Just chiming in on cost: ground beef and rice is dirt cheap. You can cook up 1.5lbs a day, drain off the fat, and throw that and 3 C of rice + a bag full of veggies in a giant bowl and be good for the day.
It was never a problem for me, because my default is fatty, but you thin gents have to force eating just a bit outside what’s comfortable for you. Like us big-boned kids have to stay a little hungry.
I am going to get a little bit nitpickish here for a moment, my apologies.
If you buy good quality ground beef, the fat is part of the goodness; especially if somebody is trying to “get big”.
If you buy that quality, it’s less of a cost play… Although I do get your point
Alright, so I think I have somewhat of a decent meal plan.
Breakfast
Lunch 1
Lunch 2
Dinner
Mix in a protein shake somewhere in there and that adds up to about 3000 calories, 205 grams or protein, 115 grams of fat, and 310 grams of carbs. What do you guys think?
Hi mate firstly you need to work out your rough maintenance calories. You can use calculators online then if your trying to add size you add 500 ckals onto your maintenance calories. Use a food tracker like my fitness pal to calculate your calorie and macro intake. Aim to hit 1gram of protein of body weight and split the rest of your calories between carbs and fats, whatever you like to eat. Eat a variety of meats and different cuts for protein sources, rice, potatoes, bread, pasta and oatmeal for carb sources . Olive oil , nut butters, eggs, avocado, fatties cuts of meat, whole milk and nuts for fats. Also fruits and vegetables.
Training wise I’d opt for a full body workout 3 times a week or if your more advance go for an upper/ lower 4day split.
These train splits will enable you to hit body parts multiple times a week and provide enough recovery time to recover and grow.
Remember to get enough sleep, and listen to your body and don’t do too much, make sure each session has not too much volume and plenty of intensity. Plus give yourself enough time with a workout plan to work, don’t stop and change workout plans.
Lunch 2 wouldn’t be my cup of tea, but whatever works for you.
Daily macros look good. Try it for a couple weeks and see how you go. Have a metric that drives you to adjust (i.e. 1 lbs of weight gain every two weeks) and go from there
I think that sounds like a shit-ton more food than you’re currently eating. If you can stick with that plan seven days a week for the next 12 weeks, you’ll be in a good place.
From the general menu you listed earlier (even though there was a reason I asked what you specifically ate the day prior), you were lacking in protein and total calories like you guessed. Eating enough food and eating it consistently are the keys to getting big. Following a well-designed, goal-focused program that puts those nutrients to work is also at the top of the list.
If your long-term goal is strongman, work on strength and athleticism now, along with hypertrophy. Hypertrophy blocks (essentially bodybuilding training) and accessory work done like a bodybuilder are definitely useful for strongman as well, but don’t neglect strength work early. It will make your long-term goals more difficult to reach if you do. And trust me, strongman-training can pack on muscle. You won’t have to worry about that, lol.
I’d look into the stuff Kalle Beck has on starting strongman (don’t know if I can link to it). He’s got good programs for what your goals are. I know that he believes in a lot of bodybuilding style training for a beginning strongman.
5/3/1 is also appropriate for building a strength base, just don’t neglect the conditioning work. It’s important.
you’re going to have to do things you aren’t used to, in order to become something you haven’t been before. Don’t eat like you used to. Don’t train like you used to. Train and eat like the people who have had success before you. I can promise you, you won’t find a lot of strongmen out there eating an orange with some pea milk for breakfast.
In my experience many of them do not eat clean. They eat a lot of protein (that has been the one consistent thing I have noticed). Same with PLing. It is hard to maintain a big body with chicken breasts, rice and broccoli.
To get to the highest levels, even of amateur competition, most guys are eating pretty well. Clean is a relative, and honestly ambiguous term. No, most guys are not eating chicken breasts all day, but they are eating a lot of rice, a lot of red meat, a lot of vegetables, and a lot of healthy fats. Most are meal prepping or utilizing a meal prep service of some sort. There’s more room for junk in the diet at the heavyweight amateur level, because it’s just not that important to be lean, but the heavyweight pros are almost all eating mostly whole foods, not much junk. Several top guys do the vertical diet, which is essentially how I would be eating if I was dedicated enough to take my game to the next level.
For me, my diet has gotten better as I’ve progressed. Right now the get 150-200 g of protein and not eat like a total fat ass had worked to get me sorta strong. I was mostly talking about a few of the super heavy weight guys I know. They eat like 2 teenage guys each.
Question for the original poster . Could you clarify your size and strength goals?
I guess I don’t really have any concrete size and strength goals. I just chose 175 as a short term goal to work towards. Big enough and strong enough to be competitive in strongman, I guess.
Most people would have to be quite short to be “competitive” in strongman at 175.
5’9 isn’t too far off for the 175 class honestly. But he would walk around heavier than 175 and cut down to it.
I have a buddy that is decent in strongman 231’s (105 kg) and he is about 5’9". He walks around at 240-245 though and is fairly lean (4 pack abs before cutting).
He ain’t as strong as my cousin!
Maybe. He has a pro card for 231s. Your cousin must be strong!
These are some cool stories.
I’m 5’11 and I’m doing my next show at 175. It’s an Arnold qualifier. 5’9 is totally fine for that weight class. One of my closest friends is competing this weekend as a 175 and he’s 5’10. And he has a good shot at a podium finish.
You’re not wrong that most guys are a little shorter than that, but only marginally so. 5’7-5’8 feels pretty ideal to me for a lot of competitors. My height does give me an advantage on a handful of events like powerstairs, stones, and grip events (since being a larger human generally means bigger hands too). Also helps on certain front carries.
The big thing is, if you’re on the taller end of the spectrum, you definitely have to be lean to make the most of your frame.