The Blueprint to Mass: Old-School Nutrition Done Right

This program is built around the fundamentals done right. So is the nutritional approach! Eat up, train like an animal, and watch the scale creep upward.

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You can train like crazy, but you can't successfully follow The Blueprint to Mass without eating enough. But don't be fooled—this is no dirty bulk. You won't be raiding buffets and chugging milkshakes to gain indiscriminate weight.

The Blueprint meal plan was built to ensure that you don't just add mass, you add lean mass. You'll eat foods rich in protein, carbs, and fats to grow and recover at an impressive rate. Although you're working on a bigger, more imposing body, you need to fuel your efforts with quality nutrition at the right times. A great macronutrient profile coupled with smart nutrient timing ensures your body is getting everything it needs to build some serious muscle and strength.

But make no mistake: All that food isn't going to help you add quality mass without adequate training alongside it! Follow the full Blueprint to Mass program in BodyFit Elite. Along with top-notch workout tracking, you'll earn discounts in the Bodybuilding.com store and free shipping on supps to help you power through the brutal Blueprint workouts.


Follow this full 8-week program in BodyFit Elite! You’ll get a customizable workout tracker and app, with demonstration videos for all movements. Earn free shipping and store discounts, plus access to 70+ additional programs!Go Now!

Here's what you need to know.

Protein Matters

The debate about how much protein to eat to fuel muscle growth was raging just as hard in 1971 as in the 21st century. And sure, plenty of bodybuilders back then fixated on strange supplements or nutrients (liver pills by the handful, anyone?). But several of the all-time greats utilized a simple equation that has held up across the decades.

It's simply this: Eat a gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.

Yes, plenty of people can get by with less—but they're not the ones undertaking this grueling training program. And how you get your 1 gram per pound is up to you. It can be three meals per day, four, five, three and a shake—whatever works.

And yes, you can get this amount with food alone. But after a few days, you'll find it won't be easy. So don't be afraid to have a shake or two, especially on training days. If that's the difference between meeting your protein intake and not, then it's the right choice.

How you balance carbs and fats beyond that protein benchmark is really a matter of personal taste. As long as you are consistently able to get adequate calories to go along with your protein, you can grow at 70/30 one way or another, or split right down the middle.

So how do you know if you're eating enough? Use Bodybuilding.com's Calorie Calculator to guide you. If you've used this tool before and been afraid to click the "muscle gainz" button, now's your time to do it.

Let the calories do their work for two weeks. Then, start weighing yourself. If you're gaining 5 pounds a week, pull back on the reins by 300-500 calories. If you're staying the same, boost it by that amount. A pound or two of weight gain a week is all you can realistically expect on even the best-designed bulking plan. And yes, to be clear, some of that will be fat. No way around that!

Blueprint to Mass Meal Plan

Although you're working on a bigger, more imposing body, you need to fuel your efforts with quality nutrition at the right times. This meal plan has a great macronutrient profile coupled with precise nutrient timing that will ensure your body is getting everything it needs to build some serious muscle and mass.

Feel free to customize this meal plan to fit your needs. However, the main goal should be to get nearly 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. It's also important that you fuel with enough carbohydrates. You'll be doing some serious high-volume workouts, and you'll be doing them frequently—so don't fear the carbs!

Legs, Then Eat!

Each Saturday during this program will be your second leg workout of the week. And it will never, ever be anything less than grueling.

But there's good news: In the true old-school style, you're encouraged to have one cheat meal on Saturdays, following your workout. That's when you can have your favorite cheat food like pizza or a hamburger and fries—but keep your cheat to just one meal per week. And earn it in the gym!

Meal 1

  • Oats: 1/4 cup with 1 tbsp honey
  • Whole eggs: 3-4
  • Bacon: 2 pieces

Post-workout

Meal 2

  • Grilled fish or red meat: 10 oz.
  • Vegetables: 1 cup

Or:

  • Large Salad with olive, avocado, or macadamia nut oil (as base)
  • Almonds, walnuts, or cashews: 2-3 oz.
  • Sweet potato: 1-2 potatoes

Meal 3

Meal 4

  • Grilled lean meat: 12 oz.
  • Vegetables: 1-2 cups

Or:

  • Large Salad with olive, avocado, or macadamia nut oil (as base)
  • Brown rice: 1-2 cups

Meal 5

  • Full-fat cottage cheese: 2 cups
  • Almonds, walnuts, or cashews: 2-3 oz.

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