More muscle for less money
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EmailAdding muscular size without breaking the bank.
While a large number of Americans focus on losing weight during this time of year, others are trying to add muscular size. Many people want to add weight and/or lean muscle mass to their frame, but have difficulty due to genetics, workout and diet habits, or chronic disease.
Adding lean muscle mass has many benefits, and is not something to shy away from. Lean muscle is a powerhouse of a tissue that keeps the metabolism functioning at a high level (burning calories at a higher rate), prevents obesity, provides whole-body protein metabolism (which contributes to stress reduction), as well as serving to prevent many illnesses and chronic diseases (such as osteoporosis) (ASCN). Whether you are struggling to add lean muscle mass, or would like to add more, read on for some tips to add more muscle for less money.
First, resistance training needs to be part of your workout routine. While there are many benefits to cardiovascular exercise, lean muscle will not build if muscles aren’t trained with resistance. Weight lifting/resistance training with dumbbells, cables, kettlebells, or body weight will work to break down muscle tissue, thereby rebuilding it and increasing strength and size (ASCN). There are many ways to add resistance to a muscle, from squats to pushups to clean and presses. Finding the resistance training that works for you and keeps you motivated is a great place to start.
Second, food intake needs to be on point. It is initially important to assure that you are getting enough calories from nutrient-dense food to have a positive energy balance. This can be done by using macronutrients to get the proper calories from protein, carbs, and fat. For more information, visit Michigan State University Extension.
Also, fueling up during the “power hour” (the hour immediately after exercise) with good carbohydrates (and more of them than in a normal meal; see list below for ideas) and protein is also essential in helping your muscles repair themselves and start the rebuilding process. Adding more calories as a whole, especially post workout, will also contribute to an increase in mass in conjunction with difficult resistance workouts (ISSN). One needs to be careful here, however, that calories eaten are from clean, whole food sources, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and “good” fats. Below are some examples of great “muscle building” staples that will build muscle and won’t break the bank. (These are divided into separate protein, carbohydrate, and fat sections):
Protein:
- Greek yogurt: $.80 per serving (store brand)
- Tuna: $.75 per can
- Chocolate milk: $.50 per 8 oz serving
Carbs:
- Oatmeal (bought in bulk): $.19 per ½ cup serving
- Brown rice (bought in bulk): $.10 per ½ cup cooked serving
- Bananas: $.15 each
Fat:
- Almonds: $.58 per ¼ cup
- Avocados: $1 each
- Natural peanut butter: $.16 per 2 tablespoon serving
Adding muscle mass does not need to be difficult or expensive, and with the right combination of strength training and diet, can be an attainable goal, even for the ectomorphs (“hard gainers”) out there. Continue to put in the work in your resistance training, as well as dietary intake of clean foods. Results will not be overnight, but the benefits of adding lean muscle mass are worth the work.
