The journey of muscle gain involves sojourners passing through carefully designed diets and the gym. Diets can be tricky to get a hang of if you haven’t learned how to subject your cravings. However, before getting to that point, you’ve got to know the right meal plan for muscle gain.
Knowledge is nothing without practice. So, aspiring bodybuilders have to implement special diets formulated according to their nutrient intake requirements. Without a solid meal plan, your hours at the gym will be less profitable.
Key Takeaways
Bodybuilding requires two things to work- diet and exercise. The effective bodybuilding diet & meal plan for muscle gain is divided into two parts or phases. Bulking, which is the first, revolves around amassing muscle through protein and calorie-rich foods.
The second phase, cutting, is the retention of muscle and loss of fat via diet and exercise. Therefore, to be as big and balanced as Dwayne Johnson, aka the Rock, you need to diet and exercise rightly. This lifestyle is the gateway to your dream physique and stature.
Meal Plan for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss
Bodybuilders aim to acquire a big, taut, and balanced muscular appearance. Though workout is one way to achieve this, it will give better results when you incorporate it with a meal plan for muscle gain.
Generally, bulking and cutting is the regimented meal plan structure. In the bulking phase, bodybuilders consume high amounts of calories and protein. Also, they engage in vigorous weight lifting exercises to amass muscle.
In the cutting phase, the aim is strictly losing fat and retaining all the already built muscle through an arranged diet. Whereas bulking may span across months or years, cutting covers six to seven months.
Muscle Gain Diet Plan
To gain muscle, bodybuilders need to consume more calories. An increase in calorie consumption is effected by consuming an appropriate quantity of nutrient-dense foods from all the six classes. So, to personalize a bodybuilding diet plan, you should calculate the number of calories you need for effective meal prep for bulking.
Identify your maintenance calorie and increase intake by 15%. Assuming your maintenance calorie is 2000 daily, your daily calorie intake in the bulking phase would be 2300. If you’re scared of gaining excess muscle, you can avoid it by ensuring not to gain more than 1.% of your body weight weekly.
Once you settle your calorie intake, you can sort out your macronutrient ratio. Your calorie intake should constitute 30-35%, carbs 55-60%, and fat 15-20%. Understanding the right macros for muscle gain is essential to structuring a diet that optimizes muscle growth while maintaining balance.
Your meal plan for muscle gain should consist of the following:
- Poultry, fish, and meat
- Fruits and vegetables
- Dairy products
- Grains
- Start by vegetables
- Beans and legumes
- Oil
- Seed and nut.
While you indulge in the above, you should abstain or drastically limit your intake of alcohol, deep-fried foods, and excess sugar.
Fat Loss Diet Plan
It’s now time to shed fat after increasing your calorie intake and engaging in aerobic exercises and resistance training. You cut down on your maintenance calorie by 15% to shed fat and retain your hard-earned muscles. If your daily maintenance calorie intake was 2000, you would have to reduce it to 1700.
Be watchful during the cutting phase, so you don’t lose more than 0.5 – 1% of your body weight per week. The difference between the bulking and cutting phase isn’t in the kinds of food you eat but the quantity. Therefore your meal will consist of the same food classes only on a smaller ratio.
Since the bulk of your consumption revolves around the same food class, your meal plan should have many varieties. Endeavor to absorb 20- 30 grams of protein in each meal to boost your muscle growth spurt. Also, remember that your macronutrient ratio remains the same.
Conclusion
The key to achieving whatever physique or stature you desire lies in your diet. The amount of calories you consume and burn reflects in your body size. Thus the saying, “you are what you eat.”
If you dedicatedly follow this meal plan for muscle gain, you’ll be saying hello to unhealthy fat. Furthermore, as you shut the door to fat, you’ll usher in a fit and toned body with a round of applause.
To further optimize your muscle gain journey, using a supplement like WOWMD Nitric Shock Pre-Workout can help enhance your performance and results. This supplement supports greater endurance and better muscle pumps, giving your training an extra edge.
If you desire chiseled abs, sexy calves, and a balanced muscular physique implement this muscle & bodybuilding meal plan and share your progress with us.