Meal Plan for Muscle Gains: Bulking it Up Efficiently
Among the biggest mistakes we see people making when they’re trying to gain weight is that their diet is all messed up. It takes a specific kind of diet to start bulking if you’re not using any steroids or other pharmaceuticals. Hence, it’s essential to understand what food items should and shouldn’t be included in your diet.
We’ve all been there, we worked out for at least an hour, and then we reward ourselves with McDonald’s thinking, “It has protein in it right?”. Well, yes the burger does, but it’s not from a clean protein source and includes a million other additives that won’t benefit your body at all. Plus, we’ll have to learn how to control our cravings for sugar, pop, cake, and ice cream.
The same goes for overeating on good food sources since while you may be getting the nutrients for your body, you’ll be hindering your muscle gain and causing more fat gain. This can impair the appearance of your muscles and make them look less defined. While you think that smoothie may be helping you along the way, it could be what’s putting you over the top and causing you to gain weight, which is the opposite of what you want.
How to Create a Meal Plan for Muscle Gain?
You begin meal planning by calculating your BMR or basal metabolic rate. This is your resting rate for which you need those calories to survive. From here you want to add at least 250 to 500 calories to the mix because you’re going to need those extra calories to aid your muscles to repair themselves when they’re growing.
Your next goal is to learn how many macronutrients you need in order to stay in shape. These should be coming from healthy whole food, as those are what give you the best results.
Cut out the processed food products that have empty calories and little nutrition. You’ll find that it’s easier to fill in your macros if you’re eating right, to begin with.
So, if you need to eat around 2,300 calories per day for the days you’re resting and 2,600 calories on days you are working out, that should give you a good idea on needing to pack one extra meal. From that estimate, you will need around 338 calories derived from 85g of protein.
We tend to recommend using a protein powder as it’s a more straightforward method to getting all your protein in for the day without worrying about it in between meals. Plus, it’s cheaper than trying to supply yourself with lean meats for up to four meals a day.
What’s An Average Day of Eating Look Like?
An average day of eating for bulking is going to look a lot different on everyone’s plate and the type of food that they use. However, we’ve constructed a balanced meal for breakfast and the rest of the meals of the day.
Breakfast:
- Four eggs
- ½ cup green peppers
- ½ ounce feta cheese
- ¼ cup sliced avocados
- One cup cooked oatmeal
Together, the total calories for this meal are up to 545 calories.
Snack:
- One cup of yogurt
- One ounce nuts
- Once cup chopped fruit
So far this snack comes to around 475 calories.
Lunch:
- Three ounces of meat
- One cup cooked greens
- One cup quinoa
- ½ cup avocados
- Two tsp oil
- Seasonings
The total calories for this meal are 530
Snack:
- Protein shake
This will be dependent upon your protein powder, but you should build it to be around 500 calories. Add in bananas, milk, fruit, and others.
Dinner:
- Three ounces fish
- One cup of brown rice
- One tbsp oil
- One cup broccoli
The total comes to around 525 calories.
Snack:
- Protein shake
Again, the calories should clock in at around 505 calories.
As you can see, the whole day’s calories came to 3,085. When you know the number, you’re not really going to be aware of how much you’re going to have to eat of healthy foods in order to stay in shape.
However, these are the best methods for bulking up and maintaining your muscles. You can always have a cheat meal now and again, so don’t worry on that front.
The best thing about this diet is that you’ll be able to sub out about anything equivalent to the recipe. If you don’t feel like having fish for dinner, you can switch that up for some ground beef or pork chops. Honestly, the same can be said about vegetables and carbs.
Is There Anything Else That Can Help Me On My Journey?
An eBook written by Rusty Moore can help you shape and sculpt your body to the way you want it. The problem with bulking is that you tend to look all poofy instead of defined if you’re not following your strict diet. And trust us, it will start to show if you’re adding in just one or two extra meals a week.
So, if you don’t have a trainer and you want to learn how to look like those celebrities who seem to have the muscles in all the right places, Rusty is here to teach you. He’s researched hours and went through the process himself of creating a program that targets specific muscles to help you get a hot summer bod.
All of his workouts are designed to have multiple versions so that you never get bored with the same old workout. Plus, you’ll be able to use machine workouts and free-workouts. There’s a bit for everyone in the book as there are many different styles of targeting specific muscles.
Lastly, his eBook is more affordable than others on the market. He priced his book to be less than a trainer session, which is within most people’s budget range. So, if you’re looking to sculpt your body sleek and sexy try his book.
Final Words
A meal plan for muscle gain is always focused on eating more protein than carbohydrates and fats. Nonetheless, make sure that there are still a bit of carbs and fats. Likewise, the number of calories that your body needs should be met.
