How to bulk up on a budget

Budget conscious but still want to bulk up? Don’t worry where there’s a tight pocket there’s a way. We’ve asked Aquanation personal trainer Michelle Flarve for her tips for getting gains on the cheap.

Macro game plan

When it comes to macros, keep it in perspective. As Flarve points out, including macros (for those of you playing at home that’s your proteins, carbohydrates and fat) in your diet depends a lot on your lifestyle. “A lot of people won’t be able to eat more often depending on what sort of jobs they do so they may have to work around that.”

The personal trainer adds that “if you’re wanting to work on bulking up or shredding you need to have an idea on what macros you should be having and there are some awesome resources on the internet that can plot it out for you and make it really easy to work it out.” 

And look, we all love a deep dive but if you’re wanting to know what resources to look at and which to avoid Flarve can point you in the right direction.

“The best resources are ones that don’t even get you to weigh the macro and just guide you on how many handfuls or the equivalent of your thumb size of each food group you should have each day to achieve your goals, which makes it super simple,” the personal trainer recommends.

Above all, Flarve suggests doing your research and make it easy for yourself.

Buy smart

Arming yourself with a list (impulse buys are not friends to your goals) and spotting some savings are an easy way to save some cash and gain some muscle according to Flarve. 

She suggests as well as looking at the specials for fresh fruit and veg, buying in bulk where you can and filling your fridge with in season foods are also savvy ways to shop.

For value proteins, Flarve recommends “chicken, eggs, canned tuna, cottage cheese and kangaroo.” And if you’re a vegan or vegetarian “your staples of chickpeas and lentils are great, and you can buy them cheaply too, dry or in cans.” She adds that if you do grab canned lentils give them a quick wash to rinse off any salt.

And if you’re looking for tasty healthy fats, right this way because Flarve recommends everyone’s favourite peanut butter. If that doesn’t tickle your tastebuds (or your dietary requirements) avocado is another winner for fitness goals and your cashflow. And no, we’re not talking fancy avo on toast at your favourite café, get creative at home and make it yourself. It’ll taste heaps good and won’t break the bank either.

Go for wholefoods over supplements too. “Wholefoods will give your more nutritional value as well, we need fibre in our diet too to make our body do what it’s meant to and often some of those supplements can hinder that,” advises Flarve.

Prep yourself before you wreck yourself

Yet to get on the prepping bandwagon? Well jump on bulking buddies because there are heaps of benefits to prepping your own grub. “It’s always good to prep yourself so then you know what’s in there and there aren’t any hidden nasties,” says Flarve.

She adds that there are extra benefits because “having some fitness friendly branded prepped meals in your freezer to keep handy if you haven’t prepped so you’re not tempted to reach for something that might hamper your goals.” 

Also, just like you might budget for whatever’s been sitting in your cart online for a few weeks (read minutes), prepping is another way to budget your shopping trolley. “Prepping meals in advance gives a better estimate of your monthly food costs and that will help you budget better,” Flarve explains.

Gain muscle and save cash? Sounds like a sweet deal to us.

Michelle Flarve is a personal trainer at Aquanation and has a Certificate III and IV in Fitness and a Beck Health Certificate of Nutrition and Diet for Sport Exercise.Learn more.