Make Your Own Supplements To Save Money
I’m a big believer in value for money, which is why I buy all my supplements from the bulk discount supplement suppliers and mix my own pre and post workout shakes. I figure I can save in the region of £100 a month by doing this, which is a significant saving.
I was talking to one of the gym instructors on Monday who is an avid bodybuilder about his supplementation, and was staggered to hear that he is actually spending well over £100 a month on his supplements, and I think I know why - he buys ready mixed supplements - which is much more expensive than buying the raw ingredients and mixing it up yourself.
For instance, I’ve decided to examine the costs and nutrition of Maximuscle Cyclone, a well know weight gain shake that they claim will deliver results in seven days, because it supplies your body with a unique blend of whey protein and vital nutrients needed to support muscle growth.
I train hard, and as such I take a pre-workout shake and a post workout shake every day that I train, of which I mix my own blend of ingredients. Even on days when I don’t train, I still take two protein shakes per day. This currently costs me about £34 a month. If I were to switch to use Maximuscle Cyclone, and use two servings per day, this would cost me £131.97 (£43.99 x 3).
This is a significant increase in cost, and as far as I can see, I’m not getting enough of the right nutrients to increase muscle mass. It’s well known that to increase muscle size you need a lot of calories, but almost as important as the amount is also the timing - when you consume these calories.
From my reading around, mostly Anita Bean’s The Complete Guide To Sports Nutrition, which is well respected in the industry (it’s required course reading for many sports science degrees and fitness courses), I know that I need my bodyweight in kg, in grams of carbs post workout, to give myself the optimum anabolic state for muscle growth. In addition, I should take 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per kilo of bodyweight pre-workout.
The following table shows what I get in my own mixed shakes, versus what you would get in a Maximuscle Cyclone shake (according to the information on the Maximuscle website).
| Pre Workout | Maxi Muscle | My own shake |
| Calories | 230 | 840 |
| Carbs | 21 | 160 |
| Protein | 30 | 40 |
| Post Workout | Maxi Muscle | My own shake |
| Calories | 230 | 560 |
| Carbs | 21 | 90 |
| Protein | 30 | 40 |
Also, my pre workout shake consists of complex carbohydrates such as scottish oats and banana, not simple carbs such as dextrose (found in the Maximuscle shake), which is much better for you according to conventional sports nutrition wisdom.
I suppose you’re wondering how I make my shakes for such a lot less money than the ready made shake I’ve compared it to from Maximuscle? Well quite simply, I buy the various components in bulk, then mix myself each morning using my Salter digital (and very accurate) scales.
Here’s what goes into my shakes, and what I spend on the ingredients each month:
Pre-workout
- 100 grams of scottish oats (80 grams of carbs)
- 1 banana (approx 100 grams, which is 80 grams of carbs)
- 50 grams of whey protein powder (40 grams of protein)
- 1 teaspoon (1 gram) of creatine monohydrate
Post-workout
- 112 grams of dextrose powder (90 grams of carbs)
- 50 grams of whey protein powder (40 grams of protein)
- 1 teaspoon (1 gram) of creatine monohydrate
Supplements
- I buy my protein in bulk from MyProtein.co.uk, and pick up 3 kilos for about £30.
- I buy creatine monohydrate from MyProtein.co.uk, and buy 500 grams for £7.95
- I buy my dextrose from BulkPowders.co.uk, and recently bough 25kg for £27.99
- I buy regular Scottish Oats from Tesco, 2kg bag costs 74p, I grind into fine powder myself
Disclaimer
My own shakes do not contain the exact ingredients as the Maximuscle Cyclone, in that it doesn’t contain Glutamine, HMB™, Potassium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Beta-Ecdysterone, Bioperine, Chromium Polynicotinate, MCTs and EFAs. My aim with this article was to demonstrate how you can get a much cheaper alternative for a bulking shake by making it yourself, and you can add in the other ingredients if you feel they are worth it by purchasing them in bulk and adding to your shake.
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