Meal Plan Gaining muscle mass

May 31, 2022
3 Months to Mass

derek tresize, treesize, vegan bodybuilder, vegan muscle & fitness, vegetarianWith celebrities like NFL running back Adrian Foster and former President Bill Clinton embracing a vegan lifestyle, more and more health-conscious individuals are shifting towards a plant-based diet. Plant-based nutrition is known to improve long-term health and benefit animals and the environment, but many weight-trainers hesitate to make this healthy lifestyle change due to one question: is it possible to build muscle?

Yes You Can

The answer is: absolutely. (See my picture to the right.) Many athletes have already made the transition with outstanding success, and a quick glance at some powerful herbivorous animals such as horses, oxen, and gorillas also demonstrates that meat is not essential for building strength and muscle mass.

To put together a mass-gaining meal plan based on plant foods the objectives are no different than they are on any diet. To build muscle you will need a calorie surplus (eating more calories than you burn metabolically and through exercise) from healthy whole food sources like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans/nuts, and getting plenty of protein. You will also need to create the demand for more muscle through hard training and adequate recovery. Lastly, you will need to these things consistently, day in and day out, for long enough that a change can take place. Great physiques take time and commitment.

Protein

Nutritionally, creating a mass gaining, plant-based meal plan is easier than one might think. As a vegan bodybuilder I am most often asked where I get my protein, so this is a good place to start. The simplest answer is from food - all whole plant foods contain protein, and simply by getting enough calories you will have plenty of protein to be a healthy and active individual. There is no need to worry about mixing and matching proteins either. As long as you get plenty of variety throughout the day you will get all of the essential amino acids you need.

If you are looking to build muscle and are following an intense weight training program it's a good idea to make sure you consume more of the protein dense foods like beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains (and steer clear of processed foods like fake meat products). These are also the most calorie dense plant foods, which will make it easier to create that calorie surplus. As for supplementing protein, there are several great protein options based on whole plant foods that will make a great post-workout or meal replacement shake. My two favorite brands of protein are Plant Fusion and SunWarrior, and both are available on most major supplement websites and in many nutrition stores.

With regards to how much protein, a good rule of thumb for a hard training bodybuilder is one gram per pound bodyweight. This is much more than an average individual needs and in fact would cause excess work for the kidneys, but if you are someone trying to gain mass through intense training and maintaining calorie and protein surplus, more is necessary and this is a good starting point. Now, given that amount, divide it roughly equally into five or six meals during the day and you know what to shoot for at each meal. For example, a 200lb bodybuilder would shoot for roughly 200g of protein per day, getting about 40g at each of his five meals.

Fats

For fats, stick to whole food based fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds (rather than oil or condiments like Vegenaise and margarine). Fat is essential for many functions throughout the body such as hormone production, but it is also the easiest macronutrient to convert into body fat. Try to keep it to a maximum of 0.5 grams per pound of bodyweight (or preferably less) per day. For our 200lb bodybuilder, this would amount to 100g of fat per day as a maximum, but preferably 70 or 80g.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are your main source of fuel for intense training, so flesh out the rest of your daily calorie surplus with ample complex carbohydrates from foods like oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and fruit, as well as any other whole fruits, vegetables, or grains you enjoy. When you're looking to add mass, more is better and as long as it's from whole unprocessed foods you shouldn't worry too much about body fat gain. Save the occasional processed carbs, like floury and sugary foods, for your infrequent cheat meals - preferably after a brutal leg workout!

Sample Meal Plan

An example of what such a program would look like for our 200lb bodybuilder is:

Meal 1:
1.5 cups oatmeal
Protein shake with 1 serving of Plant Fusion, 1 cup soymilk, 1 banana

Meal 2:
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, scrambled with spinach and peppers
1 grapefruit
1 almond butter sandwich: 2 slices of whole grain bread, 2 tbsp almond butter

Meal 3:
Black bean chili with 1 can black beans, 1/2 pack seitan, and veggies
1 baked sweet potato
1/4 avocado

Meal 4 (post workout):
1 apple
Protein shake with 1.5 scoops SunWarrior protein, 1 cup soymilk, 1 banana

Meal 5:
1 large spinach salad
1/2 cup lentils, cooked with veggies and spices over 1/2 cup brown rice

sun lifestyle red gowns sleeveless men coffee coffee beans corp trends in news lifestyle books because coffee current astronomy physical projects for the classroom coffee old fashion where science for people trends of 2015 level up lifestyle trending memes on twitter golden barber shop lifestyle search lifestyle blog for men lifestyle homes astronomy pages do coffee rich haircut fun astronomy coffee enema instructions astrology chart meaning coffee and more bit trend more and more fashion coffee m and m astrology scientific research constellations for kids buzzfeed outfit ideas haircut sign current dressing trends for women project contagious lower highs hot haircut food science image trend hot nail colors now coffee show haircut dry photo trends trending songs hip hop haircut guys out of trend lga photography white fishtail dress with sleeves dad haircut sage floral print dress pictures of the scientific method self image style of wearing saree in party trends company dress clothing for women a design lifestyle out there fashion coffee shops jobs lifestyle is data science is trends tv kid haircut first science history of astronomy for kids lifestyles unlimited hub kickback outfits astronomy london science in a can job is a lifestyle home and lifestyle trending songs right now lifestyle shoes for women microbiology respiration fermentation science olympiad wright state slate grey bodycon dress haircut book science olympiad battery buggy designs star names that start with a the lifestyle game coffee's on me people in fashion names of stars in the galaxy olivia hair world of science lifestyle store what science is not car trend science area coffee near me open late haircut text school trend constellation on zenith northern hemisphere their lifestyle coffee cake topping lifestyle life science police what's the fashion fashion out classic men hair no more coffee coffee shops in east austin fashion if it's fashion today's lifestyle fashion no astronomy radio lifestyle download coffee table tray coffee shop cafes street lifestyle what is astrology sign sciencedirect open access journals students lifestyle trends house a d a m science where to buy cute summer outfits about trend lifestyle hours lifestyle london the humble cup how do nadh molecules contribute to electron transport scientific method 17th century astronomy digital astronomy camp haircut cost skin haircut lifestyles unlimited case study science email butler's coffee trends car at science great clips near me coffee beans png science olympiad 2019 nationals trending hashtags 2018 astronomy hotel trends love lifestyle case astronomy careers fashion for 5 hair salon in the grove over coffee cool outfits for drawings time out coffee how to style clothing 18 fashion analyzing data in biology experiments such as plants and sunlight trend sales no 1 fashion coffee plant uses padwa lifestyle coffee enema kits men trend yomoko trending on twitter south africa astrology symbols emoji i am the trend history behind stars coffee shop names what is fashion to you fashion now coffee times me before you fashion lifestyle work should i get my haircut at supercuts real trends i hate current hair trend science buddies experiments pc astronomy francesca's lace off the shoulder dress pink coffee shops in concord new to astronomy trending songs 2019 glycolysis definition trend right style women's fashion volume hair salon tampa astronomy guide navy strapless romper

INTERESTING VIDEO
diet plans for muscle gainmuscle gain meal plans
diet plans for muscle gain---muscle gain meal plans
Mass Gaining Diet Plan For Bodybuilders
Mass Gaining Diet Plan For Bodybuilders
How can i gain lean muscle mass without gaining fat
How can i gain lean muscle mass without gaining fat

INTERESTING FACTS
Share this Post