In this article I will discuss the characteristics of high quality weight gainers and how to use them effectively in your diet to help achieve your goals faster and to prevent you from wasting money on supplements that aren’t helping you gain quality mass.
One reason that some people don’t become successful and maintain consistency when trying to gain weight is because they hate the taste of the weight gain powder or drink they were consuming. If you don’t enjoy doing something then you will struggle with motivation. There are that many choices when it comes to picking weight gainers there really is no excuse for not liking the one you use.
What Makes A Good Weight Gainer?
Weight gainers should taste good and be easy to consume. You may not think this is an important quality, but I don’t believe in punishing myself day after day by force feeding myself something that is difficult to swallow or that tastes horrible. Whether or not something tastes horrible is completely subjective, but building a better body should be an enjoyable process, and you should enjoy every part of your diet, including supplementation with weight gainers.
Of course you can make yourself swallow something with the belief that it is going to be good for you in the long run, and many of us have done this, but the point is that there are enough brands of weight gainers and flavors out there for you to find something that you enjoy consuming.
While we are talking about the qualities of the best weight gainer, let me stress the fact that a good weight gain supplement should dissolve well into water, milk, or whatever liquid medium you are using. Some people don’t mind this, but I absolutely hate trying to swallow any liquid that contains lumps of powder that haven’t been dissolved properly (those unexpected lumps are the worse).
I don’t always have the time to find a blender in the middle of the day to use to mix all the ingredients that goes into making weight gainer shakes. So for my success it was very important to find supplements that taste great, and that can be easily and completely dissolved in a portable shaker cup.
The best weight gainers should be easy to digest and not interfere with the rest of your diet. A good quality supplement should be formulated in a way so that your digestive system can easily break it down and absorb it for utilization. So it shouldn’t sit on your stomach for hours or make you feel sick to your stomach. It also shouldn’t give you excess gas or diarrhea.
In some cases when you start using a new weight gain supplement there is a period of adjustment that your body goes through as it gets used to the new product. But this adjustment period should not be prolonged and it shouldn’t lead to excess disturbances in your digestive system.
A good supplement should fit in well with the rest of your diet and eating plan and not stand out as something that makes you completely lose your desire for food. Some brands of protein powder can just sit on the stomach making you feel awful and unable to eat for the rest of the day. If any weight gainers prevents you from your normal daily activities, including your training and nutrition program then get rid of it because it is counterproductive.
Choosing The Best Weight Gainer
Choosing the best weight gainer is one that will help you meet your daily caloric needs for gaining weight. However, don’t just consider the weight gainers with impressive calorie numbers as some of the brands are filled with simple sugars and fats. Look at the protein and complex carb ratios and decide which supplement will work best for you.
I am a big fan of Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer because in my opinion they set an industry standard, and exceed the aforementioned criteria. You can read a review of ON’s Pro Complex Gainer and compare it with other mass gainer supplements on the market over at this weight gainers information site, which reviews all the popular brands.
Please feel free to let us know in the comments below which brand of weight gainer supplement you prefer using in terms of your results, taste, price, how easy it’s on the stomach, etc.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks 4 ur info. But how many calories is suitable for weight gainers? I love this.
@Udeme It largely depends on your daily caloric intake requirements and the ingredients. If you are preparing your own weight gainer, what type of milk is being used, are you adding good fats like flax seed oil to bulk up? The calories can quickly add up. The weight gainer recipes on this site are around 750-1000 calories per drink. A commercial weight gainer like Serious Mass is 1250 calories. I will typically have 2x 750-1000 calorie weight gain shakes on training days, one first thing in the morning when I wake up and then another one after working out.
Is L-Argenine good for weight gain as well?
@Evolver Not really, Arginine plays an important role in expanding blood vessels to facilitate blood flow, but this occurs during exercise. A better way to get BCAAs is with a good Whey Protein Isolate supplement.
What do you recommend for women to try and gain weight? I’ve tried everything…. can you help me understand the process a little bit more? Also, I heard that it wasn’t good for women to consume protein shakes ,is that true? If so, what do women consume to get that healthy lean body?