This is the meal plan that helped me add 10 pounds of muscle to my frame in only 2 months, going from 185 to 195 pounds. I must mention that I follow Shelby Starnes quite a bit. He has made amazing progress over the last few years and I have adapted my current plan from his methods.
![Lean Bulk Diet Plan]()
Lean Bulk Diet Plan
Lean Bulk Diet PlanHere are the calories and macro breakdowns:
- Lifting Days: 4,090 total calories. 395 grams of protein, 335 grams of carbs, 130 grams of fat.
- Non-Lifting Days: 3,430 total calories. 355 grams of protein, 210 grams of carbs, 130 grams of fat.
Diet Plan For Training Days
I cut back significantly on off training days.
- Meal #1 - 1¾ C liquid egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 C cooked rice, broccoli, and 1 tsp red palm oil OR 6g pasture butter.
- Meal #2 - 5.25oz (cooked) chicken breast, 7.6oz baked sweet potatoes, 1 tbsp EVOO, and Brussel sprouts.
- Meal #3 - 5.25oz (cooked) 97% lean ground turkey breast, kale, 1 C (cooked) rice, and 1 tbsp macadamia nut oil.
- Meal #4 - Workout nutrition, 30 minutes prior - 40g carb powder, 1 tbsp olive oil, 5g BCAAs & 25g whey protein, and 5g creatine in 500ml water + ½ can Spike or 100mg caffeine.
- Intra-Workout - 10g BCAAs + 10-20g carb powder (depends on training volume).
- Post-Workout - 45g carb powder plus 2 scoops whey protein and 5g creatine.
- Meal #5 - (About 1 hour later) 2 scoops whey/casein protein blend, ¾ C oats, 1 heaping tbsp almond butter.
- Meal #6 - 5.25ox (cooked) lean steak (grass-fed!), 1 C rice, 1 packet wholly guacamole.
- Meal #7 - 5 whole organic local eggs, 2 slices Ezekiel bread.
- Meal #8 - 2 scoops Metabolic Drive w/ 1 tbsp olive oil (drink ½ before bed and ½ when I wake up during night).
Diet Plan For Off Days
30 minutes low-moderate intensity fasted cardio (I alternate between incline treadmill and StairMaster at Level 6 where my HR usually tops out at 138-139).
- Meal #1 - 1¾ C liquid egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 tsp coconut oil, ¾ C cooked rice, broccoli, and 1 tsp red palm oil OR 6g pasture butter.
- Meal #2 - 2 scoops whey/casein protein blend, 2/3 C oats, 1½ tbsp almond butter.
- Meal #3 - 5.25oz (cooked) 97% lean ground turkey breast, kale, ¾ C (cooked) rice, and 1 tbsp macadamia nut oil.
- Meal #4 - 5.25oz (cooked) chicken breast, 5.6oz baked sweet potatoes, 1 tbsp EVOO, and Brussel sprouts.
- Meal #5 - 2 scoops whey/casein protein blend, 2/3 C oats, 0.75 oz walnuts OR 23g unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Meal # 6 - 5.25ox (cooked) lean steak (grass-fed!), 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 1 packet wholly guacamole & fish oil.
- Meal #7 - 5 whole organic local eggs.
- Meal #8 - 2 scoops Metabolic Drive w/ 1 tbsp olive oil (drink ½ before bed and ½ when I wake up during night).
Yes, this is a lot of clean, quality food. It can be a pain in the back side to prepare and eat it all sometimes. No, this is not forever, and no this is not a fat loss meal plan. This will put muscle on you! If you’re afraid to “get fat”, you won’t.
Slowly work your way up to this level of food intake. Start at lower levels of carb and fat intake and watch the scale from week to week. When the scale stops moving or you start feeling run down, add a little more of the energy nutrients and keep repeating. It took me almost 7 weeks to get from my starting point to this level of food. In order, here were the changes I made:
- Added 10g Carbs to meals #1-6 on lift days
- Added shake at night
- Added 3g fat to meals #1-6 on ALL day
- Add 20-30g carbs to meal #7 (lift days only)
- My next bump will be to add 5-10g Carbs to meal #1-6 again.
Ryan Munsey's Story - 10 Pounds In 2 Months
I have a confession to make – I’m obsessed with staying lean and not gaining fat. I was a skinny fat high school athlete with no appreciable muscle mass. In college I was able to gain enough newbie muscle to trick a few people into calling me a fitness model and I even got them to pay me a few dollars along the way! But then I realized that in the eyes of most bodybuilders and powerlifters, my 6’1” long-limbed frame resembled more of a lanky pretty boy than the cover model I perceived. That’s when I knew I had to change!
From the time I first started competing and posing in 2007 until mid-2011, I tried every conceivable diet strategy to gain lean muscle without losing my figure. Yes I said it that way to make fun of myself! Sure I made decent strength gains, and periodically saw changes in my physique. But the truth is, I had the diet equivalent of training ADD.
I’ve tried more nutritional strategies than I can name, but I will list a few: Paleo, low-carb, carb cycling, pulse fasting, pulse feasting, carb back-loading, weekly refeeds, not eating breakfast, Lean Gains, intermittent fasting, etc. And 4 years later, my weight and bodyfat levels were within one pound and 1% of my original numbers.
In my defense, I do have a degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition so everything I’ve done has had scientific merit! Truthfully, I liked experimenting on myself to discover how my body reacted and changed. I just made 2 critical errors:
- I ate too few calories.
- I couldn’t look at myself objectively because I wanted to be huge and shredded simultaneously!
I sacrificed strength and size gains in an attempt to remain as lean as possible. It wasn’t until I finally let go of that mental hang-up that I saw the progress I wanted. And a funny thing happened along the way. I didn’t get fat!
Sure I lost a little bit of crispness, but I gained very little body fat during this phase. My friends, this article is about building appreciable amounts of muscle. The kind that makes you buy new clothes and forces others to wonder what the hell you’re doing. You know, the muscle that makes you read this site to begin with!
In the strength game, there are no such things as blanket statements. Everything is individualized and goal-dependent. Young people, beginners, and even intermediates always look for those blanket statements: “What do you think of milk? What do think about the bench press? How many sets and reps should I do? What’s the best training split?”
The answer is goal-dependent and if you want to see the results you crave, your actions must be in line with your desired outcome(s). This is called congruent behavior and it goes for everything in life as well as the weight room and the kitchen.
Think about it: if you want to gain muscle, then you need to provide your body the raw nutrients it requires to lay down new tissue. This REQUIRES a caloric surplus – there is no way around it. We’re talking about going up in weight classes here, not getting stage-ready.
If you’re ready to see you strength go through the roof and feel you clothes shrink from week to week, this is the plan for you. Train hard, get plenty of rest, and eat like a champ. Stay humble and stay hungry.
38 Comments
I'm confused. What time am I supposed to be injecting? 400g of protein daily? I hit 160g protein a day and my urine is frothy enough so there is clearly excess protein coming out. I'm not jacked however, but really that's down to laziness, I'm not that dedicated. My mate said when he was bulking he was consuming around a kilo of chicken a day, eating other foods but not taking supplements. He was using anabolics though, and getting to 120kg at 13% body fat at 196cm tall was his end result. I doubt even he was on much more than 400g protein a day and when I say he was on anabolics I mean he was injecting near enough everything under the sun.
thanks for posting this beneficial meal plan.......was curious as to what times should each meal be eaten at in incriments?
ryan im 150 pound i do your workout im seeing resalts but i want to be 175 to 185 pound should i just eat lots of protein food or do you have any sugetions for me and i was allso wondering when the best time to drink your protein shakes befor or after workout or both and is there a good time to drink it cuz some people tell me befor others say wait 30 mins after workout thank you ......josh
Great job Ryan. However, this is the antisthesis of a "lean" bulk. letting people think that eating almost 2x their TDEE is going to keep them lean while doing it is very misleading! You kinda dance around it the fact your BF% went up, but c'mon, if you're gonna put on 10 lbs in two months is a bulk, plain and simple. People searching for "lean bulk" aren't looking for this.
Hi everyone i had just had started using mutant mass but im kind of not used to taking protien and eating the right meals i was wondering what might be a. Good list of food to eat each day i take mutant anf other reason i kind of havent been the way my work schedule has been. I was wondering maybe if theres any one will be able to guide me each day like kind of trainging through internet.
Hey, I was wondering if anyone one can help me out to understand this whole procedure a little more. I'm a little of an over thinker at times so I get filled up with questions. My first question is: Do I cooked the eggs and oils(coconut, olive) and prepare it to make one thing or eat it separately?; I'm 5'10/11 and weight 160 how many hours of exercise/ lifting is recommended?; Should I use supplements/ powders cause I heard afterwards it makes you feel watery?
I found the lack of fruit disturbing.
Hi Ryan great article I just wanted to know what time you would usually train so i can shuffle the meals to suit. I generally wake up for work at 6am and train after at 6pm. Thanks Dom
I really need to gain weight I have been diagnosed with diabeetees and am 5"6 a and only weigh 8 stone lost a lot of muscle please advice me on what to do x
Hi Ryan. Im in the same boat as you with being 6'1 n thin. I've been on a 4000 cal a day diet taking in 360g pf protein and near 350 g of carbs.eating lean meats and lots of dairy. Protein shakes and weight gainers. I've put on 11 pounds in 6 months. I feel the strength gains with every work out but the size isn't showing anywhere. My workout routine is the 10 week mass from on this site that I've added several sets to as well.if you could give some proffessional advice on what I should change or work on. Thank you
I weigh 150lbs at 5"11, have a little bit of fat on my belly, just quit smoking looking to builk but no get fat what do you suggest sir? I already have an athletic build, I go to the gym, starting to cook some chicken and brown rice for the next few days after reading this, I already eat pb&j like its hooha, but I don't seem to get very noticeable results, been doing this for a couple months now..
130g of fat is still a lot...
I am 5"11 250 pounds I need to take off a lot of fat and gain some muscle back can somebody please help me with this I need a good diet plan and workout routine but I am also in school please someone help me out I really need this
Zack, let me start by saying I'm not certified in nutrition or training, BUT it is very difficult to lose fat and gain muscle naturally at the same time. Gaining muscle requires a surplus, while losing fat requires a deficit. Once you start to burn off body fat, your muscles will begin to show more. I would suggest finding your daily maintenance and start staying in a caloric deficit inline with your goals. Just don't lose too much too fast because you don't want to sacrifice muscle. Given you're 250 now, a guy your size could look pretty ripped at around 215.
-Shorten rest periods between sets
-Full-body 3x week is a good way to get a cardiovascular weight session in (you'll miss the pump though)
- M&S has plenty of great workouts on here to follow.
-Experiment with Intermittent Fasting and Carb Cycling
Hi, that was a good read. I am a massively hard gainer, im 6ft and have weighed 10stone from the age of about 16 to 28. tried everything!! finally in december 2012 i started mutant mass, only one shake each morning, found this kick started my stomach and apetite and 4 months later im 11.6 Stone! i only work out about 3 times a week, no cardio at all. Incredibly ive even developed a little belly which i never thought id see! also i should add the doctor prescribed me folic acid 5mg everyday which could of helped me gain. My diet was if its got calories then eat it!!!
i dont have carb powder yet, its coming in the mail next week, until then should i use serious mass? 10 whey scoops is equivelant to a full serving of serious mass which has 252 grams of carbs and 50 grams of protein. so i would be switching the 40 gram powder shake with 1/5 serving serious mass and i would use 1/10th of a serving of serious mass with intra workout via the 10 grams BCAA's .
What was your water intake throughout the day? Times and amounts :)
So you eat at maintenance on off days and above on lifting days. Also how many days a week do you workout? Thanks :)
All ten pounds were muscle or some fat too?
you were a skinny fat hish school athlete?
I was!
I'm going to bulk for 3 months starting in December. I'm bringing my bodyfat really low now so I can absorb the clean nutrients better and gain weight easier. What's your take on weight gainers? Also by using whole milk alongside it? Do you think this can work if I have about 600 calories a day, about 4200 extra a week? I realize an extra 3500 kcals a week equals about 1 pound gained, and in my case, hopefully almost all of it as muscle. Thanks, I appreciate your help immensely!
Mike,
That might be a bit too much of a surplus. Start small and increase when progress slows. See the comment above about gradually increasing calories.
Thank you so much! I'd definitely do that and work my way up to what I feel is right. Thank you.
Hi Ryan,
Can you please comment on the following:
Did you measure body fat percent? Before and after?
What would you say your body type is? Ectomorph? Endomorph? Mesomorph?
I'm asking because I'm trying to put on some size and it seems to me as if I'm gaining more body fat than muscle. I'm generally at a figure of 20x body weight on training days and about 17x body weight on rest days. This seems to be almost in line with the amount you were eating as well.
195lbs x 20 is right around 4000
Hey Lance,
No I don't measure body. The only accurate measure is autopsy, so I don't get caught up in that number. If I'm looking too soft, I'll pull back on the carbs and fat for a bit until I regain the dry, lean look we all want.
As far body type, I would call myself a Mesomorph. Certainly not an ectomorph by any means, although I do have long limbs.
Sounds like you may be jumping into the deep end so to speak with your calories. The best plan is to gradually increase them. Try to get more out of less. In other words start at 17x BW on training days and 14x on OFF days. Weigh yourself once per week and track progress. If you're going up about 1/2 -1 pound per week, you're on the money. More than that, drop calories lower. Less than that, up them to 18x and 15x. Continue doing this indefinitely to avoid plateaus.
Dont these people ever go to work? How do they have all the time to eat eat eat and train? Must not have a job.
David, I spend about 2 hours on Sunday and Wednesday cooking in bulk so each night it only takes me 10-15 minutes to pack all my meals and shakes for the following day. If it's important, you'll find a way.
Why the rude dig bro? What if he didn't have a job,does that somehow take away from all the hard work and dieting the guy put in.I don't think so.
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil...
wat you protine
wat you protien
EVOO?
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Before adding the weight what were your maintenance calories for maintaining your current weight based on your activity level? How many calories did you go above your maintenance calories? This will give me a guide to apply to myself. Thanks!
I have a questions. What the article leaves out is when you began this meal plan what was the amount of calories that you needed to maintain your current weight based on activity level, and how many calories above that did you go?
That would help others who know what their calorie intake should be, and how far above that you went, will guide others to modify their meal plan accordingly. Thanks!
Good question Chris. A typical day for me before this plan was similar to the "OFF" days.
Truth be told, I never count calories - I track grams of the macronutrients. But when you know those numbers, you can total them up to find the calorie total.
Really nice article! I feel the same. Since I got very lean (<9%bf), I wanted to bulk again but didn't want to lose my crispness. Well, I just didn't gain any muscles for a couple of weeks cause I wasn't eating a significant surplus and was doing cardio everyday.
Now I've learned my lesson, if you want to get big.. EAT BIG. Reppin' XL now! and i still can see my abs!
Again, nice article!