You’ve got a goal but you’re almost afraid to share it. You’re healthy, you’re active and you’re not afraid to put on shorts this summer. You’ve found a workout groove that makes you happy but… you need a new goal to fuel your fire. You want to get strong. You want to get bigger.

Let’s be clear, when you say get bigger you mean GAIN MUSCLE. Not enter a competition and not take up power lifting. You simply want to add new curves in all the right places. It’s a big step to focus on gaining muscle instead of losing fat. You’re not even sure if your brain can handle it much less your body. (Not to mention you are you’ll get a dirty look or two a perpetually dieting co-worker.)

You know this means not just changing how you workout but also how you eat. The problem is finding information on how to do it safely and without gaining a lot of fat. You need to workout in a way that promotes muscle growth and eat more to build those muscles but you’re not sure how to do it.

I hear you. I’ve tackled both fat loss and muscle gain during my 17 year fitness journey. I have even tried to do both at once (referred to by Tom Venuto as the holy grail). After years of research and being my own guinea big here is what know about the gaining muscle for females.

You need to lift heavier.

You need to do (a little) less cardio.

You need to eat more.

Simple enough, right? Except it goes against pretty much all the mainstream fitness advice targeted at women. And it’s not the whole story. I’ve figured that it’s slightly more complicated than just “eating more”. Here are the truths I have determined about eating to gain muscle for females:

Gaining lean mass is NOT the same as bulking.

You need more calories to gain muscle but it’s not a free for all.

The quality of your calories matters even more when your goal is gaining muscle.

Since my own goal right now is to be strong and gain muscle, I thought I would share a little bit of my own meal plan. If your goal is to gain muscle, take a look at this sample two-day meal plan (from my own food journal) to help you start eating a little more and move closer to those gains. My goal right now is around 1900-2000 calories per day, just 150-250 more than maintenance. This will change next month when my workouts kick up a notch.  (I’m slowly letting my body adjust to more food and you should too.) My macro goal is currently 30/30/40 (protein/fat/carbs) but again this could change next month. I strive to hit the mark but I don’t freak out if I’m 27/35/38 or force feed myself to get another 50 calories to reach the goal at the end of the day. Warning; macros can mess with your head. Keep your perspective in check.

Day 1 meal plan for Leg Day.

My goal is to grow my glutes. Blessed with some natural curves, they became a little flatter as I approached 40. I want it high and round and I am not ashamed to admit it. Today’s workout is a lower body circuit with high reps. When I switch to more weight and mid range reps (8-12) I will add more calories to my day, timed around my workout.

Breakfast: 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with ½ cup oats mixed with 1 tbsp chia seeds. I add cinnamon to the oats for taste.

Lunch: Roasted Tofu & Peanut Noodles Salad and 24 raw almonds.

Workout: one scoop BCAA (branch chain amino acids) with a tiny about of Sweet Leaf for taste.

Post workout afternoon snack: 1 scoop Vega Performance Protein mixed with water and penne pasta with asparagus and goat cheese (leftovers made from the Healthy Pasta cookbook).

Dinner (between client sessions): Chocolate Chip Quest bar, a hardboiled egg and a medium apple.

Evening snack: Amanda’s Magnificent Mug cake.

1960 calories, 28/32/40 (P/F/C)

Day 2 meal plan for a cardio day.

I did about 30 minutes on the elliptical plus worked with clients all day. I need less food than leg day but still plenty of nutrients to support recovery and fuel my day. You can’t let calories go too low on cardio/ active rest days because your muscles are still repairing.

Breakfast: 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with ½ cup oats mixed with 1 tbsp chia seeds. I add cinnamon to oats for taste.

Lunch: Roasted Tofu & Peanut Noodles Salad with 10 baby carrots and 12 raw almonds.

During workout: Drank water mixed with EmergenC and one scoop of BCAA.

Post workout afternoon snack: 1 scoop Vega Performance Protein mixed with water, 1 ½ cup roasted Brussels Sprouts with baked tofu and a mini cup of Wholly Guacamole.

Dinner (between sessions): Chocolate Chip Quest bar and a medium apple.

Evening snack: Amanda’s Magnificent Mug cake.

1829 calories, 31/33/36 (P/F/C)

I’ve learned a lot from my previous personal experiments, research and being coached during the UltimateOxygen Challenge. The OxyChallenge was probably my most successful period of muscle gain ever. (Which proves even the coach needs a coach some time.) I’m going to take on Amanda’s program again and double down on my nutrition efforts. I’ve got a special physique related goal for myself that also happens coincides with IDEA World Fitness Blogfest in July. I want to be at my best when I hang out with some of the top fitness pros in the world. Plus I signed up to work out with Jillian Michaels. I need to be in top condition so I don’t die!

I’m curious. Does the idea of gaining scare you? Anything about my meal plan surprise you?

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