Adding weight and muscle to a thin physique can be a true challenge. It can be extremely difficult to take in enough wholesome, healthy calories, all the while keeping the proper balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Not to mention that, with a conjoining exercise regimen, your calories burned can quickly start to outnumber the calories taken in, making your body thinner than before. That’s the exact opposite of the buff, more muscular body you had planned on.A weight gainer provides an easy solution to the difficulties of bulking up with solid muscle. Specially formulated with a blend of quality protein, healthy fats, and energy-giving carbohydrates. They supply a hefty boost to your daily calorie intake, but they aren’t so filling as to prevent you from consuming more calories. A huge variety of supplements like these are available, and this guide is here to help you make the best choice for yourself and your goals.
Best Weight Gainer
Weight Gainers Reviews
Everyone with an ultrahigh metabolism knows just how difficult it can be to gain even an ounce of muscle. Taking in enough wholesome calories from healthy meals alone forces you to have a plate of food seemingly attached to your hip and to make so many stops at the grocery store that everyone there knows you by name. Life is busy enough already; we don’t have the time to live like that. Weight gainers are a lifesaver for people like us! Packing in a huge amount of calories from quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats, even one shake provides a huge boost to meeting your daily calorie needs and your muscle-building goals.At times, though, the world of supplements can be as puzzling as it is helpful. Here to make your decision a little easier when looking at a muscle enhancing supplements are our top five favorite formulas.
Body Fortress Super Mass
Available in a delicious chocolate flavor, this supplement provides a healthy 48-gram dose of the highest quality whey protein per serving. Ten grams of the protein delivered to your system are naturally occurring branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are shown to increase the rate of protein synthesis and the cells’ capacity for protein synthesis in your body! By combining the fast-digesting whey protein with slower-release milk and egg proteins, this formula keeps fueling you long after your workout. The formula also includes helpful carbohydrates that improve glycogen levels in your muscles, which improves recovery time, muscle volume, and energy levels. The sugar content is high in this formula, and the total fat content is fairly low; the important macronutrients are in high supply along with essential vitamins and minerals. At a rate of one shake per day in addition to regular meals, the serving size of four scoops per shake is designed to help add one pound of muscle per week. Adding high calorie ingredients to your shake, like ice cream, nut butter, or bananas and berries, will improve both the taste and calorie density for each shake. Even though the jar only contains six servings, for a great low price, this formula will help you gain solid mass.
Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex
With three great flavors, vanilla custard, banana cream pie, and double chocolate, this formula provides the ultimate lean gainer ingredients. A blend of seven premium protein sources, including fast-release whey protein and slower-releasing casein and egg proteins, keep supplying amino acids to your muscle tissues for an extended time period. The ratio of protein to carbohydrates is high, yielding 60 grams of protein per serving and 85 grams of carbohydrates, with, happily, only 6 grams of the carbohydrates being simple sugar. This supplement is a great source of many vitamins and minerals and medium chain triglycerides for sustained energy, though the saturated fat content is higher than would be prefered. This supplement comes in a large jar containing 14 servings, and its super easy to mix formula and fantastic flavor makes it easy to use as a post-workout snack or a meal replacement if necessary. The fiber and easy-to-digest protein forms make you feel great and don’t keep you too full to add in your regular meals. Adding just one shake per day to your regular healthy diet and workout routine puts you well on your way to a leaner, more muscular body.
Cytosport – Cytogainer Lean Muscle Maximizer
This chocolate malt flavored muscle maximizer is made by scientists specifically for athletes. Regulated by the FDA, Cytogainer includes a great ratio of proteins to carbohydrates, but still keeps the formula low in fat and free of simple sugars, fructose, and sucrose. The protein complex provides a great supply of amino acids, and is comprised of glutamine-rich whey, milk proteins, and partially pre-digested whey peptides; the whole complex works toward your muscle growth, with added help from a dose of creatine to increase muscle mass and strength and L-glutamine which is the most common amino acid in the human muscle tissue. Complex carbohydrates are of the highest quality; the formula is designed to replenish the glycogen levels in the muscle tissue and the liver after a workout. Taking this supplement pre- or post-workout helps maintain and boost energy levels and recovery, and taking it before bedtime will promote even more muscle growth. The jar contains 36 small servings or 18 large servings, depending on your calorie needs. Adding peanut butter or mixing with milk will add even more calories to your shake, if needed. This supplement promises great results in helping you reach your goal of a more muscular build.
Now Foods, Carbo Gain 100% Complex Carbohydrate
A little different than the all-in-one gainers, this flavorless, pure maltodextrin powder is entirely complex carbohydrate manufactured from corn, making it vegetarian and vegan friendly. Much less expensive than its protein-rich counterparts in the supplement world, Carbo Gain can be mixed with water, juice, nut butter, or any other ingredients, meaning it is absolutely versatile to meet your dietary needs and your tastes. Maltodextrin is made up of glucose polymers, providing a sustainable, easy-to-digest, and easy-to-assimilate source of energy for the muscles during endurance or high intensity training. Since glucose helps the body deal with biological stress during intense exercise, maltodextrin also supports recovery after a workout.The Carbo Gain alone can fuel your body with the readily-available and long-lasting energy it needs and can add extra calories to your diet, but it can also be combined with a protein and fat source, like a whey protein powder or even milk and peanut butter, to form a balanced carbohydrate to protein to fat ratio helpful in adding lean mass to the body.
Maximum Human Performance Up Your Mass
Available in flavors like peanut butter cookie, vanilla, cookies and cream, fudge brownie, and cinnabun, you’ll be excited to gain lean muscle while experiencing such seeming indulgence. With a nearly ideal carbohydrate to protein to fat ratio, this formula is designed to support massive muscle growth and aid in workout recovery. Very low in sugar, but high in vitamin and mineral content, this is a healthy option for a weight gainer. Their specialized PROBOLIC protein matrix combines soy protein isolate, whey concentrate, and casein to fuel muscles steadily for up to eight hours, and contains the super important branched chain amino acids. The carbohydrates in this formula are derived from whole grains like barley, oats, and oat fiber, instead of sugary sucrose and fructose, which cause a blood sugar spike and promote fat storage. These great complex carbohydrates enhance muscle recovery through glycogen replenishment, stabilize blood sugar, and supply sustained energy. Essential fatty acids and medium chain triglycerides are essential complements to the muscle growth and energy storage processes, helping you build lean mass and maintain proper energy. The blend mixes easily, making it perfect for the moments right before or after a workout. You’ll be on your way to a leaner, meaner body with the help of this one.Now that we’ve broken open the mystery of the supplement world for you, the choice is yours to make. How will you meet your muscle gain goals? Any of these five favorites of ours are sure to help you reach your goal of a more muscular body. Order your favorite weight gainer today, and you’ll be buff in no time!
Advantages of a Calorie-Rich Supplement
When trying to gain pounds of muscle, a man’s calorie needs might reach 5,000 calories or more per day! This extreme amount of calories is so very difficult to consume if focusing on downing plate upon plate of food. Consuming this many calories each day becomes even more complicated when restricted to wholesome foods. After a while, this type of diet is exhausting and can become expensive. If you’re at the point where you feel like you would rather give up your lucky gym shorts than eat another grilled chicken breast, you are more than ready to start on a supplement regimen.
A supplement does more than just meet your calorie needs more efficiently and lower your grocery costs. It can provide macronutrients that are essential for muscle building, but hard to get enough of in our daily diets. Studies even show that as a post-workout calorie source, supplement shakes are a better option than a full meal since the body is able to absorb nutrients from the liquid faster than from food. Many formulas are enriched with extra vitamins, minerals, and supplements to increase your performance in the gym along with helping with your weight gain. Regular food or straight protein powders alone can’t do all that.
Know Your Options
Muscle building supplements come in a vast array of formulas. It can be dizzying and overwhelming to try to figure out which one is for you. To meet your goals, consider the following options. This list is sure to clear up the puzzle that is the supplement world.
Differing Calorie Content
Take a good look at the serving size of the supplement that you’re looking at. If the serving size is reasonable to you (not like the 128 ounce servings of a couple decades ago), and, after calculating your calorie needs, you can decide if the supplement you’re looking at will be an asset to you in meeting your muscle-growing goals. Some supplements have more calories than others; the more calories, the better, especially if the calories are from quality protein, good fats instead of saturated fats, and complex carbohydrates instead of excessive amounts of sugar. If you plan to use the shake as a meal replacement on a regular basis, you will need more calories than if you plan to consume it in addition to your meals.
Added Nutrients
Some gainers include more than just the macronutrients that help you pack on the pounds. Looking for formulas that include creatine, which is made extra effective by the presence of the complex carbohydrates already present in the supplement, to help increase muscle endurance, muscle hydration, and recovery rates, and decrease muscle fatigue during and after your workout. A formula that includes creatine will prevent you from having to bother with two different supplements if you plan on including creatine into your regimen. Some supplements are also formulated with L-glutamine, an amino acid that is known for its powerful assistance in fast recovery, and its great support of your immune system. You can also find formulas with high amounts of multiple vitamins and minerals, including calcium, potassium, vitamins A, B, C, and D, iron, and more.
Protein Source
The protein source in a supplement’s formula is one of the main determinants of the quality of the supplement. The quality of a protein source is measured in the unit BV, or biological value. The higher the BV, the more your body is able to absorb and use out of what you’ve taken in. From highest BV to lowest BV, the following are common sources of protein in muscle building supplements:
- Isolated Whey Protein, BV 159
- Concentrated Whey Protein, BV 104
- Whole Egg, BV 100
- Egg White, BV 88
- Chicken or Turkey, BV 79
- Casein (Milk Protein), BV 77
- Soy, BV 74
Carbohydrates and Sugars
A good amount of carbohydrates is important in the overall composition of your supplement. However, it is important to keep an eye on the amount of sugar that contributes to the total carbohydrates. Since complex carbohydrates are an essential portion of the protein absorption pathway, you don’t want simple sugars taking the place of the helpful carbs. Plus, simple sugars cause a spike in insulin in your body, causing you to feel sluggish and store more fat. Before you decide on a formula, take a look at the sugar content below the carbohydrates on the nutrition facts label. Sugar in the 30-60 grams per serving range is reasonable.
How to Choose Your Best Gainer
Know Your Needs
Go to a good calorie calculating website and determine how many calories you eat per day, and per week currently. Using a tool on their site, determine how many calories you would need to consume to meet a weekly weight gain goal. Taking the difference from the calories you need from the calories you currently consume, make a plan for how you will increase your daily calorie intake. If your calculations lead you to a finding that you need to take in, for example, an extra 2,000 calories per day, take that information into consideration when choosing the supplement that will best fit your needs. Deciding whether you will use the shake as a meal replacement or in addition to your current diet will also direct you as you choose a formula that will have the correct calories per serving for your needs. As a reminder, it is best for your body to eat a meal of whole foods whenever possible, so the supplements are especially preferable as an addition to full meals. However, the busyness of life does not always allow time for cooking, so the shakes do make a great replacement for a meal when cooking is not an option.
Good Ingredients
A high quality supplement will give you the results you desire faster than a cheaper, lower quality product. Empty calories from saturated fats and sugar will not help you meet your goal of gaining muscle mass. Complex carbohydrates should be in good supply, with a relatively low amount of simple sugars making up the carbohydrate count. Fat should also be present, but saturated fats are going to do little to speed up the muscle building process, so try to avoid them. High quality protein sources, which have a high biological value (BV), like isolated or concentrated whey protein, are going to be the best support in helping you achieve your goals, because your body can assimilate the majority of the protein you consume from these sources. Lower quality protein, like the milk protein casein, is still beneficial to use if used properly; protein sources with a lower BV are absorbed more slowly, meaning they may be helpful to take before going to sleep. Allow quality macronutrients to be the stars in the formula you select, and the results will come!
Best Ratio
How much of a good thing is a good thing? It’s always a confusion to look at the grams on the nutrition label on a product. When assessing the amounts of each macronutrient in a supplement, a good rule of thumb is to keep the ratio to twice as much protein as fat, and twice as many total carbohydrates as grams of protein. This carbohydrate to protein to fat ratio will help optimize the muscle growing processes in your body.
Take Action
Skinny people, rejoice! Now you’re ready to order up a great weight gainer that is sure to put you on the fast track to a buff body. There’s no need to fear all the choices anymore; you’ve got all the information you need to make a great choice for your body and your goals. Drink up, and see you at the gym!