Serious Mass is a carbohydrate-protein drug for weight gain, produced by the leader in sports nutrition. Serious Mass includes a reasonable ratio of components such as protein, carbohydrates and microelements that an athlete needs in the process of increasing the volume of muscle tissue. This Gainer from Optimum Nutrition is an excellent source for replenishing energy reserves, as well as the basis for gaining muscle mass.
Since athletes train, expending a lot of strength and energy, they need to use special nutritional supplements that help restore the expended strength and achieve their goals. One serving of the drug contains up to 1000 calories, 50 g of proteins and 250 g of carbohydrates. The main sources of energy for this drug are polysaccharides and crystalline fructose. Serious Mass gainer can be used as a pre-workout complex.
Composition and packaging
The Optimum Nutrition company has been occupying a dominant position in the sports nutrition market for several years. They achieved such customer loyalty due to the high quality of their products. Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass gainer was no exception.
First of all, my attention was attracted by the high protein content (50 g) per serving. A very good indicator for a supplement where the basis is traditionally carbohydrates. There are a lot of them here too - 252 g.
The calorie content of a serving was pleasantly surprising - 1250 calories per 330 g of powder. This cannot but please a person who finds it difficult to gain the daily caloric intake necessary for building muscle mass.
In addition to the main elements (proteins, fats, carbohydrates), the composition is enriched with a number of vitamins, minerals and beneficial amino acids. You can’t list them all – look at the packaging.
Speaking of packaging. I took 5.4 kg of gainer, which was packed in a thick plastic bag with a convenient fastener tape. The bag is made in such a way that neither dust nor moisture gets into it.
Serious Mass gainer review from Optimum Nutrition
Gainer is a sports nutritional supplement designed to help a training athlete gain muscle mass and get the required amount of calories per day. This is achieved mainly due to the fact that the supplement contains mainly carbohydrates and proteins in proportions of 3:1 - 1:1. It is these two nutrients that play a key role in gaining weight, since the first is used by the body as energy, and the second as a “building material” for muscles. The gainer itself is used as a supplement to the diet, and its use cannot be considered a complete meal. It is known that for the successful synthesis of new muscle fibers, not only intense anaerobic exercise is required, but also a calorie surplus in the daily diet. For many people who train, it is the second point that causes the greatest difficulty. In order to cover the body's daily needs for the required amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, it is often necessary to radically rearrange the diet, as well as the menu itself. Moreover, eating such a large amount of food is extremely problematic for many. And this is where the gainer mentioned above comes to the rescue. In this mini-article, I will describe my own experience of using a gainer, on the basis of which you can understand and decide whether this type of sports nutrition is suitable for your needs. By my body type, I am a typical ectomorph, so it is extremely difficult for me to gain weight. And it’s even more difficult to keep it at the required level. Gainer is an ideal supplement for beginners, so it is extremely important to approach this issue with understanding.
So, why did I choose Serious Mass from Optimum Nutrition ? Over the 30 years of its existence, this manufacturer has repeatedly confirmed the quality of its products and earned an impeccable reputation. Moreover, during its operation the company managed to create a wide consumer network not only in the USA, but throughout the world. Almost no sports nutrition store can do without Optimum Nutrition products. As for the gainer itself, everything is simple - Serious Mass is the top gainer according to the authoritative international portal bb.com, which in itself is already intriguing and encourages you to try this supplement for yourself. In addition, almost all fitness communities and online stores are literally pouring in with amazing reviews from those people who have already had the good fortune to appreciate the effect of taking Serious Mass, as well as its delicious taste. But the main factor that prompted me to purchase and try this gainer was the ideal protein/fat/carbohydrate ratio and high calorie content, which is extremely important for those whose main goal is to gain muscle mass.
For testing, I purchased a 2727 gram jar.
According to the manufacturer's statement, this jar should be enough for 8 full meals, that is, 334 grams per serving. Let's look at the composition of the gainer. The energy and nutritional values below are per serving. Here we have 1,250 calories, 50 grams of protein, 252 grams of carbohydrates (of which 20 grams are sugar), and 4.5 grams of fat. It is the content of these nutrients that you should always pay attention to. It is also important for us what substances specifically are sources of proteins and carbohydrates. In our case, this is whey protein concentrate, calcium caseinate and egg albumin for protein, and maltodextrin for carbohydrates. This means that the protein component in Serious Mass is multicomponent and will be absorbed as efficiently as possible over a long period. Maltodextrin is most often used as a source of carbohydrates.
It is worth noting that Serious Mass has pretty good proportions and optimal calorie content. For clarity, let’s compare this gainer with a supplement from the equally popular sports nutrition manufacturer BSN and its True Mass : each serving (165 g) contains 710 calories, 50 grams of protein, 90 grams of carbohydrates (of which 15 are sugar) and 17 grams of fat. I don’t want to belittle True Mass, but in terms of calorie content and carbohydrate content, it clearly loses, and these two factors are extremely important for people who want to gain weight and buy gainers. We won’t go into detailed comparisons, but one quick glance at the composition of the products is enough to conclude that Serious Mass has a much wider range of included vitamins and minerals. Let's make one more note about the composition of gainers - it is individual for each product, since manufacturing companies add, at their discretion, other nutrients and beneficial substances that, in their opinion, are necessary for the athlete's body. As for Serious Mass, it contains creatine monohydrate, L-Glutamic acid, choline, inositol, para-aminobenzoic acid, as well as a fairly wide range of vitamins and minerals. As a result, we have a complex supplement that should not only make us bigger, but also charge the body with essential microelements. I’ll dwell a little on creatine monohydrate and L-Glutamine. In Serious Mass their dosage is 1 g and 500 mg, respectively. I note that this is not enough to feel the full effect of taking these substances. Here they are included more as a nice bonus in addition to the rest.
We have more or less figured out the composition. Now let's move on to preparation and first impressions. A portion of the gainer is diluted in water or low-fat milk - for 334 grams of powder we use 650-720 ml of liquid. I mixed it with 0.5% milk. As a result, we get a fairly pleasant-tasting cocktail (I used a banana one), it mixes well, I didn’t notice any lumps. Many friends complained about poor mixability, but here I can recommend a little trick to everyone - first pour in the liquid, and then add the powder on top. Let's return to the taste - it is not cloying, quite pleasant, and did not become boring by the end of the jar, which in itself is good.
For those who have seriously decided to get a gainer and increase muscle mass, we will analyze the optimal time for taking supplements in this category, which applies not only to Serious Mass. So, the optimal time to take a protein-carbohydrate mixture is immediately after completing a workout. At this point, during the first half hour, a “carbohydrate-protein” window opens in the body. This is the period when the body takes the nutrients you feed it and uses them exclusively to repair and build muscle tissue. It is at this moment that the entire spectrum of nutrients contained in the gainer will be useful to us, since it is this that will ensure muscle growth and their speedy recovery. But this does not mean that you should use gainer only after training. As a rule, manufacturers indicate huge portions, which many athletes prefer to break into several parts for better absorption. I did the same. I drank the first half of my daily serving of Serious Mass instead of my usual morning snack, and the second half immediately after my workout.
Let's summarize. According to the manufacturers' instructions, a 2727 g can of Serious Mass should be enough for exactly 8 doses. I took the gainer exclusively on training days, that is, 3 times a week. As a result, such a jar lasted me for almost 3 weeks and this is what happened: coupled with taking a gainer and following the correct diet and training regimen, I gained about 2 kg of weight, which is generally quite good. It was not pure muscle mass, but this type of supplement does not promise such results. On my own behalf, I can add that the product will go well with creatine (I used Creatine Monohydrate from Maxler, a review of which you can find in the corresponding category), since this substance is also intended for weight gain and is already contained in Serious Mass. If you are experiencing problems with weight gain, that is, you are a so-called “hard gainer,” then this type of sports nutrition is simply necessary for you to get off the ground.
Good luck to everyone, friends!
Stirring and Tasting Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass
I prefer to stir any sports nutrition in plain water, but I had some minor problems with this gainer. If I used only water, lumps formed that were impossible to get rid of. To my surprise, the problem went away on its own when I started stirring the powder in milk or juice.
As for the taste (I took vanilla), I can’t say anything special. The taste is rich, sweet, but without any zest that would drive you crazy. Personally, I liked the milk-based cocktail the most.
How to take Serious Mass correctly
Since Optimum Nutrition gainer is a dietary supplement, it is taken 3 times a day, in between main meals. It is taken in the form of a cocktail prepared in 250-300 ml of water (milk or juice). To do this, one measuring spoon is dissolved in liquid. Gainer is considered a high-calorie product, so you should not get carried away with its use. If consumed too frequently, fatty deposits may appear. The dosage of the gainer depends on the weight of the athlete and is: for a weight of up to 80 kg, it is enough to consume three scoops per day, and for a weight of up to 95 kg, the use of a gainer can be up to 1.5 spoons 3 times a day. If the athlete’s weight is more than 95 kg, then the amount of supplement can be increased to 2 scoops.
In addition to the main ingredients listed, the gainer contains creatine monohydrate, inositol, vitamins, glutamine and a whole range of microelements. The gainer has a variety of taste characteristics, which is provided by a wide range of flavors, including the taste of chocolate, bananas, strawberries, vanilla and other flavors. During consumption, the taste characteristics can be expanded by adding some jam, honey or strawberries to the cocktail.
An athlete's daily activities consist of various events that make it impossible to eat in a timely manner. In addition, lack of time and leading an active lifestyle prefer having somewhat greater strength and energy. And here, the Serious Mass gainer, which requires a minimum of time to prepare a cocktail, can serve as a main assistant. Timely replenishment of the athlete’s body with additional energy will help achieve the best results.
How to use Sirius Mass Gainer
Since the packaging volumes allowed, I prepared various simple dishes with the addition of gainer. Thus, the taste of the cocktail does not get boring, and the body still receives all the necessary substances. Here's my favorite protein flatbread recipe.
Recipe:
- Break 1 whole egg and 4 whites into a bowl.
- Add 60-80 grams of gainer (it is advisable to add the same amount of flour).
- Mix thoroughly until smooth.
- Pour into molds and place in the oven for 10-14 minutes (it’s faster to fry in a frying pan).
The end result is a soft, tasty flatbread that you can take to work or eat on the way home. This dish will provide you with a huge portion of fast and slow proteins that will fuel the body over the next 4-6 hours.
