Tuesday, 20 October 2009

Can Vegetarians Build Muscle?

Can Vegetarians Build Muscle?

by Ryan M Hall

This question, can vegetarians build muscle, crosses every vegetarians mind when they decide to build muscle. If you don't want to look like a stick, what can you do? There are many things you can do without eating meat, but most people don't get accurate information. Today, I'll show you how you can build muscle on a vegetarian diet.

Plenty of people have built massive amounts of muscle on vegetarian diets, the most famous vegetarian that succeeded in building muscle was a guy by the name of Bill Pearl. Pearl is a famous vegetarian body builder who one the title of Mr. Universe in 1953 and 1971. Pearl is the kind of vegetarian that eats both eggs and dairy to help in his muscle building. He is a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

What Kinds of food do you eat?

If you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian and you are willing to eat eggs, that is absolutely great. Eggs are one of the best body building foods available because they are extremely high in protein and are also high in the good fats and nutrients needed to rebuild muscle. Cows Milk also contains many of these healthy fats.

For the strict vegetarians

If you are a strict vegetarian, not to worry, you can still build muscle. There a few diet changes you can make to build muscle mass.

Protein

Adding a protein supplement to your diet will help your muscles rebuild after workouts. You can also eat more tofu and soy milk in your recipes to ensure you have enough protein in your diet.

Fat

Most vegetarians don't get enough fat in their diet. To fix this, eat a few handfuls of nuts throughout the day. Almonds, pistachios and cashews are great for protein and fat. You should also consider adding a tablespoon of flax seed oil to your diet as it contains linolenic acid, an essential amino acid for muscle building.

Vitamins

Even though you may look healthy, many vegetarians are vitamin deficient in a vitamin called B12. To remedy this, you can add a B12 supplement to your diet or drink a soy or whey based meal replacement drink. These drinks usually give you at least 1/3 of your daily recommended vitamins and minerals.

Vegetarians can build muscle, they just have to eat more specifically than people who regularly eat meat. If you follow the above advice, you will be well on your way to building more muscle. Now all you need is a good muscle building plan.

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Sunday, 18 October 2009

How To Maximize Your Weight Gain Goal

How To Maximize Your Weight Gain Goal

by Taylor Olson

It can sometimes be difficult to bulk up your body. However, if you can watch what you eat and stick to a sound a proven bulking up plan, then it is definitely an achievable goal. Getting instant results with magic pill solutions will not happen. Yes there are pills or supplements to aid in your quest to bulk up, but these are secondary compared to the basic actions of eating correctly and working out properly.

The most important element you need to focus on if you are to be able to bulk up successfully is to eat excessive calories (more than what your body needs to for weight maintenance). But of course, we are not talking about just any kind of food here.

We are talking about healthy, whole meal foods like chicken, beef, eggs and vegetables. And they should be prepared by steaming or grilling them. Deep-frying these foods will not do you any good in the long-run. It can even ruin your bulk up plan.

Why does this excessive calories method work? Well it is simply due to the reason that your muscles require a lot of energy to maintain. A pound of muscle takes up more energy than a pound of fats. But the muscles take up much less space than fats. And muscles are what give you that sculpted look. To be more specific, the kind of foods what are consuming should have a high ratio of protein. This is because muscles feed on protein and requires it to grow.

Of course, on the other side of the equation, working out at the gym (or pumping your body to grow muscles is an equally important factor. If you were to merely consume loads of calories but don't utilize it by working out, then these extra calories will just convert into fats. We want a bulkier muscular body, not a tub of fat goo body.

These are just a few quick tips and tricks you can employ immediately to zero in on the most important factors when it comes to successful weight gain (muscle weight). If you do nothing but follow the above 2 points, then you will be well ahead of the curve among the many people who try to gain weight.

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