Resource Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Building Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet
Look, we’ve all heard the jokes. Here’s my recent favorite:
“Vegans wouldn’t hurt a fly only because they aren’t strong enough to swat one.”
Or there’s this dig, from one of the greatest shows of all time:
The worst part about the weak vegan jokes isn’t that they’re poking fun at us — we’ve got to be able to laugh at ourselves — it’s that over time, they slowly begin to create doubt.
… Doubt about whether you really can build muscle and get strong on a whole-food plant-based diet.
… Doubt that you’ll ever have the muscles or physique you want eating only plants.
We’re telling the world you can have your muscle, and eat broccoli too! (Or something like that…)
The team and I have gone through all the best strength fitness and nutrition articles and podcasts on No Meat Athlete and compiled them into a single guide. A guide you can arm yourself with for the next time a doubt creeps in, or share with your friend when they say you need to eat meat to hit your goals.
(Note: Want even more? Get started with the Vegan Strength Blueprint.)
How to Build Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet
One ironic twist to the whole weak vegan story line is that more and more, professional bodybuilders are going plant-based. That’s right, they’re reaching for plant-based fuel — not meat — to build muscle.
The first place to start with a guide like this is with the professionals, whose main focus is building and sustaining muscle and strength.
Read:
How to Build Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet: Staple Foods, Meal Plans, and Philosophy
The 15-Minute, Strength-Building Bodyweight Routine for Plant-Based Athletes
The Skinny Vegan’s Guide to Gaining Muscle
Listen:
Plant-Based Muscle with Robert Cheeke and Vanessa Espinoza
Building Muscle and Losing Fat on a Vegan Diet with Marcella Torres and Derek Tresize
Strength Exercises for Runners
While most people don’t think of endurance athletes as having big muscles, full-body strength can help you run faster and longer, and prevent many of the common injuries most runners encounter.
And it all starts with simple bodyweight exercises. Here are two guides to get you going:
Read:
The 23-Minute Post-Run Routine that Builds Strength, Recovery, and Mental Toughness
16 Easy Strength Exercises & Stretches to Help You Run Faster & Injury-Free
The Truth about Protein: What You Need to Know
Now, as much as I believe protein is an overblown, over-hyped nutrient, it would be tough to call this guide complete without bringing it up.
Protein is, after all, the genesis of most of the doubts I talked about earlier (and jokes, for that matter).
So, where do we get our protein? And how do we make sure we’re getting enough?
Read:
How to Answer the Question: Where do You Get Your Protein?
Protein – A Primer for Vegetarians
Protein for Vegans: A Fresh Approach to Getting Enough
Listen:
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Protein, with Garth Davis, M.D.
Feeling confident yet?
Make this summer the year you finally build the strong, lean body you’ve wanted. And show the world that we vegans are more than just the butt of some silly joke.
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