Table of contents
It’s impossible to think about bodybuilding without thinking about nutrition. This physical activity is linked to diet. It makes up half of the results you can expect, whether you’re planning to lose weight or gain muscle mass. And in this dietary pattern, planning plays just as important a role as eating and meal preparation. So it’s essential to take this planning into account and integrate it into your training. Here’s how.
The rules that explain why planning is important
There are no fewer than 7 rules that define why meal planning is crucial to your training and bodybuilding. I’ll explain them point by point.
It’s no secret, of course, that diet is essential to managing your physical efforts. That’s why it’s important to build an intelligent nutrition program. To do this, you’ll need to count your nutritional intake throughout the day. This will enable you to know what to eat and how much energy you need. Planning your meals is also an excellent opportunity to avoid wasting time and the unexpected. You’ll be able to plan your meals and avoid forgetting something important to your diet. If you work, for example, you can take your pre-prepared meals with you:
- Planning your meals will also save you time. Preparing several meals at the same time will be an incomparable time-saver.
- Planning is also important for varying your meals and energy intake. Based on your meal plan, you’ll be able to plan your meals and modify them according to your desires more easily. You can then be more creative and incorporate new recipes to improve your energy intake.
- Planning is also very useful if you need to take your meals with you. You’ll never be short of food during your diet, and you’ll be able to eat what you’ve planned whenever and wherever you want. Everything will be ready.
- Another reason you’ll benefit from planning your diet in advance is that it will save you time in your day-to-day work. You’ll do fewer dishes and cook less. You won’t have to prepare your meals every time, and you won’t have to leave dishes in the sink waiting for you. So it’s good for your day-to-day work too.
Follow your bodybuilding goals
Planning your diet is also very useful for keeping track of your goals and monitoring your progress seriously. You know exactly what you’re eating, so you can adapt your meals to suit you. So, for example, if you’re not losing enough weight, you can reduce the amount you eat. If you find that you’re putting on too much body fat, you can adjust the amount of fat in your diet, without making life more complicated for yourself.
A balanced, calibrated diet is essential. And you’ll need to calculate your food intake to succeed. You need to calculate the number of calories you eat, without forgetting the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats). This is the basis for building muscle mass or losing fat. These intakes will depend on various criteria: sex, age, weight, height, level of physical activity and the goal to be reached. This calculation will depend on a number of factors, and you can easily find calculators on the net to help you do it.
Planning is therefore essential to the success of your bodybuilding sessions. And for that, you need to be organized. We’ve already mentioned that preparing your meals in advance is an excellent thing. This will be very useful in preventing you from succumbing to snacking cravings, and thus making better progress in your muscle-building. So don’t hesitate to prepare your meals. You can easily store them for several days, either in the fridge or the freezer.
It’s also a good idea not to eat the same thing all the time, so you can vary your intake intelligently. Because eating the same thing over and over again can demotivate you in the long term. So you can indulge yourself more easily.
It’s also an interesting way for you to cook balanced dishes more easily. You can also use ready-made meals to save even more time. Some ranges offer bodybuilding enthusiasts dishes that are perfect for their diet. These dishes have excellent protein content.
The quality of meals: an important point!
If you want to make progress in bodybuilding, you can’t neglect your dietary intake. They are the very basis of your progress. So it’s vital to plan ahead, so you don’t do the wrong thing and ruin your efforts. This will make it easier for you to follow your diet and achieve significant, visible and lasting results. It’s also a way of keeping on track with your program and avoiding cravings. You’ll have the perfect number of proteins per day for your training. And improve your muscle building without neglecting your health.
To gain muscle mass, you need to remember the basics. The first is to eat between 5 and 6 times a day. This will optimize nutrient absorption. Don’t forget that regular carbohydrate and protein intake is the basis for building muscle at its best.
You also need to eat healthy foods. Choose foods rich in lean proteins and slow sugars. You shouldn’t skip meals either, and you should eat well-balanced, useful meals. If you want to gain weight, you’ll have to eat more than you spend. So be on the ball.
Seriously planning your food intake over a week is an excellent solution. This way, you can plan what you’re going to eat without neglecting your food intake and therefore your muscle gains.
For those who are looking for an easy and affordable way to follow a diligent bodybuilding nutrition plan, considering prepared meal delivery plans can be a convenient solution to maintain a balanced diet without the hassle of meal prep.
Planning fat loss
If you want to sculpt your body in the best possible way, losing fat can be vital. There are a number of techniques you can use to achieve this. You’ll need to calculate your caloric requirements precisely, favor nutritious foods and, of course, incorporate exercise into your daily routine. You can also incorporate cardiovascular exercise to increase expenditure.
To gain muscle, it’s best to lose fat. You’ll need to eat regularly. Generally speaking, you should have a meal every 3-4 hours. It’s also a good idea to distribute macronutrients evenly and prioritize protein.
Bottom line
Now you’re ready to plan your meals in the best possible way to progress in your bodybuilding training. So go ahead and plan!