Muscle Without Meat

These days everybody wants to stay fit. Whether you are a working professional or a student, we are all targeting fit bodies, and our diet is a very important aspect of it. Those eating chicken or eggs find it easier to gain muscles because they have more options available for them to eat. From meat to eggs to fish and so on and so forth. They can have it all. But for the vegetarians, we believe that it becomes difficult to get a protein-rich diet, which can help them gain muscles in accordance with their dietary preference.

But it is not the case at all times. There are quite a few possible ways on how vegetarians can enter the bulking zone without having to eat eggs and chicken. Here is what the co-founder and fitness and Nutritional Scientist at Food Darzee, Dr Siddhant Bhargava has to say on how and why it is not so difficult for anybody who wishes to bulk up, including vegetarians. “To be honest, while bulking up, one usually takes in all macronutrients, fat, carbohydrates and protein. Of course, protein is to be kept very high. Now, the problem with vegetarian protein sources is two. First being they’re not complete with all the essential amino acids, and secondly, they’re not lean. They will be accompanied with either fat or carbs. Now in the bulking phase, this doesn’t matter much. So, it is not that difficult for a vegetarian to bulk up,” says the expert.

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Explaining on what does bulking up mean and how is it important in the bodybuilding aspect, he says, “the bulking phase represents the time period where the bodybuilder tries to put on as much mass as possible. In the bulking phase, bodybuilders eat 50 per cent more than their usual food intake to pack on size. There is an increment in both, muscle and fat mass. As per some theories, a phase overload with calories is most efficient in supporting muscle fhmindia.com Muscle gains. It is extremely important for a bodybuilder to gain muscle and that too lean muscle. As they’re scored on the amount of muscle mass and fat-free definition, making it extremely difficult and competitive.”

Food intake plays a vital role in the gym training. When you are working hard while training in the gym, you cannot be eating whatever you want. One needs to intake the right amount of nutrients and proteins, especially as far as bodybuilding is concerned. Few things suggested by Dr Siddhant are carbs, legumes, bajra, and ragi. These are the low GI carbs which should be incorporated in our daily food, not only for the vegetarians but for all those who aim to live a healthy lifestyle. Also, one can consume unsaturated fatty acids coming from avocados, flax seeds etc.

If we talk from a gym goer’s perspective, one should eat more protein each day. Speaking further on nutrition, Dr Siddhanth recommends “Stay in a calorie surplus all the time. The diet is very important during bulking. You don’t want to have bad days where you haven’t eaten enough gains. A much-regimented diet round the clock, trying to eat as many calories as possible (usually 20-50 per cent above maintenance). Futhermore, you must eat clean and not junk to prevent excessive fat gain.”

Gym training is another key aspect when it comes to bodybuilding. Hence we spoke to the trainer himself. Shivoham is the owner and the head coach of the first CrossFit box in India. On the importance of proteins consumed while muscle building, he affirms, “protein is the main macro-nutrient involved in muscle growth. The quality of protein which means, complete protein, the source of which is mainly animal products especially meat is lacking in a vegetarian diet. To meet your daily requirement of protein on a veg diet, one would have to consume a lot more food due to the low protein content in veg food.”

The kind of diet suggested for the vegetarians in the bulking phase, by Shivoham, the celebrity trainer is of course protein rich. He suggests, “The main source of protein for a vegetarian is full fat cottage cheese, milk, Greek yoghurt and whey protein supplement. To gain muscles, one must consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight.”

As detailed by our Nutritional expert Dr Siddhant. “A high protein, moderate fat, and moderate carbohydrate diet are what I recommend.” He calculates and recommends at least 30-40 per cent of calories should come from protein sources such as cottage cheese, legumes and other nitrogen-rich food sources like whey and soya bean. Further 30 per cent calories from fat i.e., avocados, seeds, nuts, and the remaining 30 per cent calories from carbs. These will help you fuel the workouts, and also fill up the muscles.

He further adds, “calories from fat are to be kept high making it easier to pack on more calories with a lesser quantum of food. Moreover, it is important to keep natural testosterone levels high and promote joint lubrication while training hard.”

About the gym training sessions, the physical trainer at Shivfit Bandra guides the beginners to start with 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps of body weight exercises with 30-60 secs rest in between the sets. Once you reach this point and start feeling the ease, challenge yourself with more reps, sets, less rest and also try adding some weight to your exercises.

Talking about the supplements, which we all consider of utmost importance in a bodybuilding regime, the expert trainer agrees that “protein supplements are a must for vegetarians to help them meet their daily protein intake without which their busy day to day life would be very hard to execute.” He recommends 1-2 servings of whey protein which would help someone gain good quality lean muscle and also help them with muscle recovery from their work out sessions. To gain muscle, one must consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight

Daily Routine Fitness Tips

• Drink six to eight glasses of water daily
• Eat healthy foods like nuts, curd and cheese
• Train hard but rest as well
• Eat lots of fruits and green vegetables
• Meditate for 10-15 minutes each day

From the March 2019 issue of FHM India.