How To Choose The Right Mass Gainer
Are you struggling to gain some weight and bulk up some muscles? And if you are thinking of bulking up muscles and gaining mass, then working out at the gym and getting calories from your food is not enough. Sometimes you need additional help in the other form of food to gain extra calories and nutrients, that could be mass gainers. They can provide you with the additional support of protein, carbs, fats, and calories you need for mass gaining from clean sources.
There are multiple choices for choosing a mass gainer at the market but choosing the right one for your body can be a little challenging and tricky. In addition, if you are starting as a beginner, then how much you should consume to get the desired result can be another concern.
Here in this article, I will be guiding how to choose the right mass gainer, which will help you to bulk up muscles as well as help you to gain weight. Also, how much should you take mass gainer if you are a beginner?
Understanding The Mass Gainer.
Mass gainers provide extra calories and nutrient support to an individual’s meals if he wants to bulk up his muscles and gain mass. These supplements generally contain ample calories, high carbohydrates, moderate proteins, and some fats. They are ideal for people who are unable to consume high calories through their daily diets and struggle with having extra calories in addition to their regular diet. People with high metabolism require extra calories and often find gaining mass and bulking up muscles hard, so mass gainers provide them extra calories with high carbs and proteins which fulfil their requirements. Good quality mass gainers contain very low sugar, that is 6g/100g of contents.
Benefits From Mass Gainers
- Easier to reach a surplus calorie intake.
- Aids in muscle recovery and growth.
- More energy
- More nutrients, vitamins, and calories
- Healthy fats to stay lean and gain muscles.
Things To Remember Before Choosing Mass Gainers.
When choosing the right mass gainer for yourself, there are several factors you need to consider.
Calories count: First, you need to analyse and determine how much calorie surplus you need to consume to gain muscles and mass without becoming fat, then pick a mass gainer as per your body’s requirements. According to the National Institute of Medicine, on average, women should consume 2000 calories per day to maintain their weight, while men require 2500 calories. And, if a person is aiming to gain lean body mass, they can add 10%-20% calorie surplus in their daily maintenance of calorie intake. For example, since the caloric maintenance for an average woman is 2000, then adding 10%-20% of calories means you are adding 200-400 calories to your daily maintenance. Also, an ideal caloric surplus for gaining weight and muscle mass may vary depending on multiple factors, such as age, gender, body composition, activity level, and overall health. So, before you start taking mass Gainer, take the recommendation of a registered dietician or fitness professional. However, my initial recommendation is that you start with about 200-400 calories, which will be easily digested. Taking a big dose from the beginning may hamper your digestion.
Carbohydrate-Protein ratio: if you are going to add more muscle to your body, then taking the right ratio of carb and protein can increase your benefits. The ideal ratio of carb to protein for people who are looking for mass gain is 3:1. To avoid a calorie surplus; you can also compare it with the calorie you are taking from your daily diet.
You also need some fast-release protein and slow-release proteins mixed in your mass gainer.
As fast-release proteins help in the recovery of muscle after a post-workout and slow-release proteins help in the growth of lean muscle structure by providing a sustained release of amino acids over an extended period.
Some fast-release and slow-release proteins are- Whey protein, casein, and Calcium caseinate.
Fat content: The best mass gainer understands the importance of healthy fat to gain healthy mass. So, they incorporate some fats to balance the nutrient scale as well. The best mass gainer may have 1g-2g saturated fats to balance overall nutrient facts. And if any mass gainer contains more than 5g of fats, then stay away from it.
Digestive enzymes: Good quality mass gainers have digestive enzymes that help to prevent bloating and indigestion caused by high-calorie intake. And help to give energy for intense workouts for a longer period.
Sugar content: Incorporating sugar in mass gainer is the easiest way to gain extra calories. But adding high sugar diet in your meal can make you insulin resistant which can led to diabetes. However, most high-quality mass gainers will provide calories from a natural and clean source of protein and carbs. They will keep low sugar addition and won’t add artificial sweeteners, colours, and preservatives.
Creatine and betaine compositions: Creatine aid in ATP resynthesis, which acts as an energy reserve for the body to perform intense workout and exercise for a longer period. It enhances performance during a workout and helps in muscle growth.
Betaine is a recovery fuel which helps in enhancing performance and helps to increase muscle mass and size.
Check the ingredients a mass gainer provides and look for creatine and betaine compositions while choosing a mass gainer. You want it to be natural and free from any artificial additives, as artificial ingredients might pose a chance of allergy and other long-term health issues.
When you look for mass gainers, look for trusted reviews and then go for your purchase.
How Much Should You Take Mass Gainer If You Are A Beginner?
When you have just started taking mass gainers, you might be thinking of having a mass gainer who provides a surplus of 1000 calories while maintaining your daily intake of calories. However, don’t be tempted by a big surplus of calories because taking high calories at the start may cause bloating and indigestion. So, I recommend taking a surplus of 200-400 calories in the beginning while maintaining your daily standard of calorie intake, which can easily be achieved by having a good-quality mass gainer. Generally, a good-quality mass gainer offers 200 to 400 calories per serving, but you can check a mass gainer’s product details to know how much they are offering per serving, and you can adjust your calorie intake accordingly.
Bottom Line!
The best mass gainer is the one which helps you to achieve your goal of mass gaining without making you fat. There are many choices in the market, but before you choose a mass gainer, make sure to consider the above factors and analyse your body’s requirements to gain mass and muscles.
