Bodybuilding meal prep disciplines you into eating the right nutrients in the right amounts so you meet your fitness goals. Keep reading for everything you need to know to make sure your food helps you get thin or get big.
RELATED: Amazing Juicing For Weight Loss: 7 Juices That Help Burn Fat
In this article:
- Bodybuilding Meal Prepping
- Bodybuilding Meal Plan Basics: What You Need to Know to Start Right Now
- Finding Out Your Bodybuilding Diet Plan Macros
- Meal Prep for Muscle Gain Steps
- What You Can Do with Your Bodybuilding Meal Prep Food Ingredients
- Bodybuilding Meal Delivery Services
Bodybuilding Meal Prep for Guaranteed Gains
Bodybuilding Meal Prepping
Nutritionists and conditioning experts aid athletes and bodybuilders in obtaining their physiques through a program consisting of a combination of dieting and exercise.
Discipline serves as the key factor in keeping people within the diet and exercise regimen. People stay disciplined and less prone to snacking through bodybuilding meal prep.
This muscle-building meal prep guide can help budding athletes, beginner bodybuilders, and health buffs get started on the road to a better physique and overall health.
Bodybuilding Meal Plan Basics: What You Need to Know to Start Right Now
Bodybuilders and athletes follow a specific diet plan which sets a particular amount of calories for each group of macronutrients. These professionals must eat a set amount of calories of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to slim down or bulk up.
The number of carbs, proteins, and fats you will take will depend on your age, height, amount of exercise you get, and your fitness goals. Based on this information, a nutritionist or conditioning coach will calculate your macros.
Here are some instructions on how you can manage to make your bodybuilding meals on your own.
Finding Out Your Bodybuilding Diet Plan Macros
1. Researching What Your TDEE Is
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) Definition: Represents the number of calories you spend pursuing your day-to-day activities. This number dictates how much less or how much more calories you need to consume.
You can get your TDEE number by going to a website like tdeecalculator.net. These kinds of online apps will calculate, depending on what you eat, if your lifestyle is active or sedentary, as well as how old you are.
2. Base Your Macros Targets on Your Goals
Once you have your TDEE, you can start using the number as a benchmark. For people who want to lose or cut weight, they will need to eat less than their TDEE.
For bulkers or gainers. they will have to exceed the calories set by their TDEE. This dieting strategy builds on the principle that the body uses excess protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to build muscle.
3. Refine Your Targets into Specific Quantities
Once you see how much macronutrients you should be eating, you will need to boil these figures down to grams. You can get these portions through particular apps online like IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros), noom.com, or healthyeater.com.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Bodybuilding Meal Prep
Disadvantage: Bodybuilding meal prepping can be an intensive process and may take a whole weekend or afternoon for you to do. You also need to stick to the program and buy ingredients according to what your diet specifies, whether its muscle-building or weight loss.
In case something happens, like a surprise lunch or party, your cheat meals may push your prepped meals in the trash can.
Advantage: You can get ahead of your food budget per week. Your time investments prepping your bodybuilding meals also allows you to save time during weekdays since you just have to pick up your food and eat.
You’ll also enter the gym with more sense of security that what you’re eating outside maximizes your gains—not obliterating your work with excess calories and unhealthy food.
RELATED: 11 Reasons Why You’re Not Gaining Muscle
Meal Prep for Muscle Gain Steps
1. Assemble Your Kitchen Equipment
Before you begin making your bodybuilding meal prep, you should use food diary apps like MyPlate or MyMacros+. These apps will tell you if you’re hitting your targets.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh your food to check your portion sizes. This way you’re more confident you are eating the right amounts.
2. Buy Groceries
Once you’re fully equipped, it’s time to go out and buy some supplies. Think of 3 or 4 proteins you will build your meals around and the vegetables, carbs, and fats you will eat with them.
Eating a colorful plate makes sure you’re meeting your vitamin and mineral requirements daily.
Create a shopping list consisting of healthy proteins, healthy fats, fibers, spices, and complex carbohydrates. If you’re vegan, you can substitute plant-based proteins for animal ones.
3. Build the Base of Your Meals
To avoid taste fatigue, cook ingredients individually instead of going for full-blown one-pot or one-pan recipes.
4. Construct Your Bodybuilding Meals
When it’s time to make your bodybuilding meals, just open your meal prep containers and add them to your plate or lunchbox!
What You Can Do with Your Bodybuilding Meal Prep Food Ingredients
Combine ingredients per macronutrient group into a Buddha Bowl. After adding the designated grams of protein, fat, and carbs, you can add spices and dressings to taste.
This concept will work for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
When constructing a bowl for breakfast, you can add grains, fruits, and plant proteins in a single bowl, then drink yogurt or milk or a protein shake. For lunch and dinner, you can add more cruciferous vegetables and proteins while using salad dressings.
Bodybuilding Meal Delivery Services
In case you don’t have time to prep your own meals, you can just go over to the Internet and look for food delivery services that cater to your macro requirements. For example, low-carb or paleo power meals.
You can download apps to subscribe to these services, and they’ll deliver food to your house according to your set macros.
By counting your calories and making sure you’re eating a good proportion of the major food groups, you will enhance your results. Start prepping your bodybuilding meals for better gains today.
What kind of diets do you use when you want to shed fat or gain muscle? Give us your answers in the comments section below.
Up Next:
