By EMMIE SATRAZEMIS, RD, CSSD December 15, 2022
Have you been struggling to gain mass and stick to your calorie goals? Meal prep is one of the best ways to organize your diet, hold yourself accountable, and deliver on consistency - helping you achieve ultimate results, faster. But if you’re new to this style of eating, it can feel like a huge undertaking. To help you get the most out of your muscle-building diet, here’s your step-by-step guide to meal prep for weight gain, along with tips from the pros, simple recipes, and planning tools. Get the exact bulking system used by the pros with this free meal prep toolkit for muscle gain. Contains custom macro calculations, food lists, and menu planning templates to maximize your time and your gains! Weight gain is typically achieved by eating a surplus of calories - also commonly referred to as a bulking diet. Although, the types of food you choose, your workout routine, and your lifestyle can determine whether or not the weight you put on is muscle or fat. Typically, muscle growth is the focus of weight gain diets, so we are going to primarily focus on this as the primary goal for your weight gain meal prep. It is, however, important to note that gaining muscle often also means some fat gain - and the amount to which this occurs can vary from one person to the next. However, with the right mindset and approach, you can tip the odds of muscle gain more in your favor and minimize potential fat gain. Here are two key steps to take before you get started on any type of bulk diet. Once, you've mastered the basics of this type of diet, you can then begin to plan your ultimate meal prep strategy around the best foods and recipes to meet your unique nutrition and fitness needs. The best diet for you is going to be one made up of foods you enjoy eating and that allow you to hit your daily calorie and macro goals. Additionally, opting for more nutritious options over empty calories can support muscle growth in a few different ways. The easiest way to balance your nutrition and calories in one shot is by learning how to count your daily macros. Macros or macronutrients are where all of your calories come from, and each type impacts muscle growth differently. The three types of macros in your diet include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Protein is the most essential macro for gaining lean mass since it is the building block for all of your muscle tissue. Thus, a high protein diet is often necessary to promote muscle growth and increase your lean mass. Second to protein, carbohydrates have some benefits for fueling your workouts and supporting muscle recovery. The storage form of carbohydrates (glycogen) is stored in your muscles for quick access to energy. Additionally, carbohydrates elicit an insulin response that supports weight gain. Thus, eating plenty of carbs is encouraged to support your weightlifting workouts and higher calorie needs. Lastly, fat is a source of long-lasting energy and an easy way to add calories to your plate without too much volume. This is because fat provides twice as many calories per gram as the other two macros. However, eating too much fat can lead to increased fat storage in a calorie surplus. Thus, it is recommended to keep your fat intake moderate and get more of your calories from carbs and protein. Learn how to count macros for weight gain. In addition to a macro balanced diet, including more quality food choices has some benefits. Nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables provide key nutrients for daily function, recovery, and overall health. Healthy fats are less likely to be stored as body fat and provide heart health benefits. Lean proteins allow you to load up on quality amino acids and nutrients without high amounts of saturated fat. Moreover, some research suggests that a clean bulk - focusing on more healthy, whole foods, may help minimize potential fat gain (1). Here are the best foods for muscle gain. Now that you’ve determined your calorie and macro goals, as well as the top foods to add to your meal prep routine, you can start curating your ultimate meal plan for muscle gain. Meal prep is really just the art of planning and prepping some or all of your meals in advance. You should begin by picking which day of the week you want to cook and for what meals A lot of people find that Sundays or Mondays work well for cooking days, or you can split it up and cook more than one day a week. Then use the following steps and tips to build your weekly meal prep. Before you start, determine how many days per week you want to cook/prep food and for what specific meals. Understanding what foods to eat and when can be a major determinant of your success in gaining lean mass. Meal timing is important for muscle because of the following: To ensure you get the most out of your prep, it can be helpful to establish a weekly menu upfront. You can tailor this to each day's workout and set times for each meal throughout the day. Here is a meal planning template you can use to map out your eating menu for each week. Lifting days will require more carbs and calories than rest days - this can easily be accomplished using small snacks or added meals around your training window. Aim to get a meal in a few hours before each workout - this should include a balanced healthy meal with plenty of carbs and a good amount of protein. If you are working out first thing in the morning or want to add a small snack before the gym, consider quicker acting carbs and simple sugars to fuel your lifting session but not wreck your digestive system, such as a sports drink, chocolate milk, or small muffin. For post-workout, you’ll want to load up on quick carbs and protein and keep the fat moderately low to allow for faster absorption. Think white rice and chicken, protein shakes, chocolate milk, or cottage cheese and fruit. Meal prep requires some level of cooking, and there isn’t any way around this (unless you opt for a meal prep delivery company to cook all your food). Here are some tips for getting the most out of your time in the kitchen: Part of prepping in advance also means making recipes that work well for leftovers and reheating. Some dishes work great for this, while others don’t hold up. Additionally, here are a few other things to consider before you get cooking: Moreover, reheating food is somewhat of an art. There are a few things you can try to make leftovers tasteless “leftover” and more inspired. Try some of the following ideas to up your meal prep game: It is also good practice to track your daily intake using a food tracking app. This way, you get an accurate calculation for how many macros and calories you are consuming each day and on average, each week. It is also helpful to account for any unexpected foods that creep into your diet - which is almost guaranteed to happen! Moreover, using precise food portions is a great way to ensure you are tracking your intake accurately. Consider getting a food scale to weigh out your protein portions, or use measuring cups and spoons when cooking to account for the calories in every ingredient. Here are some easy and macro-balanced recipes to add to your weekly meal prep. Each recipe is high in protein, made with simple ingredients, and won’t have you sweating it out in the kitchen for hours. Try some of these dishes or use them as inspiration for your own creations. Get even more high protein snack ideas that don't require cooking. Want to take your meal prep to the next level and make sticking to your bulking diet even easier? Grab some pre-made proteins, grains, and veggies from our a la carte line and cut your cooking time in half - all you need to do is portion it out and season as you desire. Plus, all ingredients still work with most recipes you find online. Or check out our ready-to-eat meal plans, planned and prepped by expert chefs and nutritionists to help you reach your fitness goals.How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle
The Best Muscle Building Diet
Macros for Building Muscle
Best Foods for Muscle Gain
How to Meal Prep for Muscle Gain
Step 1: Meal Timing and Menu Planning
Pre and Post Workout Meals
Step 2: Cooking
Step 3: Reheating
Step 4: Food Portioning and Tracking Intake
41 Muscle Gain Meal Prep Recipes
10 Breakfast Meal Prep Recipes
10 Lunch Meal Prep Recipes
10 Dinner Meal Prep Recipes
6 High Protein Snack Recipes
5 High Protein Dessert Recipes
Meal Plan for Muscle Gain