Bulking on a Budget: 3-Day Meal Plan for Mass Gains
You already know that if you want to grow you must eat big. The problem is food can be expensive!
That’s why I’m going to show give you my personal guide to bulking on a budget.
In fact, you’re going to get a full 3-day meal plan. And I’m also going to share a simple grocery shopping list that will help you. I hope you brought your appetite!
Why Is Bulking Important?
READ THIS SECTION FIRST: This question may seem a bit obvious, but it’s important to fully understand why bulking is important. And also who the bulking diet is for.
Here’s the bottom line – you simply cannot grow without adequate food intake, period. No matter what the ‘so-called’ experts say, you need to eat big to get big.
You should follow this bulking meal plan if you are…
- A hardgainer, meaning you have a difficult gaining weight and size
- Stuck at a certain level and want to pack on more size
- Wanting to get stronger, especially on compound lifts
Who Should NOT Bulk
That being said, there are certain people who should NOT follow a bulking diet. You should NOT follow this bulking diet if…
- You’re overweight and carrying too much body fat (seriously, do NOT ‘bulk’ if this is you)
- You tend to follow whatever new fad or trendy diet is out there – what I’m giving you is based on old-school proven mass building principles (the diet I’m giving you will not align with any of those!)
3-Day Bulking Meal Plan
Alright, are you ready to dive headfirst into a plate of bulking meals? Grab your fork, knife, and several napkins because we may get a little messy!
Before we jump into the 3 days of bulking meals, here are some important things to know about this diet.
PLEASE READ EACH POINT BELOW:
- Your post-workout meal is based on evening workouts as this seems to be most common; however, if you train in the morning like me, you can move the post-workout shake and meals around to fit that schedule
- Yes, there will be cheat-meals (like pancakes, because I love me some pancakes)!
- Contrary to the above, bulking is NOT an excuse to eat like crap all the time
- Remember that you’re eating for purpose – mass gains, strength gains, and quality size
- You will be eating balanced meals – protein, carbs, and fats
- A typical day will consist of 6 meals per day (I’ll also talk about increasing that later)
- This will be considered a high protein and high carb diet
- You should eat every 3-4 waking hours
- EAT ORGANIC food as much as possible on this diet – this should be easy because there’s an organic version of pretty much every food these days!
Lastly, feel free to substitute the foods in each meal. In fact, I encourage you to just use this 3-day bulking meal plan as a template and guide to create your own.
That’s the basics. Now it’s time to feast!
Bulk Day 1
| Bulk Day 1 Meals |
|---|
| Meal 1 – Breakfast 3-4 whole eggs 2 servings of oatmeal 1 banana Meal 2 – Between Breakfast and Lunch 2 slices of whole wheat bread 4-5 slices of turkey meat 2 slices of cheese 1 apple Meal 3 – Lunch 8-10 ounces of ground beef 1.5-2 servings of whole wheat pasta organic pasta and tomato sauce 2 slices of garlic bread Meal 4 – Pre Workout Meal 2 slices of whole wheat bread 1 serving of natural peanut butter spread of natural jelly (don’t get the stuff with high fructose crap) 1 scoop of whey protein powder (with water) Meal 5 – Post Workout Shake 1.5 – 2 scoops of whey protein powder 8 ounces of milk 1 banana 1 serving of natural peanut butter Meal 6 – Dinner 2-3 tilapia fillets 1.5 – 2 servings of Jasmine rice 1 serving of broccoli or spinach |
Bulk Day 2
| Bulk Day 2 Meals |
|---|
| Meal 1 – Breakfast 3-4 whole eggs 2 servings of grits with cheese 1 bagel Meal 2 – Between Breakfast and Lunch 2 slices of whole wheat bread 1 serving of natural peanut butter spread of jelly 1 scoop of whey protein mixed with water Meal 3 – Lunch 8-10 ounces of chicken 2 servings of Jasmine rice 1 serving of broccoli or spinach optional small dessert Meal 4 – Pre Workout Meal **Prior day meal 3 leftovers! 8-10 ounces of ground beef 1.5-2 servings of whole wheat pasta organic pasta and tomato sauce 2 slices of garlic bread Meal 5 – Post Workout Shake 1.5 – 2 scoops of whey protein powder 8 ounces of milk 1 banana 1 serving of natural peanut butter Meal 6 – Dinner 8-10 ounces of ground beef 2 servings of baked potatoes 1 apple |
Bulk Day 3
| Bulk Day 3 Meals |
|---|
| Meal 1 – Breakfast 3-4 whole eggs 1 serving of grits 2-3 pancakes Meal 2 – Between Breakfast and Lunch **Final meal from the ground beef with pasta leftovers! 8-10 ounces of ground beef 1.5-2 servings of whole wheat pasta organic pasta and tomato sauce 2 slices of garlic bread Meal 3 – Lunch 2-3 tilapia fillets 2 servings of Jasmine rice 1 serving of broccoli or spinach optional small dessert Meal 4 – Pre Workout Meal 2 slices of whole wheat bread 1 serving of natural peanut butter spread of jelly 1 scoop of whey protein mixed with water Meal 5 – Post Workout Shake 1.5 – 2 scoops of whey protein powder 8 ounces of milk 1 banana 1 serving of natural peanut butter Meal 6 – Dinner 8-10 ounces of chicken 2 servings of Jasmine rice 1 apple |
**If you need help with meal planning and knowing what to cook, check out my recommended Muscle Building Recipe Book.
Cheap Bulking Grocery List
If you noticed, the ‘bulking on a budget’ meals above is extremely simple. Of course some you’re eating much of the same foods, but there’s enough variety to keep you from getting burnt out with your diet.
These foods are also are the least expensive of the types of foods you need to make gains.
Here’s your grocery list:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Oatmeal
- Grits
- Bagels
- Pancake mix (pick up some natural syrup made with real sugar)
- Whole wheat bread
- Natural peanut butter
- Jelly
- Apples
- Bananas
- Jasmine rice
- Whole wheat pasta (organic sauce for this)
- Potatoes
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Ground beef
- Chicken
- Sliced turkey
- Tilapia
- Whey protein powder
ALLMAX ALLWHEY
ALLMAX ALLWHEY is my go-to whey protein powder for my post-workout shakes. Here’s why I recommend ALLWHEY:
- High quality
- More protein per serving
- Doesn’t upset my stomach
- NOT EXPENSIVE
I do recommend that you get the 5 lb. jug. It’s most upfront but will save you $ in the long run.
Meal Prep for Mass Gains
In the bulking on budget meals above, there are some options for meal prep. For example, you can make sandwiches ahead of time.
Also, you probably noticed a ground beef and pasta (aka spaghetti) meal every day. This is the type of meal that actually tastes awesome leftovers! So you can cook enough to last you for a few days to eliminate the time spent on your meal planning.
The other meat sources (chicken and tilapia) don’t take long to cook. And cooking rice, pasta, and potatoes is simple. So you’ll spend more than 15 minutes cooking those meals.
And remember, you don’t have to stick to the exact bulking meal plan I gave you. You may have some different ideas, so use this as a guide to create your own mass meal plan.
Food for Bulking and Mass Gains
I truly hope this bulking meal plan helps you!
I was a hardgainer in my younger years, so I completely understand what it’s like to train hard but not make gains. Actually, you can read my personal story on this post: Eating Big to Gain Muscle: My Personal Story as a Hardgainer
The key to making this meal plan workout for you, for gaining mass in general, is consistency.
Just like you can’t skip days from working out and expect to grow, you can’t miss meals or eat crap all the time and expect results. You have to marry the two together:
- Train hard and heavy, consistently
- Eat big and for the most part, eat quality foods, consistently
Keep it simple! It’s really not a complex equation.
Train with Passion,
Jason
