That a breakfast of scrambled eggs will fuel your muscles better than a chocolate-filled croissant will come as no surprise. And when fat loss is your focus, it would probably help to swerve the biscuit tin every now and again.

You make around 35, decisions every day on average — hit snooze or get up? Toast or porridge? White shirt or blue? Your brain is the most energy-demanding organ in your body, and it uses glucose as its primary fuel source.

As your mental energy drains with each fleeting decision, your body looks for a quick way to replenish its dwindling stocks: sugar.

Such is the fat-loss paradox. You need willpower to stop yourself from grazing — but in order to fuel willpower, you need to eat.

This is why meal prep is your greatest muscle-building, fat-torching ally. By pre-batching breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks ahead of time, you deal with a decision-making double-whammy: not just what to eat and when, but also how much.

You have to carry containers everywhere. And if your plans change, the food goes to waste. But as they say — if it was easy, everyone would do it. Not only will your scales be lighter without those high street sandwich lunches; your wallet will be thankful too.

breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Protein -wise, stick to lean options like chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef, eggs, tofu, and greek yoghurt. That said, man cannot get jacked on turkey, broccoli, and sweet potato alone. Batch cooking is the name of the game. Cooking and pre-portioning chilli or curry, for example, is far more practical than juggling multiple recipes.

Once you have your meals mapped out, make a list of all the ingredients you need — along with quantities — and hit the shops. To keep your meals as fresh as possible, let them cool down completely before you refrigerate them, says Long. If you've seen the 'ripe avocado' memes, you know how temperamental veg can be.

To reduce food waste, make frozen and tinned foods your best friend. They can really extend the shelf life of your veg, says Travers, particularly the crunchy kind such as bell peppers, carrots and celery. Think of meal prepping as a high-intensity gym workout , says Curry.

When the food is nearly complete, prep your food containers and spread them out on the counter or table. Season a 1in-thick steak with salt and pepper and grill on medium-high to your desired doneness — about three minutes per side for medium rare. Let it rest for five minutes, then transfer.

Heat some oil in an ovenproof pan on medium-high. Season and cook until brown, two to three minutes per side. Transfer to the oven and roast at °C; five minutes for medium rare.

Place some extra-firm tofu on a cutting board between paper towels. Top with a baking sheet and heavy cans to weigh it down.

Let it sit for 15 minutes, then slice. Heat oil in a pan on medium-high. Fry until golden brown, two minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel and season. Break firm tofu into large pieces on a baking sheet. Toss with oil, season and roast at °C, flipping once. Cook until golden brown, about minutes.

Rub with oil, then season and grill on medium-high, four to six minutes per side. Use a griddle pan to add some smoky char. Heat some oil in an ovenproof pan on a medium heat. Season the chicken and cook until golden brown, about three minutes per side.

Transfer to an oven and roast at °C until cooked through — about 10 minutes. Heat some oil in a frying pan on medium-high. Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Season the salmon to taste and grill it on a medium-high heat for around four minutes per side.

This is where most meal prep for muscle gain falls short. Cucumber slices and carrot batons might make you feel virtuous, but an unsatisfying lunch will only set you up for mid-afternoon snacking.

Many vegetables are made more nutritious by cooking — and doing so will extend their shelf life, too. Rapeseed, sesame and olive oils are all good options for sautéing, though extra-virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point save that for your dressings.

Heat a large pan on medium-high. Add a dash of oil, then the veg, and season. Toss well and then cook until tender. On a baking tray, toss your veg with oil and season with salt and pepper. Throw in a few garlic cloves, too. Roast at °C until golden brown.

Applying heat to veg makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients such as beta-carotene and certain minerals. Boiling vegetables causes nutrients to bleed into the water.

Blanching preserves them — as well as keeping the veg crisp. Bring a pot of water to the boil with a pinch of salt. Throw your veg in and cook until just tender, then immediately transfer to ice water. Drain and pat dry. Plastic containers are light and durable, while glass varieties are less likely to stain and keep food fresher for longer.

Low-calorie branched-chain amino acid blends can be a lifesaver. Strategize Your Carb Intake: Carbs come in two forms: starchy, faster-action options such as rice, bread, and pasta that raise the blood sugar quickly; and non-starchy carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which are higher in fiber and raise blood sugar gradually.

Non-starchy carbs should be the backbone of your carb intake. The timing of when you eat starchy carbs is key to getting and maintaining a lean and muscular body.

Eat Plenty of Lean Protein: You can maximize muscle growth while stimulating the release of fat-burning hormones by eating protein every few hours. While high-protein foods should always be your first priority, a quality protein powder is an easy, healthy way to meet your protein goals each day.

Consider whey protein between meals and a slow-digesting casein protein as a shake or pudding to help fuel your gains at night. This is a plan for new-to-the-system bodybuilders who want to stay healthy and power tough workouts.

It is a template based on a moderately active pound male, but could be bumped up or down in quantity to match your size and how many calories you need. It's low in carbs and very high in protein, while emphasizing nutrient-rich foods to improve overall health.

If you want to follow a training plan that includes a full meal plan, rather than creating your own, check out one of these popular options in BodyFit:. Every meal plan is easier to follow with protein shakes to help along the way. Have one post-workout, or anytime you need a low-carb, high-protein meal replacement.

View all articles by this author. Bodybuilding Meal Plan: Clean Eating for Beginners. Bodybuilding Meal Plan for Beginners Bodybuilding Meal Plan for Building Muscle Bodybuilding Meal Plan for Losing Weight No matter if your goal is to bulk up, lose weight, or just stay healthy, how you train is only one part of the plan.

Meal 1. Greek Yogurt. Granola Vanilla Almond Crunch Bear Naked Granola. Eggs Omega-3 eggs. Meal 2: Double Chocolate Cherry Smoothie. Protein Powder. Coconut Milk. Cocoa Powder. Meal 3: Bibb Lettuce Burger. Red Onion.

Current research supports the old recommendation of one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight 1. You can probably get away with slightly less protein while in a caloric surplus but aiming for your body weight is easy to remember.

Pinning down the correct amount of carbohydrates and fat is a little less straightforward. Unlike protein, there is not a specific gram amount per pound of body weight that is the ideal intake.

For fat and carbs, there is a broader range of proper intake, primarily due to personal preference. Fat has a negative connotation in society, but consuming dietary fat doesn't make you more likely to gain fat.

Some fat is essential, and the body must have it to stay alive. Fat is necessary for regulating hormones, aiding joint health, boosting brain function, and more.

If you enjoy higher fat foods, consume more fat in your diet. However, fat and carbs have an inverse relationship. Higher fat intake requires lower carbs and vice versa. Carbohydrates will round out your remaining calories. Carbohydrates benefit a muscle-building diet, especially before and during long workouts.

It may surprise you, but you do not need a specific meal plan to gain muscle. The most crucial factor for building muscle is a caloric surplus. A caloric surplus is when you consume more calories than your body requires to maintain weight. Consistency and adherence are the most critical factors in nutrition and training.

Although you don't need to follow a meal plan, having some structure to follow can make consistency easier. If every day is a blank slate, it is tough to be consistent. Consistency is where many people fall short. It's not hard to have a good day of nutrition once in a while.

However, being consistently good is more effective than being occasionally great. It's also important for planning what to eat before a workout and what to eat after a workout to maximize your gains.

So, what is the best meal plan to gain muscle? The best meal plan for building muscle is one you can stick to over the long term. You can have the best diet in the world on paper, but if you can't follow it, it won't be effective.

Meal frequency is a topic that has ebbed and flowed over the past twenty years. At a time, meal frequency was considered paramount to a well-structured diet. But, as often happens, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction, and meal frequency became an afterthought. End of the day, calories and macros are most important.

Nothing trumps that. However, current evidence suggests distributing protein evenly throughout the day also matters. Based on this research, when determining how much protein you need per serving , having at least four protein meals per day is the best way to maximize muscle building 2.

Whatever meal frequency pattern allows you to be consistent is best. The difference between eating three or six times a day is likely to be negligible. Muscle-building staples like lean proteins , such as grilled chicken breast and whey protein powder, healthy fats including almond butter and extra virgin olive oil, healthy carbs , both fiber filled and starchy vegetables, and fruit will ensure you're following a balanced diet.

These foods will help with muscle hypertrophy and also support muscle recovery. It's also important to note that these foods aren't just for when you're trying to build muscle mass either. These are healthy staples essential for any proper diet, including a cutting diet.

One of the staple practices within the bodybuilding community is meal prepping. Take a look at Chris Bumstead's workout and diet plan , for example, and you'll see that many of his food choices can be made in advance for easy meal times.

Cooking your food ahead of time is one of the best ways to ensure you stay on your diet long-term, whether your goal is to lose fat, reduce or increase your caloric intake, gain weight, or simply meet your maintenance calories. As an added bonus, it will also save you time and money.

Before you go to the store, plan out your week of meals. Sit down and write what you need for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, condiments, and drinks. You will notice you eat many of the same foods weekly. Cooked food doesn't taste good after a few days in the refrigerator. One way to circumvent this issue is to cook meals twice a week.

Sunday and Wednesday seem to work well, but do what works best for you. If you decide to meal prep like this, we've covered the Best Meal Prep Bags on the market to make it easy to transport your food as you move.

After following a muscle-building diet for an extended period, the natural question becomes, when is it a good time to start a cut?

Generally, when discussing bulking vs. cutting , we want to spend considerably more time building muscle than fat loss. You have to earn the right to cut. The muscle-building process takes time; it is a long-term process. Cutting too soon or frequently will slow or even prevent you from maximizing muscle.

The best way to determine when it's time to start a cut is by analyzing your body composition. Continue building muscle mass until your body fat gets higher than you are comfortable with.

The specific body fat percentage will be different for everyone. Once your body fat reaches the point where you are no longer happy with your physique, it makes sense to start a fat loss phase.

Check out our Bodybuilders Guide to Cutting for more information on shedding fat and preserving muscle mass. Building muscle is a challenging pursuit. If it were easy, everyone would be stacked. However, one thing that can make the process easier is following a well-structured muscle-building meal plan.

Whether you want to meal prep to lose weight, improve lean muscle mass, reduce body fat, or bulk, nutrition is all about consistency.

To make real progress, you need to have your nutrition dialed in for the long term. Become best friends with lean protein, eat your fruits and veggies, and remember some fat is necessary.

Although this is only a 7 day meal plan for muscle gain, our hope is you can take the principles outlined above and use them for the rest of your life.

For more muscle-building foods, plans, and recipes , check out our articles on the best healthy bulking foods and high protein meal prep recipes. Want healthy, macro-balanced meals for muscle gain delivered to your door? Check out Trifecta Nutrition's Meal Plans. February 13, Read More.

February 12, At SET FOR SET, we strive to equip you with the tools and knowledge needed for your fitness journey. Our team of experts, including certified trainers, dietitians, and athletes, brings over a decade of industry expertise.

Our goal is to be your primary resource for all fitness inquiries, guiding you toward a stronger and healthier life.

Sign up to stay up-to-date! Powered by Shopify. Want the perfect workout program? Take Quiz. Best Whey Isolate Best Casein Best Lactose-Free Protein Best Low Carb Protein Best Tasting Protein Best Unflavored Protein.

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Best Rowing Machines Best Elliptical Machines Best Stair Steppers Best Manual Treadmills Best Folding Treadmills Best Air Bikes Best Recumbent Bikes. The Best 7 Day Meal Plan for Muscle Gain. Written by Kyle Hunt BEXSci.

Keep in mind that this is just a guide. Here are key things to know about the plan: You will need to alter it slightly to create a calorie surplus based on your TDEE we'll talk about TDEE more later on.

Each day of our meal plan is roughly calories. If you're following a muscle-building plan, like this clean bulk workout and diet plan , you can incorporate a lot of these meal ideas directly into it. All foods are listed in grams or ounces instead of cups and tablespoons.

When weighing and measuring, a food scale is more accurate than volumetric measuring. With your food choices, some items don't have a listing with their weight on the nutrition label.

In this case, it will probably be listed by volume cup, tbs, etc. or by item. Regardless, weigh it out. For example, a cup of oats is supposed to be 80 grams, but many times a cup is more or less when put in a measuring cup. A common question is whether you should weigh raw or cooked foods.

The simple answer is it doesn't matter as long as you track it correctly. If you measure chicken after it is cooked, make sure you track it as cooked chicken, not raw chicken. Everything is weighed and tracked as cooked in the meal plan, except for oats.

This allows you to make everything up in advance and divide it up as needed for each meal. All of the macros listed are approximate. Sample 7-Day Diet Plan for Muscle Gain This plan would be perfect for a moderately active pound individual.

Daily macro goals: Calories: Protein: g Carbohydrates: g Fat: g Let's get into your 7 day muscle-gaining meal plan! Kyle Hunt Author. Also in Blog. About Us At SET FOR SET, we strive to equip you with the tools and knowledge needed for your fitness journey. Recent Articles. Fat Loss Workout Plan For Women 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks, and Beyond January 09, Aaron Donald's Workout: The All-Star Defensive Tackle's Routine January 04, Must Reads.

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Chad XAF Fr. China CNY ¥. Limit Processed Foods: Removing high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods from your diet and your life will help you stick to your meal plan. If you're like most people, you'll find your workouts feel better, your cravings will decrease, and you'll see the difference in the mirror!

Stay Hydrated: Drink water and calorie-free beverages to keep your body at peak performance. Avoid sugar-laden drinks that sabotage your body's defense systems. Craving sweet drinks? Low-calorie branched-chain amino acid blends can be a lifesaver.

Strategize Your Carb Intake: Carbs come in two forms: starchy, faster-action options such as rice, bread, and pasta that raise the blood sugar quickly; and non-starchy carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which are higher in fiber and raise blood sugar gradually.

Non-starchy carbs should be the backbone of your carb intake. The timing of when you eat starchy carbs is key to getting and maintaining a lean and muscular body. Eat Plenty of Lean Protein: You can maximize muscle growth while stimulating the release of fat-burning hormones by eating protein every few hours.

While high-protein foods should always be your first priority, a quality protein powder is an easy, healthy way to meet your protein goals each day. Consider whey protein between meals and a slow-digesting casein protein as a shake or pudding to help fuel your gains at night.

This is a plan for new-to-the-system bodybuilders who want to stay healthy and power tough workouts. It is a template based on a moderately active pound male, but could be bumped up or down in quantity to match your size and how many calories you need.

It's low in carbs and very high in protein, while emphasizing nutrient-rich foods to improve overall health.

If you want to follow a training plan that includes a full meal plan, rather than creating your own, check out one of these popular options in BodyFit:.

Every meal plan is easier to follow with protein shakes to help along the way. Have one post-workout, or anytime you need a low-carb, high-protein meal replacement.

View all articles by this author. Bodybuilding Meal Plan: Clean Eating for Beginners. Bodybuilding Meal Plan for Beginners Bodybuilding Meal Plan for Building Muscle Bodybuilding Meal Plan for Losing Weight No matter if your goal is to bulk up, lose weight, or just stay healthy, how you train is only one part of the plan.

Meal 1. Greek Yogurt. Granola Vanilla Almond Crunch Bear Naked Granola. Eggs Omega-3 eggs. Meal 2: Double Chocolate Cherry Smoothie.