Sample Bulk Up Muscle Building Diet Plan…

The secret to gaining lean bodyweight is calories. Most people who want to gain weight and are having a difficult time doing so just aren’t eating enough. Of course there’s more to it than just calories; like the nutrient density, calorie density, meal frequency and the ratio of calories from carbohydrate, protein and fat. There’s also proper training, recuperation and sleep to factor in too. But when it comes to gaining lean weight, calories are the bottom line just the same. No matter what you eat and no matter how hard you train, if you’re not eating enough it is physiologically impossible to gain muscle.

I’ve covered how to calculate your caloric needs at: Calorie Calculator Formulas. I suggest you review that section first and calculate your individual caloric needs before moving on to this Bulk Up Muscle Building Diet Plan.

While knowing your ideal calorie requirement is important, there are other factors that must also be accounted for. All calories are not utilized in the same fashion by the body. 3000 calories of ice cream, pizza, doughnuts, potato chips and soda obviously won’t have the same effect as 3000 calories from egg whites, lean meats, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. While calories are the chief element in the muscle-gaining formula, meal ratios, meal frequency and food choices also must be factored into the equation.

A quick and simple guideline to go by for Mass Building is to consume:
– 20 calories per pound of bodyweight daily
– 30% protein
– 50% carbohydrates
– 20% fat

To show some actual numbers, this is what a 200 pound man should eat for mass building:
(Note: a gram of protein contains 4 calories, a gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories, and a gram of fat contains 9 calories.)
– 4000 calories
– 300 grams of protein
– 500 grams of carbohydrate
– 90 grams of fat

Click Here To Download A Brand New Sample “Bulk Up” Diet Plan – PDF

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Sample 4000 Calorie Mass Building Diet
30% Protein – 50% Carbohydrate – 20% Fat

Breakfast:	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
4 whole eggs	24	4	20
1 cup oatmeal (dry measure)	13	54	5
1 banana	1	30	0
Mid-Morning Snack:	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
2 1/2 scoops of Protein Powder	60	6	2
2 slice of whole wheat bread	8	40	4
2 tbs. of fruit jelly	0	26	0
1 apple	1	25	0
Lunch:	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
4 oz. chicken breast	35	0	4
3 tbs. ketchup	0	12	0
12 oz. sweet potato	5	60	0
3 cups of garden salad	5	13	0
2 tbs. vinegar / olive oil dressing	0	0	14
Mid-Afternoon Snack:	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
2 1/2 scoops of Protein Powder	60	6	2
3 flavored rice cakes	3	36	3
1 banana	1	30	1
Dinner:	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
5 oz. sirloin steak	42	0	10
2 cups of brown rice	10	90	4
2 cups of mixed veggies	8	32	0
Before Bed:	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat
1 cup of low fat cottage cheese	23	11	9
2 tbs. of fruit jelly	0	26	0
1 oz almonds (23 almonds)	6	6	14
Totals:	304	507	92

Total Calories = 4072

** When adding up your nutritional totals focus on your intake of Protein, Carbs, and Fats. If you meet you nutrient intake requirements, your calories will add up automatically. 1 gram protein = 4 calories, 1 gram carb = 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat = 9 calories.

You’ll notice that the numbers don’t workout to be 100% exact with the guidelines of:
– 4000 calories
– 300 grams of protein
– 500 grams of carbohydrate
– 90 grams of fat

But they are close enough to make progress. Some days you may go over, some days you may go a little under. But it doesn’t really matter. It’s not something that you need to stress yourself out over. Just focus on the big picture and strive to be consistent with your eating over the long term.

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Making Food Exchanges…

The sample meal plan provided above is calculated out to contain the calorie and macronutrient ratios needed for making lean muscle gains (for a 200 pound man). You could literally follow that meal exactly as it’s outlined.

However, if you are like most people you do not want to have to eat the same foods, over and over, day in and day out. I mean it would get pretty boring after a while. So you can substitute different foods that have similar protein, carbohydrate, and fat content to meet your nutritional needs while enjoying a wide variety of different foods.

In the section on: Protein, Carbohydrates, & Fat. I’ve included lists of some of the best foods to choose from.

You can also find the nutritional information for any food by going to www.CalorieKing.com and using the search feature to find the nutritional info for foods you want to eat.

Sample Food Exchanges…

To give you a quick example of how to exchange different foods, let’s take the Dinner Meal from the example above:
– 5 oz. sirloin steak
– 2 cups of brown rice
– 2 cups of mixed veggies

Now if you don’t want to want to eat these foods, you can substitute different foods of similar nutritional value.

For example, you could eat the following foods instead…
– 5 oz. skinless turkey breast
– 18 oz. of baked sweet potato
– 4 cups of garden salad + low calorie dressing

Or you could have…
– 5 oz. rainbow trout
– 2 cups whole wheat pasta + sauce
– 8 oz. steamed broccoli

Or you could have…
– 5 oz. chopped chicken breast
– 2 whole wheat tortilla wraps
– chopped veggies, salsa, peppers, mushrooms & onions

With each meal just keep the ratios of protein, carbs, and fat the same. That’s all that really matters in order to reap the results of following a muscle building diet plan. Some of your meals may be slightly higher in calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Some may be slightly lower, but over time they will average out and keep you within the guidelines of the nutritional program.

I know this may seem a little bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it and start to understand the fundamentals of nutrition, it will get a lot easier.

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If you have any questions or comments about how to structure your muscle building diet,
please post them in the forum and we’ll chat there 🙂