PROTEIN: How much do we need to build muscle?
PROTEIN: How much do we need to build muscle? What about to maintain? And can we really get it all from plants? 🌱
I took these photos early 2015. I had been 100% plant-based for about 4 years. I was consuming about 1.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight. 🚀 I was stacking muscle, PR’ing my heaviest lifts & got pretty lean too.⚡️
Other macros:
💪🏽Fat intake was low.
💪🏽Carb intake was moderate to high.
💪🏽Alcohol – was going through a divorce, so I was having a glass of wine 🙈🍷 or whiskey with coconut water (try it with lime, it’s SO good, trust me!😋) almost every night. 🥃🥥
💪🏽I was lifting ALOT of heavy weight OFTEN: 4-5x/wk, + cardio & hot yoga 5x/week. I wasn’t prepping for any more competitions, it’s just what I enjoyed doing at the time.
I was:
🏋🏼♀️ deadlifting 225 for 6-8 reps
🏋🏼♀️ back squatting 155
🏋🏼♀️ 24 walking lunges with the 85 preloaded on my back
🏋🏼♀️ 4-6 single arm rows with an 70 lb. dumbbell
🏋🏼♀️ and I could cable crunch the entire rack for 100+ reps.
2016 I had 2 low back surgeries, then became busier with work & had also grown bored with the gym.
These days, I lift 2-3x /week. I’m nowhere near lifting what I used to & am okay w/ that. My ego gets to find another way to be stroked lol ☺️🤦🏼♀️😁
I run, rollerblade and do hot yoga 3x/week, swim laps and climb. 🧗🏼♀️
My macros now:
🧘🏼♀️ Protein – low to moderate
🧘🏼♀️ Carbs – high
🧘🏼♀️ Fats – low to moderate
🧘🏼♀️ Alcohol – 0-4 drinks per month these days ☺️🥂
...and still 100% plant-based, about 8 years now. 🌱8️⃣🧜🏼♀️
The result? If you scroll through my other photos, you can see that I now have less muscle, am softer but still lean. I lift less & no longer push to get a ton of protein in every day.
So it’s really all about what you want.
💪🏽 If you want to get really muscular, you can up your protein intake, adjust other macros, & work out heavy & often.
🧜🏼♀️ If you want more feminine curves & tone & less vascularity & hardness, reduce protein intake, adjust other macros, lift less & enjoy other physical activities that bring you health & happiness.
I hope this provided some clarity!
XOXO,
Lian