Kolumne 5 | Mehr Muskeln Ohne Fleisch - Demo-Frey-Nutrition

Column 5 | More Muscle Without Meat

AS A VEGETARIAN IT IS HARDER TO BUILD MUSCLE.

Column 5 - More muscles without meat
?
Hello Andreas, I am 32 years old and have been doing weight training for 14 years. For the past year and a half I have been training at home three to four times a week and also doing cardio training. In the meantime - for about four months - I was only able to train with dumbbells and using my own body weight due to a lack of time. In these year and a half my weight has increased from 80 kilos to 88 kilos.

Not bad actually! But a trainer friend of mine said that my vegetarian diet was one of the things that prevented me from gaining more weight - I would have been able to gain a lot more mass with meat. I eat mostly protein powder, yogurt, light cheese, cereal, pasta, whole grain bread, tofu and soy. Can you give me recommendations for nutrition and training for a vegetarian? Are there differences in metabolism? Do certain muscle groups need to be trained more or does less cardio need to be done?

ANSWER

!
Andreas Frey answers
First of all, it is much harder to gain muscle mass as a vegetarian, but it is not impossible. Meat offers many advantages for bodybuilders. It contains a lot of high-quality proteins - building blocks for muscle building - and creatine - which is necessary for the ATP supply and thus helps to gain strength. If you are a vegetarian for religious reasons, you really have no choice and should - as far as possible - resort to other sources of protein. However, if your diet is based on health reasons, I can reassure you. Because if you eat the right (low-fat) meat, there are no health concerns. This includes lean poultry, lean beef and low-fat pork.

Vegetarian diet for muscle building
In order to achieve as much muscle growth as possible, a combination of many different protein sources is required. This efficiently increases the biological value of the protein food you consume. The biological value indicates how much of the protein you consume can be converted into the body's own protein and thus muscle mass. By mixing the proteins in a special ratio, biological values ​​of over 100 are possible, for example with PROTEIN 96 with its four components of casein, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and egg albumin. The value here is over 136, which is ideal for building muscle.

Build muscle as a vegetarian
The more protein sources you consume, the more effective your muscle growth will be. If you voluntarily deprive yourself of the opportunity to get a large part of your protein intake from meat, you will inevitably have to expect slower muscle growth. Also remember that the value of protein from meat products (even without combination) is much higher than that of vegetables, for example. Meat has its place in bodybuilding - but not only here, but also in numerous other sports where muscle mass and strength are the main focus. Nevertheless: As a vegetarian, you have to switch to plant-based protein sources that can also be combined and thus achieve a higher biological value. I can recommend the following recipe to you if you are vegetarian. I worked on it and tinkered with it for several years until it was perfect. I call it the "Andreas standard breakfast".
Ingredients of ASF | XXL version
  • 200 g bananas
  • 500 g low-fat curd cheese
  • 150 g oat flakes
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 whole egg
  • 30g TRIPLE WHEY
  • 10 ml linseed oil or safflower oil
  • 400 ml low-fat milk
The milk is heated in the microwave for about three minutes. Put all the ingredients (banana, low-fat quark, oat flakes, egg white, whole egg, vegetable oil and protein powder) in a large blender and then pour in the warm milk. Then mix everything well. This shake is the best and most calorie-rich way to start the day. The XXL version of the "Andreas Standard Breakfast" contains the following nutrients.
Nutrients of ASF | XXL version
  • 160 g carbohydrates
  • 130g protein
  • 25 g fat
  • ~ almost 1500 Kcal
I designed the XXL version of the ASF for very heavy athletes, primarily with the goal of maximum muscle building. In order to meet the high calorie requirement for building new muscle mass, I consume up to three ASF XXL shakes a day during extreme mass phases and when I weigh over 140 kg. There are also two smaller versions that are suitable for you as a lighter athlete or for diet phases. I also describe these in detail here in the online shop in the nutrition section under recipes. With this regular breakfast, you have exactly the right nutrients - and without eating meat!

Cardio training to increase metabolism
When doing cardio, stick to a pulse of 150 beats per minute. This has the best effect - both in terms of burning fat and increasing your metabolism: you will continue to burn fat several hours after training. In the build-up phase, twice 30 minutes per week is enough. Depending on your goal, you can do up to seven hours per week during a diet. This burns fat and keeps your cardiovascular system going at the same time. It doesn't matter which endurance machine you choose. The important thing is a pulse of 150 beats per minute. To counteract any loss of muscle, make sure you consume enough protein. It is also beneficial to take in branched-chain amino acids (e.g. ANABOLIC BCAA + ) 45 minutes before training, because they contribute to muscle building and muscle maintenance thanks to the protein they contain.

Strength training remains the same even with a vegetarian diet, according to the diet plan I have developed. KISS principle (see also: FREY INTENSITY TRAINING ), the same: Short , I ntensive, Rare and Sure ! I wish you much success!

Back to blog