Does flipping through the latest issues of bodybuilding magazines frighten you?
For the fitness freaks looking at those expensive supplements, ads can be quite daunting.
Finding budget-friendly food supplements is a difficult task.
You will find a number of them for cutting, bulking, and even for simply maintaining. While these promise magical results, these are followed by an expensive price listing.
But you don’t need to be a worry as such, thinking that you cannot go to reach your dream bodybuilding goals without investing a huge amount of money.
There are several, affordable nutritional supplements available in the market today. You can find them with different brands, varying in composition and price.
Don’t confuse budgeting with choosing alternatives; it never refers to buying cheap products. Instead, it’s about selecting the right products which fall in your budget, meanwhile will be helpful in chasing your goals.
Whether your goal is gaining muscle, better performance, losing fat, increasing energy, or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can try the below stated alternatives.
While these are cost-effective to make fitness come in your budget, these are efficient enough to help achieve better results.
1. Dextrose
Generally, it is referred to as glucose, a simple sugar derived from corn. Being 20% less sweet than cane sugar offers a different taste and serves to be the main source of energy in the body. It will help to create an anabolic environment, providing energy to the muscles and boost recovery.
Make sure you consume dextrose only around a training session. If taken at other times, it can result in fat gain. You can also have your protein shakes with an added amount of dextrose during the workout.
For stronger muscles, you can take 10-20 grams of dextrose 20-30 minutes prior to a workout. This will be helpful in increasing the storage of muscle glycogen.
2. Creatine
This natural product has been known to make a big difference in the world for an impatient bodybuilder. Creatine turns out to be a great addition as it increases strength and improves the appearance of the muscles.
When you want awesome muscle and strength gains, you can count on it. Many people start cutting out creatine while following a diet to lose body fat. However, it is advisable to stay on creatine to maintain the strength level.
It also acts as a cell volumizer. This means, by loading water and other similar products, it will improve their fullness. Sounds good?
3. Multivitamin
For your body to perform at its best, it is essential to consume a proper amount of vitamins in proper ratios.
You might be eating a wide variety of quality whole foods, but still, there can be good chances to deal with potential deficiencies.
With different vitamins having different functions, these will be helpful to your body in different ways.
It won’t be wise to go and collect every vitamin in individual canisters, right? Simple, get some multivitamins.
You need to understand that lack of any one vitamin can be harmful to your body’s functions.
Having a multivitamin can satisfy all your needs, allowing you to function better and progress towards your goals in an effective manner.
4. Whey Protein
If you are a fitness freak, you must know the importance of protein. Being made of amino acids, which are used to repair muscles, protein intake is highly required.
As per the experts, your body needs around 0.36 grams per pound of body weight per day.
Now for getting this one gram, you cannot just rely on eating bread and nuts. While these do contain protein, it might not be very efficient.
The solution comes in the form of protein powder supplements. And here you can prefer whey protein. As it contains a full spectrum of amino acids, it is 100% efficient.
You can try combining dextrose and whey protein. Having this combo after an intense workout will help your muscles repairing and growing at a faster pace.
An added advantage of whey is that you can have it on the go. You don’t need to take out much time out of your busy schedule to fill in the protein requirement now.
5. Omega 3 Fish Oil
Health experts have been recommending it for great health for a very long time.
Even having it in a low amount, like 4 to 6 grams in a day, can prevent heart disease and improve brain function. Moreover, it makes your body ready for muscle building.
Do you know that fish oil greatly increases leptin sensitivity? So you can either use it as oil or these are also available in soft gels. Those running on a tight budget can go for oil.
6. Branch-Chain Amino Acids
The BCAA’s leucine, isoleucine, and valine have been recommended for muscle build-up and increasing the absorption of other proteins. Therefore, these are referred to as the most effective athletic supplements.
Generally, BCAA products are thought to be very expensive.
Here you have to be a smart purchaser and avoid products containing elements like Glutamine, Taurine, and AAKG, which increase the price unnecessarily.
Look for a product that has only leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and it will be in your budget too.
7. Caffeine
To your surprise, caffeine anhydrous can give you powerful workouts. Just 200 mg of it can increase your alertness immensely. Simply, caffeine is an easily available and cost-effective product with many benefits.
Want to be more focused and energized?
It offers you a sudden boost of energy and a new mental drive. And it is not merely a stimulant. It acts as a substance that sets into the muscle cell and helps you feel powerful.
As stated for the availability, you can just go out and purchase coffee in bulk. Or you can get a simple caffeine supplement which will be more convenient and cheaper.
So next time your budget doesn’t allow you to load up on all those expensive supplements, you know your options.
Staying within your budget is no more a tough job!
