One of the most popular ways to build muscles isn’t just going to the gym. Many believe that the use of supplements are a great way to do so, especially when the label itself promises weight gain and building muscles. But you don’t have to depend on pills and supplements to help you do just that. While the cost of food is rising, it’s still possible to build your body right and healthy without breaking the bank.
So if you’re looking for a more affordable way to gain weight and build muscle, here’s a dietary plan you could follow.1) Invest in Breakfast
The key to encouraging muscle growth during weight training lies in having a caloric surplus in your diet. The extra calories are needed as the body repairs itself from small tears in the muscle tissue, brought upon by heavy weight training. Suffice to say, if you’re not getting enough calories in your diet, your muscles won’t grow any larger. People on a serious strength training regiment should therefore aim to take in at least 3,500 calories per day as opposed to the 2,500 required by a normal person.
With that said, breakfast is probably the best meal of the day to load up on calories. This is because the body absorbs nutrients best in the morning after a long night of fasting. So here’s 2 cheap homemade breakfast options packed with all the essential nutrients to jump start your muscles.
Breakfast 1: Total Cost Around RM 5
4 large eggs (yolk included)2 slices Whole wheat bread with generous amount of peanut butter/nutella1 glass (200ml) of low-fat milk1 cup coffee (black, no sugar) or 1 cup green tea (no sugar)Total Nutrients Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 32g (of which, Saturated Fat: 11g)
Breakfast 2: Total Cost Around RM 5
4 large eggs (yolk included)1 bowl (80g) of Wholegrain cereal with 100ml of low-fat milk1 glass (200ml) of soy milk1 cup coffee (black, no sugar) or 1 cup green tea (no sugar)Total Nutrients Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 22g (of which, Saturated Fat: 6g)
Eggs (both white and yolk) contains a wide variety of different proteins which are easily absorbed by the human body. Additionally, egg yolks are an amazing source of unsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids, which are required by the body for the natural production of testosterone. Testosterone, a predominately male hormone, encourages the growth and development of muscle and bone structure.
2) Load up on Carbs for your Pre-Workout
Think of your pre-workout meal as the equivalent of fueling up on gasoline before a long road trip. If you don’t have enough gas in your car, you can’t make the trip. Similarly, if you don’t have enough carbohydrates stored in your body, you won’t be able to finish your workout. As you are about to embark on (hopefully) the workout of your life, you’ll want fast absorbing fuel in your system to power every single muscle in your body. In addition, it would probably be best to avoid chowing down oily fried foods before your workout as the body requires more energy to digest fats, which could leave you feeling lethargic.
So without further delay, here are 2 easy pre-workout meal ideas, best 1 hour before working out.
Pre-Workout Meal 1: Total Cost Around RM 5
1 bowl (200g) of Oatmeal with raisins (40g) and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.1 Banana1 cup coffee (black, no sugar) or 1 cup green tea (no sugar)Total Nutrients Carbohydrates: 85g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 5g (of which, Saturated Fat: 1g)
Pre-Workout Meal 2: Total Cost Around RM 7
4 slices Whole wheat bread with 1 can (85g) tuna flakes and mayonnaise1 Banana1 cup coffee (black, no sugar) or 1 cup green tea (no sugar)Total Nutrients Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 8g (of which, Saturated Fat: 2g)
Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6, an essential nutrient used in the growth and repair of muscle tissue. In addition, compared to a majority of fruits in Malaysia, bananas are generally available all year round at an affordable price.
3) Chow down Post-Workout
As important as it is to chow down post-work out, give your body time to cool down and let your heart rate return to normal. After setting down, you’ll want to give your aching muscles a steady supply of protein so they can start repairing themselves. Skipping a post-workout meal essentially over taxes your body and can sabotage muscle growth. So here’s 2 post-workout snacks designed to kick start muscle repair.
Post-Workout Snack 1: Total Cost Around RM 5
500ml Low-Fat Chocolate Milk2 BananasTotal Nutrients Carbohydrates: 85g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 5g (of which, Saturated Fat: 2g)
Post-Workout Snack 2: Total Cost Around RM 7
270ml Low-Fat Mango/Strawberry Greek Yogurt2 BananasTotal Nutrients Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 3g (of which, Saturated Fat: 1g)
The protein in milk/yogurt is divided into two different types, whey (20%) and casein (80%). Whey protein is absorbed rapidly by the body upon ingestion and supplied to muscle cells at a speedy rate. Comparatively, casein protein has a much slower absorption rate and provides the body with a consistently steady supply of protein over at least 2 3 hours.
4) Have a Cheat Day once in a While
It takes a lot of discipline to be able to keep a healthy protein rich diet, especially in a country like Malaysia where amazing local delicacies are available right around the corner. You don’t have to torture yourself by cutting them out of your life forever! So long as you maintain a healthy diet on a constant basis, always remember to give yourself a cheat day every once in a while.
Hopefully these tips help you keep your budget yet reach your fitness goals. Good luck!
This was brought to you by Joshua Ong from RinggitPlus.com[1]. RinggitPlus compares credit cards[2], personal loans[3] and home loans[4] to help Malaysians get more for their money.
References
- ^ RinggitPlus.com (ringgitplus.com)
- ^ credit cards (ringgitplus.com)
- ^ personal loans (ringgitplus.com)
- ^ home loans (ringgitplus.com)
Resources:
Heidi Klum Shares Her Workout Tips | StyleCaster
Then you have someone like Heidi Klum, who's obviously one of the world's most gorgeous models, but she has yet another fitness trick up her stylish sleeves: she designed an entire line of workout gear for storied sneaker … http://www.stylecaster.com/heidi-klum-workout/
Barre Workout Tips: Core Fusion Physique 57:health-fitness …
Once I got hooked on barre-based workouts (first through Physique 57 and later through Exhale Spa, where I became a Core Fusion devotee), I wanted to try every possible variety. There's Pure Barre, The Bar… http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2014/03/barre-workout-tips.html
Zumba Fitness Exhilarate Program Guide Tips & Tech for Wkly Workout
2014-03-22T13:00:25.000Z
$3.99 (0 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-27-2014 6:00:25 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list
NEW SEALED Tony Horton 10 MINUTE TRAINER DVD – 5 Workouts – Bonus Trainer Tips
2014-03-25T20:16:35.000Z
End Date: Thursday Apr-24-2014 13:16:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $29.95
Buy It Now | Add to watch list
Top 4 Nutrition Predictions in the New Year
Several food and nutrition trends were in the spotlight this year, including the continued rise of plant-based diets, non-dairy ice creams and superfoods that are blasts from the past — legumes, apples and cabbage. It can be easy to experience nutrition whiplash in the New Year, but don’t be a victim. Get a jump-start on […]
Yoga: The Alternate Routeto A Stress-free Street
If you are searching for a proven means to attain a healthy body in a healthy mind, then this time-tested system is for you. It is intensively researched and molded into a combined system by the Indian gurus down the ages. Be it spiritual, mental or physical, this technique can be practiced by anybody at […]
The Renowned Conditioning Styles Of The The Latest Mari Winsor’s Pilates Method Workout
With Mari Winsor’s Pilates Method becoming 1 of the greatest maturing types of exercise methods it has picked up oodles of attention on television, Radio and even from movie stars like Daisy Fuentes. In view of the fact that Mari Winsor’s Pilates Method was initiated by Joseph Pilates, a German National, there have been a […]
A Trainer’s Must-have Equipment List
Whether you’re a newly certified trainer or a seasoned trainer who is considering going solo, you’ll need a few pieces of fitness equipment to get started on your training journey. Although there are hundreds of body-weight exercises you can do with your clients, you’ll want some tools to keep them excited and challenged. You can […]
Tips For Starter Workout.? Ok so I’m 125 lb. and about 5.6-7 feet tall and I just started going to gym (about 1 month).
My schedule is: Monday = work on 6 pack and chest, Tuesday = work on 6 pack and arms, Wednesday = same as monday, Thursday = same as tuesday and so on.. and yes i go gym everyday in the mornings from 11ish for an hour or an hour and 15 mins.
After gym I drink 1 spoon and half of this: http://www.innerarmour.com/products_nitropeak.html
I dont really have good eating order..I eat breakfast 1 hour before gym which is around 10.
I eat lunch at like 5-6 and dinner around 10..
so I just wanted to see what tips can i get to make my body buffed in a short time and make 6 pack 😀
I want my chest to grow and my 6 pack to come out first. kgo.
Workout routines are what exercises, how many sets, how many reps
etc. that you do for each muscle.
Remember these things when making up your routine:
1) Work chest, triceps and shoulders on the same day, and biceps and
back on the same day so that it’s ok if the secondary muscles get
worked that day, because your doing them anyway.
2) Separate those muscles that work a secondary muscle so that they
are far enough apart not to overtrain you. For example, do Chest
Monday, triceps on Wednesdays, and shoulders Friday, and biceps
Monday with chest, and back Wednesday or Friday.
Here are a few sample split routines and workout programs.
Monday – Chest/Back
Tuesday – off
Wednesday – Legs
Thursday – off
Friday – Shoulders/Arms
Saturday – off
Sunday – off
Monday – Chest/Biceps
Tuesday – off
Wednesday – Shoulders/Legs
Thursday – off
Friday – Back/Triceps
Saturday – off
Sunday – off
Monday – Chest/Triceps
Tuesday – Back/Biceps
Wednesday – off
Thursday – Shoulders
Friday – Legs
Saturday – off
Sunday – off
Sample Weightlifting Workout Routines
This is hard. There are so many exercises for each muscle, and so
many ways to split them up and make a routine out of them. So instead
of listing 10,000 workout routines, I’ll just list what I think are
the most effective muscle building exercises for each muscle and later
on you can decide which to use in your own workout routines.
Chest
Flat Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Flat Bench Dumbell Flyes
Incline Dumbell Flyes
Back
Deadlift
Pull Ups, Chin Ups, Lat Pulldowns
Seated Cable Row
Bent Over Barbell Row
Bent Over 1 Arm Dumbell Rows
Biceps
Standing Barbell Curls
Preacher Curls (with dumbells or barbell)
Seated/Standing Dumbell Curls
Triceps
Tricep Press Downs
Dips
Skull Crushers
Legs
Squats
Romanian Deadlifts
Lunges/Split Squats
Calve Raises
Shoulders
Seated/Standing Military Press (with barbell or dumbells)
Lateral Raises
Shrugs
Abs
Crunches, leg raises, situps, hip thrusts, side bends, weighted
situps, crunches with your legs bent, not bent, straight up in the air
Workout Tips …. …. ? I’ve just rejoined a gym I was in a couple years ago. I’m looking for a workout to help me build a bit of muscle. This time the gym didn’t give me a workout plan and full assessment on joining for some reason…
Anyhow… I’m roughly 6’1″. About 170-175 pounds.I want to give myself a better body. I have a little bit of a belly (but not too noticeable). And kinda scrawny arms and chest etc. and I have a slightly indented chest which never looks good and can’t be helped.
I want to build my biceps aand shoulders a little, get pecks, and a good stomach. I know it’s ridiculous to hope for a huge muscular figure… which I don’t want.. But I just want a body with a nice appearance.
Has anybody any training or nutritional tips to reach my goal? And when will I start to see results?
Well, I always recommend the same barbell routine for beginners:
Monday
Squat 3×5
Bench press/Overhead press 3×5 (alternating)
Chin-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Wednesday
Squat 3×5
Overhead Press/bench press 3×5 (alternating)
Deadlift 1×5
Friday
Squat 3×5
Bench press/Overhead press 3×5 (alternating)
Pull-ups: 3 sets to failure or add weight if completing more than 15 reps
Start with very light weight to learn proper form. Increase weight by 2-5kg on exercises each workout. Add 3 sets of abdominal exercises at the end of each workout if you like. When the weights get heavy, do progressively heavy warm-up sets to reach your working weight.
However, you’ve haven’t stated whether or not you’re interested in developing lower body strength as well as upper body, so you may not be interested in this. This routine will develop a good proportional physique regardless, and it only requires 30 minutes-1 hour to complete the workout.
The chin-ups/pull-ups will develop your biceps, the presses will develop your chest and shoulders, your stomach will be developed by heavy squats/deadlifts/overhead presses as well as any isolation abdominal exercises you add to the routine.
You say you have a little bit of a belly, this means that even if you were to develop extremely strong abs, you wouldn’t have a six pack. You’ll need to maintain a calorie deficit til you burn enough fat to reach 10% body fat before you can have a six pack. It’s possible to burn fat whilst gaining muscle, though results aren’t as fast, and it’s difficult to achieve the right nutritional balance for this. You’ll need only a slight calorie deficit (around 500 less than you’re using), whilst still getting 170g+ protein every day. Make sure you’re having protein immediately post-workout, it’s the most important time.
Fat loss results you will notice alot faster than muscle development. If you’re burning fat, you’ll notice a physical difference (e.g slimmer stomach) in about a month. It usually takes a few months before you notice a physical change in your muscles though.