Best bulking meals
Definition of what makes a good bodybuilding bulking meal and my top 10 best bulking meals as well as how to make a perfect bulking meal plan. See also Best Bulking Diet.
How are bulking meals different than normal meals?
This is a really good question! Well, it has more calories for starters but we all know that is obvious. Serious bodybuilders know how important nutrition so whether they are cutting, maintaining, or bulking they make sure that every meal has the proper amount of protein, vitamins, anti-oxidants, fiber, complex carbs, and omega 3 fatty acids. Here is a great example of an excellent cutting bodybuilding meal, it has all the above nutrients. Its excellent for cutting because it has lots of protein but most importantly because the cauliflower provides a lot of fiber so that you are stuffed even though its less than 500 calories for a huge plate. So, why cant you simply eat more of this meal if you are bulking? Because you could not possible fit it all in your stomach! The same thing that makes it good for a cutting meal (all that fiber) makes it inappropriate for a bulking meal! In a clean bulking meal you still need the same amount of protein but you have to decide carefully how to add the extra calories. Two approaches both have equal merit in my book – you can add more complex carbs (like legumes, sweet potatoes, or pasta) or you can add good fats (like nuts, avocados, or olives). Both complex carbs and fats are very calorie dense so you can eat the required number of calories without feeling stuffed. To get an excellent clean bulking meal, start with a good cutting meal, remove some of the vegetables then add the above mentioned complex carbs or good fats – its that simple. Despite all the buzz and locker room talk there is no magic, just good solid nutrition.
One mistake that most bulking diets make is that they seem to forget that its not just about calories and protein – optimal muscle growth and optimal health requires micronutrients like vitamins, fiber, anti-oxidants, and omega-III fatty acids as well. Bulking done right is a lot of work. It requires a lot of food and a lot of chewing. It also requires foods that you may not like but need like vegetables and fruits. If you just want to weigh more and dont care how much of that weight is fat and how much is muscle then eat whatever you want. If you want to optimize muscle gained while minimizing fat gain then you need to eat clean, healthy bulking meals like these.
Bulking meals are a balancing act. You need to get the vitamins, fiber, anti-oxidants, and omega-III fatty acids that vegetables and fruits have to offer but you cant stuff yourself so full of them that you don’t have space in your stomach for the protein, fat, and carbs you need to meet your caloric goals for the day. These meals strike that balance. Its important to note that not every meal in a day needs to have every nutrient as long as things average out over the day.
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Bulking chili, spinach, and apple | |||||||
| Pro 32% | Carb 62% | Fat 5% | ||||||||
| Great meal for bulking you can make on the weekend and eat for lunches | ||||||||
| Ingredients: bulking turkey chili, spinach, boiled, apple, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Ground turkey provides the bulk of the protein, the beans provide fiber, and all the tomatoes and onions provide lots of anti-oxidants. An awesome bulking meal you can whip up in an hour on a weekend and freeze into individual meal sized portions to eat at your leisure. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:77/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking chicken breast, boiled spinach, avocad | |||||||
| Pro 37% | Carb 12% | Fat 49% | ||||||||
| A tasty and relatively healthy keto meal. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: lemon juice, spinach, boiled, avocado, chicken breast, boneless, skinless, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Chicken breast is the go-to protein source for bulkers and this awesome meal pairs it with lots of healthy fat from avocado and lots of vitamins and anti-oxidants from spinach. A perfect bulking meal. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:74/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking egg, spinach, salmon scramble | |||||||
| Pro 30% | Carb 18% | Fat 51% | ||||||||
| Ingredients: egg, whole, spinach, boiled, fish, smoked salmon, raspberries, oil, olive, garlic, fresh, red pepper flakes, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Whole eggs are one of natures best protein sources. A little smoked salmon adds the critical omega-3 fatty acids necessary for muscle growth and health while olive oil adds more good fats. The spinach and berries (for desert) provides the vitamins and anti-oxidants. Not only is this meal delicious and awesome for bulking but its healthy too. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:69/100 | ||||||||
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Protein bar, coleslaw, and apple | |||||||
| Pro 32% | Carb 45% | Fat 22% | ||||||||
| A healthy high protein meal perfect you can make in 30 seconds … as long as you batch cook on the | ||||||||
| Ingredients: chocolate protein bars, fat burner coleslaw, apple, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal:This meal couples excellence and convienience. The wehy based protein bars are healthy, awesome for muscle building, and cheap. The delicious coleslaw provides tasty vegetables high in vitimins as well as olive oil for good fat. An apple rounds out this great bulking meal. This is a perfect meal for a sack lunch! | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:69/100 | ||||||||
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Spinach salad with salmon, and avocado | |||||||
| Pro 32% | Carb 14% | Fat 53% | ||||||||
| A high protein, healthy salad that is keto friendly as well! | ||||||||
| Ingredients: spinach, fresh leaves, fish, grilled salmon, vinegar, balsamic, avocado, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: This meal has lots of great fats in it. Salmon, a cold water fish, has the best omega-3 fatty acids around. Avocado balances the fat profile out with a great plant based fat. The fresh baby spinach provides the vitimans and anti-oxidants to complete this great bulking lunch. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:68/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking turkey hash and apple | |||||||
| Pro 34% | Carb 29% | Fat 35% | ||||||||
| Delicious low carb hash you can whip up in 10 minutes! | ||||||||
| Ingredients: onion, dried, garlic powder, paprika, ground, salt, apple, cauliflower, oil, olive, turkey, ground, 99pct fat free, raw, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: This turkey hash tastes great, is quick to whip up, and its awesome for bulking! The reason that low fat turkey is used is to help balance out all the animal fat with plant fat. Although the turkey is very low fat, it still ends up providing about half the fat in this dish. Normally hash uses potatoes but this uses riced cauliflower. There is nothing wrong with potatoes but cauliflower provides a lot more vitimins, anti-oxidants, and fiber than potatoes do and that is what bulking is all about – getting the most out of your food calories. An apple rounds out this great bulking meal. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:67/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking beef hash and orange | |||||||
| Pro 28% | Carb 21% | Fat 50% | ||||||||
| A delicious and healthy beef hash that is very low in carbs! | ||||||||
| Ingredients: beef, ground 20% fat, onion, fresh, black pepper, ground, thyme, salt, oil, olive, seed, celery, orange, cauliflower, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: In many places, ground beef is one of the cheapest forms of protein which makes it perfect for bulking meals. This recipe uses standard 20% hamburger. The riced cauliflower provides the vitamins, anti-oxidants, and fiber. The orange rounds out the vitimin profile to complete this perfect bulking meal. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:66/100 | ||||||||
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Baked chicken, rice,carrots, and apple | |||||||
| Pro 32% | Carb 58% | Fat 9% | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: | ||||||||
| Ingredients: chicken breast, boneless, skinless, carrots, rice, brown, cooked, apple, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Baked chicken is a staple of bodybuilders for a great reason, its cheap in most places and its low in fat. This awesome bulking meal adds brown rice for good complex carbs, carrots for vitamins and anti-oxidants, and an apple for fiber … and desert. This is a great bulking meal | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:65/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking yogurt, nuts, and blackberries | |||||||
| Pro 31% | Carb 27% | Fat 40% | ||||||||
| A quick, flavorful, high protein breakfast. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: seed, flaxseed, blackberries, nuts, mixed, yogurt, greek nonfat, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: This is an awesome bulking breakfast and this is one of my favorite meals of all time. Nonfat greek yogurt is one of the highest quality protein sources around and to that we add really healthy fats. We add ground flaxseed to get our omega-3 fatty acids as well as a big dose of fiber. The mixed nuts make the yogurt not only delicious but add more good fats. The frozen blackberries add vital vitamins and anti-oxidants. This bulking meal is so delicious, your non-lifting family members will want it too. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:63/100 | ||||||||
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oatmeal, protein shake, and orange | |||||||
| Pro 27% | Carb 57% | Fat 15% | ||||||||
| A perfect bulking breakfast. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: cereal, oatmeal, banana, cocoa powder, protein powder, whey, water, stevia, orange, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Oats are one of the best grains around because of their high fiber content, their relatively high protein content, and their low glycemic index. The delicious home made protein shake has lots of high quality protein and a banana. Then add an orange to up the vitimin C and fiber content of your meal and you have an amazing bulking breakfast. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:63/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking cauliflower egg white scramble w nuts | |||||||
| Pro 35% | Carb 12% | Fat 52% | ||||||||
| Tasty, high in protein and fiber but salty. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: cauliflower, nuts, mixed, soy sauce, low sodium, egg white, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: A really easy breakfast with lots of high quality protein from egg whites, vitamins and anti-oxidants from the cauliflower, and good fats from nuts. A great bulking breakfast! | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:63/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking tofu scramble, orange, and berries | |||||||
| Pro 31% | Carb 42% | Fat 25% | ||||||||
| Healthy meal with some protein. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: tofu scramble, orange, blackberries, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Although tofu is not something you normally think about in conjunction with a bulking diet, this bulking meal is not only delicious but a great way to balance out your protein sources. Most people people do not get enough plant based protein in my opinion and this delicious scramble is a great option. The orange and blackberries provide lots of vitamins and anti-oxidants to round this awesome bulking meal out! | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:62/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking chicken broccoli stir fry w rice, orange | |||||||
| Pro 31% | Carb 47% | Fat 20% | ||||||||
| Super easy to make and delicious too. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: broccoli, oil, peanut, garlic, fresh, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, low sodium, honey, ginger, ground, corn starch, water, orange, rice, brown, cooked, chicken breast, skinless, boneless, raw, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: This bulking meal is so good that your whole family is going to eat it up before you get to it so make a really big batch. This stir fry tastes amazing and you can make it in under 15 minutes. The chicken provides high quality protein while the broccoli provides vitamins and anti-oxidants, The brown rice gives you good complex carbs for energy and the orange completes the vitamin profile in this amazingly delicious bulking meal. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:62/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking chicken and cheesy spinach | |||||||
| Pro 35% | Carb 19% | Fat 44% | ||||||||
| A quick and easy low carb meal for the work week that is healthy too. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: spinach, boiled, chicken breast, boneless, skinless, strawberries, cheese, cheddar, butter, grass fed, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: This meal is one of the great things about bulking, its a valid excuse to eat cheese! Cheese is not normally in a bodybuilders nutritional plan but bulking is an exception. When used sparingly it adds a lot of flavor and creamy texture while providing necessary fat calories. This meal uses chicken breast for the protein and then an amazing creamy spinach made with grass fed butter and cheese. Strawberries make the desert and provide more vitamins and anti-oxidants. This awesome bulking meal makes the cut that follows bulking worth it! | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:62/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking chicken and green beans stir fry and rice | |||||||
| Pro 25% | Carb 55% | Fat 18% | ||||||||
| Super easy to make and delicious bulking meal. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: garlic, fresh, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, low sodium, honey, ginger, ground, corn starch, water, chicken breast, skinless, boneless, raw, rice, white, cooked, orange, beans, green frozen, oil, peanut, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: There are two stir fry recipies in this best bulking meals list for a reason, because they are AMAZING! Easy to make, delicious, healthy, and fast to make too. The other stir fry used broccoli, this one uses green beans – thats the only difference. Same nutritional advantages of high quality protein, vitimins and fiber from the green beans, and energy from the good complex carbs in the rice. An orange tops off the vitamins and anti-oxidants for this amazing bulking meal. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:61/100 | ||||||||
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Fish Taco and apple | |||||||
| Pro 35% | Carb 38% | Fat 26% | ||||||||
| Savory tilapia fish taco high in protein and tasty! | ||||||||
| Ingredients: tortilla, whole wheat, fish, tilapia, raw, oil, olive, onion, fresh, pepper, red bell, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, ground, black pepper, ground, lime juice, salt, apple, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: Its good to get your protein from a variety of sources when you are bulking and most people dont get enough from fish. These fish tacos made with tilapia are delicious even for people who hate fish. The tortilla has good complex carbs, the fish has high quality protein, and the bell peppers have a cornacopia of vitamins and anti-oxidants. An apple rounds out the meal for desert in this crowd pleasing bulking meal that the whole family will love. | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:61/100 | ||||||||
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Hamburger, sweet potato, green beans, and orange | |||||||
| Pro 24% | Carb 43% | Fat 31% | ||||||||
| This is a healthy meal for those maintaining weight or bulking. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: beef, ground 20% fat, beans, green frozen, potato, sweet, orange, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:59/100 | ||||||||
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Shredded wheat and berries | |||||||
| Pro 24% | Carb 71% | Fat 3% | ||||||||
| A healthy and quick traditional American breakfast. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: cereal, shredded wheat, blackberries, milk, nonfat, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:51/100 | ||||||||
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Bulking chocolate peanut protein shake | |||||||
| Pro 28% | Carb 19% | Fat 52% | ||||||||
| This healthy shake helps motivate as well as give a big dose of high quality protein. | ||||||||
| Ingredients: banana, cocoa powder, stevia, water, protein powder, whey, oil, flaxseed, nuts, peanut butter, | ||||||||
| Why a great bulking meal: | ||||||||
| muscle:100/100 health:51/100 | ||||||||
An optimal bulking meal plan
A big part of doing bulking right is in putting the meals together properly. If you want help doing this, CustomMealPlanner.Com will build you a perfect bulking meal plan for the entire week tailored to your precise metabolic rate and bulking goal, for free! It takes less than 90 seconds to set up a free account and build your personalized bulking meal plan for the week. Please also read, The Best Bulking Diet.