10 massive tips to pack on mass

Meal Prep Tips for Muscle Gain

Before you start prepping, make sure you know your nutrient, macro, and calorie needs. The ratios for bodybuilding meal prep may look different for the average client just trying to increase their gains a bit. Consider talking to a dietician to help you get started.?

1. Understand Your Calorie Needs

This can be a tough pill to swallow for some people, but when building muscle, you’re generally looking to gain weight. If you don’t prep enough food, your workouts will backfire. You could experience weight loss and lose muscle mass rather than gain it.?

It’s in these details that a dietician can be a big help, but generally, a 500-calorie surplus is a good benchmark. Determine how many calories you burn in a day and add 500 to that number. You can adjust as needed.?

2. Understand Your Macro Needs

In addition to total calories, you need to find the right balance between calories from carbs, protein, and fats. A good general rule for muscle gain is 40% to 45% carbs, 30% protein, and 25% to 30% fat. If fat loss is not a concern, you can up the carb amount to better fuel your workouts. Adjust in the opposite direction if you're focused on lean muscle. Again, a dietician can provide you with the best personalized macro ratio for your body and your goals.?

3. Know What a Muscle Building Meal Looks Like

Before you can plan your shopping trip, you need to have meal prep ideas in mind. You can use a fairly simple formula, altering it a little to match your specific nutrient and calorie needs. Here is a good general plan for lunch or dinner:?

Seven to nine ounces of protein, like a chicken breast or piece of salmon

One large sweet potato or one to two cups of a whole grain, like brown rice

One cup of broccoli or salad greens with a drizzle of olive oil?

A meal like this provides 600 to 700 calories, about 70 grams of protein, 60 grams of carbs, and 10 to 20 grams of fat.

A healthy weight gain breakfast might be 5 to 6 egg whites with one or two whole eggs, a serving of oatmeal, and one piece of fruit. For a snack during the day, a protein shake or smoothie with your choice of protein powder, or a piece of whole grain toast with yogurt or cottage cheese are smart options.?

Rest days are different from active days.?Here’s what to eat when recovering.?

4. Create a Simple Meal Plan for the Week?

With a general guideline for what a meal or snack should look like, get planning. This is the tedious part, but by writing out every meal and meal prep recipe, you’ll be able to buy and prep what you need.?

To make it a little easier and less wasteful, plan for foods that stretch a few meals or days. For example, a big pack of baby spinach is inexpensive and can be your lunch vegetable all week. A big bag of sweet potatoes is similarly cost-effective and provides a healthy carb that will last all week and beyond.

Just because you’re planning to use the same few foods all week doesn’t mean meals have to be boring. That spinach can be a salad one day. Steam it with garlic another day or add it to your omelet.?

5. Invest in Good Meal Prep Containers

A set of glass containers in different sizes are an excellent investment if you’re serious about healthy meal planning and prep. You’ll use these to store your chopped ingredients, portioned proteins, measured snacks, and packed breakfasts and lunches.?

6. Write a Specific Shopping List – And Never Shop Hungry.?

Meal prepping is all about discipline. With a meal plan in hand, create a shopping list with no wiggle room for snacks you don’t need or processed foods. You might think you have it all in your head, but a list is the only way to be sure you can create your week of carefully planned meals.?

Shopping while hungry is a big meal planning mistake. You will undoubtedly reach for something that’s not in your plan. This being said, there is nothing wrong with a cheat meal or snack, but put it in your plan and on your list so you don’t run wild in the snack aisle.?

7. Choose Budget-Friendly Foods

If you have a lot of money to spend, that’s great. You have less to worry about when meal planning. Even with a tight budget, you can eat well and meet your goals. It just takes some planning and smart choices. In general, whole foods that are minimally processed are the least costly. They also tend to be more nutrient-dense. These are some good options:?

Chicken

Eggs

Canned tuna

Whey protein

Peanut butter

Dry or canned beans

Produce in season or frozen

Whole, uncooked grains, like brown rice, oats, and quinoa

Pre-made meals and bars designed for weight gain, muscle building, and bodybuilding meal prep are useful but can destroy a budget. If you have a limited amount to spend on food, you’ll have to do more work at home to prepare foods. It’s healthier, though, because you control every ingredient that goes into your meals.?

8. Introduce Some Variety

It’s easy to get burned out on carefully prepped meals and snacks if you only ever eat the same five foods. You can eat healthy, whole, cost-effective foods with a lot of variety. Choose different produce every week. Vary your protein. Don’t eat tuna every single day for lunch. Try new spices and herbs in your recipes.?

9. Make Sunday Night Prep Night

A couple of hours on Sunday night prepping food might not be the most exciting time of the week but it will save you time later. Spend an hour or two cutting vegetables, portioning ingredients, and packing lunches. You won’t regret it later when all you have to do is reach for a healthy meal.?

The more you have prepped, the easier it is to stick with your meal plan when you’re hungry. And that means getting closer to your goals. How much you prep is up to you. Some people just prep ingredients, while others cook meals, portion them into containers, and reheat later.?

10. Make Your Own Meal Prep Tips for Muscle Gains

Ultimately, what works best is what works for you. If you need more spontaneity in your eating, lighten up on prepping and planning. Prep dinners but leave lunches free for more variety, for instance. If you do best with rigid rules, plan each meal of the week down to each serving. You’ll only stick with a muscle-gain diet if it works for you.?

Meal prepping can help with a variety of diet and fitness goals. For building muscle, meal prep helps you ensure adequate calorie and protein intake and a good balance of nutrients. Yes, you can make gains without planning and prepping, but this is a tool that increases your odds of success.?