Bodybuilding, a rich man's sport ?

[sinnerica]

I've been thinking...
To get a gym membership you need money (not cheap)
You need food sources, mainly protein, chicken, turkey, fish, etc. Likewise, not cheap.

You need supplements : glutamine, BCAA's, Vitamins, Minerals, Creatine, OMEGA 3. Not cheap.

And all this on a daily basis, while trying to study and finding a job to be able just to pay the rent, I ask myself, is it a rich man's sport, or am I just poor ?



S



PS: minimum wage in Romania is $220.
middle-class salary, about $330.
The rent I pay with my other 3 room mates is $550.
I get to pay $137.5 a month, just to be able to stay where I am.
And ladies and gentlemen, I didn't include gas, water, electricity,
but in a nutshell, I pay roughly about $200/month.
Right now I am unemployed. I get all my money from my
parents. I didn't want to be such a burden, thus
I signed up for a personal training certificate course with the Romanian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness and I will head to
Bucharest on April 17th to get it and with it hoping to find a job in doing what I like to do....to give people advice and help them achieve their personal goals.

[fit]

I think it's your perspective- of course, I can't speak to cost of living in Romania but any hobby can seem expensive when you are unemployed and it's a challenge to pay the bills.

I do realize that supplements in Europe can be much pricier than in the US. But then, they're just supplements. Food's the bets bet. And where I live food's not cheap either... but you need to eat.

It comes down to choices.


There's a discussion going on here about diet on a budget:

www.timwescott.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=Discuss&action=display&thread=1206390361&page=1

[RUBICON19]

sinnerica said:

I've been thinking...
To get a gym membership you need money (not cheap)
You need food sources, mainly protein, chicken, turkey, fish, etc. Likewise, not cheap.

You need supplements : glutamine, BCAA's, Vitamins, Minerals, Creatine, OMEGA 3. Not cheap.

And all this on a daily basis, while trying to study and finding a job to be able just to pay the rent, I ask myself, is it a rich man's sport, or am I just poor ?



S



PS: minimum wage in Romania is $220.
middle-class salary, about $330.
The rent I pay with my other 3 room mates is $550.
I get to pay $137.5 a month, just to be able to stay where I am.
And ladies and gentlemen, I didn't include gas, water, electricity,
but in a nutshell, I pay roughly about $200/month.
Right now I am unemployed. I get all my money from my
parents. I didn't want to be such a burden, thus
I signed up for a personal training certificate course with the Romanian Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness and I will head to
Bucharest on April 17th to get it and with it hoping to find a job in doing what I like to do....to give people advice and help them achieve their personal goals.

Wanna trade? ;D

[sinnerica]

Trade what



S

[RUBICON19]

sinnerica said:

Trade what



S

BILL'S

[sinnerica]

Randy, how much do you earn a month ?

[fit]

From what I understand, Romania is one of the more affluent cities in Europe these days with a relatively cheap cost of living, on the order of 4-8 times cheaper than comparables in London, among the most expensive.

I'll go back to what I said- I've been there, we all have. Struggling student, no job, tough to have what we want without the cash. And I have no idea what a gym costs in Bucharest.

Do you have to be rich? No. But you do need to have some "disposable" income or budget your priorities. For example? New clothes often? Nights out at the club? Or working out?

If you are down to just enough cash to live by with bare basics, I realize it can be hard- but give yourself time and focus on what you want and you'll get there.



Looks like gyms may be VERY expensive in Bucharest... www.supergym.ro/english/berceni.htm

If I converted this right, does it really mean about 200-250 US dollars a month? A typical gym here at full price averages $30-75 us dollars monthly.

[fit]

When I was in college 25 years ago I paid $200 a month for rent... If I remember, I think I maybe had $400 a month to work with and there were many months when it was a struggle to pay for gas or food. I learned a lot of lessons then.

[fit]

Looks like my conversion was right- near $200 US monthly OW!

By comparison, the big chain here starts at $50 a month, about 116 LEU.

[RUBICON19]

sinnerica said:

Randy, how much do you earn a month ?

I dont think I will be disclosing that here. Sorry...

[fit]

rubicon19 said:

sinnerica said:

Randy, how much do you earn a month ?

I dont think I will be disclosing that here. Sorry...

How's that new Bentley driving anyway? #smileybusted4nh# #bcrazylaugh4ua#

[RUBICON19]

fit said:

rubicon19 said:

I dont think I will be disclosing that here. Sorry...

How's that new Bentley driving anyway? #smileybusted4nh# #bcrazylaugh4ua#

Oh, you mean my winter car???

[sinnerica]

"But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious" - Vince Lombardi

[beckie]

I am self employed but my income goes up and down from month to month and I do find it difficult to pay all my bills on occasion. Right now I am doing the no supplement thing and just whole food because buying supplements from the US is expensive,although somewhat sheaper than buying them direct in New Zealand.
You can do this without supplements or maybe just the essentials of whey and creatine and put your extra money into food. I work with a strict budget and right now supplements don't fit so I just make the best with the food I can afford..

[sinnerica]

beckie said:

I am self employed but my income goes up and down from month to month and I do find it difficult to pay all my bills on occasion. Right now I am doing the no supplement thing and just whole food because buying supplements from the US is expensive,although somewhat sheaper than buying them direct in New Zealand.
You can do this without supplements or maybe just the essentials of whey and creatine and put your extra money into food. I work with a strict budget and right now supplements don't fit so I just make the best with the food I can afford..

Yeah Beckie,

I am definitely going to buy whey protein powder.
I am oscilating between buying creatine or BCAA's. :-?

What would you peeps suggest ?

S

[sinnerica]

One more quick question.

I want to spike my blood sugar levels after my workout. "rich" people use dextrose.

Does 1 cup of dextrose mixed in water = 1 cup of plain sugar mixed in water ?

S

[fit]

If you're really that tight on cash, stop considering supps, given the euro prices.... MAYBE some whey... otherwise just eat whole foods.

[sinnerica]

fit said:

If you're really that tight on cash, stop considering supps, given the euro prices.... MAYBE some whey... otherwise just eat whole foods.

Well that is what I'm considering with my last question.


Sugar is way more cheaper than dextrose.

[RUBICON19]

sinnerica said:

One more quick question.

I want to spike my blood sugar levels after my workout. "rich" people use dextrose.

Does 1 cup of dextrose mixed in water = 1 cup of plain sugar mixed in water ?

S

I use Waxy Maize which is relatively cheap.... Mo uses orange Gatoraide mixed with chocolate whey.. Obviously works!

[sinnerica]

Hey !! A gatorade is $2.5 bucks. that's a bit high for my budget...