A Sample Clean Bulk Meal Plan For Building Muscle

When it comes to our overall health and fitness, and indeed our physiques for that matter, many of us are perhaps not doing all that we can in order to really maximize our potential.

Many of us perhaps wish we’d been blessed with a set of washboard abs, and a lean muscular physique since birth. We see athletes and celebrities on the TV and in magazines, many of whom are in simply fantastic shape, causing us to regard them with envious eyes.

The truth is however, is that rather than simply being green with envy, if we made a conscious decision to commit to a solid training and nutritional plan, we’d soon begin to notice very dramatic and very impressive changes in our physiques.

Take bulking up and building muscle for instance. Bulking up and adding muscle to your frame is certainly not an easy feat, and requires huge amounts of hard work, commitment, dedication, and sacrifices along the way.

If you’re willing to make these changes however, then you’ll soon be rewarding with a lean, muscular physique to be extremely proud of. In this article, we’ll be looking at why it’s necessary for us to bulk up in order to build muscle, as well as looking at a sample clean bulking diet plan to help get you up and running.

Why do we need to bulk up? 

In order to build muscle, you need to be consuming enough calories to help fuel your body to allow it to rebuild this extra muscle.

People think that we build muscle in the gym, but this is not true. In actual fact, we destroy muscle in the gym, and we build muscle whilst we rest. When we exercise, we actually destroy the tiny fibers and tissues in our muscles, which our bodies then repair when we rest.

The difference is that our bodies rebuild these muscles even bigger and stronger than they were previously. In order to do so however, our bodies require essential nutrients, the same ones contained within the food we consume.

If we aren’t getting enough nutrients, then our bodies cannot repair themselves and build any extra muscle.

Macro breakdown for both males and females

When we talk about Macros, we’re referring to macronutrients, nutrients derived from the meals which we consume. Now, we could get all scientific on you, and over complicate things, but in actual fact, there’s really no need.

You see, if you’re looking to add muscle to your physique, no matter which gender you may be, then you should be following this very simple formula of: 30% protein, 30% healthy fats, and 40% carbohydrates.

This basically means that for each meal you consume should be an even combination of 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat, apart from the evening, where we cut back on our carbohydrate consumption.

Protein however, is especially important as it is responsible for protein synthesis and muscular recovery. Protein and the amino acids contained within protein, is vital for the growth and repair of muscle tissue.

As far as protein consumption is concerned, you should be looking at, at least 1 gram to 1 and a half grams of protein for every pound that you weigh. So, if you weigh 200lbs, you should be consuming at least 200 – 300 grams per day.

Clean bulking diet example

Here, we’ll be looking at a typical one day clean eating meal plan example, which you can prepare yourself in your own home.

By clean bulking, we mean healthy foods that are naturally low in saturated fat, to aid in lean muscle gain, and prevent fat gain in the process.

9am Meal 1

3 eggs scrambled

1 slice of rye bread

80g cooked oats

Handful of mixed dried berries

11 am Meal 2

2 x scoops of whey protein with water

1pm Meal 3

2 x chicken breasts

150g of broccoli

225g of brown rice

3pm meal 4

A handful of organic mixed nuts

A handful of dried fruit

200g of natural yoghurt

5pm meal 5

1 x baked sweet potato

2 cups of spinach

1 x salmon fillet

7pm meal 6

1 tin of drained tuna

1 tub of cottage cheese

Handful of almonds

9pm meal 7

2 x scoops of casein protein powder

250ml water

And there you have it. That’s a typical example of a clean bulk meal plan for one day. With each meal, you can alternate between protein sources, so some days you may switch chicken breast for turkey, or salmon for cod and so on.

You can also substitute your veggies, just make sure you get enough green and avoid overly sugary ones such as carrots. You’ll also notice that in the evening, after 5pm, we no longer consume any carbohydrates.

On top of this, we consume a casein protein shake before bed. The reason for this is because casein protein is slower digesting than whey protein, so it will keep your muscles and body fueled throughout the night whilst you sleep.

If you wake up especially early, you can also throw in an additional whey protein shake which will keep you going for the next couple of hours or so.

Related:

The Top 5 Rules Of Successful Clean Bulking
Bulk Up Smarter: 7 Must-Do’s to Maximize Muscle Growth
How to Get Bigger Without Getting Fat: A Complete Guide on Clean Bulking