Planning On Buying Mass Gainers? Read This Unbiased & Detailed Guide First

Mass gainers are one of the oldest and most popular supplements in the market. Every major supplement company has its own range of mass gainers with fancy names: XXL mass gainer, Extreme Mass Gainer, Serious Mass etc.

In this article, I will help you understand whether you need a mass gainer or not. And if you do need, which one should you buy.

Stop Being Fooled First

First, let's burst this bubble. Mass Gainers are marketed in such a way that majority of the population is forced to believe that it magically helps in gaining muscle mass. 

Well, muscle building is and will always remain a combination of optimal training, nutrition, and recovery (optimal being the keyword). Supplements, steroids, and everything else will always be secondary. Hence, one or even multiple tubs of mass gainers won't get you jacked like the athlete on its packaging.

What Are Mass Gainers?

A mass gainer is basically the powdered form of a meal. It majorly contains carbohydrates (70%), a moderate amount of protein (20-30%) and some fats (5-10%). A typical serving of mass gainer will have 1000 Calories with 200g Carbohydrates, 25g Protein, and 10g Fats.

Who Should Actually Use Mass Gainers?

As you can see, mass gainers are nothing but food in a powdered form, which helps you get in extra calories. Therefore, the majority of smart coaches (including myself in past) have labelled mass gainers as a waste of money, because you can get those same calories from real foods. 

But after training hundreds of people over time, I have learned that everyone's body, appetite, and life circumstances are different.

Following Are Some Instances Wherein A Mass Gainer Can Be Useful:

v  You are underweight & have a small appetite. Mass gainers can feed your body with a good chunk of calories and being in liquid form appetite won't be an issue. 

v  You can only eat 2-3 meals after long gaps. Here mass gainer can be used as a snack meal. 

v  You cannot pack a meal for school/college/office and all there is available junk or low-quality food. Here, a mass gainer can be extremely useful in hitting your macronutrient targets especially if you have serious performance goals.

Which One to Buy?

If you do require a Mass Gainer consider the following things before buying one:

1) It has at least 15g protein per scoop. Note: per scoop not per serving.

2) Ensure the source of protein is a quality one like whey concentrate, isolate, casein, egg protein or a combination of all three.

3) Check carbohydrate source. Avoid dextrose-based mass gainers. Maltodextrin and Waxy Maize are acceptable. Complex carb sources like oats, quinoa powder is the best.