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Bodybuilding Meals

Bodybuilding Meals

We’ve gathered Australia’s best bodybuilding meals and compared providers to provide insights into your next meal service! We’ve sourced the information needed to compare muscle building meals and help you find the right meal provider for you and your muscle building goals.

By
Alex Hamlin

Written by

Alex Hamlin
Certified Nutritionist

Alex Joy Nutrition supports busy individuals with health goals, offering holistic nutrition guidance to reduce stress and foster balanced, healthy habits. Specialising in empowering high achievers, Alex emphasises a preventative and management-focused approach to health. As a clinical nutritionist, Alex provides individuals with tools and education for taking control of their health. She advocates for optimal nutrition as the cornerstone of wellness, employing a food-first approach complemented by holistic treatments. With evidence-based practices, Alex offers personalised guidance to help individuals reach their health goals, prioritising health at the forefront. In health content creation, Alex delivers concise, informative, and engaging material rooted in evidence-based practices, educating, inspiring and guiding others on their wellness journey.

Updated October 1, 2024
Fact checked Fully qualified and expert nutritionists have reviewed and checked this content to ensure it is as accurate as possible at the time of writing.

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How to build muscle?

Building muscle mass is a multifaceted process that integrates proper nutrition, strategic exercise, and adequate rest. Nutrition plays a pivotal role; consuming sufficient calories and the right balance of nutrients ensures muscles receive the necessary fuel for growth and recovery. Protein intake is particularly crucial, as it provides the amino acids required for muscle repair and development. Incorporating high-quality protein sources, such as lean meats, dairy, or plant-based alternatives, supports this process.

A structured exercise regimen focusing on strength training is essential for stimulating muscle hypertrophy. Engaging in compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses effectively targets multiple muscle groups, promoting balanced development.

Equally important is allowing adequate rest and recovery time. Muscle growth occurs during rest periods, making it vital to schedule rest days and ensure sufficient sleep to facilitate optimal recovery.

Bodybuilding emphasises leanness and muscularity, which may not directly reflect overall health or athletic performance. Before making significant dietary or training changes, consult with a trusted health professional.

Bodybuilding

Nutrition for bodybuilding

A lot of attention is often placed on nutrition surrounding protein intakes and its associated nutrient timing and frequency. However, research has shown that timing and frequency appear to have little effect on lean muscle mass retention and fat loss.

According to Helms et al. (2014), most bodybuilders will meet their protein requirements when consuming 2.3-3.1g/kg of lean body mass per day of protein. As for the other macronutrients, 15-30% of calories should come from fat, with the remaining calories allocated to carbohydrates. Eating meals with 0.4-0.5g/kg of body weight throughout 3-6 meals per day, particularly before and after resistance training, supports the theoretical benefits of protein timing and frequency.

Calorie intake  is also critical for bodybuilding. To promote muscle growth, research suggests a slight caloric surplus, with protein intake paired with adequate carbohydrates to fuel intense workouts and support recovery (Phillips & Van Loon, 2011). For fat loss while preserving lean muscle, a moderate caloric deficit with balanced macronutrient distribution is recommended (Helms et al., 2014).

Everyone’s needs and goals differ from person to person and this should be considered before changing your diet and training. To correctly identify what ingredients and amounts of protein are in your meals use our “How to read a food label in Australia” guide to assist you. 

Best bodybuilding meal delivery service

Our Nutrition experts have sampled a variety of brands, evaluating them on key criteria such as nutritional value, protein content, variety, and overall quality. By far, the most popular meal delivery service is MACROS. MACROS consistently excels in delivering meals that align with the needs of those with active lifestyles, including bodybuilders.

MACROS Gain meal plan provides ready-made meals, designed to help you build muscle. Each 450g meal is made primarily with whole food ingredients and emphasises carbohydrates to help you increase muscle mass. 

Meals start at $11.95 and the menu changes weekly to ensure you never get sick of eating the same meals!

macros paleo meals
Check out MACROS

A Nutritionists experience of bodybuilding meals

There are a number of providers on the market who offer bodybuilding meal options. When choosing a bodybuilding meal provider, you can typically choose from a range of meal plans or individual meals. 

I reviewed MACROS ready-made meals, and was impressed by how well they cater to those with specific fitness goals, including bodybuilding. Their meals are fresh, nutritionally balanced, and conveniently delivered to your door, which is a huge plus for busy individuals. 

They offer good variety in their menu, and offer the ability to filter for dietary preferences and allergens. For anyone focused on muscle growth, the meals are a standout – most contain over 25g of protein, which supports recovery and satiety. I also like that they use complex carbohydrates and a good mix of vegetables to enhance overall nutrition. While some meals do include preservatives from secondary ingredients, I found the quality to be consistently high. MACROS makes it easy to see exactly what you’re eating with clear labeling of calories, protein, and carbohydrates, which is so helpful when tracking your intake. For anyone looking to simplify meal prep and support their fitness goals, MACROS Gain Plan is a fantastic meal plan option to consider. To read my full review of MACROS click here.

Macros dairy free meals

Cheapest bodybuilding meal delivery service

My Muscle Chef is the most competitive meal provider. Their Gain Plan 5-day meal package includes 30 main meals and snacks at $7.70 per serve.

To learn more about My Muscle Chef meals, read our Nutritionist’s expert review here.

My Muscle Chef meals
Check out My Muscle Chef Meals

Best bodybuilding meal delivery Sydney

My Muscle Chef’s range of high protein, high calorie ready-made meals are designed to help you achieve your fitness goals. With meal plans that can be customised to meet your needs, their meals start from $10.95 and can purchased on their 5-day Gain meal plan for as little as $7.70 per serve.
My-Muscle-Chef
Check out My Muscle Chef here

Best bodybuilding meal delivery Victoria

MACROS offers macronutrient-controlled and dietitian-approved ready-made meals. The MACROS Gain Plan includes single-serve meals that are high in calories, carbohydrates and protein to fuel muscle growth. Meals start from $11.95.
MACROS-blog post - featured image
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Best bodybuilding meal delivery Queensland

YouFoodz range of FUEL’D meals are high in protein and 30% larger than their standard meals, making them a great option for those looking to build muscle. You can purchase these meals on their High Protein meal plan with meals starting from $9.95.
youfoodz-Fueld-flatlay
Check out YouFoodz here

Pros and Cons of bodybuilding meal delivery

low carb meals pros and cons

Bodybuilding Meals Pros

  • Buying meals through a meal service can be more cost-effective than preparing meals independently - Especially when meal quantities are needing to increase including the frequency of meal distributions.
  • Cooking the quantity of food to reach your individual muscle building goals can be overwhelming - This can be a hard task for anyone coming up with new flavours and cuisines to keep meals interesting, especially those who don’t enjoy cooking. Using a meal service can help keep mealtimes easy and interesting.
  • It is convenient for those that are time poor - Cooking large quantities of meals frequently may not be a luxury many people have, this can be a convenient and necessary step to take for those trying to reach their goals.
  • For those unsure how to cook or prepare for their dietary requirements a meal service can be a great introduction - Meal services can be a great introductory step to those wanting to learn or increase their cooking knowledge. It can introduce customers to new flavours and food pairings, as well as show you how big a portion of something looks i.e. how much 25g of protein of a chicken breast looks like versus 25g of sliced beef etc.

Bodybuilding Meals Cons

  • Relying on meals can become boring, especially if eating the same meals on rotation multiple times a day throughout the week - As bodybuilding requirements aren't a mainstream requirement, finding providers that offer a lot of rotating menu options can be difficult.
  • Relying on meal services can become expensive - Feeding yourself an increased quantity of anything can be costly, especially when eating up to 6 meals a day. Try to look for providers that offer cheaper meals per increased orders to make the buying journey more cost-effective.
  • Meal providers may not cater to snacks or add-on additives to meal services - if you're wanting to take the thought out of snacks and drinks try to find a meal provider that offers extras or snack options.
  • There aren't a lot of providers catering to dietary requirements or allergies within bodybuilding categories - If you have any dietary restrictions you may find it challenging to find a service that caters to this on top of the bodybuilding requirements.

Key factors when comparing bodybuilding delivery services

When choosing the right option for you, consider the following factors:

Protein

Building muscle mass requires adequate protein intakes, ensure you read product outlines to make sure they meet your needs per meal.

As a general rule aiming between 20-30g protein per meal can be enough to meet your muscle-building goals.

Calorie/ Energy Density

Ensure you check calories per meal to calculate your daily needs and intakes. Each meal will be different and you must assess each meal per your dietary plan and training schedule.

Value for Volume

Assess if the meals you’re buying or looking into match your expectations of cost for the volume and quality you’re receiving.

Do they appear to be satiating and does the value match the cost you’re paying?

Vegetables

Even though vegetables are typically quite low in calories it doesn’t mean you should skip out on including these in your meals. Check to see if you’re meeting your daily requirements for vegetable intakes and if the meals you order include a range of different vegetables throughout their meals.

Bodybuilding Meal FAQS

There are a few high protein meal prep and snack options you can consider in your meal prep from 

  • Hard-boiled eggs 
  • Trail mixes with nuts and seeds 
  • Greek yoghurt, berries and nuts 
  • Can of Tuna with brown rice or veggies
  • Mexican bowls w/ protein source, brown rice, veges etc.
  • Omelette or scrambled eggs with mixed veges etc.
  • Protein shakes

There are a few providers that cater to dietary requirements such as

  • Workout meals: no gluten, no peanuts, no eggs, no dairy, no sesame, no soy.
  • My Muscle Chef: no added dairy, no added eggs, no added gluten, no added nuts, no added seafood.

It depends on what the meal is, the size of an individual meal may appear a similar size as to what you have been ordering previously, however, the ingredients may be far more calorie-dense in comparison to what you’re used to eating. These high-calorie meals you may find cause you to feel fuller quicker and for longer which may take a little while to adjust to.

Relying on meal services for every mealtime, every day can stack up! However, many meal providers offer competitive prices with incentivised packs with cheaper individual meal costs with larger quantities being ordered. Check out the providers listed above to discover their pack offers.

There are many concerns with long term bodybuilding nutritionally and physically on the body, it’s important to work with qualified health professionals to ensure the utmost care is taken when preparing dietary changes and training adaptations. 

Those competing in bodybuilding competitions or those looking to begin this journey need to be aware of the risks associated with developing eating and body image disorders. This is due to the aesthetic nature of the sport and its restrictiveness, it’s important to consider your mental health before and during entering competitions.

Bodybuilding is considered an expensive sport. There are many outgoing expenses that bodybuilders need to keep up with from meals, snacks, supplements, physical therapy treatments, competition-related expenses and travel associated costs.

This is different from person to person; bodybuilders can typically eat up to 5-8 meals a day to support muscle building. While most will stick to typical breakfast, lunch and dinners – some people may find themselves adding meals in-between typical meal times and lean towards high-protein snacks as well.

Helms et al. (2014). “Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 11(1): 1-20.

Mithal et al. (2012). “Impact of nutrition on muscle mass, strength, and performance in older adults.” Osteoporosis International 24(5): 1555-1566.

Search and compare wellness and health delivery services in Australia including meal kits, ready to eat meal delivery, vitamin subscriptions and much more at Wellhub. All content and information on this site is provided by qualified Australian nutritionists to ensure accurate representation of all products reviewed. Learn more about our expert team here.