Build Muscle Up -Vegetarian Style

Being a vegetarian for the better part of 5 years I have heard every misinformed comment against being vegetarian. The biggest one being that you can't get big from being vegetarian. People come back to the same old argument that you cannot build muscle up if you don't consume meat protein.

I have the proof to prove all the naysayers wrong and in the near future I'll be doing a series of articles about being a vegetarian weightlifter. The training regiment does not change from people who consume meats so I'll be starting with proper nutrition and giving you some recipes that you can start using immediately. I've been using for many years that i can assure you do help you gain muscle.

1)

Peanut butter protein bars

1 cup Natural peanut butter

8 tablespoons of syrup

1&1/4 cups soy protein powder

1 cup of uncooked oatmeal

Also try things like couple tablespoons of tahini for variation

Mix the peanut butter and syrup in a bowl, microwave on full for 80 secs.

Add the rest and mix together. The end result should not be too dry, add syrup and/or water for better texture.

You can add raisins/nuts etc to taste as well.

Smooth into a tray and leave for 20 minutes. Cut into 10 to 12 equal bars and store in the fridge.
2)

Post-workout shake

Scoop of soya protein isolate

Glucose

Maybe some creatine if you use it

Water

Vegan Power Chocolate Shake

Makes 1 serving

2 scoops soya protein

350 ml ice-cold calcium enriched chocolate soya milk (Provamel or Alpro)

½- 1 tsp spirulina

A few frozen berries or 1 frozen or fresh banana

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth

The ideal time for shakes is after a workout when your body desperately needs nutrients, protein for muscle building and glucose for quick carb absorption.

Keep your eating clean and good like soya products, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, different nuts and seeds, peanut butter, tahini and so on.. Good whole foods with plenty of protein. Many bodybuilders recommend large amounts of protein, up to 2 grams per bodyweight in pounds per day. That is probably excessive, but anyway, keep your protein intake high.You can try some soy protein isolate powder maybe by mixing it up with soy milk.

Make sure to get enough calories and eat approx every 21/2 hours.

A great book that I've being using over the last year that shows vegetarians how to build muslce up is "The Raw Gourmet" by Nomi Shannon. It has tons of nutrition information on how to gain weight for the natural bodybuilder. It teaches you about what foods to eat, protein and carb content, tips in combining raw food dishes, facts to support raw food benefits, and how the body functions in conjunction with switching to this type of diet.

For more tips on gaining lean muscle mass read my other article Skinny guy's top 6 tips to gain weight fast