Bodybuilding Recipes – Be Prepared

Posted on 14. Mar, 2011 by Rob Connor in Reviews & Advice

When it comes to bodybuilding recipes, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s be prepared. Sound like a boy scout don’t I.  By being ‘prepared’, I simply mean cooking your meals well in advance, at least the day  before but preferably two, or even three days in advance, if you’ve the time (and fridge space!).

Let me explain why this is so important and why it can make a big difference in your bodybuilding progress.

How Many Meals

Like most bodybuilders, you no doubt follow a high protein diet and split your daily intake over at least 6 meals per day. Breakfast is probably porridge/oats (maybe some sneaky honey!) with some fruit. Mid-morning snack (or brunch!) usually comprises of cottage cheese or peanut butter with rice cakes.  Whatever your choices, the first two meals of the day aren’t usually cooked meals.

This still leaves you with the need to prepare at least four cooked meals per day.

Now if you leave the preparation of your meals to just before you’re ready to eat them, you’ll quickly tire of preparing individual meals four times per day. But worse than that, this approach often falls prey to convenience  with you  running out of time and end up grabbing something quick.

It’s All Gone Pete Tong

Best case scenario,  this quick meal will just upset the balance of macro nutrients for the day (please tell me you at least have an idea of your daily macro nutrients breakdown). Worse case scenario, you end up eating something unhealthy, highly processed and/or packed with unwanted calories.

I know from my own experience just how often this happens when I haven”t prepared my meals in advance. I start the day with good intentions and an idea of what I’ll be eating but invariably I became distracted and/or pushed for time and resorted to grabbing some thing quick, usually for the two day time meals.

This was happening once too often with me so I decided to start putting some effort into preparing my meals the night before. I normally cook the four meals as one and divide into the separate portions. I find it this far easier than attempting to prepare four different meals for the day.

Second Meal, Same As The First

So I may cook say 900g of chicken, add some flavouring and divide into four equal portions along with a serving of fresh vegetables with each meal. A little boring eating the same meal four times a day but hey, that’s the life of a bodybuilder for you.

Plus, preparing all your meals in one makes calculating your daily intake of protein, carbs etc, far easier.

You’ll quickly find preparing your meals the night before  becomes routine and you’ll immediately see many of the  benefits below.

• Achieving the desired  amount of daily macro-nutrients breakdown.
• Minimize hunger pans. If your food is already prepared, you should be able to eat it when intended.
• Minimize junk food. Having food prepared means you won’t have to grab the unhealthy sandwich and crisps!
• Have more control of your daily calorie intake.
• Generally feel more in control of your diet. By preparing your food, you know exactly what you’re eating beforehand. This will give you a feeling of empowerment over your diet.
• Last but not least, I don’t need to emphasise the importance of proper control of what you eat for bodybuilders, get control of what your diet and your progress will explode.

Final Word

With all the best intentions in the world, unless you prepare your meals, you’re going to struggle to exercise complete control over what you eat. Don’t let inconvenience be your reason for not eating properly. Prepare your meals at least the day before and you’ll see instant improvements in all aspects of your training.

Tags: bodybuilders, bodybuilding, brunch, calories, cottage cheese, high protein diet, macro nutrients, morning snack, peanut butter, porridge oats, rice cakes