In recent years, the dream to achieve a toned body with lots of muscle has entered the lives of many people. While many have the money and resources to build this muscle in a short while, others often find themselves at the mercy of expensive gym memberships and food sources that promise the highest amount of protein per bite. It is easy to feel as though being fit is a luxury, but there are some ways you can make an effective routine on a budget, which will still leave you being able to build your desired level of muscle mass and consume all the food you need to help with this.
Make the most of your gym membership
It is likely that you will need a gym membership to give you the facilities to work out with, which you won’t find anywhere else. Having a gym membership can be the most expensive part of getting fit, so it’s wise to research gyms in your local area fully before committing to the first one you see. It might be better to choose one a little further away if they have more benefits on offer for your money or to watch out for any hidden costs of supposedly cheaper memberships. Once you have done this, make sure you go as often as you can to get the most out of it for your money.
Do home workouts
If there are no affordable gyms near you, or they don’t have the best facilities to workout in, you can always improvise by creating a home workout. For this, you will need to buy some of the right equipment, which you can do so at a reduced price at many online stores. You could even use heavy books or bottles of water in place of dumbbells. Luckily, there are many online resources out there to help you find the best home workouts, which will all help you on your way to building muscle mass.
Be innovative about sourcing protein
For many people, there is the misconception that you can only get high protein amounts from meat and fish. Though these foods will help you gain muscle mass, they can also be expensive, which can make it harder to stay on track. In many ways, you can find protein from other sources such as spinach or mushrooms, and even in protein powder. This may seem like more of a cost upfront, but a large bag of protein powder will last you much longer than meat and cost tiny amounts per portion.
Buy foods in bulk
As with many things, buying food in bulk is the best way to save money in the long run, and is entirely doable if you make a healthy meal plan on a reduced budget. Though bulk buying is always a big upfront cost, you won’t have to spend much money throughout the rest of the week or month to keep fresh foods topped up. With meat, you can freeze this for some time before having to eat it, and the same goes for any fresh vegetables if you store them correctly.