What is better for mass: protein or gainer. Protein or gainer: which is better? – Protein Powders

What is better for quickly gaining muscle mass - gainer or whey protein? How to take gainer correctly to avoid increasing body fat.

What is a gainer?

The gainer is recommended for use by naturally thin athletes (ectomorphs) who have difficulty gaining muscle. The role of this supplement is to increase the total calorie intake, as well as more efficiently transport nutrients to the muscles by increasing insulin levels.

The principle of action of a gainer on muscle growth

Consuming a gainer, a mixture of fast carbohydrates and proteins, increases the level of insulin, a hormone that opens up the opportunity for the absorption of nutrients. In addition, this cocktail is more effective than regular protein in reducing the level of cortisol in the blood, stopping the process of muscle destruction.

The importance of carbohydrates for mass gain

Physical activity requires glycogen - reserves of processed carbohydrates stored in muscle tissue. In total, up to 500-600 g of this substance is stored in the athlete’s body. A lack of carbohydrates in the diet will prevent the body from replenishing these reserves, negatively affecting strength performance and muscle growth.

How to take gainer?

This amount of gainer must be taken either after or before and after strength training. At the same time, dividing the dose into two doses will provide the muscles with the necessary energy for training and more effectively meet the body’s needs for carbohydrates and proteins immediately after its completion.

Should I take a gainer during the day?

Considering that the majority of gainer carbohydrates have a high glycemic index, taking such a high-calorie mixture in isolation from strength training can lead to a rapid gain of fat mass. Moreover, fat will accumulate in the most problematic area - on the stomach.

What is better - protein or gainer?

In athletes who have a tendency to gain fat mass (endomorph body type), taking a gainer can affect the increase in body fat. If the goal of taking sports nutrition is to gain lean mass, endomorphs are still recommended to use whey protein.

How to make a homemade gainer?

A source of fast carbohydrates can be either an isotonic drink (carbohydrate supplements for runners) or even juice. However, it is important to remember that 40-60 g of carbohydrates is two glasses of juice, and most of these carbohydrates will be regular sugar or fructose, and not maltodextrin, as in a gainer or isotonic drink.

A gainer, a carbohydrate-protein mixture with a high absorption rate, is an important aid in weight gain and muscle growth for naturally thin ectomorphs. A portion of the gainer should be taken either immediately after strength training, or the recommended dose should be divided into two doses - before and after training.

When making the life-changing decision to join the gym and get a beautiful, toned and muscular body, many of us have thought about including one or more nutritional supplements in our diet. For what? And all then - to get a divine figure. And it’s quite difficult and scary (and sometimes very dangerous) to choose one among the huge variety of variations of this product that literally flood the modern market. They are dangerous not at all because they are harmful to health in any way, but because you can run into a low-quality or even counterfeit product. By the way, problems can also arise with high-quality supplements if you use them ineptly or calculate the doses incorrectly.

So which is better, protein or gainer, let's figure it out

The most popular and effective supplements nowadays are protein. You should have a good understanding of what each of these supplements is.

To begin with, let’s figure out what a real bodybuilder needs for successful and effective training in the gym. By effectiveness we mean the rapid burning of “bad” fat and the equally rapid growth of noble muscles. But we, in fact, need the presence of two components in our body - proteins and carbohydrates. The former are building material, a kind of “bricks” from which our muscles will be built. The latter provide our body with the energy so necessary during prolonged and intense physical activity, such as occurs during training.

Read more about supplements and what is the difference between them

A gainer is a dry mixture, a cocktail consisting of 70-80% carbohydrates and 10-20% proteins. Protein is the same dry shake, but consisting almost entirely of proteins and practically free of carbohydrates and fats.

Both products, contrary to popular public opinion about the harmfulness of their components and ingredients, are actually made from absolutely natural and harmless food raw materials. There are also very popular versions that such additives cause addiction, similar to drugs, cause problems with the heart, kidneys, liver, some even compare them to steroids. Despite this, research shows that these fears are unfounded. And what harm can be caused by products made from the same compounds that we eat every day? Perhaps with a higher concentration for rapid absorption and assimilation by the body.

Protein, due to protein, gives a noticeable increase in muscle mass and accelerates the “construction” of one’s own body. The only “but” is that taking proteins is not recommended for serious or pathological kidney diseases, or for individual protein intolerance.

Gainer, thanks to carbohydrates, provides a colossal supply of energy, thereby increasing the duration and duration. But, precisely due to the high carbohydrate content, a gainer can also lead to unpleasant consequences - unspent carbohydrates (not “spilled out” energy) are transformed into fats, which settle under your skin, reducing muscle definition and worsening your overall figure.

What is the difference between a gainer and a protein?

Gainers are advised to be taken by people with an ectomorphic body structure - thin and with a high rate of metabolic reactions, that is, people who have difficulty gaining weight. Gainers will help you gain this mass in a relatively short time.

And, conversely, endomorphs - people who tend to be overweight and quickly gain weight - are not recommended to use mass gainers frequently. People with this body type will find it more difficult to avoid gaining subcutaneous fat from unprocessed carbohydrates. It will be much healthier and more effective for them to use protein mixtures to reduce the fat content in the muscles.

By the way, many supplements and cocktails contain, in addition to the components listed above, some vitamins and minerals, which further increases their beneficial properties in general. They may also contain carotene, an amino acid that improves and strengthens human immunity. In addition, there are gainers that contain proteins and carbohydrates in a ratio of up to 45:45, which only increases their effectiveness when working “for weight”. These types of gainers are considered to be of higher quality and, therefore, have a higher price.

There are two types - with slow and fast proteins. Slow protein is absorbed more slowly by the body, which means it produces less muscle gain, but acts for a long time. Ideal for those who want to lose weight or give their muscles relief (with the so-called drying). Fast protein has the exact opposite effect - it is absorbed quickly, acts for a short time, and provides maximum weight gain. Accordingly, to build a beautiful sculpted figure, a bodybuilder needs to start with fast protein and switch to slow protein.

How to combine protein and gainer intake

Based on the above, we can conclude that the choice of one or another nutritional supplement is an individual choice for everyone and it should be based on the state of one’s own body, body structure and the goals pursued. If you want to gain weight as quickly as possible, start taking gainers. Once your body weight is satisfactory, switch to protein. If you think your body weight is too high, start right away with protein, slow for drying, or fast for strengthening muscles.

Yes, one more thing - it’s quite possible to combine both supplements at the same time - low-protein gainer and protein in approximately equal proportions. Then you will provide your body with both the necessary amount of energy and building material in the form of proteins. The main thing is to optimally select an individual dose. And regarding doses: gainers and proteins are nutritional supplements. Supplements, not the main food, do not get carried away with them and do not overdo it, otherwise there is a very real chance of developing an upset stomach and other problems with the digestive tract. As the wise words say - everything is poison and everything is medicine, it is the dose that makes it one way or another. And yet, taking into account the above, we can come to the conclusion that for a bodybuilder, the optimal supplements to take are proteins, because the overall performance indicator is slightly higher than that of gainers.

The whole truth about gainers in the video

“For muscles to grow, you need to eat a lot of meat!” and “If you want to lose weight, you need to eat less” - this the most common and harmful gym myths.

The body is a complex biomechanism, and in order for it to grow and develop normally, and then dry out without harm to health, you need to eat as much as it needs (no less and no more), and during training, damage the muscles exactly enough to start the overcompensation mechanism.

At the same time, the amount of food is strictly tied to the load and is regulated according to sensations - on some day of the training week the body may need more food, on another less.

The body builds muscle only under conditions of increased physical activity and only if it receives adequate nutrition. By this he means that several thousand chemical compounds are obtained from food, many of which must be supplied in strictly designated quantities.

A deficiency in any of these will result in stunted muscle growth. In fact, nutrition should be as “rich” and varied as possible, because a narrow diet and not a single artificial food composition can contain this entire complex of compounds at once.

Moreover, the athlete must also have a completely healthy gastrointestinal tract, capable of absorbing all these microelements, and an overall very high percentage of food absorption.

Otherwise, the athlete simply will not be able to eat and assimilate the entire volume of food needed to grow and maintain huge muscle mass with flat abs (and flat abs limits the size of the intestines and the volume of the stomach, which for a bodybuilder rarely exceeds 300-400 ml, this is not easy for you to settle into saggy belly!).

So, the main factors for the growth of muscle mass are intense regular exercise, alternating with regular and complete rest against the background of a balanced chemical composition, but slightly excessive in fact, 5-6 meals a day.

An article about the benefits of BCAA powder for training.

Want to know more about which high protein fish to choose for your healthy diet? You can find out the answer in this article.

The body must live in conditions of hard physical work, but not to wear and tear, and, let’s say, at ease, without the stress of lack of food and rest. Only then will the body naturally begin the mechanism of increasing linear size and muscle mass without excessive fat gain.

Under nutritional stress, the body will try to store primarily fat or more fat than muscle. If there is a lack of rest, the muscles will not be able to grow at all - they are restored only during sleep.

However, excess nutrition does not mean uncontrolled overeating of anything. In order for muscles to grow predominantly, the body should never lack protein and vitamins that trigger its synthesis. Other substances in excess are undesirable, as they will go into fat reserves.

At the stage of maintaining the gained weight, you need to eat a day 1.5-2 g protein per kilogram of weight (depending on metabolism). During the muscle growth stage, protein levels increase up to 2-2.5 g protein per kilogram. You can’t eat more than 3g/kg - the excess won’t be absorbed anyway.

In the best case, it will go into fat reserves; in the worst case, it will decompose and be excreted in the urine, in the meantime polluting the body and causing urolithiasis and kidney failure. The second point is that the body cannot absorb more than 25-30 g of protein in one meal. Any excess will be utilized as fat or broken down and excreted. 100 g of chicken fillet contains 20 g of protein, a piece of bread - 3, 100 g of pasta - 11. In total, a tiny portion of 230 g contains 34 grams of protein. Thirty of them will be absorbed, and 4 will be used as fat.

If the food also included sweets, then carbohydrates and fat will be used to replenish the energy depot. Normally digested in one meal 90 g carbohydrates, no more (in our example there are 95 of them), the excess is also used “in reserve”. As a result, with an excess of protein, fats and carbohydrates in the diet, a fairly noticeable reserve of excess weight is gained per day.

This is why you need frequent meals in small portions - this makes it easier to dose the amount of protein and the risk of overeating. The most convenient strategy is to build a diet from foods with a precisely known content of fat, protein and carbohydrates. These are meat, chicken, cottage cheese, eggs and food protein supplements. A serving of any of these products always contains the same amount of essential substances; by changing the serving size you can adjust the amount of protein

Gainer and protein - how to take to gain muscle mass?

The most well-known protein supplements are skim milk powder, powdered eggs, dry soy protein and protein shakes based on them. The protein matrix of all protein shakes and gainers of the same class is basically the same.

Protein matrices are created from one or more types of protein. The most complete biologically and quickly digestible (absorbed in 15-20 minutes) proteins consist only of whey protein, isolate.

Takes the longest to digest casein proteins(based on cottage cheese - casein), they act for up to 5 hours.

Blends of whey protein and casein have mixed effects. These proteins are good for drying or as post-workout proteins, casein is drunk the night after a training day - so that the muscles receive amino acids all night.

Suitable for quickly gaining muscle mass multicomponent proteins(3 or more types of protein), which provide a richer chemical composition of the serving.

The serving size of protein (usually measured in scoops) is 30-40 g, of which 25-30 g are pure protein, the rest are vitamins and flavoring additives. The calorie content of such a portion is very small. After drinking it, the athlete will receive strictly 30 g of protein and not a single extra calorie(on average no more than 200 kcal) - and sometimes this is exactly what is needed (for example, during drying or if regular food clearly lacks protein, but other elements are normal). A serving of protein is like a piece of meat.

If you add carbohydrates and some fat to the original protein composition with 30 g of protein, the protein will “turn” into a gainer or ristor. To understand how to take a gainer correctly, you need to consider that it contains more carbohydrates and fats., the serving volume increases due to them to 100-300g (of which 30 g protein).

This is analogous to a full meal - a piece of meat with a carbohydrate side dish. The calorie content of a serving ranges from 300 to 2000 kcal. Ristor occupies an intermediate position, a portion weighs from 45 to 60 g (of which 30 g is protein), the rest is vitamins and carbohydrates. As a rule, there is no fat. This is an analogue of a piece of meat with a salad of greens, of average calorie content (200-500 kcal).

All cocktails can be prepared with water or milk. Milk slightly increases the content of protein, fat and carbohydrates, so it is recommended to take skim milk, no more than 1.5%. Milk with a fat content of more than 2.5% in combination with protein can inhibit the production of endogenous testosterone. You can prepare a gainer yourself from regular protein by adding banana, syrup, chocolate or honey, oatmeal, cookies or a little boiled rice to the cocktail.

We've got more details on which is right for a guy to build muscle!

How else can you gain muscle mass? In this material we will dwell on this in more detail.

Choosing a supplement based on body weight

If there are no special instructions from the trainer (he, as a rule, takes into account several factors in the recommendations, including the training scheme, assessment of muscle condition, etc.), then the principle of choosing a cocktail is based on the number of calories that can or should be entered into the diet (after all, a serving of any type of cocktail contains exactly 30 g of protein).

Normotrophics They can, depending on their desire and based on the intensity of their training, drink any cocktail. For people who are prone to obesity, it is better to give preference to low-calorie proteins and ristors, especially since they have a pronounced drying effect if consumed immediately after a workout.

Asthenics Those who are gaining weight very poorly can only drink a gainer: their problem is usually not a lack of protein, but that the body uses all the food it receives, including part of the protein, for energy. Gainer will give them the excess calories that are necessary for muscle growth. The calorie content of a serving should be higher, the greater the lack of calories in the daily diet in fact.

How to combine both medications

Gainer, ristor and protein are absolutely compatible, to the point that sometimes they are mixed by mixing in a shaker, for example, half a portion of banana protein and half a portion of chocolate ristor, etc. Cocktails from different manufacturers are also compatible, since the protein matrix is ​​basically the same.

The main thing is to follow the principle of “half and half” or 1:2, 1:3), since it is necessary that the resulting mix portion contains no more than 30 g of protein. People resort to such delights if they need to get a portion of a cocktail of a given calorie content or if they are tired of typical tastes. In fact, there are not so many flavors, 3-4 from each manufacturer, and a can usually contains 30 servings, so drinking for 2 months, say, only strawberry protein in the morning, and only chocolate gainer in the afternoon, sometimes gets terribly boring.

What's best for muscle growth?

Sports cocktails are a type of supplement that exhibits maximum properties only in specific circumstances. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally which is better.

In general, if you have the opportunity to experiment, you should give preference to whey proteins, from which, if necessary, you can make a gainer or, by adding low-fat cottage cheese, whey-casein protein.

But there is no way to remove extra calories from a gainer. If we talk about the taste of the additive, then vanilla and neutral flavors provide the greatest scope for experimenting with fillers.

Gainer or protein, which is better - video

Video about how to choose between gainer and protein and whether it is worth choosing. Tips from a professional trainer on how to organize your intake of these sports supplements.

Gainer or protein, which is better for you to gain muscle mass? What's the difference between protein powder and muscle gainer? Which one should you use to achieve the desired muscle building effect? Today we will try to answer these questions as fully as possible.

On the Internet, you can find many users who want to verify the truthfulness of the advertising of various supplements and find out which one should be used, which one will be worth the money spent, and how these powders can increase muscle growth.

Here is the most frequently asked question:

"Hello! I am 24 years old, my height is 178 cm, my weight is 78.5 kg. My goal is to gain mass and gain as much muscle as possible. But at the same time, I don’t want to gain even the minimum amount of fat. What should I use, protein or gainer?

What follows, as a rule, is a list of different brands of protein powders and gainers, which are asked to be ranked according to their best qualities. But before you answer that question, you should take a step back and just understand what protein powders and gainers actually are: These are sources of quick and convenient liquid nutrition. That's all!

Most Advanced Bodybuilders Don't Even Count Protein Powders or Gainers "additives" they rather view them as simply a convenient source of food. For example, you don’t think that when you drink a glass of milk, you’re taking supplements? No. Therefore, drinking a protein shake or gainer is the same, except that the powders are a more concentrated source of liquid nutrition.

So don't be fooled by flashy magazine ads that show great looking bodybuilders saying the key to their success is drinking "Super Duper Muscle Enhancer 4000."

To bust this myth and show you how supplement advertising is sometimes done, just look at the following example:

Ronnie Coleman drinks bottled water.

Ronnie Coleman won Mr. Olympia.

From this it turns out...

Bottled water is the key to winning Mr. Olympia.

Now we all know that drinking water is very important not only for building muscle mass, but also for life in general. However, this does not mean that drinking bottled water means consuming "magic drink", which will help you create the body of your dreams.

The same goes for protein powders and gainers. Yes, protein is an essential nutrient that we all need to consume in order to live. But protein powder doesn't have any special muscle-building properties, it just has a higher protein content than regular products. Regardless of what the advertisements say or who the paid spokesperson is, these products are nothing more than convenient meal replacements.

Now that we understand how smart marketing moves are made, it’s time to move on to the topic of the article and answer the question:

Gainer or Protein – Which One is Better?

1) – Protein Powders

These powders are almost always isolated or concentrated protein containing only trace amounts of fat and carbohydrates. A typical scoop of protein powder will have over 20 grams of protein and only a couple grams of carbohydrates and/or fat.

2) – Gainers

These powders contain – a 2 to 1 combination of carbohydrates and protein. A typical serving of mass gainer (which is usually a couple of large scoops of powder) contains over 60 grams of carbohydrates and over 30 grams of protein along with a small amount of fat.

3) – Meal replacements

These powders are also a combination of proteins and carbohydrates. But they typically have a 2 to 1 ratio of protein to carbohydrates. A typical serving of the powder (which is usually packaged in individual servings) contains more than 40 grams of protein and about 20 grams of carbohydrates.

The best muscle gain product that is most often recommended is...

Pure protein!

This supplement is one of those that must be on the food list. It is better to use either whey protein isolate or a mixture of protein isolates (for example, Iso-Smooth 4 Protein Blend). The average person should get more protein from their food, not more carbs, so this is the reason why protein powder is recommended as the best option.

Now let's look at gainers and meal replacements. They are optional and can only be used if you prefer.

Meal replacements in portioned packages are convenient when you are constantly on the go and cannot prepare normal food for yourself. All you have to do is pack a shaker and take a bunch of packets of substitute with you. And you will have instant food with high protein content. Now, due to the nature of production, they are expensive, about twice as much as protein powder. But there is a cheap one "home" meal replacement option using pure protein powder as the base ingredient. You can see all the details in the video below:

In most cases it is highly recommended not to use gainers. Most often, the extra weight you get from these drinks is simply excess fat. Carbohydrates, which are found in large quantities in gainers, cause a surge in insulin and thereby contribute to the accumulation of fat. The only time your insulin levels will peak is immediately after completing a hard strength training session. So if you want, you can use the gainer as a post-workout shake.

However, you can very easily make your own protein-carbohydrate shake using pure protein powder and a small amount of carbohydrates for post-workout consumption. This is usually cheaper than buying a mass gainer.

You need to buy maltodextrin (carbohydrates in powder form) wholesale store that sells ingredients for home brewing beer and wine. You can also buy there dextrose (simple sugar) and simply add it to your ready-made protein shake.

The recipe is simple: mix about 80 grams of carbohydrate powder (a 50/50 mix of maltodextrin and dextrose is ideal) and 40 grams of pure protein powder. This will give you the ideal 2 to 1 carbohydrate to protein ratio.

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Based on materials from: http://leehayward.com/blog/protein-powders-vs-weight-gainers/

The effectiveness of exercise in the gym is determined by the ratio of muscle mass gain and excess fat loss. If a person is focused on high results, it will be very difficult for him to do without the use of nutritional supplements that contain proteins and carbohydrates in concentrated form. The most popular supplements include protein and gainer.

Features and composition of protein and gainer

Protein is protein in its pure form, obtained from milk, whey, egg powder or soy, purified from carbohydrates and fats. “Protein” translated from English means “protein”. Its intake ensures significant muscle growth, since protein is a building material for muscle tissue. We won’t raise questions about it, let’s take a better look at its main advantages:

• Highly digestible;
• Stabilizes nitrogen balance;
• Helps strengthen the immune system;
• Provides the body with essential amino acids.

There are two types of proteins - slow and fast. Slow is absorbed at a slow pace, gives a small increase in muscle mass, but acts for a long time. Good for drying. Fast protein is absorbed quickly, acts within a short period of time, and provides maximum weight gain. Therefore, in the process of building muscle, it is better to start with fast protein and gradually switch to slow protein.

Contraindications to the use of protein are individual protein intolerance and serious kidney disease (renal failure)

is a dry protein-carbohydrate mixture, consisting on average of 10-20% proteins and 70-80% carbohydrates, stimulating weight gain and restoring the body’s energy reserves. This is the difference between these supplements. There are different cocktails in which the ratio between proteins and carbohydrates can vary from 10%/80% to 40%/50%. Gainer benefits:

• Restores glycogen reserves;
• Provides the necessary energy;
• Increases performance, increases strength growth;
• Promotes overall recovery of the body and restoration of muscle tissue during sleep.

The carbohydrates included in gainers are simple (high glycemic index) and complex (low glycemic index). It is better to take them:

• People with high metabolism;
• Those with a thin build (ectomorphs, asthenics);
• Professionally involved in sports and at the same time leading an active lifestyle;
• Teenagers;
• In the absence of a regulated power supply.

Considering the difference between a gainer and protein, it is not recommended for people prone to obesity and rapid weight gain.

Protein or gainer: what to choose?

For full muscle growth, proteins and carbohydrates are needed equally. If muscles cannot replenish glycogen reserves and fully recover between workouts, they will not grow, even in the absence of protein deficiency.

Therefore, the reason for too slow weight gain may be not only a lack of protein, but also a lack of carbohydrates. This means that it is better to combine protein and gainer, or choose a gainer with a high protein content.

The gainer is an energy supplier, allowing you to increase the duration and intensity of your workouts. However, if the amount of carbohydrates entering the body is not completely consumed, they will be transformed into subcutaneous fat, which will negatively affect the appearance of the figure. That is why these cocktails are better suited for thin people with a fast metabolism who find it difficult to gain weight. They, unlike endomorphs, do not risk gaining weight due to adipose tissue. Using only proteins, such people will have to wait much longer for results.

Based on the above, there are two possible options:

• Take protein and low-protein gainer at the same time in equal proportions;
• Take a gainer with a large amount of protein, approximately 35%/55% in favor of carbohydrates.

However, high-protein gainers are quite rare, and the price difference compared to high-carbohydrate supplements is significant. Therefore, it is better to buy a high-carbohydrate gainer and protein and mix them in the required proportions, which are determined individually. Experienced athletes recommend 1:2 or 1:3. These nutritional supplements are absolutely compatible.

Before training (60-90 minutes), it is better to drink a gainer with a high content of complex carbohydrates, and after training (after 20-30 minutes) - a cocktail of whey protein, simple carbohydrates and glutamine. Typically, gainers are taken both on training days and on rest days, before meals.

If your body weight seems insufficient, you need to start by taking gainers; when the mass is gained, switch to a mixture of these additives, gradually increasing the mass fraction of protein. If you are overweight, it is better to immediately start with protein, not forgetting the minimum required daily dose of carbohydrates.

When preparing an individual mixture, it is advisable to consult a professional instructor, as well as a doctor. And lastly: when choosing a protein or gainer, do not forget that these are food supplements that do not replace normal, nutritious nutrition.