible is actually quite simple: For growing muscle, it is important to get the right nutrients in the right amounts. Since plant foods contain all these important substances, vegan muscle building can work. Which nutrients are important, how you can get them from a vegan diet, and what you need to watch out for, is explained below.

How Does the Vegan Diet Support Muscle Building?

By training alone, you can achieve a lot, especially in the beginning, even without paying special attention to your diet. One person intuitively eats more “hypertrophy-enhancing” (good for muscle growth), the other not so much. But sooner or later, things will go faster and better if the diet is adjusted to the training. The result: more power in training, increased muscle protein biosynthesis, improved recovery, reduced risk of injury, more endurance, increased focus. Here is how a vegan diet can help with muscle building.

The Key Success Factors

The most important dietary aspects for (vegan) muscle building are

• There must be enough energy for tissue building.
• Muscle protein biosynthesis must be greater than muscle breakdown.
• The micronutrient intake must allow a functioning (energy) metabolism.

Note: Since a positive energy balance is usually required for tissue building, it is more efficient to choose one goal: muscle gain or fat loss. Beginners, newcomers or severely overweight individuals often can have both at the same time. However, the more advanced you are and the lower your body fat percentage, the less likely or efficient it is to pursue both processes at the same time. Therefore, the focus below will be on vegan muscle building in a caloric excess.

If the primary goal is weight loss, muscle gain becomes unlikely due to the caloric deficit required to achieve fat loss. In this case, you prioritize weight loss and are mainly concerned with muscle maintenance, which can be achieved through increased protein intake, training, and (especially for athletes with very low body fat levels) a small caloric deficit. However, if you pay attention to these factors, you can build some muscle even partially during dieting.

Calorie Intake

The goal is to achieve a positive energy balance. This means that energy intake must be greater than energy expenditure.

But how high should the caloric surplus be? There is no general answer to this question. It depends on how much fat gain you are willing to accept and how fast you want to build muscle. The former is primarily a personal decision, while the latter is influenced by the following factors, among others

• genetics
• hormone balance
• muscle attachments
• leverages and joints
• metabolism
• training
• nutrition
• recovery

Beginners tend to build muscle faster than advanced athletes, which means they can choose a higher caloric surplus. Table 1 shows the recommendations derived from the research.

Table 1: Recommended Weight Gain Rates for Muscle Building (Helms et al., 2019)

Once you know your maintenance calories, you can calculate how many calories you need to add. Initially, you can assume that an increase of 500 kcal per day (on average) will result in a weekly increase of 500 g. However, these figures are based on rough theoretical assumptions and calculations. In reality, the energy intake required to build muscle tissue is different, and your energy expenditure may change due to the additional calories you consume. Therefore, you should monitor your body weight and make adjustments every two weeks, for example.

However, it is difficult to determine if you are gaining weight at the desired rate because the number on the scale is influenced by many factors. By weighing yourself daily, then averaging each week and watching the progression and/or measuring circumferences, you can get a rough idea of how your muscle gain is progressing.

The most accurate way to monitor your gains is to track your food intake in addition to your weight. For example, you can use an app to calculate how many calories you consume. To do this, you need to weigh each food item you eat. With some experience, and if you do not want to be completely accurate, you can estimate. Alternatively, you can create eating routines or – if you do not have a precise schedule and a linear and precise increase is not so important to you – eat more or less “by feel”.

Especially if you find it difficult to eat more, energy-dense vegan foods will help you. Since you will be eating larger amounts of food overall, and therefore usually getting more micronutrients, there is also room for micronutrient-poor foods like sweets, white flour pastries, and the like.

For vegan muscle building, these high-calorie foods can be helpful:

• grains and products made from them (baked goods)
• legumes
• dried fruit
• nuts and seeds, and butters made from them
• avocado
• coconut milk
• marinated tofu and tempeh
• meat alternatives
• juices
• sauces
• fats and oils
• dairy alternatives (milk alternatives, vegan cream, cheese alternatives, etc.)
• sweets (chocolate, cookies, gummy bears)

But be careful: especially light-weight people who do not have a high energy expenditure and aim for a slow build-up rate, often do not need many calories even for vegan muscle building. If you do not keep track of your calorie intake and include many of the above mentioned foods in your diet, you will quickly consume a lot of calories without realizing it. Then the body weight can increase rapidly and the “risk” for a strong fat increase is high.

To make vegan muscle building as efficient as possible, that means to increase the muscle percentage more than the fat percentage, the macronutrient distribution plays a role in addition to the training.

Protein Intake

The most important dietary factor in muscle building are – who would have thought – the proteins. Even if many (“old-school”) bodybuilders see it differently, it is possible to cover the protein needs of vegan bodybuilders with plant-based foods. This can be done by combining different protein sources, increasing the total protein intake, and soaking and cooking legumes and grains before eating.

But how much protein is needed for vegan muscle building? From the literature, a recommended intake of 1.4–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight can be derived for strength athletes eating a mixed diet (Ribeiro et al., 2019). Because the protein quality of plant foods is lower than that of sources of animal origin, vegans likely need to consume more protein than people who consume meat and dairy. However, in one study, even after consuming 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight after a 12-week resistance training program, there was no difference in measured muscle growth between vegan subjects consuming a soy protein and omnivorous subjects consuming a whey protein (Hevia-Larraín et al., 2021). Since this is only a small study with novice exercisers, it is not possible to make a definitive recommendation for 1.6 g/kg body weight. If you want to be on the safe side, you should aim for at least 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Little things that can make all the difference when everything else is in place:

• Spread your protein intake evenly over your (main) meals. So if you eat four times a day, do not have a sandwich with jam for breakfast and a 100g protein shake for dinner if you are aiming to get 160 g of protein in total.
• Consume protein at regular intervals. Spread your intake over three to five “feedings” three to four hours apart.
• Make sure you get enough leucine, ideally about 2–3 grams per meal. If this is not possible with whole foods, you can use a protein powder with an appropriate leucine content, EAA products or the isolated amino acid.

In this way, you can probably optimize muscle protein biosynthesis a bit more if it is important to you and fits into your daily routine. However, the most important thing is that you consume enough protein in general and essential amino acids in particular throughout the day (Jäger et al., 2017).

Good sources of protein for vegan muscle building include

• tofu
• tempeh
• seitan
• legumes (lentils, beans, peas, chickpeas) and
• products made from them
• protein powder
• complementary: amaranth, quinoa, nuts, seeds

Carbohydrate Intake

Carbohydrates play a minor role in strength training compared to endurance sports. However, filled glycogen stores can be an advantage for staying focused and strong until the end of the training, especially during long sessions with short rest periods. In addition, they aid in recovery and can shorten the time until the next possible effort. However, the margin for carbohydrate intake during the muscle building phase is quite large due to the higher energy intake, so sufficient carbohydrate is usually consumed.

When choosing carbohydrate sources for vegan muscle building, you can distinguish between slow and fast digestible carbohydrates. The further away from training, the more long-chain carbohydrates and fibers can be included, the closer to training, the faster the selected carbohydrates should be available. This allows you to take advantage of the energy-availability during exercise. However, this is of secondary importance for strength training. It is more important that you do not feel sluggish during your workout.

With a little experience, you will find out exactly what is good for you and when. If you have a very high calorie requirement, you will find that eating a lot of legumes and whole grains will quickly overload your digestive system and make you feel unwell. On the other hand, these products keep you feeling full for longer and prevent hunger during exercise.

Good sources of carbohydrates for vegan muscle building include

• rice
• (pseudo) grains and products made from them (oatmeal, pasta, bread, pastries)
• potatoes, sweet potatoes
• legumes
• sweet corn
• (dried) fruit
• berries
• fruit & vegetables
• gummy bears
• isolated carbohydrates like maltodextrin

Fat Intake

How high you set your fat intake for vegan muscle building depends mainly on your preferences. In general, 1 to 1.5 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight is recommended. If you have a very high caloric requirement and are having trouble meeting it, you can eat more. There is no upper limit to the amount of fat you can eat. However, a diet that is very high in fat and therefore low in carbohydrates could potentially have a negative effect on exercise performance and muscle building (Cholewa et al., 2019). Less than 1 gram of fat per kilogram of body weight may be detrimental to health in the long term, especially for women; it should not be less than 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight regardless of gender.

Avoid high-fat meals shortly before training. They delay digestion and may leave you with a heavy stomach when you exercise. This can affect your performance.

Vegan athletes should pay special attention to the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. Since these are not directly consumed through the diet, it is recommended to use an (algae) oil rich in these fatty acids or supplements. The omega-3 index, which should be at least 8 %, is a good way to monitor your status and intake. These fatty acids are important for general health, but there is also evidence that they can support recovery in athletes (Li et al., 2020; VanDusseldorp et al., 2020). However, the research on supplementation with these omega-3 fatty acids is still in its infancy, due to many different study designs and confounding factors, and no clear conclusions can be drawn regarding effect and dosage.

Drinks

In general, special drinks are not necessary for vegan strength training. This is due to the fact that during most strength training sessions the glycogen stores are only depleted to a small extent, so that an additional supply of carbohydrates is not necessary. The same is true for amino acids. If you get enough amino acids throughout the day (from whole foods, protein powders, or isolated as needed), and if you eat a protein-rich meal some time before and after your workout, you won’t need additional amino acids during your workout – especially if you are in a caloric surplus.

For those who have problems eating enough, liquid calories are a good way to take in calories almost unnoticed. Also, during long sessions, you can use them to quickly replenish energy so that you can stay focused and have the needed strength until the end. Examples include maltodextrin/cluster dextrin or another carbohydrate source, diluted juices, energy drinks, perhaps soft drinks, or milk alternatives. If you want something richer, you can mix yourself a “protein shake – but do not drink that during your training ;).

Looking for a vegan nutrition expert?

• find a Vegan Nutritionist online or in your area
• product independent counseling
• in accordance with the ecodemy Ethics Policy

To directory

Vegan Recipes for Muscle Building

If you have been using products of animal origin to build muscle, or if you have never been involved in sports nutrition before, you may be wondering how to implement all the nutrient recommendations.

Here are a few tips for your muscle building recipes:

• Puree foods: Soups, sauces, purees, and shakes are easier to eat.
• Add rich sauces and spreads, such as nut butters, coconut milk, vegan cream, etc.
• Use oils for sautéing or adding on top of the meals.
• Add nuts and seeds to your food.
• Choose the higher-calorie version of plant-based yogurt, drinks, tofu, spreads, substitutes, etc.
• Oven baked (sweet) potato wedges/fries lose water and are therefore more calorie-dense.
• You can make protein pancakes even more calorie-dense by adding a nutty topping.
• Pasta casseroles can provides a good 1000 kcal right off the bat.
• Delicious Mass Shakes help you take in calories quickly.
• Nutty Bread is energy dense thanks to seeds and nuts, and spreads are the perfect complement. You can use sweet and savory spreads based on olives or cashews.

With those tips, you will get a quick calorie boost and your muscles will be well nourished.

If you want to make your own vegan muscle building recipes, you can make them like this

• Carbohydrates: should be from fast- or slow-available sources, depending on hunger, need, and timing, and should be included in the largest or all meals.
• Proteins: should be included in every meal throughout the day from a variety of sources.
• Fats: should be included depending on the distance from your workout.
• Vegetables, which can be pureed as needed or snacked on with a rich dip or hummus, should be included at least two, preferably three servings per day.
• Fruit should be on the menu at least twice a day. Although the nutritional value is highest in raw fruit, you can sometimes puree and/or roast it. It also tastes great with lightly toasted oatmeal and nuts with yogurt!

How to Support Vegan Muscle Building

In addition to training and macronutrient intake, micronutrient intake plays a role in muscle growth. Athletes may have an increased need for some nutrients, but there is currently insufficient scientific evidence to determine the extent of this need.

As for everyone, the following also applies to vegan athletes: Regular monitoring of the most important nutritional parameters provides security and allows for targeted supplementation if necessary. If there is no deficiency, then according to current studies, there is no advantage of taking additional vitamins or minerals to build muscle.

What does have a positive effect, however, is sleep! Instead of looking for the next “super-supp”, you should use the time to sleep. During this time, the body recovers, regeneration processes promote muscle building, and only those who are rested can perform in training. By eating short-chain carbohydrates, kiwis and sour cherry juice before bedtime, you can probably positively influence your sleep quality and quantity (Doherty et al., 2019).

(Not only) interesting for vegan muscle building: creatine. In its position paper, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) lists creatine as one of the supplements with the most proven performance-enhancing effects. With 3 to 5 grams per day, you can ensure that your creatine stores are filled and stay filled over the long term. In studies, this has resulted in both visual and strength improvements. Because vegans do not consume creatine through their diet, they are measured to have lower filled stores compared to people eating meat. Supplementation refills these stores to a greater extent, resulting in potentially greater improvements (Kreider et al., 2017; Kaviani et al., 2020).

Become a vegan nutrition expert yourself!

• Scientifically based distance learning
• 100% online and flexible
• Cutting-edge scripts, audio books and videos
• Motivating student community
• State approved and quality tested

Learn more

Vegan Meal Plan for Muscle Building

There is little point in getting a vegan diet plan for muscle building off the internet and following it. The 60 kg powerlifter with an office job needs completely different amounts than the 120 kg bodybuilder who works in retail; while one athlete is not very hungry and prefers small, energy-dense meals, the other prefers high-volume foods to get satiated. Tastes are different anyway, and time and enjoyment of preparation and tasting influence feasibility.

This could be an exemplary meal plan. You need to adjust the amounts of ingredients to your needs:

Enjoy your meals and vegan gains!