What are weight gainers?
Weight gainers are high-calorie mass-building products (weight = weight; gain = increase in weight) in powder form that are consumed in a shake and have a high calorie density. This means: A shake usually has a similar calorie count to a large meal! Weight gainers contain plenty of carbohydrates, a high amount of protein, and usually additional active ingredients such as creatine, fatty acids, and vitamins. At first glance, this sounds very good, but there's one catch: many weight gainers are made with cheap ingredients that, while they serve their purpose and contain a high amount of calories, are of inferior quality and provide most consumers with nothing more than an additional layer of fat. Quality muscle mass is not built this way...at least not without a noticeable increase in body fat.
For this reason, we recommend weight gainers to optimize muscle building and counteract potential problems with weight gain. Bodybuilding is particularly affected by such problems. In addition to track and field athletes and powerlifters, bodybuilders should also pay attention to consuming sufficient protein. These sports require increased protein intake to promote muscle protection and recovery.
Weight gainers – useful shakes for gaining weight or an expensive scam?
Weight gainers...hardly any other product type in the nutritional supplement industry is as controversial and discredited as weight gainers. But why is that? Weight gainers haven't exactly garnered positive headlines in the past: sugar-laced powder, inferior quality, and overpriced, manufacturers have tried to push cheap products. In our Weight Gainers category, we explain what really matters and show you when and how a weight gainer can make sense.
Weight gainer shakes as a solution for hardgainers?
Mass-building shakes for weight gain are especially interesting for one group of people – hard gainers! This is the original term for a metabolic type that has the following characteristics:
- "Ectomorph"
- tall, slim figure
- little body fat
- little muscle mass
- very fast metabolism
- are often referred to as "skinny"
- have difficulty building more muscle mass
It's self-explanatory to say that the problem for hard gainers is calorie intake and mass gain. This can have various causes. Unless it's an overactive thyroid (a very fast metabolism), for most people it's simply an underestimation of their calorie intake, which is far too low. Example: A hard gainer assumes they burn 2,500 calories a day and consumes 3,000 calories to gain weight. Their actual calorie consumption is 3,500 calories, which would mean they burn 500 calories more than they consume. Ergo: The hard gainer loses even more weight! Honest self-reflection is necessary here to truly assess their true calorie consumption.
Weight Gainer Shakes – what really matters and which ingredients seem sensible
Weight gainers of the past were often packed with cheap ingredients that generally contained only empty calories (tons of simple sugars), added with synthetic vitamins, and sometimes even diluted with glycine (amino spiking). This has given weight gainers a very bad reputation in recent years, but that doesn't necessarily mean that controlled weight gain through weight gainer shakes is a bad thing. Quite the opposite: You can easily mix your own DIY weight gainer if you know which active ingredients in powder form are the better alternative. At Muscle Lab, we offer unique carbohydrate blends and weight gainers that are also used in professional bodybuilding.
Building mass with weight gainer shakes – who are they suitable for?
Shakes for weight gain are just as popular as shakes for weight loss, with the only difference being that they each serve a completely different purpose. A good weight gainer shake should not only entice you to gain weight, but also be of a certain quality. Gaining too much fat mass isn't particularly beneficial for any sport, which is why we offer you the highest-quality options for gaining weight.
Weight gainers are used in numerous sports. Bodybuilders, i.e., strength athletes, and endurance athletes, primarily use weight gainers. Weight gainers can replenish the body's depleted energy sources. Mass and strength are therefore the results of weight gainers. If you'd like to try weight gainers, simply order them from us!