What is a gainer for gaining muscle mass, which one is better, the difference from protein?

What is a gainer

Gainer is a type of sports nutrition that is a high-calorie mixture of carbohydrates and proteins.

Gainer for weight gain for thin people allows you to adjust body weight

The nutritional supplement is designed to accelerate muscle gain and replenish energy costs for people involved in strength sports.

Effect of gainer on the body, composition and properties

The carbohydrate supplement was developed for athletes; the product composition contains components that the athlete’s body has an increased need for.

Main active ingredients of the gainer:

• Carbohydrates. They make up the bulk of sports nutrition. They serve as energy fuel and are required for the production of the hormone insulin, which helps digest proteins.
• Proteins. Necessary for the construction of muscle tissue.

Manufacturers also include amino acids, creatine, trace elements and vitamins in the food supplement.

The balanced composition of the product allows you to:

• quickly absorb the substances:
• fill the body's cells with energy;
• increase training activity;
• stimulate the growth of muscle fibers;
• Gain weight and maintain weight for lean athletes.

Effect of taking BCAA?

BCAA is a complex consisting of three essential amino acids for metabolic processes. These are valine, isoleucine, leucine. The daily daily requirement for these compounds is approximately 5-6 grams. This is the amount that was established as a result of numerous studies.

The complex of essential amino acids has the following positive effects:

• prevents the development of catabolic processes after even the most intense workouts;
• participates in muscle building;
• maintains volumes of pure muscle mass;
• is a catalyst for other amino acids;
• if the diet does not have enough carbohydrates, then BCAA serve as an additional source of fuel for the athletes’ body;
• together with the use of lipotropics and thermogenics, they increase fat-burning properties;
• enhance the synthesis of growth hormone if consumed in large quantities;
• accelerate natural recovery processes after high-intensity exercise.

The main advantage of BCAA is the lack of addiction even with regular use.

Creatine can be compared to BCAA. They are used to achieve different purposes, so they are interchangeable. The choice of a specific drug is entirely determined by the goals set for the athlete.

If lean muscle mass is needed, that is, during the drying period, use a complex of amino acids. When you want to increase strength and increase overall mass, that is, excess fat and water do not matter, you should give preference to creatine.

It should be noted that they can be used either separately or together. This will not lead to any negative consequences.

BCAA for the Natural Athlete

How the gainer works

Gainer is designed to accelerate the accumulation of muscle mass.
The English word gain is translated as “additive, gain”, respectively, gainer is a product that promotes the accumulation of energy, strength, and muscle growth. How does this happen?

Gaining muscle is a complex anabolic process. Gainers include polysaccharides with different molecular chain lengths and purified protein, and their combined intake enhances the interaction of substances.

Proteins are broken down into amino acids, carbohydrates stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, as a result of which amino acids penetrate into tissues and muscles.

How protein and creatine work

If an athlete needs to gain muscle mass, then protein is the leader. Fibers are built from proteins; their abundant intake into the body allows you to increase volumes much faster. At the same time, contrary to popular belief, such a supplement will not add strength. For protein to work, you need to plow yourself - regular training is a prerequisite, because you need to put the incoming protein into action.

Creatine works differently. It is he who makes a strongman out of an athlete, significantly increasing endurance and strength. This supplement starts the metabolic process in the muscles, protecting against catabolism. No powerful anabolic effect - this is more of a side effect than a rule.

Who should consume gainer?

The gainer is suitable for athletes with a thin build who have difficulty gaining weight (ectomorphs). The main purpose of taking the supplement is to increase muscle size by increasing calories in the diet.

Also, a high-energy mixture is required for people who undergo intense physical activity during training, since glycogen reserves are depleted during this period.

Gainer is suitable for athletes with a thin physique

A supplement with a higher percentage of carbohydrates is recommended for athletes who need to obtain energy and maintain it: football players, boxers, sprinters.

Important! For endomorphs, the use of carbohydrate mixtures is not recommended, as it threatens to increase the amount of fat.

So what's the difference?

It's all about carbohydrates. These supplements work perfectly in tandem. You just need to know the time of taking each one. So, we take protein before training, gainer after, and casein at night.

Gainer is useful for those who gain muscle mass. As they say, in war all methods are good. Just don’t forget that the carbohydrate content in this product is quite high, so you will have to make sure that when using the gainer you do not go beyond the daily norm of KBJU.

Let's look at Myprotein's products in terms of calories:

• Weight Gainer mixture contains more than 300 calories per serving;
• the Extreme Gainer mixture can already provide much more - 382 calories;
• Vegan weight gainer contains 400 calories per serving;
• There are a whopping 784 calories per serving of THE Gainer!

When to drink a gainer: the ideal scheme

The supplement will be beneficial if used correctly; to achieve a positive result, it is important to use the gainer according to the instructions:

• Before training. The body receives an energy boost in the form of carbohydrates, which promote more intense and prolonged exercise. Concentrated amino acids will reduce catabolism from the start of exercise. The disadvantages are that there will be no loss of body fat.
• After training. Intense sports activities deplete energy reserves, opening the anabolic, or protein-carbohydrate, window. During this short period of time, the body intensively absorbs and processes nutrients. A gainer helps fill the energy deficit, which allows the athlete to prevent catabolism in the muscles and regenerate tissue.

When an athlete does not experience difficulties with increasing body weight, using a gainer once a day is sufficient; the rest of the time it is recommended to take protein.

Be sure to read: What to eat before training: top best foods for gaining weight

Some athletes distribute the daily intake into 2 doses , consuming some during training, and the other between meals.

What are the benefits of regular consumption of this drug?

Without regular training with a correctly calculated load, gainers become of little use. This is a source of essential nutrients, thanks to which the body copes better with stress. Taking gainers provides the following results:

• Increased endurance. Thanks to the supply of necessary energy, the athlete can train longer and perform the entire range of exercises correctly. This has a positive effect on the results: building muscle becomes much easier.
• Accelerated recovery after training. Large loads inevitably lead to microdamage, resulting in muscle pain. Taking special supplements will help stimulate cell regeneration, so recovery even after significant stress will take much less time.
• Anti-catabolic effect. The breakdown of proteins is inhibited, stress from exertion during training and competitions is reduced. This also has a positive effect on the athlete’s body.

Thus, regular use of gainers helps not only to gain weight, but also to make your workouts more effective. As a result, this will help you get beautiful, sculpted muscles that will become the pride of every athlete.

How to take the supplement?

When an athlete does not experience difficulties with increasing body weight, using a gainer once a day is enough.
A cocktail is prepared from the gainer, which is taken as follows:

• to increase the intensity of training - an hour before classes;
• to close the anabolic window - no later than 40 minutes after training.

For rapid muscle growth, it is recommended to take carbohydrates with protein, creatine, and for speedy recovery - with glutamine.

Attention! You should not stop taking the gainer on days when you are not training. For active growth of muscle fibers, it is important to use the supplement systematically.

How to breed gainer

When used, the supplement should not cause any discomfort. If they appear, this is evidence of an incorrect breeding method.

Gainer is a powder that must be diluted in liquid until smooth before use.

When used, the supplement should not cause any discomfort.

The basis is:

• Water. It should not be hot: the protein denatures and loses its properties. It is also undesirable to use cold water: it makes it more difficult to dissolve the powder.
• Juices. Better suited without pulp - apple, grapefruit or grape.
• Milk. Milk protein in the composition makes it possible to increase the volume of proteins. A product with a reduced fat content is more suitable: this way the cocktail will be better absorbed by the body. If you are intolerant to milk, you can dilute the powder with fermented milk products, but it is more difficult to dilute the powder in a thick drink.

The manufacturer always indicates the recommended dosage. Usually you need twice as much liquid as powder. If the concentrated solution is difficult to drink, the volume can be increased.

Attention! Do not exceed the dose indicated on the package: the excess amount of substances will not be absorbed by the body, which can lead to digestive upset.

Combination with other sports nutrition and products

Do not exceed the dose indicated on the package.
Sometimes consuming a carbohydrate cocktail in its pure form is not enough for productive muscle growth, improving the quality of training and recovery.

To improve results and enrich the composition, the gainer is combined with additional components.

With creatine

Using creatine before and after exercise increases strength and helps withstand increased loads, especially during anaerobic exercise.

The optimal dosage of carboxylic acid is 5 grams with a portion of the gainer. The combination with carbohydrates will allow creatine to be better absorbed and increase the effectiveness of exercise.

With proteins

Proteins and carbohydrates have different effects. The combined use of gainer and proteins provides all the necessary substances for muscle growth and muscle recovery during and after exercise.

With vitamins

Vitamins promote tissue restoration after high-intensity training and are needed for protein metabolism and amino acid transport.

Vitamins promote tissue repair after high-intensity training

There are brands of supplements that already contain the necessary vitamin complexes. To save money, you can take organic compounds separately. The daily dose is taken with a cocktail in the morning or immediately after training.

With amino acids

Amino acids cover the deficiency of substances and protect muscles from catabolic processes.

Cumulative consumption ensures an increase in high-quality muscle mass, since carbohydrate supplements provide an energy resource to the entire body, and BCAAs provide performance and muscle growth.

With other products

If desired, gainers can be consumed with nuts, grains or fruits, although all the necessary elements are already included in the supplement.

It is better to enrich the basic diet with products: they contain fiber, minerals and other valuable substances that are missing in mixtures.

Banana or strawberries can improve the taste of the cocktail; this method is suitable for those who refuse to use artificial flavors.

When it is not possible to eat normally, a good food option is a handful of rolled oats in a drink.

Can I drink it at night?

Some athletes consume high-calorie meals at night, but this intake is only allowed if the athlete has problems with weight gain and insufficient energy value of the diet.

Be sure to read: Vitamins for physical activity for women: which ones are needed, rating of the best, how to take them

In other cases, carbohydrate supplements are not recommended to avoid the formation of a fat layer. To prevent catabolic reactions during sleep, it is preferable to take casein.

Is it possible to drink without training?

Consumption of the dietary supplement without training is permitted. The diet is suitable for people who suffer from excessive thinness and lack of muscle mass, which can affect the immune system.

Men and women have an ectomorphic build and need to increase their caloric intake.

To make up for the deficiency, it is allowed to use a gainer, but subject to the following conditions:

• consult your doctor before taking it;
• sports nutrition should contain slow carbohydrates;
• You should take half the dose indicated on the package, dividing it into 2 doses.

To maintain the functionality of muscle tissue without training, the daily protein content is 1 or 1.5 g/kg of a person’s weight, taking into account the intake of gainers and regular foods.

Important! The basic norm of calories and essential nutrients should come with the main meal.

Price

The price of a gainer depends on many factors, for example:

• brand;
• protein to carbohydrate ratio;
• quality of raw materials.

A not always well-known name indicates an undeniable advantage over other manufacturers, whose names you hear a little less often.

Their raw materials may be almost the same , the effect of taking the supplement, accordingly, too, but due to popularity, one gainer will be more expensive. Whether to overpay for a name or not is up to you to decide. If you and the boys from the yard signed up for a rocking gym together to pump yourself up for the summer and you, to show who the boss is, decide to buy the most expensive gainer with your mother’s money that she saved for school supplies for you, then the ideal choice would be, for example, Optimum Nutrition . When you come to the gym with such a pack, you are 100% likely to be popular among fit girls, and jocks will line up to shake your hand.

If you don’t suffer from this, then you can choose a more budget option with the same characteristics.

Although, if you can’t survive on food for the remaining 3 weeks before your salary and you don’t lack money, then you can treat yourself to an expensive treat.

I have already spoken above about the ratio of proteins and carbohydrates and their quality. Raw materials of poorer quality result in a cheaper product, while better ones are more expensive. also depends on the ratio of protein to carbohydrates .

If you pay attention to the receipt from the supermarket and compare the price of your favorite chicken breast and buckwheat, you will understand that carbohydrates are much cheaper than protein. From this we can conclude that a gainer with a large amount of protein will be more expensive, this is logical.

I would like to note that the raw materials, in principle, are not very different from each other . There are not very many factories for the production of raw materials for sports nutrition. With the exception of some cheap, little-known brands, where half of the powder is actually carbohydrates with protein, and the second is plaster left by a team of Uzbeks who were doing renovations in a nearby office.

Personally , I prefer American brands , and more expensive ones. But the choice falls on them not just because of the price. More expensive is not always better.

I choose based on:

• protein to carbohydrate ratio;
• characteristics of proteins and carbohydrates;
• taste.

I buy big packs to save money . And I really don’t want to drink 5-7 kg of powder with the taste of a rotten egg, although the package says vanilla.

Expensive gainers usually taste better than their cheaper counterparts.

To summarize, I will say that the best weight gainer for skinny guys is made from high-quality raw materials, high-calorie with a predominance of carbohydrates several times .

How much gainer to drink per day, dosing

The basic norm of calories and essential nutrients should come with the main meal.
An average portion of a gainer includes 50-80 g of carbohydrates, as well as 20-40 g of proteins, and some saturated fat. The volume of other components depends on the brand of product.

The amount of supplement intake and type of food mainly depends on:

• on the weight of the athlete;
• composition of the additive;
• intensity of classes;
• volume and calorie intake.

The average daily dose varies in numbers from 100-150 g, but for each athlete the amount of carbohydrates is calculated individually; an experienced trainer will help you find out the required volume of the product.

Daily value of gainer in grams:

The gainer intake is divided into 2 times: one portion is consumed instead of a second breakfast, the next - after training (when there are no classes, they drink after lunch).

In order to increase weight in a short period of time, for lean athletes the daily consumption of the cocktail is increased to 3-4 times, the intake is indicated between meals.

Attention! The permissible doses of the supplement are indicated on the packaging. Exceeding them is not allowed, since the body will not absorb the nutrients. In addition, there is a risk of adverse reactions.

Gainer for recovery

A mixture of carbohydrates and proteins not only provides energy to the body. The sports supplement allows the athlete to recover after intense exercise.

The permissible doses of the supplement are indicated on the packaging

To prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue and maintain the energy pool during the carbohydrate-protein window, the mixture is taken within 40 minutes after training.

The growth of muscle mass directly depends on the amount of glycogen. Gainer restores the level of polysaccharide that is lost during intense training.

Some athletes take the supplement during preparation for competitions to maintain muscle tone, which allows them to quickly get into working condition.

When can I expect results?

You can often hear the question: “How much can I get from a pack?” This is usually asked by schoolchildren who saved on school lunches. If you are 35 years old and you are also interested in this question, then you should think about it.

The number of kilograms gained will depend on:

1. Correctly selected portions.
2. The right training plan.
3. Sleep mode.
4. Presence of stress.
5. Lots of other factors.

This is all very individual.

Gainer or protein, which is better?

Protein is pure protein, which is required for muscle gain, gainer is a combination of carbohydrates and proteins, its task is to stimulate weight gain and restore energy.

Each athlete chooses nutrition depending on their body type:

• Ectomorphs. Lean athletes with fast metabolisms who find it difficult to gain weight use gainers, since increasing the volume of muscle fiber requires an energy base and protein. For active muscle growth, it is recommended to choose a supplement with a percentage of carbohydrates and proteins in a ratio of 55/35, respectively.
• Endomorphs. People who are prone to obesity, in order not to gain excess fat when taking carbohydrates, use protein for training.

Be sure to read: Whey protein: what is it and what is it for, how and what is it made from, what is better

For those who train intensively for more than 2 hours a day, using significant weights, it is difficult to cover the energy costs with regular food.

A combination of sports nutrition is recommended here: a gainer is consumed before exercise, a protein substrate the rest of the time.

Is creatine harmful?

Although creatine currently has no side effects, it still needs to be taken with caution. If you have asthma, then it is better for you to stop taking creatine, as the drug can cause an allergic reaction in you, which will be accompanied by a rash, itching, and shortness of breath. There are very rare cases where creatine can cause nausea, diarrhea, and even stomach upset in people.

Is creatine harmful?

People who have kidney or liver problems should also take the drug carefully. As for women, pregnant women or breastfeeding women should not take creatine, as there is little research on creatine. It is also not advisable to take alcohol or caffeine together with creatine. The combined use of caffeine while taking protein and creatine leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of the drug. Creatine has no other contraindications and is harmless.

Can girls drink gainer?

Sports nutrition is suitable for weight gain for those with an ectomorphic physique.
Gainer can be used by girls, but first you need to decide whether the body needs a carbohydrate supplement, because the deposition of adipose tissue in women occurs faster than in men.

Sports nutrition is suitable for weight gain for those with an ectomorphic physique . In this case, using the right training program and adjusting your diet, you can achieve weight gain.

Gainer should not be taken if the girl:

• has a tendency to be overweight;
• suffers from gastrointestinal diseases or enzyme deficiency.

If you want to increase endurance and strength during training, novice athletes should not immediately drink energy cocktails.

First, you need to review your diet and training program, and close the protein-carbohydrate window with foods containing nutrients.

Gainer selection criteria

Sports nutrition stores offer a huge selection of carbohydrate supplements.

To choose a high-quality gainer, you need to carefully study its composition and proportions of ingredients:

• Protein. Ectomorphs are recommended to supplement with a protein content of 25-30%; For people who tend to be overweight, it is better to choose mixtures with a high protein content of 35%. Whey protein is preferable; you can opt for a mixed version: milk and egg. Soy protein is considered a low-quality product and should not be purchased.
• Carbohydrates. For thin people, a gainer with a high carbohydrate content is suitable.
• Sugar. A high sugar content has an adverse effect on the body and leads to a surge in insulin, so a product with a minimum sugar content (no more than 50 g) is suitable.
• Additional components. You can choose food with additional ingredients: amino acids, vitamins, casein, but such brands are more expensive.

European and American manufacturers of food additives have proven themselves well. Gainers from Asia are more suitable for local athletes.

We advise you

In our store you can find the best protein and excellent gainer at attractive prices with delivery throughout Moscow and the Moscow region.

Here you can find:

• Gainer for mass gain
• Protein for weight loss

Lean Protein Shake VPLab Nutition

It is a real find for people experiencing problems with excess weight. Protein speeds up metabolism in the body and has a fat-burning effect, and the high fiber content allows you to satisfy the feeling of hunger, as if it were not there at all.

The product is ideal for girls during a diet, as well as for men who want to get a beautiful, healthy and sculpted body while cutting.

Lean Protein Shake VPLab Nutition contains fiber, a vitamin complex, a protein shake, and a fat-burning complex based on L-carnitine, CLA and green tea extract.

When using, you need to mix 50 grams of powder with 250 ml of water. Consume between meals and before and after training.

Contraindications and side effects

Modern gainers are made from carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamin complexes. Organic compounds do not harm human health; the nutrition is well tolerated by athletes.

Contraindications to taking the supplement are:

• allergy to product components;
• diabetes;
• pathology of the pancreas.

Sometimes, due to the increased content of simple carbohydrates, violation of storage rules or penetration of moisture into the product, the growth of pathogenic bacteria is possible.

In this case, after taking the gainer, symptoms of food poisoning develop.

If the stool is abnormal, stop using the supplement, and the low-quality product must be disposed of. After 2-3 days, it is allowed to continue taking it provided the dosage is reduced.

Attention! The main side effect of using the energy complex is the accumulation of fat deposits in the abdominal area.