It is for a reason breakfast is called the most important meal of the day. As the name suggests, breakfast breaks your overnight fasting period. Besides delivering your muscles with much-needed nutrients, breakfast replenishes your supply of glucose to boost your energy levels and alertness.
Although diets like intermittent fasting, which usually includes skipping breakfast have gained a cult following among fitness enthusiasts and people trying to lose weight, it isn’t a widely followed diet in the pro bodybuilding circuit.
Bodybuilders, especially the ones trying to bulk up and put on muscle size, eat at regular intervals and never skip a meal. A pro bodybuilder prepping for a contest eats their last meal close to bedtime and right after waking up.
Since pro bodybuilders sleep at least seven to eight hours every night to give their bodies enough time to rest and recuperate from their workouts, it is usually the biggest fasting window during their day.
Furthermore, bodybuilders consume slow-digesting protein sources like casein to ensure their muscles get protein throughout the night and do not enter a state of catabolism.
Bodybuilders on a deadline cannot wait to get out of bed and into the kitchen as soon as their alarm clock goes off in the morning. However, when you are eating six to eight meals a day, eating can feel like a chore, which can make you skip meals.
Many people rely on cereals and other high-sugar easy-to-cook meals to start their day. Not only are these food sources bad for your health, but they can also make you lethargic during the day.
In this article, you’ll discover 10 delicious bulking breakfast ideas that will make you look forward to the break of dawn every day, but before that, let’s get into a few intricacies:
There are three main phases in bodybuilding — maintenance, shredding, and bulking; each has its place in a bodybuilder’s routine. Let’s go over the three in brief:
Bulking requires you to put on body weight. As per research, a pound of body weight consists of 3,500 calories, meaning you’ll have to add 500 calories to your diet to add one pound of body weight a week. [1]
But before adding 500 calories to your diet, you need to know about your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). It will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your body weight, along with the macro breakdown.
There are two approaches you can follow when it comes to bulking — clean and dirty. While clean bulking involves sticking to nutrient-dense whole foods, dirty bulk allows you to eat anything you can get your hands on as long as it helps you meet your daily calorie goals.
Although diets like IIFYM (if it fits your macros) are gaining traction, it is recommended that you pick the old-school whole food diet, especially if you’ll be switching to the shredding phase after achieving your bulking goal.
Related: Bulking vs. Cutting: The Best Methods To Accelerate Gains!
Most people can never stick to a healthy nutrient-dense whole-food breakfast because most recipes on the internet are complicated and are best suited for folks with experience in the kitchen.
However, in this article, we’ll take you over bulking breakfast ideas that are easy to cook, convenient, delicious, and do not require prowess in the kitchen.
Plus, the recipes you’ll find below are not labor and time-intensive, meaning you can prepare them every day before heading out for school or work.
The bulking meals in this article are designed keeping in mind a 28 to 30-year-old, 150 to 180-pound male who trains four to five times a week. You could tweak the ingredient list of a recipe based on your age, TDEE, and daily calorie goal.
Now that you know the bulking basics, here are the best bulking breakfast ideas you can add to your routine right away:
Who doesn’t like pancakes for breakfast? However, you’ll be using whole foods for this recipe and won’t be adding sugar-laden syrups to the pancakes.
Nutrition Value: 680 kcal / 50g carbohydrate / 25g protein / 45g fat
This is arguably one of the easiest bulking breakfast recipes on the list and should not take more than 10 minutes to prepare. It is the right fit for people who love eating eggs and toast first thing in the morning.
Nutrition Value: 702 kcal / 78g carbohydrate / 40g protein / 30g fat
The smashed chickpea and avocado toast is the first vegan-friendly bulking breakfast recipe on the list. You could bump up the serving size if you want to eat a heartier breakfast.
Nutrition Value: 510 kcal / 65g carbohydrate / 20g protein / 20g fat
While the burrito recipe might look overwhelming, you’ll be able to master the dish and prepare your breakfast meal within 20 to 25 minutes once you get a hang of it.
Nutrition Value: 398 kcal / 54.3g carbohydrate / 18.1g protein / 13.8g fat
This dish delivers a healthy dose of leafy green vegetables in the first meal of the day. Studies suggest eating vegetables can help fight inflammation, improve eyesight and skin health, lower blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and the risk of heart disease. [2]
Nutrition Value: 566 kcal / 48g carbohydrate / 37g protein / 26g fat
For many people, coffee is a staple in their morning routine. If you count yourself amongst this group, you’re going to love the coffee protein shake. It will deliver a caffeine punch while helping you meet your daily caloric goal.
Nutrition Value: 429 kcal / 54g carbohydrate / 29g protein / 13g fat
The smoked salmon bagel is a delicious bulking breakfast recipe that also packs the highest amount of carbohydrates and the lowest fat content per meal on the list.
Nutrition Value: 680 kcal / 100g carbohydrate / 34g protein / 7.8g fat
If you’re into bodybuilding, chances are that anything with “anabolic” in its name arouses your interest. The anabolic French toast is delicious, satiating, and easy to cook.
Nutrition Value: 356 kcal / 29g carbohydrate / 16g protein / 19g fat
Are you someone who likes eating breakfast while on the go? If so, the cookie dough protein bar recipe will soon become your go-to breakfast option.
Note: Since this recipe requires some time to prepare, you can make the protein bars in bulk and store them in the fridge.
Nutrition Value: 285 kcal / 14g carbohydrate / 14g protein / 21g fat
Related: Best tasting protein bars
If you’re always running late for school or work, the chocolate, peanut butter, and berry smoothie will help you meet your daily bulking calorie goal without compromising on the quality of food sources. It is easy to prepare and consume and will keep your feeling satiated for a long time.
Note: You could add a scoop of chocolate-flavored protein powder to the mix if you want to boost your protein intake.
Nutrition Value: 660 kcal / 70g carbohydrate / 30g protein / 35g fat
Bulking is easier said than done. If you are serious about gaining muscle mass and strength, you should allocate at least 8-12 weeks to the bulking phase.
A clean bulk requires you to follow a strict diet regimen that includes nutrient-dense whole foods. The bulking breakfast ideas above will help you get a head start in your transformation journey.
Vidur is a writer and editor at FitnessVolt.com. He is passionate about all things strength sports and dedicated to sharing his hard-earned knowledge. An expert at giving unsolicited advice, his writings benefit the readers and infuriate the bros.
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