Vegan or Omnivore? Which Is Better for Strength Training?

From welovecycling.com

It has long been assumed that animal protein is superior for building muscle, leaving vegans at a supposed disadvantage when it comes to strength training. But new research suggests that when total protein intake is sufficient, the body may not care whether that protein comes from steak or soy 

Plant vs animal protein

Animal proteins have traditionally been seen as the gold standard for muscle growth. They were thought to deliver a stronger response for muscle protein synthesis than plant-based meals, based on studies measuring short-term responses to single meals.

Researchers at the University of Illinois decided to test whether this difference matters when people follow a realistic diet over time. Their 9-day trial compared healthy young adults following either a vegan or an omnivorous diet, with all meals provided and balanced for protein at 1,1–1,2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Participants also took part in resistance training.

Similar muscle synthesis and strength gains

The key finding of this new study was clear: both groups showed similar rates of muscle protein synthesis, a biological marker that indicates the body is in a muscle-building state. The study didn’t measure actual changes in muscle size or strength, which take weeks or months to appear. To look at real outcomes, another 10-week trial comparing vegans and omnivores consuming 1,6–1,8 g/kg/day did measure strength and muscle gains. And again, it found no meaningful differences between the two groups.

Does protein timing matter?

The new study also tested whether it was better to spread protein intake evenly across meals or to consume more of it later in the day. Some participants ate protein across 5 meals, while others concentrated it into 3. Once again, there were no differences in muscle protein synthesis.

This challenges earlier advice that timing is crucial, particularly for lower-quality proteins. Instead, it reinforces the idea that total daily intake matters more than when you consume it.

How much protein is enough?

In the Illinois study, participants consumed about 1,1–1,2 g/kg/day. This is a moderate intake that fits well with many everyday diets, and under these conditions the researchers saw no disadvantage for vegans compared to omnivores.

That does not mean higher intakes are pointless. The 10-week trial already mentioned showed that athletes consuming 1,6–1,8 g/kg/day could build muscle and strength just as effectively on vegan or omnivorous diets. Broader meta-analyses support this range too, suggesting most benefits plateau around 1,6 g/kg/day, although some individuals may see marginal gains at the even higher.

Put simply, 1,2 g/kg/day is likely enough for most healthy adults to maintain or improve strength when combined with resistance training. For athletes or those chasing more ambitious goals, aiming closer to 1,6 g/kg/day may be more appropriate.

What this means for cyclists

If you ask professor Nicholas Burd, who led the study, what protein is best, he would give you the following answer.

“It’s the kind you put in your mouth after exercise. As long as you’re getting sufficient high-quality protein from your food, then it really doesn’t make a difference.”

For cyclists who mix endurance and strength training, this is encouraging. A balanced plant-based diet will not hold back progress in the gym, and obsessing over meal timing is not necessary. Instead, focus on training consistently, recovering properly and reaching your daily protein target, whether from lentils, dairy or chickens.

https://www.welovecycling.com/wide/2025/08/28/vegan-or-omnivore-which-is-better-for-strength-training/

The truth about veganism and cycling

From cyclingweekly.com

Can a diet free from meat and all other animal products help to improve your performance? It's not as simple as a recent Netflix documentary suggested.

In the opening sequence of The Game Changers documentary, presenter James Wilks – a former mixed martial arts champion – explains that his interest in veganism started when he got injured and began genning up 
on recovery.

He claims to have spent 1,000 hours researching recovery-boosting nutrition. One thousand hours? Assuming he studied 9am to 5pm without lunch breaks, that’s a full six months of solid reading. Anyway, amid these mountains of paperwork, he stumbled upon an article purporting to prove that Roman gladiators (“the original professional fighters”) ate a mostly plant-based diet.

Wilks’s mind is blown. Over the rest of the film, he advances the case, in no uncertain terms, that eating only plant-based foods is better for recovery, health and – crucially – sporting performance. It was no surprise, then, The Game Changers garnered enormous attention, even among ordinarily hard-headed cyclists.

Full disclosure to kick off: I eat a mostly plant-based diet; I’m not a strict vegan, but I avoid meat and dairy products most of the time (largely for ethical reasons). If my position were prone to bias, it would be skewed in favour of The Game Changers – its message that veganism boosts sporting performance is good news for me. My job here, though, is to be unswervingly objective in answering this question: will going vegan make you a fitter, faster cyclist?

Quite early in the film, we meet Dotsie Bausch, the seven-time US national champion and Olympic silver medallist. This is the segment for the cyclists. Bausch tells us that she was in her mid-30s and “ready to retire” when she switched to a vegan diet, from which point she unexpectedly “just kept getting better” – pointing out that she went from struggling to leg-sled 300lb to pushing 585lb in sets of 60 reps.

She relives the pinnacle of her career: silver in the team pursuit at the London Games, where she stood on the podium aged 39.5 years – “I’m still the oldest person in my event to even go to the Olympic Games.”

The film implies the American’s late-career improvements were the result of her switch to a vegan diet. However, it doesn’t take much research to discover Bausch took up cycling relatively late, aged 26, as part of her recovery from an eating disorder. In light of which, the fact she was still improving at 35 was perhaps not so much proof of ‘plant power’ as the natural development of a huge talent that for many years had lain dormant and/or been hampered by improper fuelling. Of course, this is to take nothing away from her remarkable achievements.

I contacted Bausch by email and asked what made her so confident her improvements were the result of diet over and above other factors.
“Truly, this was the one thing that I changed,” she replied. “My coach and my training stayed consistent – it was the diet change that gave me this advantage. And, let’s be honest, I wasn’t getting any younger… when my body should have been resisting and slowing me down, I was actually getting fitter, stronger and more resilient.”

Bausch is a passionate advocate of veganism, and as a “plant-powered athlete” has become a professional influencer on the topic (dotsiebauschusa.com). Her anecdotal evidence is compelling – but is it supported by hard science?

Read the full article in this week’s Cycling Weekly magazine that includes nutritious recipes from a top cycling chef that can be made with store cupboard items, an honest look at supplements and which ones you need and how the pros used to eat. You can take out a subscription to Cycling Weekly or it’s available in supermarkets and newsagents.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/nutrition/the-truth-about-veganism-and-cycling-454761