A whole-food, high-protein vegan diet will help you build muscle and burn fat. You can focus on building muscle or burning fat, but unless you are new to weightlifting it will be nearly impossible to do both at the same time (a process called body recomposition).

In order to lose fat, you must be consuming less calories than you are burning with your basal metabolic rate (known as BMR, or the amount of energy your body burns to stay alive) plus the activity burn, the amount of energy you expend through physical activity.

In order to gain muscle, you must maintain a caloric surplus, meaning that you must eat more calories than you are burning each day. This is why it is nearly impossible to simultaneously lose fat and gain muscle. However, you also don't need to gain a lot of fat when you are gaining muscle and you don't have to lose any muscle when you are trying to lose fat.

Experienced bodybuilders switch between periods of "bulking" (i.e. building muscle) and "cutting" (i.e. fat loss). "Clean bulking" with a 5-10% caloric surplus and "clean cutting" with a 20-25% caloric deficit are most effective at gaining muscle and maintaining a ripped physique.

As a general rule of thumb, guys should reduce body fat to under 15% before bulking, and girls should reduce to their body fat to under 25% before bulking. This approach is ideal because:

• Insulin sensitivity drops as body fat levels increase. As insulin sensitivity drops, fat gain accelerates and protein synthesis (the process of building muscle) is suppressed.
• As body fat levels increase, the more your testosterone levels drop and estrogen levels rise. Generally speaking, testosterone is the main hormonal driver of muscle growth and estrogen promotes fat storage.

How to build vegan muscle:

Learn the crucial exercises and specific workout routines that are vital to increase muscle mass and strength. I'll also teach you the most effective warm-up routine for crushing heavy weight, the importance of rest, and why lifting doesn't make women bulky. Click here to learn everything you need to know to make crazy vegan gains.

Everything you need to know about vegan protein:

Learn all about how your body uses protein, why plant protein beats animal protein, how much protein you really need, what the best vegan protein sources are, why the myth of "plant protein combining" isn't true, and why protein digestibility matters. Click here to become an expert on vegan protein. 

How to lose fat without losing muscle on a vegan diet:

Learn how to lose fat and feel better than ever on a vegan diet without deprivation or expensive pills and potions. Click here to get started with your vegan weight loss journey.

All the gym lingo you need to know:

The key to success in achieving your fitness goals is acquiring a base of fitness knowledge. Click here to learn all of the fitness terms you need to know to converse with meatheads.