The Beginner's Guide to Bodybuilding Meal Prep and Nutrition

The Beginner's Guide to Bodybuilding Meal Prep and Nutrition

If you've ever met a competitive bodybuilder — or hey, just scrolled through their Instagram feed — you probably won't be surprised to learn that they score their muscular, lean bodies through a combination of regimented training and diet.

To stick to a regimented bodybuilding diet, meal preparation is key. (You know how it goes: When you prep healthy food in advance, you're less likely to grab Chipotle on the way home or attack a jar of peanut butter when you're hungry after a workout.)

Whether you're an excellent athlete, a wannabe bodybuilder, or just a nutrition voyeur, this bodybuilding meal prep guide might come in handy. Plus, some of the bodybuilding meal prep recipes will have you drooling. (Tip: It's not just chicken and rice.)

The Basics: Bodybuilding Nutrition

Bodybuilding does not have a one-size-fits-all nutrition plan that athletes must follow. However, most bodybuilding nutrition programs combine a calorie-counting diet with the macro diet (also known as the "If It Fits Your Macros" or "IFYM" diet), says Paige Johnson, a bodybuilding prep nutritionist at The Diet Doc with nutrition certifications from Precision Nutrition and the National Academy of Metabolic Sciences.

Calorie counting requires you to track your calories so you can keep track of exactly how much you eat each day. Counting macronutrients (macros for short) is about ensuring that a certain percentage of your total calories come from each of the three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fat.

“The exact percentage of macros will vary from person to person, but most programs call for high carbohydrates, moderate protein, and low to moderate fat,” explains Evan Eaton, nutritionist at Nutrishop in Boca Raton, Florida.

Sounds complicated? That's why most athletes hire a trainer or nutritionist to help them figure out what their calorie count and macronutrient breakdown -- and what their bodybuilding meal prep game plan -- should look like at all stages of preparation, says bodybuilder Natalie Matthews, IFBB Bikini Pro and founder of Fitter Vegan Chef.

ICYDK, most bodybuilders follow "bulking" and "cutting" seasons where they focus more on building muscle (and usually consuming extra calories) or losing fat (usually cutting calories). Some trainers also recommend nutrient timing, i.e. h. when you strategically consume carbohydrates to fuel pre-workout or replenish glycogen stores post-workout. (FYI, these are the best pre- and post-workout foods.)

That means it is possible DIY. So if you want to do your own bodybuilding meal prep and nutrition, roll up your sleeves.

How to determine your calorie and macro goals for bodybuilding meal prepping

1. Determine your total daily energy consumption.

The first step is to figure out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), says Anthony Balduzzi, NMD, founder of The Fit Father Project: "This is an accurate estimate of the number of calories you burn each day based on your height, weight, age, and activity level," he explains. To determine this value, use an online TDEE calculator.

2. Adjust whether you bulk or cut.

If your goal is to lose weight and fat (cutting), you need to consume fewer calories than your TDEE number, explains Dr. Balduzzi. “But if you want to gain weight or muscle, you need to eat a little more calories,” he says. Add or subtract 250 to 500 calories to/from your TDEE to determine your target daily calorie intake (DTCI). (Want to take your muscles to the next level? This all-inclusive bulking guide will help you achieve your fitness goals.)

3. Figure out your macros.

You can do a lot of math to figure out exactly how many grams of carbs, proteins, and fats you should be consuming each day (this guide to calculating macros will show you how)—or you can just plug it into a macro calculator. Try one of these:

• Katy Hearn Fit-Makro-Rechner
• IIFYM-Makrorechner
• BodyBuilding.com Makrorechner

The step-by-step guide to bodybuilding meal prep

The premise of a bodybuilding meal plan is that you can eat whatever you want as long as you don't exceed your allotted calories and achieve the correct ratio of the three macros.

Meal prepping can help you stick to a bodybuilding diet. “It's so much easier to get off track and make poor food decisions when you fail at meal preparation,” explains Eaton. For this reason, he and Johnson recommend planning your bodybuilding meal prep once a week.

1. Get your tools.

A tracking app like MyFitnessPal and Lose It! makes it easy to select and track foods as it tallies the calories and macros in each of your bodybuilding meal prep items. They also help you learn which foods contain carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

The best weight loss apps that are completely free

You may also want a kitchen scale (to help you measure food more accurately instead of just watching portion sizes) and some sturdy meal prep containers to store your food.

2. Plan and buy food.

Next on your bodybuilding meal prep to-do list: grocery shopping. "In each of the categories—proteins, carbs, and fats—plan three to five staple foods you'll eat for the week. Then make a list of vegetables," says Balduzzi. He calls these “go-to” foods, and these will make up the lion’s share of your meals for the week ahead.

When picking your vegetables, "make sure there are a variety of colors because colors represent vitamins and minerals," says Matthews. “This will help prevent you from becoming nutrient deficient and bored.” (PS yes, you can be a vegan bodybuilder.)

Use some of the examples below to improve your shopping list for bodybuilding meal prep.

• Allesfresser Proteine: Huhn, Truthahn, Rindfleisch, Lachs, Eier, Thunfischkonserven, Sardinen
• Pflanzliche Proteine: Quinoa, Bohnen, Tofu, texturiertes Pflanzenprotein, Tempeh, Bohnen, veganes Proteinpulver
• Gesunde Fette: Avocado, Kokosöl, Nüsse, griechischer Joghurt, Käse, Samen
• Gesunde Kohlenhydrate: Quinoa, Reis, gemischte Beeren, Haferflocken, Süßkartoffeln, Hesekiel-Brot, Couscous
• Gemüse: Grünkohl, Paprika, Spinat, Tomaten, Gurken, Salatmix
• Gewürze/Würzmittel: Scharfe Sauce, Basilikum, Balsamico-Vinaigrette, Hefeflocken, Knoblauch, Salz, Pfeffer, Zitrone

3. Prepare basic foods.

Bodybuilding meal prep can help you stay on track, but only if you eat what you actually cooked. Enter: variety. Instead of making things like stews, curries, and stir-fries that require you to eat the exact same thing for five days, prepare foods that can be combined in different ways, says Monica Auslander Moreno, MS, RD, LDN, founder of Essence Nutrition.

Your plan of action: Put your favorite protein (topped with some spices) in the oven and let it bake. “Go ahead and bake your vegetables at the same time,” says Balduzzi. Then use a rice cooker or the stovetop to cook your carbs with a few pushes of a button. At the same time, steam any vegetables you'd like to have on hand and cook your eggs.

"Once everything is cooked, store each ingredient in separate containers that you can access throughout the week," suggests Balduzzi.

4. Put your meals together.

Now that all your food is cooked and your fridge is stocked, all you have to do is take out those containers and combine the foods in different ways at meal time.

"Keep it simple by filling about half of your plate with vegetables, a quarter of your plate with protein, and the last rest with healthy carbohydrates," says Balduzzi. "If your macros are different, portions will change, but this is a good starting point."

Other helpful tips and ideas for bodybuilding meal prep:

• So wählen Sie das perfekte Meal-Prep-Rezept aus
• Mediterraner Ernährungsplan für eine gesündere Ernährung (und Lebensweise).
• 11 Meal Prep Hacks für den Gefrierschrank, die Sie ausprobieren müssen

A day full of bodybuilding meal prep ideas

To reiterate, no one's meal plan will look the same. Moreno and Balduzzi's bodybuilding meal prep ideas below may not fit your plan, but they could be a good way to get your creative culinary juices flowing.

Breakfast

Make overnight oats with cashew butter, ground flax seeds, nut milk or cow's milk and chia seeds OR pancakes with almond flour, nut milk or cow's milk, olive oil, pureed fruit/spinach, baking powder and cinnamon (for extra protein). , you can add one scoop of protein powder).

Lunch

Toss one of your proteins on a side salad of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, a squeeze of lemon, salt and vinegar, then pair it with a good carb like a sweet potato OR combine canned salmon with avocado, Greek yogurt, and avocado mayonnaise for an instant, protein-packed, no-bake meal and add to a bed of spinach. (Want more ideas? Consider these meal prep ideas that aren't sad chicken and rice.)

Dinner

Mix a large salad with a cup of organic quinoa, avocado and top with tofu, tempeh or chicken OR combine similar ingredients into a burrito, sandwich wrap or deconstructed burrito to switch it up.

Bodybuilding meal prep delivery service

Have you tried bodybuilding meal prepping and just can't hash it every week? Luckily, with the rise of meal delivery services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh, so did bodybuilding meal prep delivery services. Those below can deliver cooked and prepared meals – tailored to your goals and diet – straight to your door.

• Icon-Mahlzeiten
• FlexPro-Mahlzeiten
• MealPro
• Iss sauber Bro
• Muskelmahlzeiten 2 Go
• Brennende Mahlzeiten
• Territoriale Lebensmittel