Success Happy

Is it hard for vegetarians to build muscle?

Im 23 and have been a vegetarian my whole life (and intend to be), last few months i have improved my deit and consumed less fatty and sugary stuff and started to drop pounds with a balanced exercise program. A few friends at the gym tell me i am at a disadvantage when building muscles because i dont consume any sort of meat? I mean vegetarians can pack on muscle mass cant they? but not trying to be a 250 pound bodybuilder of course! What sort of foods and vegetables sould i eat more?

Public Comments

1. dude if you wanna build a bit of muscle and look good you do really need to eat protein - if not just drink milk and eat nuts - they contain protein - or try takin supplements like creatine to pack on a few lbs of muscle good luck
2. Protein powders, black or kidney beans, peas, green beans, nuts, eggs & milk (if you eat them)
3. First and foremost, you need to figure out what kind of vegetarian best describes you. vegetarians struggle to build muscle because of low fat intake. Ultra-low fat intake hampers testosterone which is one the prime hormones for muscle building. By adding dairy to your diet, you can boost your fat intake. (Eggs are also high in fat). On the other hand if you cannot consume eggs, dairy or fish and you still wish to build muscle, I would make the following suggestions: Invest in a good protein powder cos you need to keep your protein intake high to build muscle. Also, it’s impossible to gain weight if you aren’t taking in more calories than you’re burning off. And it’s hard to get a lot of calories from a strict vegetarian diet. Try adding extra virgin olive oil or fish oil to your daily diet. Just one tablespoon contains 120 calories. And the extra fat intake could help raise testosterone levels and spare protein. Good luck!
4. NO there is that one vegetarain body builder http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLF_en___US212&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=bodybuilder+vegetarian&spell=1 Holt, and Pearl As well as some football players http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html
5. You can acquire your protein from whey. Go checkout http://www.cagedanimal.net post your question in the beginners cage and you will get tons of relative info and support.