Gaining muscle mass is a great way to improve your body’s health and strengthen it against injury and disease. For men, adding muscle mass helps prevent common male-specific health concerns such as heart disease, prostate cancer, and high blood pressure. Not sure where to get started with your diet? Let’s take a look at a 7-day meal plan for muscle gain.
In this article, we’re helping men make sense of how to fuel their body so they can gain muscle mass safely, without compromising the quality or taste of the food they eat.
Why You Need a Nutrition Plan for Muscle Gain
Nutrition is critical to any physical program or health goal. The food we eat is what our body uses to build new muscle tissues, recover after an intense training session, and stay healthy. Without a good diet plan, it’s more challenging to build muscle mass and achieve the physical results we strive for.
When muscle gain is your goal, the foods you eat are just as important as the strength exercises you engage in. By eating foods that encourage muscle development, you can see your physique tighten and you’ll develop muscle sooner than if you had opted for a less-optimised meal plan for building muscle.
Nutrition is a critical part of your muscle-building plan because you can:
- Build muscle faster. Eating the right amount of calories and consuming lean, high-protein foods will help your body build muscle faster than with other food choices.
- Boost workout productivity. You need energy to perform any strength-training workout. When you’re fueled properly, those weighty training sessions will be easier, more productive and get you results faster.
- Recover from workouts faster. Building muscle is healthy, but it requires putting your body under significant amounts of stress that it needs to recover from. To alleviate post-workout muscle soreness and fatigue quickly, you need fuel choices that replenish your body and promote healing.
- Lower risk of injury. 35% of injuries in Canada happen in the gym or while participating in a sports activity. For regular gym-goers, the foods you eat can help keep muscle injuries at bay.
- Improve overall health. Eating nutrient-dense, clean foods does more than just help you build a stronger body. Good nutrition also helps to boost your overall health including your immune, cardiovascular, digestive and even endocrine systems.
Types of Foods that Promote Muscle Growth
Oftentimes men assume that in order to see muscle gains, they need to rely on store bought supplements, nutraceuticals, and protein powders. While these types of products can provide some nutritional benefits, you don’t need them to gain muscle.
Foods that are high in protein, low in fat, and nutrient-dense can provide you with all the calories, nutrients, and protein you need to gain muscle. By making healthy food choices, you can still add the muscle mass you crave but, without the risks some supplements can present.
Examples of foods that encourage muscle growth include:
- Lean meats. Think steamed chicken breasts, roasted white turkey, extra-lean beef, or spinach stuffed pork tenderloin.
- Fatty fish. Add broiled salmon, tuna steaks, steamed tilapia, or east coast lobster to the menu.
- Eggs. Boiled, poached, scrambled, over-easy—eggs are an easy, healthy food to consider adding to your nutrition plan.
- Leafy greens. Remember Popeye? He knew leafy greens like spinach, kale, broccoli and lettuce are full of iron and other important nutrients your body needs to build muscle.
- Whole grains. Don’t forget your carbohydrates! However, make sure they’re complex and made from whole grains. Think brown rice, quinoa, yams, and lentils.
- Beans. Beans are a magical fruit, but not in the way you’re thinking! Beans are nutrient-dense and loaded with fiber, protein and vitamins—perfect for building muscle.
Make Meal Prep a Priority
For most nutrition plans to work, they need to be easy, convenient, and manageable. A great way to ensure you stick to your nutrition goals is by preparing healthy meals and snacks in advance.
Each week, you should plan seven days’ worth of meals that match your health goals as well as make a shopping list for the menu. Setting aside a few hours every week to plan, shop, and prepare food for the next several days makes changing your nutrition easier. Also, it prevents you from indulging in spontaneous, unhealthy food choices.
Don’t be shy about asking for help with meal prepping. Meal delivery services have tasty and nutritious meal choices that can take the load off meal planning and ensure you meet your nutritional goals.
7-Day Meal Prep for Muscle Gain
If you’re just getting started with adapting your nutrition goals towards building muscle and increasing your health, it can be daunting to know where to start. Below is a 7-day meal prep plan for muscle gain to get you started.
7 Day Meal Plan for Muscle Gain: Male Edition
Day 1
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Hard-boiled eggs with whole grain toast and half of a small avocado |
Tuna salad sandwich with cheddar cheese, a side salad, and a cup of berries |
2% Greek yogourt with roasted, unsalted almonds |
Grilled chicken breast with quinoa, steamed vegetables, and a side spinach salad with dressing |
Broccoli and dip, whole grain crackers, and a small serving of cheese |
Day 2
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Oatmeal topped with berries, hard-boiled eggs, and a cup of orange juice |
Turkey breast sandwich on whole grain bread with a side salad and 1 cup of sliced melon |
Cottage cheese with a sliced apple |
Steamed salmon with roasted sweet potato, steamed vegetables, 1 whole wheat dinner roll |
Small spinach salad topped with pine nuts, feta cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing |
Day 3
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Protein pancakes with a side of mixed berries |
Turkey breast salad with 1/2 small avocado, brown rice, sliced cucumbers and broccoli with dip |
Smoothie with spinach, greek yogourt, banana and frozen berries |
Grilled chicken breast, 1 cup of brown rice, steamed carrots, side salad with ranch dressing |
Air popped popcorn with a small handful of almonds |
Day 4
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, fresh fruit or small avocado |
Lean roast beef sandwich on whole grain bread with a side salad and small cookie |
Smoothie with spinach, greek yogourt, banana and frozen berries |
Chilli with extra lean ground beef, 1 small dinner roll and a side salad |
Sliced banana drizzled with maple syrup and a handful of nuts |
Day 5
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Poached eggs, whole wheat english muffin with smoked salmon and fruit |
Peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread with a side salad |
Air-popped popcorn with a small handful of almonds |
Roasted turkey breast with brown rice |
Sliced carrots and cucumbers with hummus dip and small serving of cheese |
Day 6
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Protein pancakes topped with Greek yogourt and berries |
Grilled chicken breast with brown rice and a large serving of steamed broccoli |
Sliced carrots and cucumbers with hummus dip and small serving of cheese |
Carrot and red lentil soup with potato pancakes |
Pepperoni sticks with a serving of cheese and raw veggies |
Day 7
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Snack |
Dinner |
Snack |
|
Hard-boiled eggs with whole grain toast and half of a small avocado |
Broiled fish with quinoa and steamed vegetables. |
Cottage cheese with banana and almonds |
Chicken stir fry with carrots, onions and peppers served over brown rice |
Whole-grain crackers with sliced cucumbers, cheese, and a pepperoni stick |
Build Muscle Faster and Easier with Protein Chefs
Increasing muscle mass is a super way to look and feel better while protecting your body against injury and disease. Nutrition is a key component of getting the physical and health results you want.
At Protein Chefs, our meal delivery service can make your bulking journey easier. We have tasty, protein-rich meals you can order online and have delivered right to your door! No muss, no fuss—just quality, fresh meals that are full of flavour and help you build a stronger you.
Browse our menu to learn more.
