Mass Gainer vs Whey Protein: Which one is right for you!
Here we have the old-age question which one is better for you mass gainer or whey protein? You would think that there are a couple of really simple answers to this and we will be able to do this whole article in 10 words or less however this is just not the case because there are massive amount of different scenarios that come into can factor into why you would take one over the other.
This article is going to be written from my perspective and my experiences. I have taken both of these extensively for a long amount of time, when I had different goals in place, so I have a good knowledge of how they both affect your body and what they have is useful which I will try to share with you here so you can make the best decision easily.
Mass Gainer vs. Whey Protein: Which one should I be taking?
If you have been going to the gym for any amount of time, more than likely you will have heard of both mass gainer and whey protein. They are not new things by any stretch of the imagination, however they are staples in a healthy workout plan and making sure that you put the right supplement into your diet can mean the difference between you making the progress that you want or not.
The difference between the two of them is actually quite simple, mass gainer protein shakes are best used when you are looking to bulk up heavily, gain way and put on muscle growth at the same time. They are generally very heavy in calories and sugar content as well meaning that they are not for everybody and if you are looking to take one of these deftly need to make sure that bulking is really what you’re after.
From personal experience, I find that taking mass gainer shakes is actually a really hard process, not so much because of the extra weight gain you get from them, it’s more because they are extremely high in sugar content, and overall they are hard to consume because they are just full of calories so they can be quite hard to actually get down and keep down. Saying that, they do make a massive difference if you are looking to bulk up and gain weight as well as muscle at the same time. They are not for everybody though but we will go into the that in further detail in a little bit.
For most people, what they are actually after is just a supplement to help them gain a little bit more lean mass and also help them to recover there after heavy workout. And that is where they protein comes into its elements. Whey protein is properly one of the original workout supplements that you can take and one of the oldest on the market today, it’s every bodybuilder’s go to supplement, and almost everyone that has ever worked out will definitely have taken some at some point. They are a absolute staple in any heavy workout plan and really do promo muscle building and ensure that you can recover a much higher rate than you would normally.
Do I need to take a protein supplement at all?
In my personal opinion I definitely think that you should be taking a protein supplement. It really is as simple as that. I have worked out for a long amount of time and I have worked out with and without protein supplements and I have always noticed the difference when I’m taking protein shakes because my recovery is just so much quicker and I feel that I am deathly working towards my goals much better than if I’m not taking.
It all comes down to science in the end, protein is essential for muscle growth and recovery. Protein also promotes healthy heart, and can help speed up your metabolism, helps with bone strength and density overall makes your workout more worth while.it really is as simple as that. Almost everything is in a protein shake you can get from food, however it sometimes is much easier to be able to take a protein shake than it is to be able to eat the same amount of amino acids which you would need to obtain from food which can be quite tricky to do.
So that is one of the main reasons that you should be taking a protein supplement over trying to get everything from food. Don’t get me wrong if you can get everything from food and you are tracking all of the amino acids that you need to support a workout program, then that is brilliant, however most people will not be able to achieve that and as such a protein shake may be much more beneficial to help you recover quicker and get you back into the gym and working harder.
You definitely want to make sure that you don’t get injured in the gym, and protein shakes are an essential part of making sure that this doesn’t happen keeping you on track to your workout goals.
How much protein you actually need anyway?
I’ll bet you’d actually be quite surprised at how much protein the average person needs, and someone who is looking to work out and build muscle, it is actually much more than you think you would need. If you are not working out you were just a regular adult going about your regular life, then you need about 0.8 g of protein per kilo of bodyweight just to maintain your current muscle density.
However this completely changes if you are a regular gym goer, or are looking to bulk up and put on some extra muscle, then in this case you need a much higher quantity of protein per kilo of body weight. In this scenario we recommend that you are taking between 1.5 to 2 g per kilo of body weight of protein. This is a much much higher almost double of what you would need if you are not going to the gym. So you can see that is really important that you get the right amount of protein to be able to meet your gym needs and also make sure that you are not going to get yourself injured whilst actually going to the gym.
So it is essential that you either get this much protein from food itself, or you start supplementing it with a protein shake be that way powder or mass gainers it doesn’t matter how you get protein as long as you do this will make sure that you take some pressure off your need to get this from food itself I knew every day-to-day life.
It’s not just about protein, there are other amino acids in your protein shakes that you need to be able to recover quicker and build muscle. There are also all in one protein shakes, that will have extra ingredients which will support your body when you are looking to work out a higher degree and build a lot of muscle. These are worth considering as well, mass gainers generally have a lot of these extra supplements in as well because they are supplements that can help you gain weight quickly and builds muscle mass as well.
Mass gainers over protein shakes – when should you take them?
That is the million-dollar question, mass gainers will not be for everybody that goes to the gym. Some people find it a lot harder to gain weight then others, these people are generally referred to as hard gainers. They will find it much harder to put on any sort of way beer muscle mass or fat, generally people with this type of body structure will want to gain weight but find it hard to do it. Here’s where mass gainer shakes come into play.
Most Hard gainers find it hard to find enough hours in the day to actually be able to get in enough calories if they are looking to bulk up. When you are working out in the gym as well, you will burn a lot of calories as well so it’s actually even more that you need to put on more muscle mass than you did before. So here is where mass gainer shakes can be a helpful additive to your diet which will help you fulfil that calorie deficit and overcome it to be able to put on more weight.
Mass gainer shakes generally include whey protein powder, however they will include a lot of other ingredients as well which will help to bulk out and allow you to put on extra weight. As we said before mass gainer shakes are often quite high in carbohydrates and sugars, which will allow them to fill up the shakes that you can consume a lot more calories a lot quicker.
They also generally include a fat content which is quite high, and much higher than you would find in a whey protein shake, which is actually quite lean, because of this some people can get quite scared about taking mass gainer shakes because they are worried of the health benefits associated with a high fat content diet. This is completely understandable as in the media high fat content diets are always being heavily slated, and it is really one of those things that people just tend to avoid. However it is all relative, you just have to make sure that taking a masking shape is right for you and your body type and make sure that is not an impact your health in any way.
There is no denying that mass gainer shape can help you put on a lot of weight a lot quicker than you would be able to if you are taking whey protein shakes only. Mass gainer shakes can vary greatly in the calories that are inside them, however generally is a good rule they often can include up to 1500 cal per shake which is a huge amount and massive part of your everyday calorie needs. Because of the sheer amount of calories in them as well, it’s worth considering that you only get certain amount of servings per container, which can mean that masking is exactly a lot more expensive than whey protein shakes. Something definitely worth considering.
Pros and Con’s of Mass Gainer Shakes
- High Calorific content
- Ability to gain mass easily
- Can cause heavy weight gain
- In hard gainers can cause lean muscle gain
- Can help boost your performance in the gym
- Expensive
- Can deftly make you put on fat weight instead of lean muscle mass
- Can be quite hard to stomach
- Can contain a lot of sugar
- They fill you up massively
Should I be taking whey protein instead?
Whey Protein shakes are almost never a bad thing to take anyway. It really depends on your body type and what you can achieve from your workout program. If you are looking to put on a lot size, and you find it hard to pardon way in the first place, then whey protein is perhaps not gonna be your best friend, and a mass gainer shake will definitely help you further. However most people are not lucky enough to be able to struggle to put on weight, myself included find it very very easy to put on weight quite quickly as well, not just muscle but also fat. So I find personally that whey protein shakes are much more beneficial to me in maintaining my bodyweight as it is, and also putting on a little bit of mean mass as I progress through my workout programs. In general I find that they have low carbon calorie contents. Which means I can easily manage my calorific intake per day. I just use them as a source of protein, and this means there is very easy for me to be able to get everything else I need from food, and just put a little bit more emphasis on shakes to be able to bring up my protein intake to what it needs to be for when I am working out.
Not all whey proteins are created equally however, just add to your confusion. Most whey proteins are generally standardised to a good quality content nowadays however not all of them are as good for you as others are.
There are three different types of protein that you will see on the market today concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate. Of these three types of different proteins that you will find on the market at almost all sports supplement retailers/
Whey Protein Concentrate
whey protein concentrate is the most popular of these. This is generally just because it’s the least expensive type of way that you can actually get. Loads of different brands have different ways of marketing this type of protein, however it is generally cheaper because it has less protein in it compared to whey protein isolate.
Whey protein in general is a very cheap source of protein compared to that of same meat or fish. However concentrate is the cheapest type of protein you can find, this does not mean that is the best view however.
Whey Protein isolate
Whey Protein isolate is a heavily filtered version of whey protein concentrate. This processing means that it has a far lower fat and lactose concentration than whey protein concentrate. Making it much easier to digest almost everybody and meaning that you are getting more of what you actually want from the protein powder. It has fewer carbohydrates in it as well and generally much higher protein content than whey protein concentrate.
Whey protein isolates what they do come in a lot of different varieties nowadays, generally have around 90% protein content. This means that what they advertise on the box generally what you get, which with I whey protein concentrate can actually be quite confusing sometimes and you have to take a lot more of whey protein concentrate to be able to get the same amount of protein that you would get from whey protein isolate. This means that whilst you spend more for whey protein isolate because it is much more heavily filtered in the beginning, it actually means that you take less of the powder and in the end my actually end up saving yourself some money.
So whilst it may seem cheaper in the beginning to bite concentrate sometimes it is always better to get isolate. Plus you will also get a lot more protein from your isolate the new well from your concentrate with a lot less effort you have to take a lot of concentrate to be able to get the same protein that you would from isolate.
Whey protein hydrolysate
Whey protein hydrolysate is generally seen as the lesser seen variety of whey protein. Whey protein hydrolysate is a variant of whey protein that is much higher in protein content again, but it also makes it a lot easier to digests compared to the other two varieties. It is generally used if you are very sensitive to lactose, so if you are lactose intolerant then perhaps hydraulic eyes whey protein hydrolysate may be the better choice for you.
However as per everything is much more expensive than the other two varieties, and generally in my personal opinion I would not suggest that is worth taking over the other two because it is just more expensive and you get less bang for your buck.
Whey Protein Pros and Cons
- The most common type of protein you’ll find on the market
- Generally seen as very cheap
- Much lower in calories than mass gainers
- Inexpensive compared to mass gainers
- Very cost-effective compared to food
- High protein content can help you reach your goals
- Low calorie content which might not need meet your needs
- Doesn’t compare to food itself
- Can be overused
- A lot of people don’t like the taste
In Conclusion, which should I take?
Well hopefully, the rest of this article has helped you made some decisions into which protein shake you to be taking mass gaining shake or whey protein shakes. There really is no one answer to this question, it really does depend on what your goals are and what type of body type you have. If you are looking for a little daily boost in your proteins, but you don’t need an extra way then it’s really simple whey protein is the one for you to take. If you are looking to work out anyway, then in general is probably a good thing today whey protein shakes and just so that you can make sure that you are not injuring yourself, and you are making some gains regardless of how hard you are working out. Whey protein shakes will help you maintain a healthy body and allow you to avoid injury.
Mass Gainer shakes are a completely different beast altogether to whey protein shakes. We do not recommend that most people take mass gaining shakes at all, they really are for the people that are pushing it to the extremes and looking to reach the next level.
Most people that are just everyday gym goers won’t need these at all, mass gaining shakes are really good for the fast muscle growth and those looking to just bulk up that little bit further than they’ve ever been able to before. Mass gaining shakes are great when you are hitting a plateau and when you think that whey protein isn’t really supporting your diet any more or your workout program and you are looking for that extra gear.
Mass gaining shakes are really good for that high level of calorie intake and also the carb intake as well, they can make a difference when you are struggling to find motivation the gym or energy and because of the high carb content you feel like you have a much higher level of endurance than perhaps you would have had before.
So it really does depend on what you are looking to get from your gym work and how much money you have in the bank as well, it really shouldn’t come down to it that you want to make gains in the gym but ultimately wanna save some money but unfortunately that is life. These products will be able to help you reach your goals depending on what your goals are.
Regardless of what your goals are and how much money you have in the bank we definitely recommend that you take some source of protein be it whey or mass gaining shakes!
Dan Woods
I'm a healthy and fitness nut! Been in this game over 10 years. If it's fitness, i've done it! Name a sport, i've invested silly money into it! Let me share my knowledge with you!