Building muscle doesn’t just happen in the gym, what you consume to fuel your body matters too. A meal plan is an essential tool to help you stay on track with nutrition that facilitates workouts, quickly recovers, and builds an even better you.
Step 1: Calculate Your Calorie Needs
To build muscle, you need a caloric surplus. Essentially you need to eat more than you burn.
- Maintenance Calories: There are loads of TDEE ( Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculators for you to use.
- Surplus Needed: Add 250-500 extra calories/day to create a surplus and build your body to suitable levels over time.
Example: If you maintain at 2500 calories per day, you want to be in the range of 2750-3000 calories/day.
Step 2: Establish Your Macros (protein, carbs, fats)
A proper macronutrient composition for muscle/builder diet tends to be broken down as follows:
1. Protein (1g per pound of body weight)
- A major nutrient for building and repairing muscles.
- Best sources of protein include chicken, eggs, skinless beef, fish, Greek yogurt, and whey protein.
2. Carbohydrates (2-3g per pound)
- Provides your body with energy for workouts and re-supplies glycogen stores.
- Best sources of carbohydrates include rice, oats, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and whole grain bread.
3. Fats (0.4-0.6g per pound)
- Supports hormone production (testosterone).
- Best sources of fats include avocados, nuts, olive oil, salmon, and eggs.
Example (180lb person):
- 180g protein
- 360-540g carbs
- 72-108g fats
Step 3: Meal Planning (5-6x per day)
Space out meals every **2-3 hours** to maximize muscle protein synthesis.
Example Muscle-Building Meal Plan
Meal 1 (Breakfast)
- 3 eggs + 1 cup oats + banana
Meal 2 (Snack)
- Greek yogurt + almonds + berries
Meal 3 (Lunch)
- 6oz chicken + 1 cup rice + veggies
Meal 4 (Pre-Workout)
- Whey protein + 1 cup sweet potatoes
Meal 5 (Post-Workout)
- 6oz salmon + 2 cups pasta + broccoli
Meal 6 (Before Bed)
- Cottage cheese + peanut butter
Step 4: Timing
- Pre-Workout (1-2 hrs before): Carbs + Protein (Chicken and rice).
- Post-Workout (30 mins after): Fast protein (whey) + carbs (banana, rice).
- Before Bed: Slow digesting Protein (casein, cottage cheese).
Step 5: Adjustments
- Gaining too much fat? Reduce carbs a bit.
- Not gaining muscle? Up calories 200-300/day.
- Track weight weekly and adjust accordingly.
Bonus Tips for Faster gains
- Drink lots of water (muscles are ~75% water!)
- Prioritize sleep (muscles grow while resting).
- Don’t eat junk food (stick to 90% whole foods).
Wrapping Things up
Creating a muscle-building meal plan is easy: **eat in a surplus, eat protein, and eat carbs for fuel when training.** Consistency is important—stick to your plan for 8-12 weeks and you’ll see some solid results!
