Budget Fitness

8 min read

"I don't have money for a gym." It's one of the most common reasons not to start with fitness. And it's a reason that doesn't hold up. Not because money isn't important—it's very understandable that you watch your expenses. But because getting fit surprisingly doesn't have to cost much. Sometimes nothing at all.

What You Really Need (and What You Don't)

The fitness industry makes money on the idea that you need stuff. Subscriptions, devices, supplements, clothing, apps. The reality: your body is the only machine you need. Push-ups, squats, lunges, and planks cost nothing and build real strength.

Here's an honest overview of what you can achieve per budget:

0 euros - only your body. Push-ups, squats, lunges, planks, burpees, mountain climbers, dips (on a chair), walking, running, stair climbing. With these you can get seriously fit. No joke. People have become strong for centuries without fitness equipment.

15-40 euros - basic equipment. A set of resistance bands (15 euros) adds pulling movements and makes dozens of extra exercises possible. A pull-up bar for the doorframe (25 euros) gives you the best upper body exercise that exists. With those two things you have everything you need for a complete program.

50-100 euros - serious home gym. Add a few adjustable dumbbells via Marktplaats (often 30-50 euros second-hand) and a yoga mat (10 euros). Now you can do virtually every exercise you would do in a gym, except for the very heavy compound lifts.

Budget Gym: Comparing the Real Costs

If you still want to go to a gym, the price differences are enormous:

• Budget gym (Basic-Fit, FitForFree): 15-25 euros per month. Basic equipment, free weights, no frills. More than enough for most people
• Mid-range gym: 30-50 euros per month. Better equipment, group classes, sauna. More luxurious, but not necessarily better results
• Premium gym: 60-100+ euros per month. Personal training, spa, towel service. Nice, but your results aren't determined by the price of your subscription

The difference in results between a budget gym and a premium gym is zero if you train just as hard. A barbell is a barbell, whether it's in a Basic-Fit or a boutique studio.

Budget Nutrition: Healthy Eating Doesn't Have to Be Expensive

Food is where most costs are. But here too there are smart options:

Cheap protein sources. Eggs (0.15 euros each - 6 grams of protein each). Cottage cheese (1.20 euros per 500g - 45 grams of protein). Beans and lentils (1 euro per can - 20+ grams of protein). Chicken breast at Lidl or Aldi (5-6 euros per kilo - 200+ grams of protein per kilo). Canned tuna (1 euro - 25 grams of protein). You don't need to buy expensive supplements if you eat these basic products.

Cheap carbohydrates. Rice (1.50 per kilo), oatmeal (1 euro per kilo), potatoes (1-2 euros per kilo), pasta (0.80 euros per package). All basic foods you find in every supermarket.

Cheap vegetables. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables and cost half the price. A bag of frozen broccoli for 1 euro lasts three days. Carrots, onions, cabbage - the cheapest vegetables are often the most nutritious.

Weekly groceries. A realistic fitness diet of 2,000-2,500 kcal per day with sufficient protein can be done for 35-50 euros per week. That's comparable to or cheaper than an average Dutch eating pattern - after all, you replace ready-made meals and snacks with cheaper basic products.

Where You Shouldn't Cut Costs

There are a few things where saving isn't smart:

• Shoes. Good training shoes prevent injuries. But you don't need 200 euro shoes - 50-70 euros is sufficient for decent training shoes
• Protein in your diet. This is not where you cut costs. Better to spend less elsewhere than to get too little protein. It's the building block of everything you're trying to achieve
• Knowledge. A good workout plan can be found online for free. But if you really don't know where to begin, a few sessions with a personal trainer (40-60 euros per session) are a better investment than walking around for months without a plan

The Free Alternatives People Forget

• Calisthenics parks. Many cities have free outdoor fitness parks with racks, bars, and parallettes. Google "calisthenics park" plus your city
• YouTube. Thousands of free high-quality workouts. Filter for reliable channels with substantiated information and avoid the clickbait
• Running. The cheapest cardio there is. A pair of good running shoes and a route through your neighborhood
• Marktplaats (classifieds). Dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbell sets sell for a fraction of the new price. Metal doesn't wear out - second-hand weights work identically to new ones

The Real Costs of Not Being Fit

If the costs of fitness hold you back, consider the costs of the alternative. Health problems, energy deficiency, lower productivity, higher healthcare costs in the long term. Being fit isn't free, but not being fit is more expensive.

Monthly Costs Compared

To put it in perspective: what does it cost to get fit and stay fit, compared to other monthly expenses?

• Budget gym: 20 euros per month. Less than a Netflix subscription
• Extra protein-rich food: 30-40 euros per month on top of your normal groceries
• Creatine (the only supplement that is proven to work): 8 euros per month
• Total: 60-70 euros per month for a complete fitness program with gym and nutrition

For comparison: the average Dutch person spends 100+ euros per month on alcohol and snacks. You don't have to stop that, but if you shift half of that to fitness, you're not paying the difference - you're moving it.

The best workout is the workout you can do with what you have. That can be a fully equipped gym, but also your living room and your own body weight. Money is not an excuse - it's a variable you can solve.