Muscle Gain Free

7-Day Muscle Gain Meal Plan

A genuine calorie surplus — roughly 2,950 kcal and 185 g of protein a day — built for someone actually lifting, not just eating more of everything.

See the 7 days Personalise it free
~2,950
Daily calories
~185 g
Protein/day
~340 g
Carbs/day
5
Meals/day
How it works The 7 days Grocery list Swaps Eat & avoid FAQ

What this plan actually does

Building muscle needs two things in the right order: a consistent, structured strength training programme, and enough food to support recovery from it. This plan handles the second half — a genuine calorie surplus, around 400–500 calories above a typical maintenance level for an active adult, built from real food rather than a tub of gainer powder.

The most common mistake in a "bulking" diet is treating surplus as permission to eat anything in any amount. This plan does not do that — it is structured, protein-forward, and built around five meals so the volume of food required is actually achievable rather than three enormous, uncomfortable sittings.

Nothing here works without training behind it. Eating in a surplus without a structured resistance programme mostly builds fat, not muscle — this plan assumes three to five weekly strength sessions and is the food side of that equation, not a replacement for it.

A good fit if

  • Anyone in a structured strength or hypertrophy training programme
  • "Hardgainers" who struggle to eat enough to gain weight
  • People coming off a cut who are ready to build muscle deliberately
  • Athletes needing higher carbohydrate intake to fuel and recover from training
  • Anyone who wants a bulk that is mostly muscle, not mostly fat

Talk to a doctor first if

  • Anyone not currently doing structured resistance training
  • People trying to lose fat — this plan is a deliberate surplus
  • Anyone with a history of disordered eating around food volume or weight gain
  • Sedentary adults, who would gain weight quickly and mostly as fat at this calorie level
  • Anyone uncomfortable eating five times a day

The rules behind the plan

Four principles decide every meal below. Understand these and you can improvise for the rest of your life instead of following someone else’s menu forever.

1

A real surplus, not an extreme one

At roughly 400–500 calories above maintenance, this plan targets a controlled rate of gain — enough to build muscle efficiently without the excess fat gain a much larger, faster surplus tends to bring.

2

Five meals instead of three or four

Fitting 2,950 calories into three sittings gets physically uncomfortable fast. Splitting it across five — including a dedicated post-workout meal and an evening shake — keeps every single meal manageable.

3

Protein is spread evenly, not loaded at dinner

Around 35–40 g per meal across five meals is what the research on muscle protein synthesis actually points to, rather than one enormous protein-heavy dinner and near-zero at breakfast.

4

Carbs are genuinely high, on purpose

At 340 g a day, carbohydrate is not an afterthought here — it is what actually fuels the training sessions this plan is built to support, and what refills muscle glycogen for the next one.

The full 7-day plan

Every meal, with calories and macros per portion. Daily totals are calculated from the meals themselves.

Day 1 / Monday Day 2 / Tuesday Day 3 / Wednesday Day 4 / Thursday Day 5 / Friday Day 6 / Saturday Day 7 / Sunday
1

Day 1

Monday
Leg day
2,950 kcal 198g protein 340g net carbs 84g fat
Breakfast 8 min

Big Bowl of Oats with Peanut Butter & Banana

90 g oats cooked in 350 ml milk, a whole sliced banana and 25 g peanut butter stirred through.

720 kcal P 28g C 96g F 24g
Lunch 20 min

Chicken, Rice & Avocado Bowl

200 g chicken breast over 100 g dry rice cooked in stock, with half an avocado and mixed vegetables.

780 kcal P 58g C 84g F 22g
Post-Workout 3 min

Whey Protein Shake with Banana

A whey protein shake blended with milk and a banana, straight after training.

380 kcal P 38g C 46g F 6g
Dinner 25 min

Beef Stir Fry with Noodles

200 g beef strips with peppers and broccoli through 120 g dry noodles in a soy-ginger sauce.

780 kcal P 48g C 90g F 22g
Evening Snack 2 min

Cottage Cheese with Honey & Walnuts

200 g cottage cheese with a drizzle of honey and 15 g walnuts.

290 kcal P 26g C 24g F 10g

Note: Cook extra chicken and rice at lunch — both reappear later in the week and buy back real time on a training day.

2

Day 2

Tuesday
Push day
2,930 kcal 202g protein 266g net carbs 104g fat
Breakfast 10 min

Three Eggs, Avocado & Toast

Three eggs scrambled with a whole mashed avocado on two thick slices of wholegrain toast.

650 kcal P 32g C 48g F 34g
Lunch 25 min

Salmon, Rice & Greens

200 g salmon with 150 g cooked rice and steamed broccoli, with olive oil.

780 kcal P 50g C 74g F 28g
Post-Workout 3 min

Whey Protein Shake with Oats

A whey protein shake blended with milk and 30 g oats.

400 kcal P 40g C 44g F 6g
Dinner 40 min

Chicken Thighs, Potatoes & Veg

6 chicken thighs roasted with 280 g potatoes, carrots and courgette in olive oil.

820 kcal P 60g C 66g F 30g
Evening Snack 2 min

Greek Yogurt with Granola

200 g Greek yogurt with 40 g granola.

280 kcal P 20g C 34g F 6g

Note: Roast extra chicken thighs — cold chicken makes tomorrow’s lunch nearly effortless on a busy week.

3

Day 3

Wednesday
Pull day
2,860 kcal 190g protein 284g net carbs 96g fat
Breakfast 3 min

Greek Yogurt, Granola & Berries

300 g Greek yogurt with 50 g granola, mixed berries and a drizzle of honey.

620 kcal P 34g C 78g F 16g
Lunch 8 min

Leftover Chicken Rice Bowl

Tuesday’s cold chicken over rice with vegetables and a fried egg on top.

720 kcal P 52g C 66g F 24g
Post-Workout 3 min

Whey Protein Shake with Peanut Butter

A whey protein shake blended with milk and 15 g peanut butter.

400 kcal P 38g C 30g F 14g
Dinner 30 min

Beef Chilli with Rice

200 g beef mince simmered with kidney beans, tomato and spices, over 150 g cooked rice with 30 g cheese.

820 kcal P 56g C 78g F 26g
Evening Snack 1 min

Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter

Four rice cakes with 30 g peanut butter.

300 kcal P 10g C 32g F 16g

Note: Double the chilli — it freezes well and covers a high-effort dinner later without any extra cooking.

4

Day 4

Thursday
Active recovery
2,730 kcal 158g protein 290g net carbs 92g fat
Breakfast 4 min + overnight

Overnight Oats with Peanut Butter

80 g oats soaked in 300 ml milk overnight with a banana and 20 g peanut butter.

640 kcal P 26g C 84g F 20g
Lunch 6 min

Leftover Beef Chilli Bowl

Wednesday’s beef chilli reheated with extra rice and avocado.

780 kcal P 48g C 84g F 24g
Snack 1 min

Trail Mix

A generous handful of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit — about 50 g total.

280 kcal P 8g C 24g F 18g
Dinner 20 min

Pork Stir Fry with Noodles

200 g pork loin strips with peppers and mangetout through 100 g dry noodles, with hoisin and sesame.

780 kcal P 50g C 84g F 22g
Evening Snack 2 min

Casein Shake or Cottage Cheese

A casein shake, or 200 g cottage cheese if you prefer real food before bed.

250 kcal P 26g C 14g F 8g

Note: A rest day still needs real food — recovery, not training, is when most of the actual muscle building happens.

5

Day 5

Friday
Upper body day
2,940 kcal 194g protein 322g net carbs 88g fat
Breakfast 18 min

Protein Pancakes with Berries & Syrup

Three protein pancakes with 100 g berries, a scoop of yogurt and a generous pour of maple syrup.

680 kcal P 38g C 88g F 16g
Lunch 10 min

Tuna, Rice & Egg Bowl

Two tins of tuna with 150 g cooked rice, a boiled egg, sweetcorn and light mayo.

740 kcal P 60g C 78g F 16g
Post-Workout 3 min

Whey Protein Shake with Banana

A whey protein shake blended with milk and a banana.

380 kcal P 38g C 46g F 6g
Dinner 35 min

Loaded Homemade Pizza

A large wholemeal base with tomato, 100 g mozzarella, chicken and vegetables.

820 kcal P 50g C 90g F 26g
Evening Snack 1 min

Dark Chocolate & Almonds

30 g of 70% dark chocolate with 25 g almonds.

320 kcal P 8g C 20g F 24g

Note: Bulking does not mean bland — a loaded pizza fits easily inside a 2,950 calorie day when the rest of the day is this structured.

6

Day 6

Saturday
Weekend food
2,930 kcal 202g protein 260g net carbs 102g fat
Breakfast 20 min

Big Cooked Breakfast

Three eggs, three bacon medallions, baked beans, mushrooms and two slices of toast.

720 kcal P 42g C 60g F 30g
Lunch 20 min

Steak, Sweet Potato & Greens

220 g sirloin steak with 250 g roasted sweet potato and steamed green beans.

760 kcal P 56g C 66g F 26g
Snack 2 min

Greek Yogurt with Granola & Honey

200 g Greek yogurt with 40 g granola and a drizzle of honey.

350 kcal P 20g C 48g F 8g
Dinner 30 min

Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Two homemade beef burgers in buns with 30 g cheese each and baked sweet potato fries.

880 kcal P 54g C 76g F 34g
Evening Snack 2 min

Casein Shake

A casein or slow-digesting protein shake before bed.

220 kcal P 30g C 10g F 4g

Note: Weekend food does not have to look different from weekday food on a bulk — burgers and fries fit the numbers just as well as a bowl of rice does.

7

Day 7

Sunday
Cook for the week
2,890 kcal 172g protein 312g net carbs 89g fat
Breakfast 8 min

Big Bowl of Oats with Peanut Butter

90 g oats cooked in 350 ml milk with a banana and 25 g peanut butter.

700 kcal P 26g C 92g F 22g
Lunch 60 min

Sunday Roast

220 g roast chicken with 250 g roast potatoes, carrots, peas and gravy.

800 kcal P 58g C 74g F 24g
Snack 1 min

Trail Mix & a Banana

A handful of mixed nuts and seeds (35 g) with a banana.

320 kcal P 8g C 40g F 14g
Dinner 35 min

Beef & Bean Chilli with Rice

200 g beef mince with mixed beans, peppers and tomato, over 180 g cooked rice with 30 g cheese.

820 kcal P 54g C 82g F 26g
Evening Snack 2 min

Cottage Cheese with Honey

200 g cottage cheese with a drizzle of honey.

250 kcal P 26g C 24g F 3g

Note: Cook the roast and the chilli in the same session — two of the week’s biggest meals from one afternoon in the kitchen.

Week at a glance
2,890 kcal · 296.3g net carbs, averaged across 7 days
Build mine

The grocery list

One person, seven days. This shop runs noticeably larger than the other plans on this site — expect a bigger meat and dairy bill, which is the real cost of a genuine surplus.

0 of 43 ticked — ticks are saved in this browser.

Meat, fish & eggs

11

Dairy & protein

7

Produce

8

Pantry & freezer

17

If the plan does not fit you

No fixed plan survives contact with a real person’s allergies, budget and schedule. These are the swaps that keep the macros intact.

Hardgainer, struggling to eat this much

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to lunch and dinner, and swap the trail mix snack for a calorie-dense shake with oats, peanut butter and full-fat milk blended in.

Vegetarian

Swap the meat and fish for tofu, tempeh, eggs, cheese and legumes in larger portions than usual — hitting 185 g of protein plant-based takes real volume but is fully achievable.

You are gaining fat faster than expected

Trim 200–300 calories from the two largest meals rather than cutting a whole meal — a slower, controlled surplus builds more muscle relative to fat.

You do not want to use protein powder

Replace each shake with 200 g Greek yogurt blended with a banana and oats — similar protein, similar convenience, whole food instead.

Dairy intolerance

Swap milk for a high-protein plant alternative, and use plant-based protein powder in place of whey — check the label to keep the protein content comparable.

You want your own exact numbers

Run the calorie calculator to find your real maintenance, then generate a surplus plan built around your training and weight with the meal plan generator.

What to eat, what to skip

Eat freely

  • Protein at every one of the five daily meals, roughly 35–40 g each
  • Rice, oats, potatoes and noodles in generous, not restrained, portions
  • A dedicated post-workout meal or shake within a couple of hours of training
  • Whole eggs, red meat, oily fish and dairy without avoiding the fat in them
  • Nuts, seeds, nut butters and olive oil as calorie-dense additions
  • Fruit daily, both for micronutrients and as an easy way to add carbs
  • A protein shake as a genuine tool for hitting volume, not a replacement for real food

Leave these out

  • Relying mainly on junk food to hit the calorie target — it works short-term and damages energy and training quality
  • Skipping meals because you are not hungry, which is common on a surplus and needs managing anyway
  • A surplus so large it is clearly adding fat much faster than strength or size are improving
  • Cutting fat too aggressively — it is calorie-dense and genuinely useful for hitting a high target without excessive food volume
  • Treating "bulking" as permission to stop tracking progress in the gym
  • Assuming eating alone builds muscle without a structured, progressive training programme behind it

A good bulk is measured in the gym, not just on the scale

Weight going up is not the same as muscle going up. These four checks keep the surplus doing its actual job.

Weekly weight gain
~0.25–0.5 kg
Faster than this is very likely mostly fat, not muscle
Training progress
Track it weekly
Weight or reps should be trending up over time — that is the real signal the surplus is working
Protein per meal
35–40 g
More useful spread evenly than loaded into one or two meals
Sleep
7–9 hours
Most actual muscle recovery and growth happens here, not in the meal itself

Six things that make this week easier

Food supports training, it does not replace it

This plan only works alongside a real, progressive resistance programme — without one, a 500-calorie surplus mostly becomes fat, not muscle.

Use liquid calories deliberately

Milk, shakes and smoothies are genuinely the easiest way to hit a high calorie target without feeling constantly, uncomfortably full from solid food alone.

Weigh in weekly, same conditions each time

Morning, after the bathroom, before food, once a week — day-to-day fluctuation from water and food volume is mostly noise on a plan like this.

Prep the bulk of it on Sunday

Five meals a day, seven days a week is thirty-five cooking decisions — batching the roast, the chilli and the rice on Sunday removes most of them.

Judge the surplus by the mirror and the gym log, not just the scale

If strength is climbing and the increase looks mostly like muscle, the surplus is right. If the scale is moving fast but strength is not, it is too large.

Free generator

This plan is built for an average person. You are not one.

The menu above assumes about 2,890 calories a day and no allergies. Give us your height, weight, goal and the foods you refuse to eat, and the generator rebuilds this entire week around your actual numbers — recipes, macros and a fresh grocery list included.

Make my personalised plan Find my calorie target first

No signup. No card. Takes about 30 seconds.

Questions people ask about this plan

How many calories do I actually need to gain muscle?

Roughly 300–500 calories above your true maintenance is a well-supported range for most people — enough to fuel growth without excessive fat gain. This plan targets around 2,950 calories, appropriate for a moderately active adult male; adjust up or down based on your own numbers from the calorie calculator.

How much protein do I need to build muscle?

Most research points to roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kilogram of bodyweight a day for someone strength training. This plan sits at 185 g, which lands in that range for an 85–115 kg lifter; smaller individuals can trim portions slightly and still hit an adequate total.

Will this plan make me fat?

Some fat gain alongside muscle is normal and expected on any surplus — it is not possible to build new muscle tissue with zero fat gain for most people. The goal is a controlled rate, roughly a quarter to half a kilogram a week, which keeps the ratio favourable.

Do I need to eat five meals a day?

Not strictly — total daily calories and protein matter more than meal count. Five meals is used here purely to make nearly 3,000 calories physically manageable to eat; if three or four larger meals suit you better, the same food works split differently.

Is a protein shake necessary?

No, it is a convenience tool, not a requirement. Anywhere this plan uses a shake can be replaced with an equivalent amount of real food — Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or an extra portion of meat and rice all work.

Can I build muscle without gaining any fat at all?

A small amount is achievable for complete beginners to training ("newbie gains") or with very precise tracking, but for most people some fat gain alongside muscle is a normal, expected part of a surplus, recoverable later in a controlled cut.

How long should I bulk for?

A common approach is 8–16 weeks of a controlled surplus, followed by a maintenance period or a structured cut, rather than bulking indefinitely. Judge it by training progress and body composition, not a fixed calendar date.

Can women use this plan?

Yes, the structure and food choices work identically — the main adjustment is usually total calories, since most women’s maintenance runs lower than the average this plan is built around. Scale portions down and use the calorie calculator for a personal number.

What if I am not gaining weight on this plan?

If the scale has not moved over two to three weeks of consistent eating, your true maintenance is likely higher than assumed — add another 200–300 calories via an extra snack or larger portions and reassess.

What do I do after seven days?

Repeat the structure, rotating proteins and carb sources, and keep training progressively. If you want a surplus built around your own exact weight, training schedule and calorie target, the meal plan generator will build one in about thirty seconds.

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Medical disclaimer. This plan is general nutrition information, not medical advice. Calorie and macro figures are estimates for the portions described and will vary with brands, cuts and cooking method. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before starting any new diet, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, managing a medical condition, or taking medication that needs dosing around food.