Bodybuilding diet plan starting Monday 9th March
After having spent a week not getting down the gym, and having a week off from creatine, I’ve been doing some research into what adjustments I need to make to my diet.
The most startling thing that I’ve read and decided that I need to heed is the amount of carbohydrates I have in my diet, and the amount of calories I intake each day. It’s generally been too low, however, I have also been trying to shed a few pounds up to now, but as of next week, my aim is simply to build muscle.
I wrote a really useful article yesterday called gain muscle fast by eating right which outlines exactly how much protein, carbs and calories you need to consume to turn good workouts down the gym into big muscles.
What I found amazing is that according to the calculations I did yesterday, I should be consuming nearly 4,000 calories per day if I want to gain muscle mass. That I find quite startling, however I will try and consume that amount of calories once I start training again tomorrow.
For my bodybuilding diet plan, I will be following a fairly strict regime that will see me eating six times a day. If I need to consume 3,950 calories a day, between six meals, it makes sense to try and eat a similar number of calories at eat meal, with the exception of my bedtime shake which will just be a 250 calorie instant milk protein shake, which is largely slow release casein protein.
So that leaves (3,950 - 250) 3,700 calories per day to be consumed, across the five remaining meals, which is 740 calories per meal.
Pre-workout meal
From my reading around, I’ve established that the best form of energy for a pre workout meal is complex carbs that will give me a steady release of energy throughout my workout. Scottish oats mixed into my protein shake would seem to be the best bet. If a normal 50 gram serving of whey protein shake gives me 200 calories, it would make sense to eat 75 grams of scottish oats and a banana pre-workout. Complex carbs are 4 calories per gram, so 75 grams is 300 calories, and an average banana will be about 100 calories.
Total meal calories: (200 + 300 + 100) = 600
Post-workout meal
The best type of energy to have immediately post-workout is simple carbohydrates that can be absorbed into the body very quickly to replenish lost muscle glycogen. As my aim is to build muscles, it’s also imperitive that I consume a large dose of protein with my carbs, thus creating a good anabolic state for optimum muscle growth. I’ve read that you should consume one gram of carbs per gram of bodyweight immediately post workout to achieve this. As such, my post workout meal will consist of 100 grams of simple carbs (dextrose or maltodextrin) with another 50 gram serving of whey protein. In addition, I’ll also be having a piece of fruit, either a banana or an apple.
Total meal calories: (200 + 400 + 100) = 700
Lunch
Considering that I workout in the morning, and have a pre and post workout meal, it’s important that I get a lot of calories into my lunch so that my diet isn’t too heavy in calories late at night. It’s also important to make sure that I eat complex carbs during my lunch to keep me feeling full, I should also aim to eat some vegetables (salad may have to suffice). I will aim to eat 160 grams of chicken, which should provide me with about 40 grams of protein and 180 calories. If I eat this in a sandwich or baguette on wholemeal bread, with some salad and a piece of fruit, I should feel full afterwards and also should pack in a decent amount of calories.
By my estimation a slice of bread is about 100 calories, so if I have four slices, that’s 400 calories, a piece of fruit and some salad will give me another 120, and the chicken will give me 180 for a total of 700.
Total meal calories: (400 + 120 + 180) = 700
Mid afternoon snack
I need to get in some more protein and some more calories at this point, so I’ll have a portion of peanuts and another protein shake. If I have 70 grams of peanuts, I’ll get roughly 20 grams of protein and 400 calories. A 50 gram serving of whey will give me another 40 grams of protein and 200 calories.
Total meal calories: (400 + 200) = 600
Dinner
For my dinner I have to consumer 1,100 calories and at least 40 grams of protein. Ideally I want this from complex carbs, and I want to eat wholefoods - no shakes! The best protein source is chicken or fish, I’m not a big fan of fish, so I’ll probably stick to eating chicken, with the occasional steak, lamb or pork thrown in to the mix. I’ll aim to eat a 200 gram portion of meat to get the protein in, which will provide me with 220 calories and 50 grams of protein. A 200 gram serving of wholemeal pasta will provide me with 800 calories, leaving 80 calories to be made up by a serving of vegetables.
Total meal calories: (220 + 800 + 80) = 1,100
Bedtime shake
For bedtime I’ll be having an instant milk protein shake, mixed with half water, half skimmed milk, which will provide me with 250 calories and 40 grams of protein.
Total meal calories: 250
Total calories / day: (600 + 700 + 700 + 600 + 1,100 + 250) = 3,950
Total protein / day: (40 + 40 + 40 + 40 + 50 + 40) = 250 grams
5 Responses to “Bodybuilding diet plan starting Monday 9th March”
March 9th, 2009 saat: 10:17 am
Best of skill in your goals! That’s one thing about working out well - the amount of calories you need goes up up up.
My favorite meats for workouts are beef and chicken. One can get most creative with them.
March 9th, 2009 saat: 12:05 pm
Thank you Barbara, I like eating beef, but generally get obsessed with eating loads of chicken, and it’s a bit cheaper!
I should try and have a steak once a week just as a bit of variety, and to stave off the boredom of eating chicken all the time :-)
March 11th, 2009 saat: 9:09 am
I’ve got a question. Is the carb total grams, i.e. 100g of rice = 100g. Or do you count the actual carbs IN the carb, so in 100g of rice you have 74g carbs. I’ve never been clear on that distinction.
March 11th, 2009 saat: 4:04 pm
I think you should count the amount of carbs in grams in a food. I work in calories as much as carbs, so I know that carbs are 4 calories per gram so 100grams of pasta / bread is 400 calories.
March 12th, 2009 saat: 8:09 pm
Bread is less cals than pasta - 260k per 100g. I just checked my loaf to be sure! Pasta is around 360-380 per 100g. Use wholemeal in both cases!
So you’re saying in example in three I should count the carbs in the food. So if I have 100g of rice I am having 74g of carbs?
I feel like I’m in school again.
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