Recession Proof your Transformation

Just the other day I received an interesting question from a regular reader of the site. The question was in regards to the price it would take to start and maintain a transformation.

Part of the question was:

Compared to loosing weight, where you can eat less, a weight gain diet seems to cost more due to needing to eat more. And considering avoiding unhealthy foods like McDonald’s $ menu for example, to get the right mix of needed protein, calories, carbs, and (decent but not too much) fat, I don’t think that will come cheap. Especially for the working folk who don’t have time to prepare all the food at home to save on costs and better control the diet requirements…

Those who loose weight don’t necessarily need to eat less but I’ll save my philosophy on weight loss for my other blog, as for Hardgainers looking to start their own Hardgainer Transformation there is definitely a price to pay. A lot of time sweat and money will go into putting on weight but this is a price you’ll have to pay if you want to be successful.

The limiting factor for most Hardgainers is the amount of money that goes into Training, Nutrition and proper Supplementation.

In this article I’ll talk about the basic amount of thing you’ll need to get started.

The first thing you need to do is come up with a budget. Decide how much money you’ll be able to put towards going to a gym, buying groceries and getting supplements. Once you figure this out the rest will be easy.

The Gym

Depending on what you’re looking for you may need to spend a pretty penny on a gym. For myself personally I really don’t need much. As long as I have a Squat Rack, Flat Bench, and some weights I’m just about satisfied.

Spending more than $50 a month for a gym membership is not necessary if you are concerned with saving money. There are several alternative methods for getting your workout done without putting on hole in your pocket.

If you’re still a teen and you school has a gym, try to get your workouts completed during lunch or after school.

Recreation Center that have gym facilities tend to charge little to nothing for their memberships

Look for a gym with the bare minimum such as a Flat Bench, Dumbbells that are high enough in weight to challenge you and maybe a smith machine/squat rack.

Another alternative that a lot of people have taken up is creating your own home gym. Website such as Amazon.com are great for starting a home gym because you have so much selection at a relatively low price with free shipping most of the time.

If you are interested in this option and would like to buy the bare minimum I would suggest buying a Apex JD-2.1 Flat Bench and a PowerBlock Elite 90 Adjustable 5 to 90-Pounds per Dumbbell Set. The initial price may be steep but you’ll never have to pay a monthly fee and you’ll save hundreds of dollars in the long run.

Like I said before be sure to check out Amazon for other items you might want to add to your gym.

Food

Many people who complain about not having money for food usually have spent way too much money on supplements. Little do these people know that without a proper nutrition a high percentage of the supplements bought will have little to no effect.

As Hardgainers we all need a strong base of foods that help promote muscle growth. If you only have 100 dollars to spend on supplements and food  put 100% of it towards food. Supplements have their place in bodybuilding but should never be a top priority in anyone’s diet.

Where to buy food

Buying food in bulk will save you a lot of money and this can be easily done at a wholesale food club. Depending on where you live you’d want to look for the nearest:

• Costco
• Sam’s Club
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Makro (Europe)
• PriceSmart (Central America and Caribbean)

Even if you don’t have one of these clubs close to your house just shop wisely. Only buy foods that are on sale, use coupons whenever you can, don’t eat out.

What to buy

I can’t give you a detailed price list but I can direct you towards foods that are generally cheap and useful in a Hardgainer weight gain diet.

1. Tuna – Great source of protein for a good price

2. Nuts – Great Protein and Healthy fat source

3. Olive Oil – Great fat source

4. Whey Protein Concentrate, in bulk – We’ll talk more about this in the next section but buying in bulk will save you money

5. Pasta – Dirt Cheap Carbohydrate source

6. Chicken legs – You can buy a weeks supply for nearly nothing

7. Beans – Another Great protein source that is pretty calorie dense

Supplements

When buying supplements stay as basic as possible. You can save yourself a lot of money by sticking to the tried and true supplements that have been known to work and are cheap.

For a good Foundational Bodybuilding Stack you should look into the following supplements

Multi Vitamin/Mineral – probably the most underused supplement by most bodybuilders but most important. If you want your body to perform at its best you might supply it with various nutrients.  The majority of these nutrients are very hard to consume so using this supplements helps keep the body at its optimum capacity.

My Choice Pick: Optimum Opti-Men/Optimum Opti-Woman

Whey Protein Supplement - Protein is needed in the body to help repair and stimulate muscle growth. Buying Protein is also a cheaper way of getting your protein for the day. This is just about essential in anyone’s diet.

My Choice Pick:  Optimum 100% Whey Protein or MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore

Creatine – This is the most popular supplement on the market. It’s also been around for over 30 years which has left us with 30+ years of research that points out that this is one of the most effective supplements on the market. Its used to supply energy to our muscle which helps increase our strength and muscle size.

My Choice Pick: Higher Power Micronized Creatine < — Dirt Cheap!!!

These are all the supplements you need to get started. If you do have a few extra dollars I would also Add a Good Glutamine Supplement and a Good Fish oil Supplement.

As you can see bodybuilding isn’t impossible if your on a budget. Shop Smart, aim for the minimum when looking for a gym and keep it simple on supplements and you’ll be on your way to Recession Proofing your Transformation.