Top 4 Facts to Consider Before You Buy a Mass Gaine

Mass gainers or weight gainers, as the name suggests will help you gain mass or weight. The standard principle for gaining weight is to eat more calories than you will burn. However, as a bodybuilder, what do you want to gain? Weight in the shape of pot belly or muscle mass? Obviously, it will be muscle mass, and here, a mass gainer is going to help!

Learn more about

• What is a mass gainer?
• What does mass gainer do to your body?
• What is your lean body mass?
• What is the role of mass gainers?
• How to choose mass gainers?

A mass gainer is not a pure protein. It contains carbs also. They are also known by the name weight gainers! Usually, they are taken as synonyms, but there exists a difference in their composition, specifically in their protein versus carbs ratio. Mass gainer serves a mix of proteins and carbs, along with high-quality fats and multivitamins (optional). The ratio of proteins and carbs in mass gainers can range between, 1:3 to 1:5. This ratio also indicates whether the supplement is a mass gainer or a weight gainer.

As a general rule, mass gainers have 1:3 protein and carbs ratio and in weight gainers, this ratio goes up to 1:5. 

WHAT DOES MASS GAINER DO TO YOUR BODY

Jim Stoppani, the most respected man in muscle kinesiology, and author Encyclopaedia of Muscle & Strength (Human Kinetics, 2006), explains: 

·         A mass gainer is for those, who cannot eat enough calories, protein, carbs and fat to build adequate muscle. This is typically teenage males and guys in their early 20s.

• Also, those who are truly hard gainers and no matter how much they eat cannot gain any weight

Mass gainers give you extra calories along with measured macros, such as proteins, carbs, high-quality fats in an easy to mix shake. It is these nutrients that cause a difference in your strength, size and stamina.

How? When you want to increase the size of your chest, back, biceps, you need to go in a calorie surplus situation, which means, you should be eating more calories than you can spend in a day. What should be that calorie number so that you put on lean muscle mass and keep the fat at a bare minimum? 

WHAT IS YOUR LEAN BODY MASS

Lean body mass is composed of muscle and bone tissue as well as organs beneath the body. It is composed of everything, except the fat beneath the surface of your skin. In order to find out your lean body mass, follow these steps:

1. Convert your weight in kg to pounds (1kg = 2.2 pounds)
2. Measure your weight in an intelligent weighing machine that will tell your body fat percentage as well.
3. Subtract your body fat percentage from 100, to arrive at your lean muscle mass percentage,  (If your body fat percentage is 20, your lean muscle mass percentage will be 80)
4. Divide your lean muscle mass percentage with 100 to arrive at the decimal of it, such as 80 divided by 100 will be 0.80
5. Pull out the calculator and multiply 0.80 with your body weight in pounds. For a 60kg male, the number will be 105.6
6. Multiply the lean muscle mass weight in pounds with 20 and you will get the calorie number.

105.6×20 =2112 calories

Weight in Kg	Weight in Pounds	Lean Muscle Mass in Pounds (@ 20% Body Fat)	Calorie Allowance
60	132	105.6	2112
65	143	114.4	2288
70	154	123.2	2464
75	165	132	2640
80	176	140.8	2816
85	187	149.6	2992

Now, if you want to increase your calorie intake, you need to know your lean muscle mass and figure out your calorie allowance. Stick to it in order to build lean muscle mass!

ROLE OF MASS GAINERS

People who need to put on weight find it hardest to do so. The reasons could be a busy lifestyle, fluctuating hunger level, high metabolism. Thus it becomes harder for them to fulfil their calorie needs. Here, mass gainers help, if you choose the right mass gainer.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT MASS GAINER

Your objective is to choose a supplement that will fuel your muscle gain and not fat gain. Therefore, junk foods, such as doughnuts, burgers, pizza are a complete no for someone who is trying to build muscles. The calories should come from high-quality nutrients, such as proteins, complex carbs, good fats, vitamins, and minerals.

The ratio of protein and carbs

Proteins or amino acids are important for building muscles and complex carbs provide a steady source of energy, which will give you the energy to work out more intensely. The ratio of proteins to carbs should vary between 1:3 to 1:5.

Proteins in your mass gainer should come from a blend of proteins, such as casein, whey, and milk protein.

How much sugar is present in the mass gainer

Your tub of whey gainer or mass gainer should not contain an overdose of sugar. The sugar content more than 6g in a 100g serving indicates that your mass gainer is an expensive sugar formulation. You should pay for premium nutrients and not sugar. Therefore, read the label carefully, before you make a purchase.

Does it have digestive enzymes?

Digestive enzymes reduce the common side effects of a mass gainer, such as unpleasant sensations, like bloating and ensure that all that protein and complex carbs are getting digested and absorbed in the body. Generally, the trouble with increasing the calorie intake is that it becomes difficult to digest that extra food and the person resorts back to his earlier dietary habit.

Does it have multivitamins?

For those who do not know multivitamins are required to build energy and immunity. B vitamins particularly have a critical role in converting the foods into energy and if you are a gym regular, you know how important is energy to push those extra reps?

Does it have creatine?

The best mass gainer will also have creatine in it, like Mass Gainer XXL as creatine builds energy for those phenomenal lifting sessions. And, anyone who is seeking to build muscle mass knows that it is hard to build muscle mass without working out intensely. You got to challenge your limits and creatine gives you the energy to do so.

HOW TO USE YOUR MASS GAINER FOR BEST RESULTS

For the best results, you should use the mass gainer as directed on the label. Since mass gainers contain lots of carbs and a good amount of protein, you can have it after a workout, at bedtime, before meals or after waking up. Follow the manufacturer’s direction and do not use it more than directed. Also, be sure to eat healthy foods along with your mass gainer. A supplement is in addition to healthy meals and workout regularly. Soon, you will build an admirable physique.