Bulking meal prep: a lean bulk you can actually eat
Bulking meal prep means planning a week of meals that land on a small calorie surplus with high protein, so you gain muscle without much extra fat. Start about 250 calories over maintenance, aim for around 1.8 g of protein per kilogram, lean on carbs around training and batch cook so busy days don't leave you short. Cauli plans that week for you.
Key takeaways
- Lean bulk: a surplus of about 250 kcal a day is enough.
- The common failure is under-eating on busy days, not over-eating.
- Protein about 1.8 g per kg, every day, with carbs leaning toward training days.
- Batches and planned snacks make the surplus automatic.
Your bulking target, worked through
Example: a 30-year-old man, 180 cm and 80 kg, on his feet a lot (1.4) and training 4 days a week (+0.20). Resting estimate 1,780 kcal × 1.60 = about 2,850 kcal to maintain.
| Goal | Starts from | Daily target | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lose fat | about 550 kcal under | 2,300 kcal | 150 g (2.0 g × 75 kg, goal weight 75 kg) |
| Build muscle | about 250 kcal over | 3,100 kcal | 145 g (1.8 g × 80 kg, current weight is lower than the goal) |
| Recomp | about 10% under | 2,560 kcal | 160 g (2.0 g × 80 kg, no goal weight) |
| Maintain | maintenance | 2,850 kcal | 130 g (1.6 g × 80 kg, no goal weight) |
An illustration of the method on Methods and sources, not advice for you. Cauli computes yours from your own answers, or you can enter your own numbers.
How to meal prep for a lean bulk
- Plan four or five eating times. Spreading the day makes 3,000+ calories easier than three huge meals.
- Batch carb-forward dishes. Chicken and rice, beef and potato hash, pasta bakes. They portion cleanly and reheat well.
- Protein at every meal. Add a simple protein side (Greek yogurt, eggs, a shake) where a meal runs short. The grams-for-30-g column in our protein-per-calorie table shows how much of each food that takes.
- Lean training days toward carbs and protein without changing the day's total.
- Mark your busy days. Missed meals are where bulks stall. Put Leftovers and snacks there.
- Weigh in weekly. If the trend is flat for a few weeks, raise the target a little.
How Cauli plans a muscle-building week
- Targets from your goal: about 250 kcal over maintenance and 1.8 g/kg of protein, or your own numbers.
- Dishes shaped to build muscle: protein-forward with more carbs, composed for your tastes, time and equipment.
- Training days lean a little toward carbs and protein; the day's calories stay the same.
- Batches and Leftovers around your busy nights, so meals don't get skipped.
- Every day on target, computed from USDA data; protein has no upper limit.
- A weekly Weigh-in that proposes new targets when your trend is off pace, for you to confirm.
Cauli is for people 16 and over; under 18 it plans to eat well at your current weight only. It's not medical advice. Cauli is on the App Store for iPhone.
Questions people ask
How big a calorie surplus should I eat to bulk?
A small one. Cauli starts at about 250 kcal a day over its estimate of your maintenance, a lean bulk, and you can change the pace later in Settings or by asking Cauli.
How much protein do I need to build muscle?
Cauli sets 1.8 g per kilogram of the lower of your current and goal weight for building muscle, and plans every day to reach at least 90% of it.
I struggle to eat enough. How does meal prep help?
Planned food gets eaten. With Batches already portioned and snacks in the plan (with four or five meals a day, snacks take about 10% of the day each), hitting a surplus stops depending on appetite and time.
Does Cauli give me more calories on training days?
Your calories stay the same every day. On the days you train, the meals lean a little toward carbs and protein.
