Bodybuilding Breakfast Ideas: Top Morning Meals for Bodybuilders

Carbohydrates

Carbs are a non-negotiable inclusion for bodybuilders or anyone looking to gain the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time.

While low-carb is all well and good for some athletes, it’s a bunch of nonsense where muscle growth is concerned; going low carbohydrate is disastrous for athletes looking to build muscle faster, especially natural bodybuilders who aren’t pumped full of steroids.

For anyone training at high intensities, high protein and moderate-high carb consumption is gold.

Carbohydrates function to spare muscle and provide the primary source of energy needed to power you through lifts, not to mention the fact that protein requires carbohydrates to work; carbs spike insulin, which drives amino acids and other nutrients into muscle cells.

While the body can use other nutrients for energy via a process called gluconeogenesis, compared to carbs, protein and fat are expensive and relatively inefficient substrates for providing quick energy.

In general, you want to opt for complex carbohydrates that help to prevent rapid spikes in blood sugar first thing in the morning. Complex carbs are higher in nutrients and fiber, which means they take longer to digest and offer a more sustained energy release.

Protein

The amount of protein you need will be determined by your activity level. For bodybuilders engaging in strenuous activity (your big lifts), you’re going to need more protein than the average person to repair the damage incurred by resistance training.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests a protein intake of between 1.4-2.0g/kg of body weight for most active people; this level is safe and may also improve training adaptations.

However, a joint position statement by the Dietitians of Canada, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that some athletes may need as much as 2.3g/kg/day, equating to roughly 1g per pound of bodyweight ¹.

However, you have to be mindful of the type of protein you’re consuming. If you’re looking to build muscle, your body requires the presence of all 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential (cannot be synthesized in the body) and 11 non-essential/conditionally essential (can be synthesized from existing amino acids).

If you don’t have these in the proper ratios, your body cannot synthesize functional proteins, and it will compromise your gains.

Plant-based proteins are notorious for being incomplete, which means they need to be paired with another food that offers a complementary amino acid profile to fill in the gaps. However, there are several plant-based sources of complete proteins.

Healthy Fats

Moderate amounts of healthy fats are required at every meal. They function to increase satiety and help you absorb the nutrients from your meals, synthesize hormones, provide structural support, and much more.

You can’t have a diet devoid of fats and expect to gain muscle—it’s not going to happen. But it boils down to choosing fats that will get you to your goals.

Trans fats and industrial seed oils are going to leave you inflamed and impede on your body’s ability to function properly, whereas things like nuts and seeds, avocado, and olive oil all offer tremendous amounts of benefits to the body, and ultimately your health and fitness goals.

But too much of any sort of fat may not work towards helping you maximize muscle growth, so ensure it fits within your scope of macros.

Generally, you’ll want to look towards 1-2 tablespoons of healthy fats per meal, but you can tweak this based on personal needs.

Oatmeal

The good ol’ staple. Who doesn’t love a delicious, warm, and stick-to-your-ribs bowl of oatmeal? We think it’s safe to say that for bodybuilders, this one is definitely a go.

Bodybuilders sometimes get so stuck on consuming mass amounts of protein that they forget about the carbs. And if you’ve ever been deep into a cut, you know how awful a lack of carbs can make you feel.

But oatmeal is an excellent source of complex carbs first thing in the morning that provides a sustained and steady release of fuel to get you through your morning (or your crack of dawn training sesh).

Along with that, oats also offer a mass amount of nutrients that are key to your performance, including ^2-4:

• Fiber—supports digestive health; hormonal balance; blood sugar stabilization and regulation; enhances insulin sensitivity
• Antioxidants—protects cells against free-radical damage induced by physical activity
• Thiamine—energy production; reduces the onset of fatigue
• Magnesium—enhances glucose availability in the brain, muscle, and blood; reduces/delays lactate accumulation in muscle to prolong activity and delay fatigue; electrolyte balance; muscle recovery; proper sleep
• Phosphorus—supports bone and tooth health; involved in cell and tissue repair; sustains muscle and nerve excitation/function; improves aerobic capacity
• Zinc—boosts testosterone production; functions as an antioxidant to protect cells against ROS damage
• Manganese—muscle growth and recovery; nutrient metabolism and energy production; wound healing; antioxidant; supports bone and connective tissue health
• Iron—oxygen transport; energy production

The possibilities of oatmeal are virtually endless. Because they’re inherently a pretty bland and neutral-tasting carb, they take on any number of flavor combinations.

Here are a couple of ideas for you:

1. Protein overnight oats: Add steel-cut or rolled oats into a bowl or jar and mix in a scoop of Performance Lab Protein. If you’re bulking, don’t hesitate to go for a larger serving. Add enough nut milk or water to cover the oats, using about a 2:1 ratio of wet to dry. Stir everything together. Cover and leave to soak overnight. In the morning, add whatever toppings you crave! A spoonful of nut butter, banana, and cacao nicks or coconut is a delicious combo that provides healthy fats, fiber, and loads of flavor.
2. Basic berry oatmeal: Add ½-1 cup of oats to a saucepan with 1-2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 1-2 tablespoons chia seed. Stir in double the amount of liquid (1-2 cups of nut milk or water) and cook over medium heat until the liquid has mostly absorbed. If you want, feel free to throw in a scoop of protein powder and top with any combination of fresh or frozen berries (and any other toppings you like).

Not a fan of sweet or want to kick the sugar? Oats can be savory, too. They have a similar texture to buckwheat and are basically a blank canvas for whatever herbs and spices you want to add.

Combine them with last night’s leftovers, or throw some roasted tempeh on top, and you’ve got yourself a balanced protein and carb-rich meal.

Shakes

The reason we love shakes is because they’re super versatile. You can put just about anything you want into them (within reason), and somehow, they still end up tasting good. Not to mention they’re a great option if you need to put something in your stomach but don’t want to overload it with a full meal.

Your morning shake breakdown should look something like this:

• 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein (ex. 50g carbs + 25g protein)
• 1-2 tbsp. healthy fat
• 1-2 cups liquid (water, nut milk)
• Flavor enhancers (cinnamon, cocoa powder, vanilla, etc.)

Here are some staple muscle-building combos to try:

** Tip: oats are a great addition to shakes if you want to bump up the carbs because they add a good dose of complex carbs and thicken shakes up without adding a bunch of sugar.

• PB&J: frozen strawberries + natural PB + vanilla protein + almond milk
• Black forest: cherries + spinach + chocolate protein + almond milk
• Coffee: vanilla protein + 1 shot espresso + frozen banana + nut milk
• The hulk: spinach + kale + vanilla protein + banana/pineapple + spirulina + mint

And remember, this isn’t a shake ultimatum; it’s not this breakdown or nothing. Depending on the training stage you’re in, you may want to knock back the carbs and boost the protein or add a bit more fat.

You can easily tweak shakes to suit your needs and don’t be afraid to play with the ratios and flavor combinations.

Toasts

Like oatmeal, toasts can go both sweet and savory depending on your flavor preferences, and you can load them up with pretty much anything!

If you’re trying to avoid gluten (which we recommend), opt for gluten-free bread or traditionally fermented sourdough to avoid digestion issues.

You’ll first want to decide whether you want sweet or savory (or one of each). Next, choose a base; basically, anything that’s mashable or spreadable will work great.

Some delicious options include avocado, refried beans, hummus or mashed chickpeas, nut butter, pesto, or coconut yogurt. Once you’ve got a base, it’s time to get creative and load up the toppings!

Here are some of our favorite flavor combos:

• Dairy-free (natural) cream cheese + tomato slices + chopped basil + hemp seeds
• Almond butter + sliced banana + chopped almonds + cacao nibs + coconut flakes
• Peanut butter + blueberries + pumpkin seeds + coconut flakes + hemp seeds
• Vegan pesto + roasted spiced chickpeas + chopped basil + black pepper
• Mashed (refried) black beans + avocado + sliced tomato + chopped cilantro + hot sauce

And if you follow a vegetarian diet inclusive of eggs or cheese, they’re an excellent topping option for savory toasts to add a bit of extra protein and fat!

Protein Pancakes (or Waffles)

Protein pancakes are all the rage lately and are a rite of passage in the fitness world. Whether you are vegan or not, they’re a super simple, protein-rich, and incredibly delicious way to start your morning because, realistically, who doesn’t love pancakes?

Suppose you’re using Performance Lab Protein in yours. In that case, you’re getting 20g of highly absorbable organic brown rice protein per serving that’s made with natural enzymes and low heat to supply the only rice protein shown to build muscle as effectively as whey, with leucine that absorbs 30% faster.

Not to mention it uses only 100% natural flavors and sweeteners to leave you with the cleanest, most effective, and best tasting protein powder around.

To make protein pancakes, all you need is a few basic ingredients, and you’re good to go:

• 1 cup flour (of choice, we recommend GF all-purpose)
• ¼ cup protein powder
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 2 tbsps. maple syrup
• 1 cup water, or more if needed

Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine. Add the wet ingredients slowly until “just mixed”; the batter should be lumpy and thick but still pourable; add a touch more water if it’s too thick.

Heat a pan over medium heat, and once hot, add about ¼ cup of batter and cook until bubbles appear (you may need to add a bit of coconut or avocado oil to prevent sticking). Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until crisp around the edge.

Want to spice up your protein pancakes? Try these toppings!

• Nut butter (almond, cashew, peanut, macadamia, walnut)
• Fresh berries
• Coconut whipped cream
• Chia seed jam
• Sliced bananas
• Chopped nuts

Scrambles

Typically, you’d think of a scramble as eggs, and while that’s the usual, it’s not the only option—after all, we want to include our plant-based buddies because why should egg-eaters get all the fun?

Tofu makes an awesome sub into a scramble, and the beautiful thing about scrambles is that you can put anything you want in them and still get a good dose of protein and carbs!

In terms of veggies, it’s fair game, and just about anything goes—kale, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, onions, asparagus, broccoli—you name it, it’s probably going to work. And if you want to add some carbs in, don’t shy away from squash, sweet potatoes, or even good old white potatoes.

And flavor? It definitely won’t be lacking that. Because tofu is relatively neutral in taste, it blends well with virtually any spices. If you want to go southwestern, add some chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper; if you love Asian, add some tamari/soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.

There are really no limitations when it comes to making a scramble. They’re quick, simple, healthy, mega flavorful, and loaded with protein. And to make it even better, they’re also great for meal prep because they reheat like a gem!