The ultimate vegan muscle building guide

Long before I knew about vegan muscle building...

Muscle was on my mind. 

In fact, it was a big goal of mine for years, especially as a skinny, scrawny youth. When I first joined my gym at 19, I had already been working out for a few years. 

I had even done a few gym sessions, but this was the first time I bought my own gym membership and started going by myself. I recently read my first bodybuilding book, 'The Book of Muscle'. 

It inspired me to lift weights regularly. So I did. 

Years later, I had a few experiences with dropping out of college. My first attempt was to play semi-pro soccer, but it failed due to my fixed mindset. 

Later, I dropped out again because of poor major choices. 

Eventually, I reconnected with fitness. 

While on vacation in Puerto Rico, I saw an ad for a NASM personal trainer certification, and something clicked. 

Suddenly, my interest in muscle-building reignited. 

Years later, when I became plant-based, I was even more interested. Was vegan muscle building even real?

What if you lost strength?

How sustainable was muscle-building using different protein sources?

Was it easier or harder to build muscle on an omnivorous diet?

These and more questions started to pop into my head. 

At this point, I was a fitness professional early in my career. I wanted to be a positive role model of my values. But I didn't know where to start. 

So, I began researching every aspect of the process. 

Years ago, there wasn't as much easy-to-read research on vegan muscle building. There's a lot more now. However, most of it remains overwhelming and hard to understand. 

My goal with this guide is to simplify this. 

Let's dive in. 

1. Vegan muscle-building potential

We all can build muscle. 

And we all have muscular systems. The three types of muscle tissue are:

• Skeletal

• Cardiac

• Smooth

The cardiac muscle works with our heart to pump blood. Smooth muscle lines the internal walls of organs. It helps with involuntary movements, like moving food through the digestive system. 

Skeletal muscle attaches to bones and enables voluntary movement. We'll focus on this for the rest of the guide. 

It’s about the muscles we can build and develop throughout our lives. 

So how much muscle can you build?

It depends. We all have a certain threshold for muscle building. In fact, we may even have our own genetic ceiling for muscle building, too. 

There's not much research on this. It's difficult to study advanced lifters who have high muscle growth. 

Brad Schoenfeld, a top expert in muscle building, shared his views on human muscle potential:

While a “ceiling” may exist in theory, you never actually realize your full genetic potential; there is always the ability to further increase muscle mass. Indeed, muscular gains can be made even at very advanced levels, albeit at a much slower pace than when you first started training.1

I agree with this. We may never fully know our muscle-building potential. 

Aging and muscle loss, especially after the age of 30, play a significant role. It's estimated we can lose 3-8% of our muscle tissue each decade, with this rate accelerating after 60. 

So atrophy is a real thing. But so is entropy, another way of saying things gradually fall apart or move toward chaos. 

So, do we have a muscle-building potential? Maybe. 

Will we ever find out? Unlikely. 

2. The law of positive energy balance

This brings us to our second point: creating an energy surplus (or caloric surplus). 

The Law of Thermodynamics says that energy can't be created or destroyed. It can only be transferred. This means we can't make something from nothing. 

This means that just lifting weights and eating healthy food isn't enough. You won't necessarily build muscle every month. 

To build 1 pound of muscle tissue, it takes roughly 2,500 kcal per month. That's about an extra 100 kcal per day above your maintenance calories. 

However, several factors influence this decision-making process. The first is: what is your starting point? 

We all start training at different levels. Your current level significantly impacts how quickly you build muscle. 

In simple terms, if you're a beginner at lifting weights, you'll gain muscle faster and easier. But if you're more advanced, it will take longer and be harder to build muscle. 

You also need to factor in NEAT. NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. It means all the activities you do that aren’t formal exercise but still burn calories. 

As you lose weight, your body adjusts by reducing NEAT to protect itself from the effects of controlled starvation. 

The same thing happens in reverse when you're trying to build muscle (aka gain weight). 

The body has natural systems to protect against major changes. 

Knowing this helps you prepare. 

Plateaus are common if you dive in without understanding what to expect. 

Building on Morgan's thoughts below, I agree. You can't predict someone's NEAT adaptation. 

So, adding 50% to your daily surplus can help guard against metabolic adaptation. 

This would put you at a daily surplus of 150 k/cal per day to gain 1 pound of muscle per month. 

Let's revisit the idea of a caloric surplus. It's the main principle that drives muscle building. 

Especially once you've graduated from the initial newbie gains and body recomposition phase of new trainees. 

Whether you’re fully plant-based or just plant curious, the idea of a positive energy surplus is often overlooked. 

Many people feel confused by whole-foods plant-based diets, paleo, or keto. 

You can't build something from nothing. Food is energy. Your body uses energy to create new things. When you have extra energy coming in, you can use this to build new structures in your body. 

A fun fact about muscle tissue is that it contains only around 600 kcal. 

Lyle MacDonald wrote an interesting article on calories for muscle gain. I'll reference it below. 

Here's what's inside muscle, according to Lyle: 

First let me mention that if you break down a pound of muscle for energy, it only provides about 600 calories of energy.  That pound of muscle is about 120-125 grams of total protein, a good bit of water, some glycogen, intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) and cellular machinery.  Break it all down and it provides about 600 calories. 2

Just because muscle tissue has about 600 k/cal doesn’t mean we only need to eat an extra 600 k/cal each month to build muscle. 

Muscle tissue takes time to grow. It also needs a lot of energy to build those first structures. 

Without getting too deep in the weeds, building muscle takes time and patience. 

It also requires the correct approach to avoid the two big mistakes most people make in this process: 

1. Eating too little: Not eating enough won’t help your body build muscle. A caloric surplus is a prerequisite for achieving muscle-building success. It’s the key factor for changing body composition. You need it to make positive changes in your body. If you’ve just finished a weight loss phase (or fat loss), you might want to avoid overeating. That makes sense. If you start your muscle-building journey with a reasonable body fat percentage, eating slightly above your maintenance calories is one of the best things you can do for muscle growth. I know it can be hard to release the reins after dieting, but living in a perma-diet also isn't a viable long-term solution either. 

2. Eating too much: This happens more often in men, but some women do it too. Many people believe that it doesn’t matter how much you eat over your maintenance calories. They think that as long as you’re lifting weights, all that extra weight will turn into muscle. I'll admit, I fell into this pitfall too in my early 20s when I believed that overeating was fine as long as I was lifting. You will build some muscle, but you'll also gain unnecessary fat. This means more work to lose that fat in your next diet. If you had prepared better, you wouldn’t need that extra effort. 

We’ll cover muscle gain rates and fat gain later in this guide. For now, here’s a brief recap of the law of positive energy balance:

• To build muscle, you'll need to eat slightly more calories than your maintenance level. 

• Pair this with strategic strength training and enough protein, and you'll unlock the key to building muscle. 

We'll go into lifting weights and protein more later. 

For now, remember that a caloric surplus is the first lever you'll need to pull to build muscle consistently and sustainably. 

Without this, muscle building will be challenging, especially after achieving newbie gains. 

3. Nutrition considerations for plant-based and vegan eaters

If you're a plant-based or vegan lifter who wants to build muscle, focus on these key ideas. 

The first focus is protein, which gets broken down into its two core areas:

1. Quality

2. Quantity

So why is protein important for muscle-building?

The main reason is that muscle is made of protein (amino acids) and water (as Lyle mentioned above). 

Protein is essentially the machinery that builds muscle tissue. I'll speak from personal experience here. Being plant-based for nearly a decade lends me some perspective as well. 

A few years ago, I trained for a men's physique show. My main goal was fat loss. I ended up losing just under 30 pounds during that journey. 

Interestingly, during the 18 months leading up to the show, I started building some muscle in my biceps and back. 

Even though I was in a caloric deficit, I started noticing my arms and back were slightly (not massively) bigger. 

Part of why Dr. Cody Haun (my instructor) and I hypothesized this was happening was slight body recomposition. 

This is likely due to my high adherence to the outlined training plan and my meticulous attention to my calorie and protein intake. 

Both factors (consistent training and a high-protein plant diet) helped my body build more muscle. But it was short-lived. 

During most of my time in a caloric deficit, I experienced primarily fat loss. The slight increase in muscle was a nice bonus. 

However, it’s rare unless you have exceptional circumstances. This can happen if you’re returning to training after a break or if you’re a beginner. 

Here's what the research has to say on protein intake for plant-fueled lifters:

Plant-Based Nutrition Facts

To build muscle, several key processes work together. 

The first is MPS, or muscle protein synthesis. The second is leucine. Lastly, using plants to maximize the benefits of the first (MPS). 

So what is MPS? 

Muscle building happens when muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown. Obviously, you need a reason to trigger MPS, and the two main reasons are: 

1. Resistance training (aka strength training)

2. EAA's (essential amino acids)

Without a consistent and legitimate reason to hit your muscles each week, why would your body want to change? 

Hitting the weights gives your body a reason to build muscle. 

Building muscle connects directly to resistance training. This makes it an important topic to discuss. 

Second, EAAs are the building blocks of protein. Protein consists of amino acids. These building blocks help repair and rebuild our bodies after workouts and in daily life. 

However, one amino acid in particular correlates with greater muscle-building success. 

Leucine seems to be the primary activator of MPS. 

In your cells, leucine has been shown to activate the main signal for MPS, known as mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex) 1

In other words, leucine is an essential amino acid to keep in mind when building muscle. 

After a meal, you need about 2-3 grams of leucine, or up to 0.05 grams per kilogram of body weight. The "leucine threshold" explains this. 

Keep this in mind when deciding how much plant-based or vegan protein to aim for. 

Leucine in plant-based protein is about 6-8%. In contrast, animal protein has 8-11% leucine. 

The issue happens with a low-protein plant diet (10% of total calories). In this case, leucine levels fall too low to trigger muscle protein synthesis (MPS) effectively. 

The solution is simple: simply raise your protein intake. When closer to 30% of total calories, plant-based protein stimulates MPS as much as animal-based diets. 

So there's no difference between the leucine threshold and maximizing MPS. 

That is great because it means you can use plants to fuel your gains, as long as you get enough and the right mix. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that plant-based proteins aren't always absorbed as easily. 

For example, wheat protein is digested at only 45% when eaten in foods, compared to 90% when consumed as a wheat protein isolate. 

It's good to have a variety of plant protein foods on hand. Consider using a high-protein plant-based powder for better absorption. 

It's not just about eating more protein. It's also about how much protein your body absorbs and utilizes. Protein quality matters, too. 

Leucine isn't the only amino acid that supports muscle building, but it’s likely the most important. All nine amino acids are essential for building muscle and should be included in your diet. 

The easiest way to get this from plants is to vary your plant-based food sources and include a diverse diet. 

Lysine is often missing in plant-based diets. So, including different plant protein sources can help balance this out. 

So, as a quick summary here, since there are a few technical pieces here:

1. Resistance training drives MPS first, so lifting weights is a non-negotiable priority. 

2. MPS happens when you lift weights and consume leucine. To support muscle building, aim to get 30% of your total daily calories from leucine.

3. To address any amino acid deficiencies, such as lysine and leucine, include a variety of plant-based protein sources. Protein absorption matters as much as protein quality. 

4. As a plant-fueled lifter, aim for 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per lean body mass as a minimum daily threshold. 

This creates a plant-based form of whey protein, also known as 'Vegan Whey.' 

It's a simple way to improve your protein quality without stressing about your EAA's. 

Author's Note: Protein is key for fat loss and building muscle. I've observed this phenomenon in my own life and work over the past decade. However, I've also experimented a lot with my body for health and healing. For chronic diseases, illness, or autoimmune conditions, a diet low in protein and fat, but high in natural sugars from fruits, vegetables, and whole foods, seems to work best for healing. So context is important when choosing a goal to work towards. I wouldn't have made as much healing progress if I hadn't experimented on myself. 

Let's discuss carbohydrates and their role in muscle building. 

Carbohydrates Impact on Muscle Building

Carbohydrates play an important role in the muscle-building process for several reasons:

• Carbohydrates are anabolic = which means they aid in the muscle-building process

• Carbs power our strength workouts. They help us lift more weight and increase volume, both of which are key to muscle growth.

• Carbs give us sustained energy without crashing. 

• Carbs support several body functions. They help the brain work well, store energy in the liver, and refill glycogen in muscles. 

We need carbs to build lean muscle over time. They also help us stay healthy and perform well. 

Carbs are key to building muscle. They help stimulate growth and improve performance. Also, they fuel our muscles by storing glycogen. 

This energy is crucial for heavy lifting, which supports muscle growth. 

NOTE: Carbs hold 3 grams of water for each gram. As you build muscle, remember that your weight may increase a few pounds in the first month due to increased carbohydrate intake. 

Ignore this and focus on the real muscle-building weight trend vs. the temporary water weight increase.  

To build muscle, track your bodyweight and set monthly goals. Remember, gaining body fat is part of the process. 

However, you can minimize this by using the rate-of-progress graphs shared later in this guide. 

Now, let’s wrap up with our last primary macronutrient: fats. 

Fats Impact on Muscle Building

Fats, or lipids, are the last macronutrient to discuss for muscle building. Here's the hierarchy you can use for your macros: 

1. Protein is necessary for muscle building 

2. Carbs are essential for performance and muscle building 

3. Fats are essential for hormonal balance and functioning 

Fats usually account for 20-30% of our total calories. We don’t need high levels of fat for any specific reason. 

Research indicates that when you're building muscle, a higher-carb caloric surplus is helpful. 

This supports muscle growth and performance. In contrast, a higher-fat intake could lead to more fat gain. 

Muscles are about 80% water. Higher carb intake helps store water, with each gram of carbs holding 3 grams of water. 

So, eating more carbs can support better lean muscle growth. 

Additionally, while fats are essential for hormonal balance and function, they are more difficult to break down from a health perspective. 

The liver works hard for us day and night. It produces bile to break down fats. 

This can stress our bodies, especially when we train hard and eat more. So it makes sense to keep fat intake moderate. 

This helps avoid extra stress on the liver and other key organs.  

But then there's context. When you're building muscle, especially with whole foods as your main base, you're likely to get fuller faster. 

Which means you may not be in a caloric surplus. This can make it harder to build muscle consistently if you don't eat enough. 

Adding a few extra healthy fats can enhance your muscle-building experience. It can also help you get your omegas in (hint: avocados and nuts work nicely here). 

So it's a helpful consideration for muscle-building. Fats, in general, should be lower than the other macros due to their impact on liver and organ health. 

For building muscle, it might make sense to eat a bit more fat. Again, it's a balancing act here.

If you're filling up too fast and not eating enough, adding healthier, more palatable foods can be a smart decision. This will support your daily calorie surplus and enhance muscle growth. 

So to wrap up:

• Fats matter because they aid in hormonal balance. 

• Healthy fats help support proper organ function.

• Keep fats moderate for muscle building to avoid excessive fat gain, while still supporting a caloric surplus as needed. 

4. What is muscle & how to build it

Muscle is basically water, some proteins, glycogen (carb storage), and some cellular machinery. 

Doesn't sound that impressive when you break it down like this, but muscle is certainly something humans have obsessed over for a long time. Lyle's definition of muscle works for those who like details. 

However, I view muscle more like my investment portfolio. 

Every month, we invest in a simple index fund. It invests in a diverse group of top-performing growth companies in the USA—the best of the best. 

On average, our index funds will give us a 10% ROI (over an extended period, like a decade or more). 

Muscle is the same. I don't expect to see a significant ROI from our index funds after 1 month or even 1 year. 

But after 10 years? The rewards are tremendous, as long as we stay consistent with investing at a minimum level. 

When you lift weights, you start your muscle-building investment journey. If you set a basic standard for building muscle, your health and fitness returns will be impressive after a few years.

The caveat is that you need to keep investing in yourself every week.

Unlike index funds which you won't truly see the big ROI until after a decade or more of investing... muscle-building rewards can be seen closer to 3-5 years. 

3-5 years of consistent, imperfect effort to build a strong, healthy body - is that worth it for you? The ROI on this can be tremendous. How you quantify this is up to you. 

But for me, some of the benefits include: 

• Increased strength

• Increased confidence

• Higher quality of life 

• Slower aging process

• Stronger skeletal health and body 

• Lower risk of injury during life/sports

• Better aesthetics (improves the second one)

Sure, there's more. But those are among the top reasons I lift and work to build muscle. 

The great news is that muscle memory is real. 

Studies show that even after 10 to 20 years without lifting, people who used to lift can rebuild muscle tissue more easily. 

So it's a healthy reminder that it's never too late to get back to working out, even if it's been years since you last worked out. It's never too late. 

So how do you build muscle? 

Muscle building can be broken down into the following formula: 

Resistance Training (Volume & Intensity) + Caloric Surplus + MPS = Muscle Growth 

Resistance training, or strength training, is the big domino that starts the muscle-building process. It's well-known in the fitness world, but applying the equation above isn't as common. 

Part of this is due to shiny-object syndrome. Part of it is misinformation. 

You can solve both of these problems by using this equation to build muscle for life and never worry about 'losing gains' again. 

Let's dive into the nuances of resistance training. 

We'll be covering this for the rest of the segment (refer to earlier in this guide for a refresher on caloric surplus and MPS). 

The SAID principle says our bodies adapt to specific demands placed on them. 

To promote muscle growth, we must place specific demands on our bodies. 

Resistance training = stimulus for our body to grow lean muscle. 

So lifting weights equals the first part of our fitness equation. However, everyone lifts weights. Not everyone builds muscle. That's correct. 

In gyms worldwide, you can find people who have worked out for years yet still look pretty much the same. 

I call these the 'Gym Lovers'. They're gym lovers, but they love socializing more than the results they're there to achieve. 

No problem with that. If you're serious about building muscle, you'll need to adopt certain behaviors during your workouts. 

Here are the two things that you'll need to do to maximize your muscle-building efforts while using resistance training: 

1. Get enough volume 

2. Train with enough intensity 

Let's talk about volume first. 

Volume is the amount of work you do in either one session or throughout a training week. There are many definitions of volume. For this guide, I’ll focus on the volume related to building muscle, like adding that next pound of muscle. 

In this context, volume is best understood as the number of sets and reps you perform per muscle group. Since you need to 'do work' or exert effort to give your body a stimulus to change, the question is: how much? 

How much work do you need to do to see meaningful changes consistently and sustainably? 

However, a hybrid training approach can also help you build strength and muscle. 

The 1-5 rep range is great for building strength. 

When you get stronger, you can build more muscle. More muscle also helps you get even stronger. This method can enhance your muscle-building journey. 

An experienced fitness coach combines these into a training plan. This way, you get the benefits of both. 

Research suggests that doing 10 to 20 sets for each muscle group can help achieve lasting muscle growth. 

That said, you don't need 20 sets for every muscle group (or even 10) to see progress. 

The 10-20 sets per muscle group guideline refers to your total weekly volume. This rule doesn’t count sets that work muscles indirectly. 

As you'll see in the study above, training more often doesn't necessarily lead to more muscle mass. But doing the right volume does. 

So even though the group above (in grey) trained 5 days and got more volume, it wasn't necessary here. The groups that trained 2 and 3 times a week still got similar results. 

Now, would this continue over the long term?

Probably not, because of diminishing returns and exercise adaptation (aka your body adapting to the exercise and volume you're doing). 

So you'd probably have to raise the bar over time. 

For example, a dumbbell bench press mainly targets your pectoralis (chest) but also engages your triceps. 

You can design your workouts to include about 10 sets per muscle group. This means you can target different muscles within the same exercise. 

Smaller muscle groups need less volume, or fewer sets. 

Generally, if you are untrained, it's easier to build muscle with less work. As you become more trained over months and years, you'll need to adhere more closely to the 10-20 sets/muscle group rule. 

For most clients I work with who are beginners or haven't lifted in years, their 1st year or so of training won't need to include these notes. For serious lifters with over a year of training, this is more relevant. 

There are a few more things to touch on regarding volume, and then we'll dive into intensity (or how hard you should train). 

Volume is our measure of work output. 

It’s the total work we do in training sessions. This amount is linked to our strength and muscle potential. 

We can measure volume in a few ways, like:

• Total amount of reps x sets x weight lifted 

• Training density (amount of time it took for workout to be completed)

• Training stimulus (different tools used, stances used, grips, etc)

• Amount of effort per lift (RPE or RIR tracking systems)

So, remember that volume isn’t just about counting sets, reps, and weights. 

It’s a more comprehensive, holistic way to see our training and workouts from a bigger picture. 

Every action in the gym matters. Adding a rep, set, or weight can change our training volume. Even a shift in stance or grip makes a difference. 

Keep in mind that we’re increasing our training volume. This supports hypertrophy, or muscle growth. It also allows us to retain lean muscle while losing fat. 

Since you're reading this, I assume you want to build muscle and maintain it during fat-loss cuts. 

The main takeaway here is that you need to do enough work to see noticeable muscular changes. At the start of your training journey, you need less work. 

As you progress and gain experience, you need to do more work. 

The body always wants to remain in homeostasis, so you need to give it a legitimate reason to change. 

5. How hard should your workouts be

Now that you know how much work (volume) to do in each workout, let’s discuss how hard those workouts should be. 

I remember being in my first exercise science class. My professor pointed out an interesting trend. After decades of teaching and working out, he noticed a pattern in nearly every gym:

Nearly everyone left 40% of their training potential off the table. 

He meant that most people didn't challenge themselves when working out. 

You're missing out on a lot of muscle-building potential if you don't challenge yourself enough. 

You don't have to train hard all the time or fail on every rep. Some fitness coaches may think that's necessary, but it's not. 

It means you should train smartly and grasp the main ideas of exercise science. You don’t have to be a science major. 

However, understanding some basic concepts can improve your training and help you build muscle more effectively. 

When you train, you stress your body. Back in the 1950s, a scientist named Hans Selye discovered the stress principle of GAS almost by accident while experimenting on rats. 

GAS means general adaptation syndrome. 

It's how we adapt to stress and respond to a specific stressor. Remember, lifting weights is a stressor. Eating fewer calories (being in a deficit) is a stressor. 

Many of the things we do in the name of 'fitness' are physiological stressors on the body. Add too many stressors, and the results usually aren't good. 

It's the metaphorical last straw that broke the camel's back. Manage your training wisely. 

Both the amount of work (volume) and how hard you train (intensity) create stress on your body. 

Intensity is the amount of weight you’re lifting relative to your 1-repetition max. 

In other words, it’s how much you lift compared to what you can lift for one repetition for a particular exercise. 

You don’t have to train to failure for every exercise. However, you should maintain a certain intensity.

The fitness-fatigue model shows that as we improve our fitness, we also build fatigue over time. 

This can lead to "overtraining," but that's rare. Most people stop before reaching that point. However, it may cause overexhaustion, a higher injury rate, or burnout. 

As you get fitter and stronger, you also build muscle. This can lead to more fatigue. So, both growth and tiredness go hand in hand. 

A simple way to respect the fitness fatigue model is to workout out using 6-8 week training cycles. 

The goal is to slowly increase your training volume and intensity during the mesocycle. The last week is your ‘overarching week.’ 

This week, you push yourself harder. This can create a ‘supercompensation effect’ and lead to greater strength gains. 

Even if you don't have a proper overarching week, the goal throughout the entire cycle is to train harder, heavier, and with intentional purpose. 

Make sure you push yourself hard during each session (based on your training fatigue level). 

After your big week, start your next cycle with a ‘deload’ week. During this time, reduce your volume and intensity to about 50-60% of your 1RM. 

This helps clear out any leftover fatigue. 

So, how do you track your intensity per set?

The first system you can use is the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) system. 

This system uses a 1-10 ranking (you could also use 1-100 using percentiles), where you train each set to a specific percentage. 

For example, if you were using the RPE system, your workout could look like this:

• First number: 3 = sets

• Second number: 10 = rep targets

• Third number: RPE 7 = intensity target

However, the RPE system isn't the only option. 

Autoregulation means adjusting your training intensity based on how fit or tired you feel. 

This method can lead to muscle growth and strength results that are just as good as, if not better than, those from other approaches. 

The RIR system, or reps in reserve, is becoming popular. It lets individuals adjust their training based on how many reps they feel they have left (aka reps left in the tank). 

I personally advocate for it and have used it for years, both for myself and for hundreds of clients. 

The RIR system uses a 1-10 ranking. Instead of targeting specific percentiles or RPE numbers, it works backward. It focuses on how many reps you can still do. 

Here’s an example of how this would look:

The focus is on the EFFORT you have in reserve. This helps you gauge your progress and plan your workouts based on your RIR progression. 

For rep ranges, note that I left 10 reps above the targets in both examples. 

Instead of doing 10 reps, use a range of 8 to 12 reps. Start with 8, then work your way up to 12. After you reach 12, increase the weight and start again at 8. 

Keep cycling through this process until you increase the weight again. 

It’s a more natural system. It allows for improvement rather than focusing on one target. You might miss that single goal because of fatigue, poor fitness, or high stress levels. 

Use either system to organize your muscle-building efforts. 

Then, put it into practice. 

6. Rate of muscle-building progress

So how fast can you build muscle? 

It mainly depends on your experience with weights. 

The more you train, the longer and tougher the process becomes. This is the cost of training. 

Our bodies adapt to the stimulus, making change harder but not impossible. 

We all have a huge genetic potential. Yet, 99% of us will never reach it. Why? It takes immense work. We're talking hundreds, even thousands, of hours to approach that ceiling. 

But it's a fun topic to think about. 

According to Lyle, here's a reasonable rate of muscle-building progress you can expect, depending on your level of training experience. 

As you can see, the less trained you are at the start of your muscle-building journey, the faster and easier you'll see progress. 

The opposite is also true. The more trained you are, the slower and harder it will be. 

The good thing? 

Most people aren't at intermediate or advanced levels. You usually need years of consistent lifting. 

But there's a difference between training consistently and training effectively. 

One thing the graph above doesn't make clear is whether it shows male or female progress rates. 

Which is why I prefer Morgan's method, referenced at the beginning of this guide, which states that to build muscle: 

This would put you at a daily surplus of 150 k/cal per day to gain 1 pound of muscle per month. 

This is a good starting point for most people. 

The reason is that sometimes your first caloric adjustment will be off. This means you may need to adjust if your body pushes back or if your NEAT increases on its own. 

So, most people have plenty of gains to be made, which is encouraging. 

So remember, we have several triggers that support muscle-building: 

1. Eating above maintenance calories to give extra fuel to build muscle

2. Lifting weights to trigger the MPS process (muscle protein synthesis)

3. Eat sufficient protein (minimum 0.8 grams per ideal bodyweight)

4. Get a quality mix of protein (including leucine, which supports MPS)

That's your kickstart checklist. 

Other factors, like sleep and stress levels, affect your muscle-building rate. To keep things simple, here are two ranges to monitor both:

1. Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night 

2. Stress: Aim for 5/10 or less stress levels per week (10 being the highest)

Muscle isn't built in the gym. It's built when you recover (rest) and rebuild (nutrition). Both directly affect your muscle-building rate. 

Sleep is your primary tool for building muscle after you’ve completed the core 4 from the checklist above. 

It's the space where your body builds muscle while it repairs and recovers from daily stress. 

This leads to stress. 

High daily stress can slow your muscle growth. 

Training and lifting weights are already stressors on the body. Reduce stress in your career, family, and relationships. 

Remember, the more stress you hold onto without healthy release, the harder and slower your muscle-building progress will be. 

So, how long can you build muscle with these rates? 

It depends. 

Back in my crazy training days, I would binge-eat after each evening workout. I believed that lifting weights and eating a lot would magically lead to muscle growth. 

While I got some of the principles right, I made an amateur mistake: I put on unnecessary extra body fat. 

When building muscle, you'll inevitably gain some body fat. 

The ratio is close to 1:1 muscle-to-fat gain, so for every 1 lb of lean muscle you put on, you might average a pound of fat. 

Some people may respond better to more muscle gain vs. fat gain, but in general, this is what it averages out to. 

That may not seem ideal (and again, some people respond better with muscle adaptations), but it's part of the process. 

However, keep the big picture in mind. 

It might take 12 months to gain 8-12 pounds of muscle. This depends on factors like training experience, gender, and age. However, losing 12 pounds of body fat can take less than 12 weeks. 

So there's a big difference between the two timelines.  

Gaining unnecessary body fat isn't ideal because it reduces the time you can build muscle and forces you to spend more time on fat-loss cuts. 

But you also don't want to undereat. 

Undereating will also stall your progress, making a 1-3 year journey into a 3-6+ year journey (or longer). 

The goal is to use the middle path and do your best to adhere to it. 

You can do this with the 4:2 ratio. Adopted from Andy Morgan and Dr. Eric Helms, the 4:2 ratio is simple: 

For every 4 months (or so) of muscle-building, you can temporarily come back to maintenance calories and reduce any unnecessary fat gain for a couple of weeks.

It's a simple way to keep your body fat levels in check, monitor muscle growth, and give your digestive system a break, too. So, 3-1 benefits. 

It will also help if you're concerned about excessive weight gain, because while muscle building is a multi-year journey, it's reasonable to feel a bit wary about gaining extra weight (ideally more muscle than fat). 

So the 4:2 ratio can be an invaluable tool for building muscle sustainably and stress-free. 

Finally, let's talk about diet adjustments. 

When building muscle, your body may resist the process. 

Some people respond better to this approach than others (for example, if your body type is more ectomorph or naturally slim). 

However, individuals with a more mesomorphic (easier to build muscle) body type might find it a bit easier to build muscle. 

Regardless of your body type and how you respond to muscle-building, don't get caught up in these labels. 

Years ago, I spent hours studying body types and muscle building. This focus on 'scientific' topics wasted time I could have used for training and building muscle. 

Keep a steady surplus and make changes if your weight, measurements, or pictures stop changing. 

I’d suggest waiting two weeks after your first macros calculation. Then, check your weight and measurements. Look for any positive changes. 

If your weight AND strength are increasing, that’s usually a good sign you’re building muscle (since strength is directly related to muscle gains). 

Your body will respond to the muscle-building process if you follow the principles outlined in this guide. 

But there might be pushback. If your weight is stalling and you aren’t gaining, check this quick list before raising your calories.

Muscle Building Checklist

1. Are you consistently lifting weights 3-4x a week?

2. During these sessions, are you challenging yourself to at least 80% intensity per set?

3. Are you completing your prescribed sets and reps for each exercise? Aim for 6-10 sets for smaller muscle groups since you’ll also work them with compound exercises. For larger muscle groups, target 8-12+ sets each week. Increase as you get more advanced.  

4. Are you eating above your maintenance calories? It doesn't need to be much, but the general rule is 150 kcal above maintenance to be in a caloric surplus. 

5. Are you getting enough protein per day? It doesn't need to be perfect, since muscle growth happens gradually over a week, but aim for at least 0.8 grams per ideal body weight. 

6. Are you mixing up your protein sources? If you’re plant-leaning, plant amino acids have a bit lower protein quality. Mixing food sources like rice and peas creates a great blend of amino acids. This boosts overall quality and provides more leucine, which enhances muscle protein synthesis (MPS). 

7. Are you sleeping enough? 7-9 hours of quality sleep is a good rule of thumb. Remove blue light from your home at least 2 hours before bed and stay off electronics before bed. This one tweak will 10x your sleep results more than anything else. Try it. 

8. Are your stress levels higher than 5/10? If so, reduce your stress through natural breathing or practices like Qi Gong or Yoga. The more stressed you are, the slower muscle growth will be. 

9. If you meet all the standards above but aren’t seeing progress, consider increasing your daily calorie intake. 

(credit to Andy Morgan)

For most people, this translates to a 150-200 k/cal increase. 

The simplest way to test the efficacy of this increase is to monitor your body weight. If you continue to be stalled and aren't gaining weight, review the checklist above several times, then monitor changes for 2-3 weeks. 

Only then should you consider adding another slight surplus of 150 kcal. 

What if you're gaining too slowly?

We want to be careful with your calorie increases. 

This helps prevent unnecessary body fat gain. But we also don’t want to limit calories too much. Your body needs to adapt to a higher calorie intake. 

This adaptation, called NEAT, helps you burn more calories through everyday movement. Many "hard gainers" struggle to build meaningful muscle for this reason. 

The other thing to consider is that, as a plant-based eater, your consumption of whole foods is (hopefully) higher than that of the average Western eater. 

Eating more whole foods can fill you up faster. These foods are lower in calories, which might stall your gains. 

You’ll feel full quickly, but you may still fall short of your caloric goal. 

In this case, adding higher-calorie foods that are still healthy yet more palatable (tasty and easier to consume in larger amounts) could make sense. 

I'd start with higher-calorie, carb-based foods (like dates and bananas) since we want more of your extra calories to come from carbs, which will help keep fat gain to a minimum. 

However, adding some nuts and seeds can also help, as long as you don't overdo it. They can also add extra nutrition, especially omega-3s, depending on which nuts and seeds you choose. 

What if you're gaining too fast?

If you're gaining weight too fast, do the opposite. Instead of adding 150 k/cal, subtract this from your current caloric goal. 

Then, monitor your body weight for the next 14-21 days. Average your daily body weight over the week to determine your weekly gain target. 

If you're on track, keep things as they are. If not, recheck the checklist. Make sure your health hasn’t changed. 

Only then should you consider making a further cut, if needed. Again, use 150 k/cal as a benchmark when subtracting and monitor again for 2-3 weeks. 

One thing to add is that there can be a higher rate of fat gain the worse your sleep and stress get. 

To build muscle while minimizing fat gain, focus on sleep and stress. These are key areas to optimize, along with good nutrition and training. 

If that's not feasible for you, gaining muscle during this season of your life might not make sense. 

Only you understand your life and health right now. Before starting a long muscle-building phase, consider your current situation. 

Perhaps building serious muscle and strength as you prepare for your second child isn't the wisest move. Or as you change careers and launch a new business. 

Again, resistance training in itself is already a physiological stressor on the body. 

You'll want to minimize the stressors you put on yourself to optimize the results we see. 

While it's not my place to tell you how to live your life, I can share my personal experiences in the hope that they may help. 

The best practice I've found to reduce stress in my life (as a busy dad, husband, writer, coach, and world traveler) is to slow down. 

Effective methods I've found are: 

• Yoga

• Zazen 

• Qi Gong

• Zhan Zhuang

• Grounding 

• Silent walks 

• Natural breathing 

We internalize mental and emotional stress. 

Then it manifests outwardly, physically. All stress, whether it's physical or mental, needs to be released. 

Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred. 

So the main goal is to have some sort of energy-conversion practice (aka 'stress relief') that turns your 'negative' stress into 'positive' relaxation. 

Simple entry points, such as grounding (touching the Earth's surface), have been scientifically verified to positively impact the body within minutes. 

The benefits increase more with duration and consistency. 

Other integrative practices like Qi Gong, zazen, or natural breathing take a bit more practice. 

But they're powerful in application, and anyone can learn them. I used to find it hard to sit still for 30 seconds. Now, I appreciate the power of silent living, whether I’m still or in motion. 

The addicted mind loves to keep us distracted and off-center. 

These practices can not only reduce and relieve stress but also create permanent changes in the structure of your psyche. 

So they're worth further examination for those interested in internal cultivation and development. 

How to split up your macros with caloric increases/decreases

Finally, a quick note on macro splits. 

When increasing your calories, aim to add more carbs than fats. This helps minimize fat gain and supports further muscle-building with the extra carbs. 

Once you've met your minimum protein needs for muscle growth, adding more doesn't provide extra benefits. 

Extra carbs and a bit more fat are the way to go. 

When you decrease your adjustments, you can do the same in reverse. 

Remove a portion of carbs and some fats (try to keep carbs as much as possible since they’ll fuel training; fats are less important for muscle building).

Here's an example of how a 150 k/cal increase could look by adding more carbs and fats: 

Context matters based on your starting macros. 

If you have lower fats than carbs, it helps to adjust. Adding more carbs and reducing fats can lead to better muscle growth and less fat gain. 

7. Tracking your progress

The simplest way to see if you're building muscle is by: 

• Observing if you're getting stronger over time

• Monitoring your rate of weight gain

Paraphrasing Dr. Eric Helms, from his book, 'Muscle and Strength Pyramids':

'Most people don't need to cut or bulk to significantly change their body composition. In fact, I'd recommend that most people starting out just train hard and lift weights for 6 months or so before making any major caloric adjustments.'

He added that even without tracking calories, most people who train hard and lift will start to gain weight. 

This happens because of two natural systems we all have:

• Satiety (fullness)

• Hunger

In every study he reviewed, when individuals were training hard, they built muscle regardless of calorie tracking. The reason why? 

The harder and more consistently they trained, the more their bodies responded and ate a bit more to support their training. 

In other words, they built muscle without stressing about their calories. 

With that said, there is a time and place for calorie tracking. If you struggle to tune into your hunger and fullness cues, you’re not alone. 

Most people face this issue. So using calorie tracking as a guide can help. 

Let's talk about how you'll track your rate of progress, then calories, then wrap up with workout and recovery tracking. 

A simple system I invented after years of working with clients is called the 111 Method. 

Simply put, you'll measure your biometrics from 3 unique angles. Here's how it works: 

Here's the context: Obviously, if you're gaining muscle, you'll want to monitor the rate of progress. 

Your weight is the simplest and most effective way of tracking this. For fat loss, tracking your body weight 2-4 times a week helps you see trends. 

But for muscle building, checking it 1-2 times a week is enough since progress is slower. 

The same goes for body measurements. 

In fact, since it's slow, I'm inclined to say every two weeks, but I opted for once a week because it's easier to keep the habit alive weekly than to revive it every two weeks. 

Photos are taken monthly. Changes in appearance happen slowly, so checking each week often shows little to no progress. 

The 111 Method can be a useful tool in your tracking arsenal. 

So what about calories and macros?

You can track these using well-known trackers like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer. 

Our personal 1:1 coaching clients use either one, or they use our private coaching app, which has a built-in calorie tracker. 

So choose a tracker that resonates with you and stick with it. 

Personally, I'd choose Cronometer because of the added benefits it offers plant-based lifters, thanks to its detailed micronutrient view. 

It's worth the extra consideration. 

No matter which tool you pick, set your caloric goal and macro split first. Use the 111 Method to track your progress. 

Then, stay on track. 

Ideally, tracking 5-6 days with 85% accuracy will be a great standard to aim for. You don't need perfect tracking. 

First, aim to hit your caloric goal. Then focus on your protein and carbs. This will boost your muscle-building progress. 

Fats tend to take care of themselves (carbs do too), so for most of you, focus on calories and protein. 

The rest tends to fall into place. 

The better you track your progress, the more you can reconnect with your internal regulation systems. 

Organizations like Precision Nutrition have helped tens of thousands of people in the last decade. They can confirm that internal regulation systems work. 

You can use this as a backup system when traveling or when you can't track things for various reasons. 

You may need to adjust your calories over time. This depends on whether you're building muscle or making a mini cut. Use the 4:1 ratio rule for guidance. 

For strength workouts and lifting, use a spreadsheet, a workout app, or a workout journal. These tools help you track your progress. Track your sets and reps each week. 

This way, you can ensure you're getting enough volume for muscle growth. Keep a record of your workouts. This way, you can tell when it's time for a deload week. 

During a deload week, you reduce your volume and intensity by 30-50%. This helps clear out any built-up fatigue. 

So choose a workout tracker and stick with it. 

For tracking stress and sleep, fitness watches and sleep trackers work well. 

But to keep it simple, use a weekly rating system:

1-10 (10 being highest), how much sleep did you get, and how well did you sleep? (7-9 hours is a good rule of thumb)

1-10 (10 being highest), how stressed were you this week? (aim for 5 or less)

Just like hunger and fullness signals, you can sense when you're too stressed and not sleeping well. 

You don't need a watch or gadget to tell you this. 

Track your progress simply and sustainably. 

Focus on key growth areas: lift weights and eat well. 

8. Proper expectations and next steps

We covered a lot of ground in this guide. 

I recommend bookmarking this guide as you embark on your plant-fueled or vegan muscle-building journey. 

As you begin your trek up the fitness mountain, prepare yourself accordingly. 

Like any good hiker, take time to study the landscape ahead. 

Understand the pitfalls ahead and the challenges you may encounter. 

If you haven't already, connect to your deep why. Why are you trying to build muscle and get stronger? What's driving your behavior and purpose here?

The stronger your desire to build muscle, the quicker you can take action. This will help you achieve the results you want. 

It's the same for everything in life. When you have a deep, burning desire to change, then you will. 

Muscle building is a multi-year journey. 

It won't happen overnight (no matter what supplement companies promise). Building muscle and strength showed me that facing tough challenges builds character. 

When I first started lifting 15 years ago, I was a different person. 

Over time, lifting weights changed my character. I began to look forward to challenging myself. I fell in love with the process. 

I started to enjoy my training. This took time. Patience. Dedication. And a commitment to myself. 

So, give yourself grace if you're just starting out. Or if you've been at this for a few years. 

We can all create strong, healthy bodies we feel proud to live in. 

It's possible for all of us.

All the best ahead!