Pre-Workout — Eggs, Sourdough + Fruit
Eat before 8 AM gym~676 kcal · 43P / 81C / 22F
4 whole eggs · 3 egg whites · 2 slices sourdough toast · 1/2 cup berries · 1 small banana on the side. Drink 10 oz water with this meal.
For John
Lean Bulk Plan
5′7 · 165→175 lbs · 3,380 kcal · goal: gain 10 lbs while staying lean
Calories
3,380kcal
Protein
245g
Carbs
385g
Fat
100g
Daily Schedule
Built around 8 AM lifts and 4:30–7 PM pickleball. Eat the sandwich before pickleball — it's your gas tank.
Post-Workout Shake — Banana + PB
Within 60 min of lifting~537 kcal · 41P / 49C / 22F
1 scoop whey (24g) · 1 banana · 2 tbsp natural peanut butter · 8 oz 2% milk. Drink 10 oz water alongside or right after.
Lunch — Chicken + Rice
Midday meal~778 kcal · 79P / 89C / 9F
8 oz cooked chicken breast · 2 cups cooked white rice · pinch of salt + lemon. No veggies needed here — save your stomach room for the evening. Drink 10 oz water.
Pre-Pickleball — PB + Banana + Honey Sandwich
Eat by 4:00 PM~549 kcal · 15P / 91C / 17F
2 slices sourdough · 2 tbsp peanut butter · 1 sliced banana · 1 tbsp honey drizzled on top. Drink 10 oz water with it.
Why this matters: You burn 700+ kcal in 2.5 hours of pickleball. This sandwich is your fuel. Clean carbs (banana + honey + bread) plus dense calories (PB) keep you moving hard until 7 PM. Eat it and maintain intensity and recover better.
Dinner — Build Your Plate
After 7 PM · veggies always~843 kcal · 68P / 77C / 30F (varies by choice)
Protein
Carb
Tonight: Lean ground beef 93/7 (8 oz cooked · 60g protein · 440 kcal) · Jasmine / white rice (1.5 cups cooked · 67g carbs · 308 kcal) · 2 cups roasted veggies of choice · 1 tsp olive oil. Drink 10 oz water.
High-Calorie Snack Options
Add 1–2 of these on heavy training days to push carbs toward the 400g mark. These are clean, easy calories that won't fill you up like a meal.
Banana + Honey
+170 kcal · 1P / 45C / 0F1 large banana drizzled with 1 tbsp honey. Pure carbs to push glycogen up before or after pickleball.
Rice Cake Stack
+310 kcal · 4P / 50C / 10F3 rice cakes + 1.5 tbsp peanut butter + 1 tbsp honey. Light on the stomach, heavy on calories.
Oatmeal Bowl
+345 kcal · 8P / 55C / 10F1 cup cooked oats + 1 tbsp peanut butter + 1 tbsp honey + cinnamon. Great before bed for slow-release carbs.
Apple + PB
+185 kcal · 2P / 28C / 8F1 apple + 1 tbsp peanut butter. Quick between-meal calories that won't kill your appetite.
Grapes (2 cups)
+208 kcal · 2P / 54C / 1F2 cups of grapes. Zero prep, zero fat, pure carbs. Easiest calories you'll eat all day.
The strategy: Hitting 300–400g of carbs daily is what drives weight gain while keeping you fueled for pickleball. Keeping fats at 80–100g keeps the bulk lean — carbs build muscle and power performance, while moderate fats support hormones without spilling into excess body fat.
Daily Totals
Pre-workout + Shake + Lunch + Pre-pickleball + Dinner = ~3,383 kcal. Add 1 snack on heavy days to hit 3,550+. If weight gain stalls for 2 weeks, add the banana + honey snack (+170 kcal).
| Meal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-workout (eggs + toast + fruit) | 43g | 81g | 22g | 676 |
| Post-workout shake (banana + PB) | 41g | 49g | 22g | 537 |
| Lunch (chicken + rice) | 79g | 89g | 9g | 778 |
| Pre-pickleball PB sandwich | 15g | 91g | 17g | 549 |
| Dinner (beef + rice + veggies) | 68g | 77g | 30g | 843 |
| Daily total | 246g | 387g | 100g | 3,383 |
Weekly Snapshot
5 days of 8 AM lifts + 2.5 hr pickleball. The plan stays full on training days, drops slightly on weekends.
| Day | Training | Food |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 8 AM lift (Upper) · 4:30–7 PM pickleball | Full plan · pre-lift eggs · post-lift shake · pre-pickleball sandwich |
| Tue | 8 AM lift (Lower) · 4:30–7 PM pickleball | Full plan · biggest leg day = biggest dinner |
| Wed | 8 AM lift (Push) · 4:30–7 PM pickleball | Full plan · extra fruit if needed |
| Thu | 8 AM lift (Pull) · 4:30–7 PM pickleball | Full plan · back day = solid appetite |
| Fri | 8 AM lift (Legs) · 4:30–7 PM pickleball | Full plan · salmon Friday if you want |
| Sat | Active recovery / walk | ~2,800 kcal · drop the pre-pickleball sandwich |
| Sun | Off + meal prep | ~2,800 kcal · cook for the week |
Sunday Prep (~75 min)
- 1.Grill or bake 3 lb chicken breast. Portion into 5 containers (8 oz each).
- 2.Rice cooker: 10 cups cooked white rice (covers lunch + dinner for 4 days).
- 3.Sheet-pan roast broccoli + peppers + zucchini at 425°F for 22 min.
- 4.Stock: eggs, sourdough, peanut butter, bananas, berries, honey, whey, milk. Buy salmon or steak fresh mid-week.
How to Bulk Without Getting Fat
Pre-pickleball sandwich is non-negotiable
You burn 700+ kcal in 2.5 hours of pickleball. That PB + banana + honey sandwich at 4 PM is your fuel tank. Eat it and maintain intensity through 7 PM.
Carbs around both trainings
Breakfast carbs fuel the lift. The pre-pickleball sandwich provides fast carbs. The shake after lifting refills glycogen before the evening session.
Fruit is your calorie dial
Hungry or scale stalled 2 weeks? Add an apple, orange, or extra banana between meals. Each is 80–120 kcal of easy carbs.
300–400g carbs = weight gain, 80–100g fat = stay lean
Carbs are your growth fuel. They fill muscle glycogen, drive performance, and keep you energized for 2.5 hours of pickleball. Keeping fats at 80–100g keeps total calories controlled while protein and carbs do the muscle-building work.
Consistency > perfection
Same meals 80% of the time. Track weight weekly (morning average). Target gain: ~0.5 lb/week. Faster = too much fat.
Three rules
- · Eat the pre-pickleball sandwich every training day. That's your fuel for 2.5 hours of movement.
- · Protein at every meal — eggs before lifting, shake after, chicken at lunch, PB + dinner protein. Never skip the shake.
- · Weigh in once a week (Saturday AM). Gaining slower than 0.4 lb/week? Add a banana + honey snack. Faster than 0.7 lb/week? Drop the honey from the sandwich.
Hydration
10 oz water with every single meal. That's 50 oz from meals alone. Add another 40–60 oz throughout the day, especially during pickleball. Dehydration kills performance before calories do.