Mass gainer and weight gainer supplements help you gain weight, but that doesn’t mean you can go eeny-meeny with the two because you might end up not getting the right results.
The two protein supplements work for different body types, produce different results, and contain different amounts of calories and other macronutrients.
So, to help you choose which one best works for you, I spent hours delving into the matter and discussing it with the experts. Here’s everything I found.
5 Differences Between Weight Gainers and Mass Gainers
Choosing between mass gainer and weight gainer depends on your body type, activity level, and goals you want to achieve. Here are some of the important differentiation criteria:
1. Nutrient Components
Mass gainers and weight gainers contain calories and macronutrients serving completely different needs.
Calories
Weight gainers provide higher amounts of calories than mass gainers that help you gain weight.
“Gaining weight happens when you consume extra calories, more than your body burns.”
- Gavin Van De Walle, MS, RD, Registered Dietitian & the Owner of Dakota Dietitians
Protein
Mass gainers contain higher quantities of protein than weight gainers. It’s because the weight gainers are only used in refueling body’s carbohydrates storage for improved performance.
Carbohydrates
Weight gainers contain more carbohydrates. Extra carbs help you gain weight.
Fiber
Fiber is essential to maintain healthy and active digestion and also helps in muscle power gain. Mass gainer contains more fiber than weight gainers do.
2. Weight Gain
If you are too thin or underweight, and your main goal is to gain weight, the weight gainer supplements are for you.
They contain more calories and carbohydrates, particularly simple carbs, resulting in weight gain and fat gain.
Hard gainers - those bodybuilding folks who find it hard to increase muscle weight no matter how much they eat may find weight gainer supplements do the trick.
On the other hand, mass gainer supplements grow lean muscle mass fiber and add extra weight without body fat.
So, it may help those who are not so skinny but want to add more weight.
3. Muscle Building
A protein supplement high in carbs may not be beneficial for individuals who want to gain muscle mass.
It is because too many carbohydrates result in gaining fat. More carbs increase our sugar level, which signals our body to store the excess sugar as fat.
So, you should go for a mass gainer for muscle building because it contains fewer carbs helping you avoid the buildup of unwanted fat [1].
It also provides you with more calories plus enough protein to bulk while strengthening your muscles.
4. Athletic Performance
Mass gainers provide extra calories, low carbs, and more protein that helps in boosting athletes' and bodybuilders' exercising abilities.
They focus on gaining more energy and power, enhancing muscle strength and mass, and keeping fat weight at bay.
It pumps the necessary energy needed to perform quick, explosive movements helping them run further or jump higher.
5. Health and Safety
Mass gainer and weight gainer supplements are healthy and safe to use. They contain macronutrients your body needs ‒ protein, carbs, amino acids, and vitamins for a well-balanced diet.
A mass gainer is considered one of the safest supplements in the industry. However, you must take these supplements at the right dosage and the right timing.
If you are intolerant to certain foods, it may upset your stomach. So, better check the ingredients of the supplements before using them.
Is Mass Gainer Good for Building Muscle?
Mass gainers are supplements that contain protein, carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids and offer huge amounts of calories.
They are high in calories (at least 300-1200 calories per serving), fiber, rich in proteins, and have fewer carbohydrates.
Mass gainer supplements’ primary purpose is to help increase lean mass.
Therefore, if combined with the proper workout regime, they can work as muscle gainers, helping you build up.
Why Take Mass Gainers?
Some of the benefits you can get from taking a mass gainer supplement:
Extra calories
A calorie is the amount of energy we can get from what we eat or drink. To gain more muscle weight, you need to consume more calories than your body burns.
It takes more calories to build muscle mass – around 2,500 to 2,800 excess calories are needed to get one pound of lean mass. Mass gainer saves the day by giving you the extra calories you need for lean muscle growth.
Increasing muscle mass
If you aim to grow more muscles, then mass gainers are for you because they contain vast amounts of calories and protein quantity.
Growing your muscle weight improves your metabolism, keeps you strong and in good health, and helps you recover from injury and illness.
Providing balanced nutrition
Mass gainer supplements contain the essential nutrients your body needs, such as protein, carbohydrates, fats, amino acids, and even vitamins. Maintaining balanced nutrition is essential to help our bodies function effectively and stay healthy.
Who Should Take Mass Gainers?
If you want to spare lean muscle mass during calorie restriction, mass gainers may do the job.
A bodybuilder or a fitness enthusiast can benefit a lot from taking a muscle gainer supplement.
Additionally, it may help them perform explosives during heavy weight training, thus meeting their fitness goals.
For those who consume mass gainers, we recommend you read a how-to guide on proper mass gainer supplements use.
Weight Gainer: a Quick Overview
People often confuse mass gainer with weight gainer supplements. Both are mass gaining supplements but have different levels of nutrients.
Weight gainer supplement is a high-calorie supplement in the form of proteins, carbs, and fats.
It has more carbohydrates, less protein, and less fiber and best helps an individual with a skinny body who struggles with weight gain.
Why Take Weight Gainers?
Increasing calorie intake
Hard gainers and underweight folks find it hard to hit their calorie intake with their regular diet. It may be due to some factors such as fast metabolism and genetics. So, weight gainer supplements promote weight gain by providing extra calories to increase body weight.
Speeding up recovery
A weight gainer is also known to help in muscle recovery. Muscle repair is important for muscle gain and strength. In addition, the extra calories from weight gainers help regrow damaged muscle tissue.
Helping you stay lean
A weight gainer can come with specially formulated fat to help you keep a lean physique. They have good fat content, which is an essential part of a well-balanced diet, so they can help you cut out saturated fats.
Who Should Take Weight Gainers?
Weight gainers mainly help underweight people or those struggling to gain more weight. Taking weight gainers with their regular meals helps meet their calorie requirements.
Weight gainers also contain high amounts of carbohydrates since fats and carbs help increase body weight.
FAQs
Should I Take Mass Gainer or Weight Gainer?
It will depend on the results you desire to have.
If you are skinny or a hard builder and want to gain more weight, weight gainer supplements work best for you because of their high calorie and carbs content.
If you want to gain a muscular body, mass gainers may work well with you because they help increase muscle weight.
Should I take a whey protein supplement or mass gainer?
Another supplement popular among athletes and weightlifters is the whey protein powder.
Whey protein supplements are pure protein separated from milk and casein. Whey protein has two common forms: whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate.
Whey protein isolate undergoes more processes, so it is considered healthier and free from carbs and fats than the other form. Whey proteins are also known to help in muscle build and weight loss.
A mass gainer contains protein, carbs, and fats and is high in calories. It helps increase weight and build up muscle.
If you want fewer calories and to lose weight, go for whey protein; however, if you want a huge amount of calories and to gain weight, go for a mass gainer.
Here you can learn all the differences between mass gainers and whey proteins.
Which Will You Choose - Mass Gainer or Weight Gainer?
The best mass gainers and weight gainers both provide more calories to help you gain weight; however, they have a huge difference in levels of their nutrient content and purpose.
Those who struggle with weight gain may benefit more from weight gainers because they have higher amounts of calories and carbohydrates.
However, if you want to build a muscular body, mass gainers may do the trick. For example, muscle gainers may benefit weightlifters and gym-goers.
Which of the mass gaining supplements would you take? Share with us your supplement of choice and let us know how it worked for you.
Reference:
- https://us.myprotein.com/thezone/supplements/what-is-a-mass-gainer
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