T Nation

Training and Goals

Beginners
#1

I am trying to come up with some new goals to pursue with my training. I would really like to get into bodybuilding mainly because I just want to look bigger and better. I have been doing the 5/3/1 program for a little over a year.

I basically live paycheck to paycheck so everything is on a very tight budget. I know that you need more calories then you burn in order to gain muscle. Right now since the budget is so tight, I only eat the bare minimum. I still am eating healthy, but not very much.

Now I was wondering if I should train to try and get bigger even with my diet the way it is or am I just spinning my wheels. Or should I keep with the 5/3/1 program just to try and keep getting stronger. My goals is to eventually get bigger, but as of right now, I am afraid that I am not going to be doing any good.

I am curious what other lifters out there would do in this instance.

#2

step one is figure out how you can either eat cheaper or make more money. buy bulk, use coupons, stock up during ssales. sometimes going for the more nutrient dense food might be a better option than the ‘healthier’ stuff when you’re on a budget ie. if cheezeburgers are 99 cents at mcgooberland and you can’t seem to gain weight on your budget, a couple of those can’t hurt (within reason obviously)

you can try a different program if you want, but if you’re getting stronger on 531 there’s no point since that along with diet will make you bigger. Just make sure you’re not neglecting smaller lifts like curls laterals upper chest stuff ect.

hope that helps

#3

sounds like you need to figure it out. work out how many calories you think you need to properly fuel growth and what kind of carb/protein/fat ratios… then figure out different options of how you can get that and see what you can manage within your budget. rice is cheap. eggs are cheap…

don’t get me wrong… i need to do this as well…

i reckon there would be a goldmine of information around here via the search function (pretty sure i’ve seen this question asked a number of times).

#4

Tight budget is no excuse. Ramen noodles are a couple bucks for a box of twelve. A carton of 18 eggs is another couple of bucks. A bag of frozen vegetables is one dollar. That’s $5. Can you eat that much in one day?

Are you happy with your results from 531? If so, double down on it for another year.

#5

If you change your type of training, your going to get results. While nutrition is important,( if you are trying to get ripped up, you can’t eat the value meal at Wendy’s), you can still gain muscle mass and lose fat by adding in some cardio, even if your diet is not perfect. If you do more reps and “time under tension” type exercises, you will grow. You will see more hypertrophy under higher reps and slow time under tension exercises.

There is an article on T- Nation on the differences on BB & PL. I am older & as I get older (fighting it kicking and screaming) will eventually have to switch to a more BB type workout. I do some BB type training but I want it all be in great cardio condition, have great strength and explosiveness, and be lean. so far so good… just a few extra injuries having to work with.
Good Luck, Train hard