Today I’m going to simply show you what a typical “lean bulk” day in the life is so you can see the tricks and tactics I use with both my diet and workout plan to speed up results and stay in a calorie surplus.
If you want to see it go down with every meal go here to be taken to the YouTube video, but on this page I’m going to share my strategy behind each meal so you can get an insider look at my lean bulking strategy.
If you are struggling to put on consistent weight and feel like you can never eat enough to stay in your surplus on a busy schedule this article will guide you to the finish line.
Here’s my AM to PM lean bulking guide.
Morning Lean Bulk Day In The Life
My typical lean bulking calories are between 3,300 and 3,700 depending on the goal of the day and what muscle group I’m training.
This is a pretty large amount of calories to consume on a busy schedule so I will usually start the day with a high calorie meal.
Getting in a quick 700-1,000 calories is a great way to start the lean bulking day the right way.
My 2 favorite ways to start the day are a high calorie egg scrambler type of dish or a high calorie oatmeal recipe with a side of chicken and eggs scrambled together.
This way I cover all of my healthy fats, protein, and carbs and am off to a flying start.
Here is a quick review of my favorite high calorie lean bulking meals:
Option 1:
- 1 cup rice or potatoes
- Combine with 4-5 ounces of lean protein such as chicken
- Crack 3-4 eggs over it
- Add olive oil, coconut oil, and/or sliced avocado for more healthy fat
That’s a quick and easy calorie blast!
Option 2 is to have a high calorie oatmeal bowl and combine it with eggs and chicken.
My favorite high calorie oatmeal recipe is:
- ½ cup oats
- 1 banana
- ½ cup blueberries
- 2 tbsp. almond butter
- 3 tbsp. chia seeds or hemp seeds
Late Morning Snacks
I’m a big fan of portable and convenient late morning snacks since I’m typically on the go at work during this time.
One of the easiest things you can do is bring a protein shake with you in a shaker cup and also take a small bag of nuts to get in a super combo of protein and healthy fats!
Another option is take some Tupperware with you and combine some grilled protein, carbohydrates, and sliced avocado.
Adding avocado to your protein and carbs is not only delicious but really high in calories!
Lunch (My Pre Workout Meal)
Lunch is usually my pre workout meal.
I always make sure to combine about 75-100 grams of carbs from either brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, red skin potatoes, or whole grain pasta. These are all very starchy carb sources and make it really easy to get in a lot of calories.
Of course the natural pairing is more lean protein, usually around another 40-50 grams. I like sirloin steak, grilled chicken, or white fish as my pre workout protein.
If I’m extra hungry or its leg day I’ll throw in a few tbsp. of almond butter on top of celery, carrots, or rice cakes for healthy fats.
Post Workout Meal
Since we are lean bulking and its essential to be in a calorie surplus on a lean bulk I typically save any type of “cheat meal” during this time that is high in calories or carbs.
One thing I do when I’m lean bulking is I will have a post workout shake with whey protein and fast digesting carbs.
This shake usually contains about 40 grams of protein and about 70 grams of carbs.
Then about 30 minutes after this I will pack in my high calorie post workout meal.
Carbs are the holy grail of your post workout macros as the insulin spike is highly anabolic and will help pack on more mass.
Sometimes I eat whatever food I’m craving for my post workout carbs (my guilty pleasures are pop tarts and cereal)
Other times I’ll keep it cleaner and go white rice, brown rice, whole grain pasta, or sweet potatoes.
I’m pretty boring with my protein choices and typically don’t deviate off of lean grass fed meats, wild caught fish, chicken, or turkey.
A good rule of thumb is that between your post workout shake and your post workout meal you want to get in at least 80 grams of protein and 150 grams of carbs.
Dinner
Dinner is once again a combination of lean protein and healthy bodybuilding carbs. (See a theme here yet?)
It’s important to get in quality calories before you go to bed as this will prime your body for growth and recovery overnight when you go to sleep.
My personal favorite high calorie dinner is:
- 6 ounces wild caught salmon topped with sliced avocado (super high in healthy fats and protein)
- 5 cups quinoa with lemon juice and olive oil
- Broccoli with garlic and coconut oil
This is a really clean and high calorie meal that has about 1,000 total calories!
High Calorie Lean Bulking Snacks
Of course we need more portable snacks on the lean bulking diet for later in the day.
One of my recent guilty pleasures is power crunch bars and once in a great while Lenny and Larry cookies, although the macros are a little dirty as they are loaded with carbs from enriched flour.
Another one of the things I do when I’m super busy is simply eat almond butter straight out of the jar. Just 2 tbsp. is 200 total calories and is loaded with healthy fats and protein.
At night I’ll snack on brazil nuts, almond, cashews, and occasionally fry up some eggs in coconut oil.
Make sure you check out the YouTube video so you can see my complete day in the life on a lean bulking diet!
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