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Last Updated on September 16, 2019 by Shane Corbitt
As vegan diets become more popular, many people ask, how do you build muscle without eating meat to get protein?
To build muscle you do need protein and contrary to what some believe you can build muscle on a vegan diet. overloading on protein isn’t always the best answer to building that physique of your dreams.
Yes, eating healthy is a big part of you reaching your fitness goals but I’d like to talk about some of the other areas, along with nutrition, that get overlooked.
1. Mindset
- Know your why and understand your life. Ask yourself “Why am I doing this? ”Why are you on a road to a healthier path? Be sure to choose a “why” that is more important than yourself. This will keep you motivated.
- Meditate. Consider sitting upright, peacefully for up to 10 minutes a day to help visualize your goal and what you want to do. Think of what you are grateful for in your life.
- Write a mantra. This is your personal motivation statement that you can pin to your mirror for when you wake up every day.
2. Consistency
- Get to the gym at least four times per week.
- Stay away from long breaks in between your workouts.
- Stay focused even on vacation. Come up with a plan when you are away from your normal routine that will help you not only stay motivated, but continue to build on your gains.
3. Intensity
- Workout smarter. If you want to workout till failure, be sure to only do it with dumbbells or machines only.
- Increase slowly. Only increase weight approximately every two weeks and only increase by 5 % or less. You must allow time for your tendons to adapt. Muscles adapt much faster than tendons.
- If you do lift super heavy, consider dropping the weight by 25-30% and push out as many reps as you can. This will send more blood to the muscle, there by pushing the lactic acid out and helping to repair the muscle and grow even quicker.
4. Nutrition
- Protein isn’t the only nutrient muscles need to properly function and grow. Omega3’s and micro-nutrients also play important roles in Muscle Protein Synthesis.
- Eat low glycemic foods pre-workout. Berries and apples are great if you do them pre-workout.
- Post workout, snack on high carb fruits like bananas, watermelon and other carb-heavy fruits like raisins, dates, mangoes and pears.
5. Pears
- Change your workout every now and then. Parts you can change include: your reps per set, the type of grip you use to lift, the tempo of the lift, how long you contract the muscle and so many other training variations that will keep your workouts fun and create more adaptation for your muscle!
- Save the stretch. Do not do static stretching before the workout. If you feel cramped or tight, try doing some of your normal exercise movements with 50% less weight to warm up.
- Roll it out. Rolling with a foam roller after your workouts can help you feel a lot less sore over the next couple of days.
While these are basic tips, they can help you on the path to fitness and health success.
