Bodybuilding is F'in Expensive!

[-SD-]

Is there a third option that involves me not seeing you in a mankini?


But ofcourse you know the type of "i only workout during the summer, think i'll get some roids" asshole I refer to.

for those pesky last few pounds dont forget the DNP bor!
lolz

 

[burnthiscorpse]

for those pesky last few pounds dont forget the DNP bor!
lolz

You know it brother.

 

[jacked55]

Most of the vets will laugh when reading this, but I just wanted the noobs to know that once you start with this stuff, you really have to dedicate a ton of time, effort, emotion, and MONEY.

• Food Bills - At least tripled. Everything we need to eat is high quality protein, complex carbs, etc. The perfect chicken breast or 99% lean ground turkey breast is more expensive than the cheap ass burger patties you can buy. You will need boatloads of brown rice, oats, and yams. You will need to be prepared to eat at least 6 times a day, full meals. For those who are used to 3 square meals a day, this is going to double your bill. Also, if you're stuck on the road, you can't just pull into McDonald's for a 99 cent meal. You need to go to a diner and get a chicken breast meal or steak and eggs or something. Diners are money and when you go as frequently as I do, it can wind up being hundreds of dollars at the end of the month (my girl comes with me a lot so that makes it worse lol).
• Gear - Let's face it. Gear is money and you should have a budget for it. Once you start experimenting with it, you'll get curious and want to try substances such as Anavar and Primobolan because you want clean gains. These drugs are money.
• Support Supps - This is one of the biggest and most over-looked. Cholesterol support, liver support, omega fat oils, clomid, nolvadex, HCG, bromo/letro/caber. You will need a DAMN good amount of this to recover and to protect yourself during cycle. Not to mention the OTC recovery stacks and such which I run just because it's extra insurance that I will recover.
• Gym Memberships - Because you will be going to the gym more often and your weights will increase, you will need to find a good gym that has what you need. I went from paying $10 a month at a crappy gym that had dumb bells that only went up to 60lbs to now having multiple gym memberships and home equipment.
• Clothes - Another HUGELY overlooked problem. When you are growing, your clothes aren't gonna grow along with you. You will be busting out of your shirts and pants. 2 months ago I went shopping and bought everything in a larger than normal size in anticipation. Guess what? Now I am busting out of those clothes. My thighs are skin tight against my jeans and it's very uncomfortable. My arms barely fit in the sleeves and my chest busts the buttons on my collared shirts. I look like a guido douche sometimes. And I would go shopping for another larger size but I know I will grow again...so I'll probably go 3 sizes larger and just wear baggy clothes so I can grow into them.
• Belts, Straps - You will most likely need these for the heavier exercises
• Doctor Visits - You should be getting regular blood work (I am guilty of skimping out on this)
• Protein Powders - Everybody uses protein powder and you will need to buy tubs of this stuff. Great for post workout and for waking up first thing in the morning. I also use Casein before I go to sleep. I always use 2.5 scoops in my shakes so even though the tub seems like a lot, you can go through it very quickly. And that's not to mention the creatine, BCAA's, LBA's, etc.
• The Ladies - you will get more much more attention and if you're on test, I swear you will be a pimp. You'll be going out on dates left and right just because the juice makes you a ladies man and you will look great so the girls will be lining up to go out with you.

I'm sure there is much more, but I was just thinking about it over the weekend how I have given up some hobbies and passions because I need to allocate my money into bodybuilding now and just eating in general.

So don't just think "the test only cost me $XXX and the pins were $XX so this cycle was cheap!" because to make it work, you need food, supps, training, and every other damn thing that goes along with it.

Bad news is, the more I get into it, the more money I spend. I'm sure you vets have invested some serious dough into making your body look the way it does. I salute you all.

K to you my friend,very good points, this is a way of life, no IF AND or BUTS about that

 

[Fatboy1984]

It is expensive. Costco helps with the bulk food though. I love costco

 

[Dominator Human]

This post should actually be a sticky.

If more wanna be users read that they may think twice.

My monthly grocery bill is way more than my rent.

 

[ConanX]

It is expensive. Costco helps with the bulk food though. I love costco

Thanks for the tip! I think my mom has a costco card so I'll borrow it off her and see what I can find.

I really want to eat more lean beef and am hoping I can get it from there for a good price. Thanks.

 

[Wulfgar]

Let me take a shot at this

I tallied up my expenses when preparing for the LA and the USA's last year

3 month prep
Food: 4200$ Shopped in bulk like usual(costco, bulk egg whites etc...)
Drugs and supps: 1500$ I ran a pretty involved cycle that included GH, anti-E's and several different compounds. I also supplement heavily for health reasons.
Clothes: Didnt wear much except workout clothes
Travel and misc expenses: 1600$ including fuel, tanning stuff, hotels, post contest meals in Vegas etc

So total it was about 7200$ to prep for a national level show. works out to about 2400$ a month and some change.