Yo,
When diving into the realm of “bulking” and “lean bulking”, you are bound to come across three supplements that supposedly assist in muscle growth. These are:
– Protein Powder
– Creatine
– Mass gainers (sometimes called weight gainers)
Today we will focus on “mass gainers”, also known as “mass gainers”. Specifically the question, what is a mass gainer supplement.
Mass gainers are particularly encouraged for ‘thin’ or ‘skinny’ individuals. These are considered a “cheat code” for those who not only want easy protein, but easy calories. Moreover, individuals within the fitness space have a number of views surrounding this supplement.
Some call it a “cheat code”, as previously stated. Some call it “garbage” and “wasteful”. Like many things in life, everyone has their own subjective point of view towards different topics. So leading on with that, today we will go into defining what it is, its use, some considerations and ingredients if it’s essential and my own personal thoughts.
Like always, take what you want from this post and let’s explore!
Defining
So let’s define what mass gainers actually are.
Mass gainers are supplements that contain protein, carbohydrates and fat, to assist in muscle growth. Plain and simple.
Now you might be wondering why they are specifically called “mass gainers”. This is because they aim to increase muscle mass, by providing significantly more calories, carbohydrates and fat than the typical protein powder.
Typical Use
Mass gainers are typically used when in a bulking phase. That is, a “caloric surplus”, where you are consuming more calories than your body needs to maintain it’s weight, resulting in
weight gain.
As previously mentioned, many skinny individuals believe that they have a fast metabolism, meaning that they burn calories much faster than the average person and they struggle to eat enough to go beyond their metabolism.
Although there are some situations where this is not the case.
Many people just genuinely lack the understanding and awareness of the amount of calories they are eating within a day. This results in them thinking “I eat so much but can’t bulk.” Therefore, if they took the time to learn about caloric counting, it would make their life much easier.
However, there are cases where an individual really just does have a fast metabolism. Irrespective of the case, this is where mass gainers come into play. Mass gainers contain much more calories than your typical protein powder, meaning that this supplement becomes ideal for bulking.
You can use it if you’re in a maintenance phase, meaning that you simply wish to maintain the amount of muscle you have, without entering a bulk or cut. In other words, you just want to maintain your weight.
Obviously mass gainers are not exclusively for bulking, however their caloric nature of them makes them more ideal for the bulking phase. That’s why they’re typically used by “hard gainers”
Considerations and Ingredients
Now, the ingredients. We now know that mass gainers have significantly more calories than the standard protein powder, this is why they’re ideal for bulking. However, it is important to understand where these calories come from.
Mass gainers contain a significant amount of carbohydrates and protein. 1 gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories and 1 gram of protein is also 4 calories. Majority of mass gainers will contain around 30g to 120g of carbohydrates (per serve) and the protein can go up to 60g (per serve). Some mass gainers contain even more than 60g of protein!
Excluding all the other ingredients, the amount of calories that can be gained from only the protein and carbs within a mass gainer can be around 720 calories!
Nonetheless, we see that mass gainers contain a lot of carbohydrates and protein, which is ideal for bulking.
It is important to note that there is can be a high content of sugar found in mass gainers. Sugar is a carbohydrate, however, most people are aware that high amounts of sugar are not good for the body. Too much sugar can lead to sugar crashes, inflammation, high blood pressure and more. Take this into account when looking at the ingredients on the mass gainer.
Moreover, the calories do not only come from the protein and carbohydrates. They also can come from fat (9 calories per gram of fat), additives, sodium, corn syrup, maltodextrin, sugary extras and many more.
The point is that not all mass gainers are made the same. The quality can vary significantly amongst them. Some of the ingredients contained are only to increase the caloric intake, and are not so good for the body. The title of “mass gainer” can be taken advantaged of by some manufacturers, who only care about increasing protein and caloric intake by stuffing in whatever cheap ingredient they want to up the calories. This then allows them to sell it for a cheaper price and attract customers.
You should consider this when potentially purchasing a mass gainer. You should do your research on any ingredient that appears suspicious and take it very seriously, as your health is the most important thing.
Essential?
To give the short answer, no. It is certainly not essential.
However, it can feel essential. That is, a person may believe there is no other way to eat more calories than by consuming a mass gainer.
Mass gainers will never be essential. There are other ways to eat more calories. One way is to simply eat more food. Another way is to add olive oil to foods, switch from chicken breast to chicken thighs, have beef with higher content, drink whole milk instead of almond milk and many more. The underlying principle is that there will always be more ways to eat more calories and mass gainers will never be essential.
My personal opinion is that unless you really struggle to eat more calories, then try a mass gainer. I have never used mass gainers, and instead have always aimed to just eat more whole foods. However, there are many examples online of people using mass gainers and the results have been good for them.
As a general guide, look at whole foods first, then mass gainers.
To Finish
Mass gainers can be a good supplement for those who really struggle to consume the necessary calories to maintain a caloric surplus. It is not essential, like many other supplements, but can be a good tool every now and again. It is important to take what you want from this post and become more aware of what you are purchasing.
Feel free to let me know about your own experiences with mass gainers.
Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next time.
By Declan
