Can you build muscle without protein powder/supplements etc?

[DaNewJeremy]

Hey Guys,

Long story short I dont have money for protein powder/supplements etc?

Is it still possible to gain ***serious muscle*** without them?
(If so how???..can I just substitute it for non-fat milk or something?)

Thanks for all you help and advice guys!

[MaximumCapacity]

If you don't drink protein after workouts I got some bad news for you son

[DaNewJeremy]

yeh thats what I mean.....Can I drink milk or something else thats cheap that you can recommend ?

[bcmatsuyama]

yeh thats what I mean.....Can I drink milk or something else thats cheap that you can recommend ?

You can gain muscle without protein powder as long as you get the adequate amount of protein through whole foods. You have to track your macros to make sure you're getting in enough, but as long as you're getting enough protein in through you diet (meats, nuts, dairy, etc.) then you're golden. Protein powder is for hard gainers or people who don't have the time, inclination, or money to stack their daily diet with all whole foods.

The only thing about milk is that it has tons of sugar/carbohydrates in it, which is why it is important to track macros to make sure it fits. I'd recommend eating lean meats like turkey or tuna to get your protein tbh.

[DasBiceps]

You can gain muscle without protein powder as long as you get the adequate amount of protein through whole foods. You have to track your macros to make sure you're getting in enough, but as long as you're getting enough protein in through you diet (meats, nuts, dairy, etc.) then you're golden. Protein powder is for hard gainer or people who don't have the time, inclination, or money to stack their daily diet with all whole foods.

The only thing about milk is that it has tons of sugar/carbohydrates in it, which is why it is important to track macros to make sure it fits. I'd recommend eating lean meats like turkey or tuna to get your protein tbh.

Good advice except for bold.

"Hard gainers" do not need protein powder if they are already hitting protein macro's.


Protein powder is a cheap source of protein which can be convenient to take if you are not already able to reach your daily protein macro's. The Type of protein does not matter, and the timing of it does not matter.

[aaronuconn]

There's absolutely no need for a supplements. They're just here to supplement diet and training.

[Bigdumogre]

There's absolutely no need for a supplements. They're just here to supplement diet and training.

This right here
It is so much better to get your daily nutrition through while food and just supplement your diet with supplements to fill in the gaps. But if you can reach your macros daily with supplements then you don't need any. They do have there place and make life easier and whey is cheaper than most meats per gram of protein.

[The Solution]

Hey Guys,

Long story short I dont have money for protein powder/supplements etc?

Is it still possible to gain ***serious muscle*** without them?
(If so how???..can I just substitute it for non-fat milk or something?)

Thanks for all you help and advice guys!

Put yourself in a caloric surplus and you will gain weight you will gain muscle
That is if you have a good training program and continue to be dedicated/consistent with your diet.

Something Cheap....Milk!

[Sean26607]

Can you eat food in a calorie surplus? Can you train with passion? Then sure, you can without supps.

[djwolford]

Bet Arnold never took protein powder, a preworkout, BCAAs, fish oil, creatine, etc etc etc...
Not that those things aren't helpful, but yes, you can make it without.

[andrewwww]

If diet and training are on point and you are in a caloric surplus you will gain.

[danielmoo]

No, you don't even need one supplement to build muscle. You use them to simply supplement your existing diet, and that in turn can help you reach your goals easier. For protein powder, it's useful to use when you can't reach your daily protein requirement needs with whole foods, and you need the convenience of some easy to ingest protein. Obviously a pre workout isn't necessary, just something to add in if you have the money.

Creatine can be very helpful and also inexpensive, but it's not needed to build muscle. Neither are multivitamins and fish oil, but they have been shown to be beneficial to your diet if you have the money to purchase them. Hope this cleared some things up for you!
Here are some links to the Nutrition and Exercise forums, I suggest you look at them to get the basics down first.

NUTRITION
EXERCISE

[mwstoltze]

Let us reverse your question to really strike this point home, did people manage to gain muscle in the thousands of year of human civilization when protein powder hadn't been invented yet? In all seriousness tho just go buy some protein powder, pick smart and its cheap and easily stored so that way when you are 50 grams behind on protein for the day instead of having to eat a bunch of chicken or whatnot you can quick make a shake and be done with it...its a very convenient cheap source of protein.

[Danes]

Its like asking. Can you drive the car without styling it?

You dont need supplements but...
It depends on your goals and how much you eat etc.

[OT2000]

There's absolutely no need for a supplements. They're just here to supplement diet and training.

^This

Focus on eating in a surplus and a good workout programs and you will make gains.

[Big.Jazayrli]

Yes, 100%

Though the food is still required!

[beameupscotty]

Milk and peanut butter, throw in some oatmeal and you're good. Just a suggestion since you said you're on a budget. Like everyone above mentioned, protein powder is to supplement protein intake and is not necessary, more of a convenience/luxury that we enjoy these days.

[rhadam]

It's like people thought no one was ever big and muscular before the advent of protein powder and creatine. Common sense, not so common.

[Husman123]

Yes its possible to gain serious muscle but it'll take a longer time because protein powder/supplements helps as accessories to your body to grow your muscle fibers faster.. It's much easier too because some people can not eat a vast quantity of food that is required to grow your muscles, which is why protein powder and supplements are great substitutes

[rhadam]

Yes its possible to gain serious muscle but it'll take a longer time because protein powder/supplements helps as accessories to your body to grow your muscle fibers faster.. It's much easier too because some people can not eat a vast quantity of food that is required to grow your muscles, which is why protein powder and supplements are great substitutes

But you don't need vast quantities of protein to build muscle, so...... kind of invalidates your post here.

[powercage]

Bet Arnold never took protein powder, a preworkout, BCAAs, fish oil, creatine, etc etc etc...
Not that those things aren't helpful, but yes, you can make it without.

He did take preworkout supplements...they used all kinds of stims


They made a lot of protein shakes with eggs and such.


Plus you know, much better supps than we get

[muscleshakes]

Exactly . Protein powders can be nice if you are very busy person & it's an easy way to get a fast 25-50 grams of protein. I like to throw in a couple of ON 100% whey in a shaker cup & in afternoon or mid morning pour a little water in it shake it drink it. Can do it while you are in the car. Whole foods are probably always better but really they cost more so spending 50 bucks for 75 servings is super super cheap. Even if you double up like I like to do two scoops it's still barely over 1 buck for a drink. I always make sure I get at least 3 whole food meals I or feedings. Add a couple shakes and I get my proteins & always get my fats

[muscleshakes]

Arnold wasn't a huge eater like today's bodybuilding pros eat. Today they over eat IMO but I guess they have too lol. Arnold ate well but yes he took shakes and they didn't go down as easy as most protein powders of today do.