Lesson 9: A Basic 7 Day Meal Plan For Building Muscle

basic 7 day Meal Plan for building muscle

Having learned which foods to eat in Lesson 8 I’m now going to put them into a one week meal plan you could use as a template.

Total calories are around 2200 and protein is 140g per day, but you can scale the meals to suit your own needs.

A few of the foods I’ve added are interchangeable. Where that’s the case I’ve used code letters to indicate a swap. For example:

  • A – Carb sources (White Rice, Brown Rice, Pasta, Cous Cous, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Sweet Potato)
  • B – Fat sources (Olive Oil, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Chopped Nuts)
  • C – Fruit (Grapes, Kiwi Fruit, Banana, Oranges, Pineapple)

Monday – Gym (Legs)

BREAKFAST – Whey Protein Flapjacks

P39 C44 F24 Calories 548

PRE-WORKOUT – 15g Dextrose, 15g Maltodextrin, 10g Essential Amino Acids

P15 C27 F0 Calories 148

DURING WORKOUT – 2x Kiwi Fruit (C)

P2 C20 F0 Calories 86

LUNCH – 200g Chicken, 125g Brown Rice (A), 1 tbsp Olive Oil (B) & Vegetables

P53 C83 F25 Calories 769

DINNER – 100g Quinoa (A), 90g Mackerel & Vegetables

P34 C64 F21 Calories 583

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 240g, Fat 75g, Calories 2200
homemade no bake protein flapjack
No Bake Protein Flapjacks, recipe here

Tuesday – Gym (Upper Body)

BREAKFAST – 30g Vegan Protein Powder, 30g Peanut Butter, 75g Oats, Cinnamon

P41 C51 F19 Calories 570

PRE-WORKOUT – 15g Dextrose,15g Maltodextrin, 10g Essential Amino Acids.

P15 C27 F0 Calories 148

DURING WORKOUT – Banana (C)

P0 C27 F0 Calories 108

LUNCH – 200g Salmon, 125g Buckwheat (A) & Vegetables

P56 C90 F32 Calories 881

DINNER – 200g Sweet Potato (A), 100g Lamb & Vegetables

P28 C40 F21 Calories 464

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 240g, Fat 75g, Calories 2200
vegan protein shake oatmeal peanut butter meal plan for buiding muscle
Protein Shake with Oatmeal

Wednesday – Rest Day

BREAKFAST – 4 egg omelette, tomatoes, mushrooms

P30 C0 F22 Calories 314

MID-MORNING SNACK – 170g Greek Yoghurt, 150g Strawberries, 10g Coconut Flakes

P17 C19 F14 Calories 277

LUNCH – 30g Vegan Protein Powder, 40g Peanut Butter, 75g Oats

P44 C52 F24 Calories 620

DINNER – 200g Salmon, 50g Pasta (A), Olive Oil (B) & Vegetables

P46 C37 F43 Calories 728

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 110g, Fat 110g, Calories 2000
egg omelette tomatoes mushroom
Four Egg Omelette with Tomatoes and Mushroom

Thursday – Gym (Legs)

BREAKFAST – 100g Oatmeal, 2 Large Eggs

P26 C60 F19 Calories 514

PRE-WORKOUT – 15g Dextrose, 15g Maltodextrin, 10g Essential Amino Acids.

P15 C27 F0 Calories 148

DURING WORKOUT – 2x Oranges (C)

P2 C30 F0 Calories 124

LUNCH – 200g Chicken, 100g Brown Rice (A), Olive Oil (B) & Vegetables

P51 C61 F25 Calories 673

DINNER – 300g Sweet Potato (A), 150g Lamb & Vegetables

P40 C60 F31 Calories 679

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 240g, Fat 75g, Calories 2200
chicken rice broccoli bodybuilding
Chicken, Rice and Broccoli: A Bodybuilding Staple

Friday – Gym (Upper Body)

BREAKFAST – 100g Oatmeal, 2 Large Eggs

P26 C60 F19 Calories 514

PRE-WORKOUT – 15g Dextrose, 15g Maltodextrin, 10g Essential Amino Acids.

P15 C27 F0 Calories 148

DURING WORKOUT – 2x Oranges (C)

P2 C30 F0 Calories 124

LUNCH – 200g Chicken, 100g Brown Rice (A), Olive Oil (B) & Vegetables

P51 C61 F25 Calories 673

DINNER – 30g Vegan Protein Powder, 30g Peanut Butter, 75g Oats

P41 C51 F19 Calories 570

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 240g, Fat 75g, Calories 2200
Oatmeal and Eggs
Oatmeal and Eggs

Saturday – Rest Day

BREAKFAST – 40g Macadamia Nuts, 200g Beef

P55 C3 F60 Calories 798

LUNCH – 300g Sweet Potato (A), 150g Turkey, Olive Oil (B) & Vegetables

P46 C75 F18 Calories 584

DINNER – Whey Protein Flapjacks

P39 C44 F24 Calories 548

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 110g, Fat 110g, Calories 2000
turkey sweet potatoes basic meal plan build muscle
Chicken and Sweet Potato

Sunday – Rest Day

BREAKFAST – 4 egg omelette, tomatoes, mushrooms

P30 C0 F22 Calories 314

MID-MORNING SNACK – 170g Greek Yoghurt, 150g Blueberries, 10g Coconut Flakes

P17 C19 F14 Calories 277

LUNCH – One Avocado, 90g Mackerel, 100g Tomatoes

P22 C12 F37 Calories 469

DINNER – 50g Cous Cous (A), 180g Chicken, 240g Chick Peas, 20g Sunflower Seeds (B)

P67 C76 F22 Calories 985

PRE-BED – 100g Cottage Cheese, 30g Peanut Butter

P20 C7 F17 Calories 278

TOTAL – Protein 140g, Carbs 110g, Fat 110g, Calories 2000
mackerel avocado meal plan for gaining muscle
Avocado, Mackerel and Tomato: An alternative to a Meal Deal

Although I didn’t list them specifically, I’ll eat several portions of vegetables per day and also use herbs and spices quite liberally. I only drink water, coffee and tea. No fruit juices, no sodas, no alcohol and for me no milk. I’m fine being strict with alcohol, but if you need alcohol to enjoy time with friends then just understand it’s not great in large quantities but you can work your macros around it.

Another thing to be wary of is eating at restaurants or ordering takeaways, as these can be high calorie meals. If my team orders a takeaway at the office I can find the nutritional information online and pick something off the menu that fits my macros. If I know ahead of time, I can eat less at breakfast and lunch otherwise most of the menu will take me over my calories for the day.

We’ve only got Lesson 10 to go, and in that I’ll cover IIFYM. This is more of a lifestyle than a diet, and it stands for “If It Fits Your Macros”. To follow it you must focus on hitting your protein, carbs and fat for the day, similar to what I’ve outlined in this meal plan.

About Fraser_9to5 209 Articles
Site owner. I'm a graduate in Sports Science and have an MSc in Sports Biomechanics. I set up 9to5strength in 2015 as a resource for people interested in strength training, nutrition and fitness. I consider myself a fitness blogger and enjoy creating YouTube videos and trying out workout programs.