Bodybuilding on $5 a day budget! Building a ripped, muscular physique does not have to be expensive. Optimal nutrition for muscle building using real food.
Advertisers have convinced the masses that expensive “stacks” of supplements are required for getting strong and muscular and that you build muscle by “taking” your post-workout shake. Hogwash! Eat real food! Not only is it cheaper and healthier but its just as effective for muscle building! Unlike most google search results for “Bodybuilding on 5 dollars a day”, this one actually gives you a real, free meal plan for an entire week that is optimized for YOUR metabolic rate and goals – not some random list of suggestions. The meals you need for the week can easily be prepared in an hour or two on the weekend and frozen for ease of taking to work or school.
Make your custom $5/day meal plan for free
Here is how to make a $5/day bodybuilding meal plan tailored to your precise metabolic rate that is optimal for YOUR goal be it muscle building, cutting, recomp , bulking, or health.
- Sign up for a free account in 30 seconds, no email address or credit card required.
- Carefully enter your height, weight, age, and your caloric goal (bulk, cut, recomp)
- Click on the link in the menu bar at the top that says “Week Meal Plans”, then from the dropdown, select “Broke Bodybuilder” and click the button labled “Create Week Meal Plan”.
Thats it! In less than a minute you have a fully customized meal plan for the week optimized for your precise metabolic requirements and it will cost you about 5 bucks a day!
Lets take a look at this sample mealplan for a 20 year old male who is 160lbs and wants to do a slow bulk. People always wonder how long they will have to cut to achieve their sixpack abs, the bodyfat prediction chart is very accurate and will tell you exactly when you will achieve your goal. If building muscle is your goal, the lean body mass prediction chart will show you what you need to know. There is a link to a complete shopping list for the week and if you don’t have time to shop then you can order from Amazon Fresh with a single click.
Bodybuilding on 5 dollars a day!
If you just want to survive as cheaply as possible, then just eat Top Ramen or rice and you can probably survive on $2.50/day. The problem that is you will quickly end up a very unhealthy and weakly skinny-fat. On the other hand, if being, strong, muscular, ripped, and healthy on a student’s budget is important to you then you need one that is packed with protein, vitamins, anti-oxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and good fats like this “Bodybuilding on $5/day” meal plan!
Nothing is this world is free. If you want a rockin’ physique for $5/day its going to take some prep time in the kitchen but not nearly as much as you think. If you dedicate two hours a weekend, you can batch cook all your meals for the upcoming week. If you look in the “about this meal plan” section of the above sample meal plan, you will see links to the three easy recipes you need to make for the week which are three recipes which are spicy lentils, budget bean chili, and pea soup.
Really? Just $5/day?
5 dollars a day is just an estimate and this amount will of course will vary depending on how much you weigh, how much cardio you do, and the price of groceries where you live. Being a bodybuilder is not just about good nutrition – you gotta lift! The $5/day just covers food, if you want a budget gym option then use home workouts. For the price of two months gym fees, you can buy a used weight set on craigslist, add a pullup bar, a good free workout plan (beginner, intermediate, advanced), and you are good to go!
I thought bodybuilding nutrition was expensive
OK, you are still not believing me that you can do this for $5 per day so lets take a look at this by examining the tuesday meals in the sample meal plan above for the 160 pounds bodybuilder who is bulking:
- Meal 1 – $1.61. Oatmeal and chocolate protein milk: 653 calories. 18 cents for oatmeal, 19 cents for milk, and $1.24 for protein powder.
- Meal 2 – $1.09. Budget Bean Chili and Apple: 590 calories. $0.65 for the chili and $0.42 for the apple.
- Meal 3 – $2.17. Tuna burgers, carrots and apple.$1.02 for the tuna burgers, 73 cents for the carrots, and 42 cents for the apple.
- Meal 4 – $1.05. Black beans and hemp. 71 cents for black beans, 34 cents for shelled hemp.
- TOTAL COST: $5.92
The macros for this tuesday meal: 2612 calories, 181g protein (28%), 379g carb (58%), 45g fat (14%).
If you question any of the above costs, please free to double check me. Here are the price references I use based on 10/6/2019 price in the Atlanta, GA Walmart:
- tuna – $0.82/can (walmart – 4 cans for $3.28)
- apples – $0.42 each (walmart)
- onions – $0.74/lb (walmart – 3lbs for $2.24)
- dried lentils – $1.52/lb (walmart – 3lbs for $4.58)
- dried black beans – $1.38/lb (walmart – 4lb sack for $5.52)
- tomato sauce – $0.65/lb (walmart – three 8oz cans for $0.98))
- oatmeal – $0.058/ounce (walmart – 42oz container for $2.46)
- canned tomatos – $0.50/lb (walmart – 14.5oz can for $0.46)
- dried split peas – $1.41/lb (walmart – 14oz for $1.24)
- canned black beans – $0.89/lb (walmart – 4 26.5oz cans for $5.95)
- nonfat milk – $2.25/gallon
- carrots – $0.82/lb (walmart)
- Jarrow unflavored whey protein – $0.029/gram ($20.69 for 2lb tub)
What about supplements?
What about supplements? This $5/day only includes protein powder, it doesnt include pre-workout shakes, post-workout shakes, BCAAs, creatine, and l-citrulline. Thats right, it doesnt, because you dont need this junk. The people telling you that you need this stuff fall into two categories: 1) people who sell the stuff and want you to buy it from them 2) newbies who think their newbie gains were came out of a bottle. Please read about recommended supplements for muscle gain.
I thought canned food was unhealthy
Although most of food in this weeks meal plan comes from fresh produce and unprocessed foods, there are a few canned products – primarily canned tomatoes. Even with the occasional canned tomato sauce, the above $5/day meal plan is healthier than what 99% of America eats, even when you include the very wealthy.
What kind of meals do you get for $5/day?
Glad you asked!
Blech!
If these meals dont look tasty to you then its time for a reality check – what are your goals and what are your resources? Decide what is most important to you. Is it taste? Is it building muscle? Is it health? Is it cost? Is it food prep time? This $5/day bodybuilding meal plan gives you a way to optimize muscle building and health with a minimum of time but you cant have everything – there is no caviar, Kobe beef, cake, or candy in this meal plan. If you hate vegetables and just want delicious food without having to cook then eat Top Ramen three times a day and a McDonalds dollar meal deal for dinner but be prepared to be a sickly, weak, skinny-fat.