Are there any bodybuilder/sprinter vegetarians/vegans here, especially if you have been a bodybuilder longer?

Question

Or any other strength intensive sport.

I'm just wondering if you noticed any changes that you had to make once you became vegetarian in order to sustain muscle growth?

Also feel free to add any pearls of wisdom you have learned about this subject.

Thank you.

Answer 1

I found that people at vegan bodybuilding websites are still very much into protein powders etc.  They seem to do the same things as meat eaters, just without meat.  It's really not that difficult.  The champion vegan/vegetarian bodybuilders still take roids too... they just don't eat meat etc.

Natural bodybuilders are always going to be smaller and more 'natural' looking I guess, no matter if they eat meat or not.

Bodybuilding is like any other sport, whether you are a meat eater or not, it's the quality of your food, the digestibility, the amount of food, the nutrients in the food, is it organic food, etc. that matters most.  There are lots of alternatives to protein powders these days too... spirulina, whole food powders instead of hightly processed protein powders, whole help powders... all sorts of things.  But remember the basics of a healthy lifestyle overall.  From stress, to rest, to food, to technique, etc.

A friend of mine is not a vegetarian, but at one time due to being poor, he weight trained using potatoes and peanutbutter sandwiches and had great gains in muscle.  Sure, could have done more with better food, but it just goes to show that it's really not all that complicated as people would have you believe... counting proteins and calories and weighing food etc...

Answer 2

www.veganbodybuilding.com      might have some info that will help you out.

Answer 3

My husband switches to a vegan diet when he body builds. He used to be a bouncer at a Chicago nightclub, he's 6'6 and at his bulkiest was 250 pounds and extremely muscular. Before he met me, he mostly used whey protein and sucked down eggs and red meat like there was no tommorrow. I found ways to increase his protein intake by using plant protein (especially pea protein and soy protein).

About a year into our relationship he tried to bodybuild the vegan way. He lost weight initially, but his body fat percentage dropped by 3% and then he gained muscle at an average tempo. Roughly 2 inches around his arm, an inch around his pecs.

Probably most impressive were his weight lifting results. He increased his dead lift from 500 pounds to 650 pounds or so, and his bench press and squat and other powerlifting methods increased by around 50 pounds.

He ate vegan for 2 years at one point and was at peak performance.

I've heard of football players and other weightlifters at the gym he went to that went vegan and it was a great success.

Sorry, I don't remember a lot of the other stuff, I don't remember the specific names for the exercises, but I know he was especially proud of his dead lift... I may be getting the figures wrong, I guesstimated on the lower side, it may have been over 700.

However, since he switched to HVAC two years ago, he's gotten out of shape a bit, he's still pretty fit and eats mostly vegan (except when he goes out with friends, he prefers his body and health with his current diet but he doesn't share my ethical views so he doesn't obsess about always eating vegan like I do).

Besides, the primary weight he has to worry about now is our 30 pound toddler, so he doesn't have time to be a gym rat anymore.

Answer 4

I have heard of a vegan body builder there have even been some resolved questions here where they talk about that