The Cheapest Sources of Muscle Building Protein

Proteins are some of the basic building blocks of our muscles and so are essential if we want to build and maintain lean muscle mass. Sadly though good proteins are generally more expensive gram per gram than good carbs or fats. For those of us hardgainers on a budget we have to make wise choices to get the most for our money. Here's a few tips to get all the protein you'll ever need to gain lean muscle mass.

Don't eat more protein than what you need.

If you've stimulated muscle growth through a proper workout, then your body needs a certain amount of protein to repair and build new muscle. Eating more protein than what you need does not mean that you'll automatically build more muscle. If your body only needs 150 grams of protein in a day to repair and rebuild, eating double that amount does not mean that you'll gain double the muscle. That extra protein will be processed by your liver and then probably stored as fat. To save money on protein don't consume more than what you actually need. A good goal is to consume at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 pounds try to consume at least 150 grams of protein a day. I am naturally a skinny person. When I finally got my diet and workout routine in check I gained 30 pounds of mostly muscle in six months. (Click here to see basic tips I used to gain that muscle.) During that period my protein intake averaged at about 110 grams of protein per day. That is way lower than what most people would suggest, but even though I still gained well over 20 pounds of lean muscle mass. The reality is that when you're starting out you don't need 300 grams of protein to build muscle. If you want to eat that much go ahead but it's probably just a waste of money.

Cheap Proteins

Don't waste you money on overpriced protein powders. Here are some of the cheapest sources of proteins. Incorporate these into your diet and you'll easily get the muscle-building proteins you need.
Milk
Eggs
Tuna
Beans (Combine beans with rice, especially whole-grain, and you'll have a complete protein)
Chicken (Look for sales and you can get it pretty cheap)
Whole Wheat Pasta (Three servings have over 20 grams of protein. While it in itself is not a complete protein, if you eat a variety of foods throughout the day you'll obtain all the essential amino-acids you'll need)
Oatmeal (One cup of instant oatmeal has 13 grams of protein. Once again, not a complete protein but when combined with other foods you'll have all the essential amino-acids.

Sometimes you can find inexpensive whey protein powder that is convenient for making shakes on the go. Wal-Mart sells a brand called Body Fortress (I know it sounds cheesy) which sells for about $13 and has 26 servings. There's 26g of protein in each serving.

The most important thing for us hardgainers is to eat a wide variety of foods. That way even if you eat foods that have incomplete proteins, such as the ones in wheat, oats, rice and beans, through the combination of the different foods you'll get all the essential amino-acids.

Find more awesome muscle building tips and tricks right here.