Mass Gainers - Gaining weight requires that you increase the amount of calories you eat. Specifically you must consume more calories in diet, than you expend in energy. Doing this with regular foods quickly becomes monotonous, expensive, and difficult after a couple of days if not sooner. So a great healthy way to gain weight is to supplement your regular diet with a weight gain powder. When shopping for a weight gainer there are many factors to consider.

Whilst containing a high percentage of carbohydrates (which add valuable calories & assist with protein absorption as well as providing fuel for more intense workouts) your gainer should ideally be low in simple sugars which have been shown to give an insulin spike, encouraging your body to store fat¹. It should be high in quality proteins such as whey isolate, casein, egg or soy. Protein is important for building bulk because it houses the amino acids that are the building blocks for muscle & if you’re going to gain bulk, you want it to be muscle, not fat. A certain amount of fat though is O.K also since added fat helps to increase the calories of each shake. Fat is a highly concentrated energy source (in fact double that of protein & carbohydrates). As a rule though, avoid gainers which are high in saturated fats (bad fats). Instead, try choosing one high in Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids which has the added benefits of supporting brain function & promoting low cholesterol as well as monounsaturated fats which are helpful in combating obesity and cardiovascular disease². To avoid any potential excess fat mass increases, it is always helpful to perform some high intensity cardio whilst on a bulking phase. The high intensity cardio will also act to promote protein synthesis and better lean muscle mass gains³.

Considering that you could be taking up to 3 weight gaining shakes a day, it you’re on a budget, it can be worth looking at the "cost per serve". This is already calculated on each product page for your convenience at the Mr Supplement website. If you are looking for a new weight gainer that you haven’t tried before, consider buying a smaller sized pack to start with. Whilst it may be slightly more expensive per serve, it will also mean you get to trial a flavour rather than having to consume it for an extended period if you don’t happen to like it. Also look at the caloric value of each weight gainer, as some tend to be higher in caloric value than others. Weight gainers are most beneficial to ectomorph body types or “hard gainers”. This often also includes younger males who require more calories for their daily physiological growth. Weight gainers have been shown to increase body weight & muscle bulk dramatically & can be effectively stacked well with almost all supplements including pre-workout supplements, intra workout supplements & post workout supplements.

Mass Gainers are commonly presented & sold as Formulated Supplementary Sports Foods in Australia. Mass gaining protein supplements are not a sole source of nutrition and should be used in conjunction with an appropriate physical training or exercise programme. Not suitable for children under 15 years or pregnant women. Should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision. Always read label prior to use.

1. Santos MP, França SA, Santos JT, Buzelle SL, Bertolini GL, Garófalo MA, Kettelhut IC, Frasson D, Chaves VE, Kawashita NH. ‘A low-protein, high-carbohydrate diet increases fatty acid uptake and reduces norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in rat retroperitoneal white adipose tissue.’ Lipids. 2012 Mar;47(3):279-89. Epub 2012 Jan 8.
2. Schwingshackl L, Strasser B, Hoffmann G. ‘Effects of monounsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.’ Ann Nutr Metab. 2011;59(2-4):176-86. Epub 2011 Dec 2.
3. Gremeaux V, Drigny J, Nigam A, Juneau M, Guilbeault V, Latour E, Gayda M. ‘Long-term Lifestyle Intervention with Optimized High-Intensity Interval Training Improves Body Composition, Cardiometabolic Risk, and Exercise Parameters in Patients with Abdominal Obesity.’ Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2012 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]