Building muscle is something that requires intense dedication, both in and out of the gym. To build muscle, your body needs to be in a hypercaloric state, meaning that every day it’s taking in more calories than it is burning. For some people, however, reaching that state is very difficult. Whether it’s a lost appetite or a rapid metabolism, if you’re having a difficult time hitting your calorie intact or macros, a weight gainer protein shake might be exactly what you need.
Jump to:
- Difference between weight gainer protein & regular protein
- What’s in a gainer shake?
- Use of weight gainer protein shakes
- THE Gainer
- Vegan Recovery Blend
- Gainer shake recipes
- FAQs
Difference Between Weight Gainer Protein & Regular Protein
Like normal protein shakes, weight gainer shakes won’t add an inch to your chest or add size to your legs overnight, but over time, it can help you get to those goals. The difference between weight gainer shakes and regular protein shakes comes down to the nutritional values of each one.
In a normal protein shake, you can usually expect to consume 100-150 calories and get 20-30g of protein. With weight gainers, however, there are many more options when it comes to reaching your goals.
For somebody looking to get a few extra calories to bridge the gap, there are shakes that will have 400-800 calories per serving. On the other hand, for people who find it extremely hard to gain weight, there are shakes that will have 1000+ calories per serving to help reach those 4000-5000 calorie goals for the day.
What’s in a Gainer Shake?
Shakes designed for weight gain usually consist of protein, carbohydrates and sometimes fats which can make them extremely effective. For example, in addition to replacing your normal protein shakes, weight gainers will have good slow and fast-acting carbohydrates – perfect for after a workout to replace glycogen stores.1 Weight gainers also contain sources of fat, which help boost total calorie intake and support the creation of the hormones that impact our health.2 Calorie surplus is key to seeing muscle growth.
Some gainers will even have creatine in them too, which works especially well with the quick-digesting carbohydrates in the shake because they aid in the absorption of creatine into the body.
| Gainer Shakes | Normal Protein Shakes |
| 400-800 calories | Around 100 calories |
| Contains extra carbohydrates and fat | Contains only protein from sources such as whey or soy. |
| Can be used to reach a calorie surplus and build muscle | Generally used for building muscle |
| Convenient source of protein | Convenient source of protein |
Use of Weight Gainer Protein Shakes
When it comes to these shakes, it’s important to be aware of what you need. While it may seem tempting to assume it’s all you need to get bigger, you should remember that weight gainers are still supplements, and that is what they will do for you – supplement.
To gain muscle, you should be consuming around 2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight every day.
Weight gainers are like protein supplements but for calories. When it seems hard to reach your daily protein requirements, protein shakes can help, and it’s the same with weight gainers. If you’re having trouble reaching your daily calorie requirements to build muscle, a weight gainer protein shake can help you tremendously. Incorporating a high calorie, low volume shake in between meals can be an easier way to consistently boost your total calorie intake without feeling like you are overeating at mealtime.
However, if you’re able to reach your daily calorie and nutrient goals with the food you already eat, a weight gainer may actually hurt your progress. This is because adding in a weight gainer may only cause you to gain unwanted fat.
Three conditions are necessary to gain muscle: you need to be consuming more calories than you burn in a day (calorie surplus), you need to be challenging your muscles to create microtears to heal and rebuild, and you need to consume adequate protein to rebuild and gain additional muscle tissue. Weight gainer protein can be the best way to meet your dietary needs when you’re hitting the gym hard and looking for gains.
THE Gainer
Finding a weight gainer protein shake that’s going to meet your macros and keep you lean while you build muscle might sound too good to be true, but THE Gainer does exactly that.
So many weight gainer protein shakes are packed with sugar and empty calories that will leave you experiencing unnatural blood sugar spikes and gaining fat as well as muscle. THE Gainer contains over 750 calories from low-sugar ingredients.
The carbohydrate blend provides quick-release energy without a huge blood sugar spike, followed by a sustained release of energy. This is due to Carb10 and Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (HBCD) which both have a low osmolality for fast gastric emptying, so you can get a quick initial energy boost from HBCD and avoid a low blood-sugar crash. The carbohydrates will replace used up glycogen stores and help the protein to be absorbed for muscle building.
The protein blend is made up of quality fast and slow-releasing proteins, so the body can start building muscle immediately post-exercise and continue for hours after. This means maximal muscle gains from all your effort in the gym.
