Hardgainer MealPlan Generator – from calorie target to meals
You already know your calorie needs from the Hardgainer Calorie Calculator – this tool turns them into a concrete daily meal plan with 3–6 meals, sensible macro distribution and simple recipe building blocks. If you are just getting started, the Hardgainer Guide walks you step by step through biology, training and nutrition.
- Ideally start with the Hardgainer Calorie Calculator and calculate your calorie and macro targets.
- Transfer calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat here or use “Try values from URL” if you came from the calculator.
- Select number of meals, training time and eating style, click “Generate meal plan” and tweak the gram amounts slightly if needed. For more context on macros, MPS and meal timing, check the Hardgainer Glossary.
1. Calories and macros
Ideally you come straight from the Hardgainer Calorie Calculator – then you can copy the values 1:1.
Used to calculate the MPS traffic light (≈ 0.3 g of protein per kg and MPS meal).
Only used to cluster carbohydrates sensibly around your workout.
Controls how often similar building blocks are used.
Tip: In the print view you can choose “Save as PDF” in your browser and save your hardgainer meal plan.
How this tool thinks
The tool works deliberately simple, but in a hardgainer-friendly way:
- Protein is distributed evenly across all meals.
- Carbohydrates are prioritised around your training (pre and post).
- Fats are placed more into the non-workout meals.
- It uses simple standard building blocks (rice, oats, chicken, yogurt, shakes).
The underlying logic is based on the same principles as the Hardgainer Calorie Calculator, the Hardgainer Guide and the Hardgainer Glossary – especially when it comes to MPS, leucine threshold and sensible meal timing.
The MPS traffic light shows you which meals very likely trigger a meaningful muscle protein synthesis impulse.
FAQ about the Hardgainer MealPlan Generator
How exactly does the Hardgainer MealPlan Generator work?
The generator takes your calorie target and macros (protein, carbohydrates, fat) and distributes them across 3–6 meals per day. Protein is spread relatively evenly across the day, carbohydrates are clustered around your training and fats sit more in non-workout meals. On top you get simple standard building blocks like rice, oats, chicken, yogurt and shakes. For more background on calories, macros and metabolism, see the Hardgainer Guide and the Hardgainer Glossary.
Do I need to use the Hardgainer Calorie Calculator first?
Strictly speaking no – you can also enter your own macros. The generator works cleanest if you first use the Hardgainer Calorie Calculator to calculate your needs and target macros and then transfer them here. That way the meal plan really fits your body, your activity level and your goal.
How many meals per day make sense for hardgainers?
For most hardgainers, 4–5 meals per day are a good sweet spot: more MPS pulses, better distribution of calories and less food coma than with two monstrous meals. The generator allows 3–6 meals so you can reflect your own reality. A deeper dive into meal frequency, daily life and digestion can also be found in the Hardgainer Guide.
What does the MPS traffic light in the table do?
The MPS traffic light checks whether a meal roughly reaches the protein amount needed for a solid muscle protein synthesis impulse – simplified as ≈ 0.3 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Green means: very likely a full MPS stimulus. Yellow: borderline. Red: more like a snack – calories yes, but no full anabolic impulse. We explain the theory in more detail in the Hardgainer Glossary.
Can I swap the suggested foods?
Yes, absolutely. The suggested gram amounts are pragmatic starting values. You can swap rice for potatoes, chicken for lean beef or tofu, oats for bread – the key is that macros and total calories stay in roughly the same range. The system is deliberately robust and tolerant to these swaps. Concrete vocabulary and background on food choices and macro quality is available in the Hardgainer Glossary.
How much can I change the gram amounts?
Small adjustments (±10–20%) are totally fine and help you match digestion, hunger and daily life. If you massively scale single meals up or down, you should ideally recalculate macros or generate the meal plan again so the daily balance still works. The logic behind this is covered more deeply in the Hardgainer Guide and the Glossary.
What happens to carbohydrates on rest days?
If you select “Rest day”, carbohydrates are distributed more evenly across the day and less strongly focused on pre- and post-workout. This reduces unnecessary carb spikes around a workout that does not take place and keeps energy distribution more stable. For more on training and rest day strategies, see the Hardgainer Guide.
Can I use the generator for maintenance or a mini-cut?
Yes. The key point is the calorie target. If you enter maintenance or a moderate deficit (mini-cut) in calories and macros, the MealPlan Generator will distribute those values just as cleanly as for a lean bulk. The logic stays the same, only the daily total changes. A deeper look at bulk, maintenance and cutting phases is available in the Hardgainer Guide.
Will there be more recipe variety and logic in the future?
Yes. Future versions will offer more building blocks, different “kitchen profiles” (for example super simple vs. high variety) and finer logic for pre/post-workout meals, weekly structure and possibly even bulk/cut phases. This setup is deliberately simple so you can act immediately. Until then, the Hardgainer Guide and the Hardgainer Glossary provide additional ideas on how to vary your meal plan in real life.