Each athlete makes an individual decision, which sports nutrition best suited to achieve his goals. Often you can find long disputes about what is more effective: protein or a gainer. At the same time, many see only one difference between these supplements - the presence of carbohydrates in the composition of the gainer and their absence in the protein. While in fact the main characteristics should be considered in more detail.
Everyone is looking for an elixir, ignoring the fact that nothing is more powerful than consistently consuming the right amount of total calories, carbohydrate energy, and muscle growth proteins. People tend to overestimate their actual food intake in an attempt to gain muscle. In other words, you are eating less than you think and need to move forward in a sustainable and meaningful way. In addition, the so-called tough faces face the problem that eating only solid foods with excess weight in calories is almost impossible due to their very fast metabolism.
The effect of protein and gainer on the body
In translation, "protein" means protein, its content in this sports supplement is usually 70-90%. Get protein from milk, whey, eggs, soy. Low-quality is considered to be vegetable soy protein, but for vegetarians it will be a good solution. In addition, there may be individual intolerance to lactose, and casein is not well absorbed by everyone.
They can solve this problem. These shakes contain fast-digesting protein sources and carbohydrates enriched with other beneficial ingredients. These shakes are perfect for post-workout use, but can also be taken in the morning. One of the most important considerations when choosing the right win is the carbohydrate content. Our high carb formulas are for the really lean athletes. These foods provide you with a high amount of carbohydrates that high intensity exercise is based on.
Proteins differ in the rate of assimilation, the complete or incomplete composition of amino acids and cost. There is also a complex protein on sale, which includes several varieties at once, however, not all manufacturers indicate the exact ratio of ingredients, along with pluses different types you get their downsides too.
Slow proteins are digested for a long time, so they are suitable for drying. Faster is more effective in building muscle. Protein also stabilizes the nitrogen balance and strengthens the immune system. Contraindications to taking protein are kidney diseases, for example, renal failure.
In moderate carb formulas with high content protein proportion of protein and carbohydrates is much higher. We have developed these products for those with normal metabolisms or athletes and for the needs of a typical bodybuilding workout. People who belong to these body types or activities do not need to take in too many carbohydrates and calories.
Therefore, our formulas promote growth and maintenance muscle mass. If you want to increase muscle mass, it is especially important to maintain a high protein intake. If the total protein content of solid meals and shakes does not meet your nutritional needs, fortifying solid foods with whey protein is recommended.
It is convenient for people who lead an active lifestyle to take protein bars with them. They are sold from different tastes, cereals, L-carnitine, fruits and nuts, and you don’t have to mix anything in a shaker in front of others. As for the protein that enters the body with food, it is found in dairy products, eggs, fish, and meat.
Choose fast-digesting protein sources by bulking up and using casein-dominant formulas during the determination. If we choose the simplest one, it is worth considering investing in creatine and glutamine. If we reach an appropriate level of protein and calorie intake, you can think about what other ingredients we would like to support muscle growth. In addition to macronutrients, complex muscle foods also include other active ingredients.
At an intermediate level, it is recommended to use these complex muscle muscles or take the listed ingredients separately - in addition to gaining. Although these compounds cannot be overdosed, it is better to pay attention to quality even in terms of economy. Creatine is an organic nitric acid that exists in vertebrates. About 95% of the creatine present in the body is found in skeletal muscle. Creatine helps provide energy to all cells, especially muscle tissue, by increasing the formation of adenosine triphosphate as a reserve of cellular energy even for muscle contraction.
In a gainer, proteins are combined with carbohydrates, and the proportions can be different. For example, in one portion of the gainer Serious Mass contains 251 g of energy carbohydrates and 50 g of protein, and in one serving of Muscle Juice 2544 - 162 g of carbohydrates and 55 g of protein complex. The protein base of the supplements is also different. In Multicomponent Gainer, it is 60% whey protein concentrate and 40% micellar casein.
By integrating a diet with muscle creatine, more creatine. After vitamins, getters and proteins; Glutamine has the same level of importance as creatine. Glutamine can become conditionally essential in certain situations, including intense physical training, when the body cannot synthesize enough glutamine. This conditionally essential amino acid can be provided through protein and supplementation. It is recommended to take 5-6 g of glutamine several times a day. All of our glutamine formulas can be used during mass building.
The body uses protein as a building material for muscles, carbohydrates are needed to restore energy. In other words, if your goal is to increase muscle mass, you need both protein and carbohydrates. Muscles will not grow until they replenish their glycogen stores. Taking a gainer will increase efficiency, increase the growth of power indicators.
The use of pre-training and energy formulas means an intermediate or advanced level. These products are very popular for their effect, which can be felt right after your workout. The main component of these formulas is arginine, which is a precursor to nitric oxide. You can decide if we want to increase the intensity of our training with stimulants or not. Our most challenging workout stimulus formula is Big Bang. Most pre-workout ingredients can also be purchased separately.
The need of the athlete's body for carbohydrates is 3-4 times higher than for proteins. However, it is easier to get enough carbohydrates (as opposed to protein) through food. Coaches recommend choosing a gainer for those who have a lean physique, or athletes who are more likely to skip meals without being able to eat regularly. The carbohydrate-protein mixture will also come in handy for people who combine classes with “iron” and martial arts. In the composition of gainers, manufacturers also include other healthy ingredients: creatine, vitamins, minerals.
This combination supports the mass gain process by providing the body with essential macronutrients and vitamins and minerals. Recommended for those who are "slow growing", and for beginners - basic muscle mass. This combination supports the process of increasing muscle mass by providing the body with essential macronutrients and vitamins and minerals with a more complex effect and additional glutamine. It is recommended for people who have a body type and an average metabolism, and for intermediate athletes, the quality of muscle mass.
- Both supplements help build muscle and increase performance.
- Trying to compare possible harm and side effects will also fail, as both the gainer and the protein good quality are made from natural food raw materials.
- You can harm the body if you buy a fake or take sports nutrition not according to the instructions, unreasonably increasing the dosage. Is that the protein is not recommended for people suffering from serious diseases of the kidneys or liver, and those who have an individual protein intolerance.
- Both the gainer and the protein are well absorbed by the body, without creating additional stress on the digestive system.
- Both supplements are drunk by dissolving in water, juice or skim milk.
Which is better: protein or gainer
How to understand, gainer and protein: which is better? Athletes who have a lean, ectomorphic physique are advised to take a gainer. A gainer is such a sports piece of meat with a garnish of carbohydrates. Try to choose a supplement that has a high quality protein, which may be in the form of an isolate. A large number of carbohydrates will enhance the positive effect and increase total weight athlete. You can not drink a gainer if the athlete receives required amount carbohydrates with food.
This combination supports the muscle building process by providing essential macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, with more complex protein formulations and pre-workout supercompressor stimuli. It is recommended that advanced athletes receive additional mass.
This combination supports the process of increasing muscle mass by providing the body with proteins, creatine, vitamins and minerals. This combination supports the muscle building process by providing protein, creatine, vitamins and minerals to the body, enriched with a "hardcore" performance receptor and a sophisticated pre-workout stimulant.
At the same time, endomorphs, athletes prone to gain excess weight, carbohydrate blend with high glycemic index can only harm and bring unnecessary pounds of fat. In turn, the use of protein does not affect the formation of subcutaneous fat and has positive influence for protein metabolism. Slow protein is drunk for drying, and fast protein is used to strengthen muscles. You need to start with a fast one, and then gradually move to a slow one.
Fundamental principles of nutrition for increasing fat mass. Fat calories should make up 15% to 30% of total calories from at least good fats. The recommended carbohydrate intake can be calculated based on total calorie and protein and fat levels.
The content level depends on several factors such as gender, age, body type, daily physical activity. There are online programs for calculating the level of service. Eat at least as many vegetables as meat. Eat while changing your diet as suggested.
When choosing a gainer or protein for gaining muscle mass, it is important to consider the type of energy exchange. A specialist - a professional instructor or a doctor - will help to determine it. You can understand the first results after taking it after a month of regular training.
Among the types of protein, three are especially popular:
Proteins: chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, fatty cottage cheese, eggs, protein powder, fish. Carbohydrates: whole grain rice, rice with rice, buckwheat, oats, millet, whole wheat bread, semolina whole wheat, quinoa, sweet potato, lots of vegetables.
Training program for building muscle mass. The sequence of body parts can be changed. We recommend starting the week with a weaker muscle group. Training card for 4 days. Day: chest, biceps, abdominal day: quadrilateral, calf day: trapezoidal shoulders, triceps, abdominal day: dorsal, calf. On the 4-day learning card, you can do the same exercises as on the card for 5 days. In this case, the training will continue for 20 minutes longer. If this is not desirable, you can reduce the row numbers slightly.
How to take protein and gainer
Caseins can be drunk at night so that the muscles receive amino acids. For cutting and post-workout recovery, a mixture of whey and casein protein is also suitable. Multicomponent proteins are also needed for a quick set of muscle mass. In this case chemical composition portions will be richer.
Q: What does creatine contain? A bit inaccurate as creatine itself is seen as a substance that the body does not need to break down. The substance is a replacement amino acid that is produced by the body at approximately 2 g per day. It is recommended because it is found exclusively in the muscles and fills the tissue with water. Thus, only after 3-4 weeks of intake, the muscle cell retains much more water and can add a few pounds more mass. Muscles look fresh and swollen.
In fact, creatine has been used for half a century and has served primarily to give strength. Creatine has a much greater impact on people who take it for the first time. Also, you can only take 2g per day during the maintenance phase. The recommended form is creatine monohydrate!
If you are still having a hard time choosing a mass gainer or protein to build muscle, try taking both supplements at the same time in this way: combining a low-protein gainer and protein in equal proportions. Professional athletes can also give other advice on what to take for mass gain: protein or a gainer.
Many people think that you can start gaining weight with a gainer, and then switch to protein. Again, for women, protein will be more relevant, since they have more fat deposits. For men, the use of a gainer that increases muscle tone is closer.
When is the best time to take creatine - before or after a workout? Naturally, creatine works best before a workout because it gives you energy and will help you with your workouts. However, if you want to load it into cells, it's best to do a workout after you've completed your workout. Typically, creatine has been used by strength athletes since the 1950s to give them extra strength before training. The bodybuilding effect is sought after the load, and when the target is mass, it is best to take it then. This will have the best effect.
Can creatine increase? Does water in a muscle cell hold harm? Rumor has it that excessive use of creatine leads to cancer? Yes, creatine can expect up to 5kg of pure muscle if you are a beginner. Keep in mind that 90% of the resulting weight will be water.
When right choice gainer and protein will become reliable assistants on the way to the result. The difference between these additives is still in the application time. Gainer mixed with milk, juice (not citrus) or water ( room temperature), to gain muscle mass, drink before training, about an hour and a half. For these purposes, they usually take 1.5 g of powder per 1 kg of an athlete's weight. BUT protein cocktail- both before and after physical activity so that the muscles not only develop, but also recover. Berries or fruits are added to the drink to taste. A scoop of protein contains approximately 30 g of powder.
If I have to choose between protein and amino acids, which would you recommend? Both protein and amino acids have their place. Protein can be drunk throughout the day as it breaks down more slowly and ensures a smooth flow of amino acids into the bloodstream. Amino acids, which you can take after a workout, immediately enter the bloodstream. Creatine works, but depends on the manufacturer and how you use it. It's also good to charge 20g a day and then go for 3g a day. Strengths will change a lot after a long time.
Explosive strength will not only get creatine. How does glucose work and if you want to give more information about these amino acids. Glucose, fructose and dextrose are simple carbohydrates that stimulate insulin secretion. Recently, it has become very fashionable to take simple carbohydrates after training in order to increase the capacity of the muscle cell and put more muscle substances into it. Combined with glucose, they will give you a build-up effect.
Summarizing the above, we can say that both proteins and carbohydrates are important for gaining muscle mass. Protein alone will not provide full muscle growth, but carbohydrates alone will not be enough.
There are cases when it seems that sports nutrition is taken correctly, but serious muscle growth is not observed. Do not rush to change the proportions of protein and carbohydrates, first check the other possible causes. You may not be eating enough calories, exercising irregularly, not increasing your intensity, or, conversely, overtraining.
One of the best bodybuilders in the world - Jay Cutler - uses this powerful combination. If not, how and in what quantities? They are the building blocks of protein and are immediately absorbed by the body. They are the main materials for building muscle tissue and are best nutrition for this. It can be taken in the morning and after training, but the amount depends on the type of tablet.
The combination of glucose and amino acids is suitable for the accumulation of muscle mass. The combination is good, but glucose alone does not make sense to take - it is a carbohydrate that does not have an increasing effect. If you are looking for a great effect, add creatine. This will act as much as possible to pump the cell.
Do not forget that both protein and a gainer will not replace fully normal food. Watch the dosage so as not to cause side effects- skin rash or gastrointestinal upset. An increase in the concentration of carbohydrates in the body can cause problems with insulin secretion. To eliminate unpleasant side effects, try to stop taking the supplement for a few days or reduce the daily dosage.
The effectiveness of training in the gym is determined by the ratio of muscle mass gain and loss excess fat. If a person is aimed at a high result, it will be very difficult for him to do without the use of nutritional supplements that contain proteins and carbohydrates in a concentrated form. The most popular supplements include protein and gainer.
Features and composition of protein and gainer
Protein is the protein in pure form, derived from milk, whey, egg powder or soy, free of carbohydrates and fats. "Protein" is translated from English and means "protein". Its intake provides significant muscle growth, since protein is a building material for muscle tissue. We will not raise questions about it, let's take a better look at its main advantages:
- Has a high digestibility;
- Stabilizes nitrogen balance;
- Helps to 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 time period, gives maximum weight gain. Therefore, in the process of building muscle, it is better to start with a fast protein and gradually move to a slow one.
Contraindications to the use of protein are individual protein intolerance and serious kidney disease (renal failure)
- This is a dry protein-carbohydrate mixture, consisting on average of 10-20% of proteins and 70-80% of carbohydrates, which stimulates weight gain and restores the energy reserves of the body. This is the difference between these supplements. There is different cocktails, in which the ratio between proteins and carbohydrates can vary from 10%/80% to 40%/50%. Gainer Benefits:
- Restores glycogen stores;
- Provides the necessary energy;
- Increases efficiency, increases the growth of power indicators;
- Contributes to the overall recovery of the body and the restoration of muscle tissue during sleep.
Carbohydrates that are part of gainers are simple (high glycemic index) and complex (low glycemic index). It is better to take them:
- People with high metabolism;
- Possessing a lean physique (ectomorphs, asthenics);
- Professionally involved in sports and at the same time leading an active lifestyle;
- Teenagers;
- In the absence of a debugged diet.
Given the difference between a gainer and a protein, it is not recommended for people who are prone to fullness and rapid weight gain.
Protein or gainer: what to choose?
For the full growth of muscle mass, proteins and carbohydrates are needed equally. If the muscles cannot replenish their glycogen stores and fully recover between workouts, they will not grow, even in the absence of protein deficiency.
Therefore, the reason for too slow weight gain can be not only a lack of protein, but also a lack of carbohydrates. So, it is better to combine protein and a gainer, or choose a gainer with a high protein content.
Gainer is an energy supplier, allowing you to increase the duration and intensity of training. However, if the amount of carbohydrates that have entered the body is not completely spent, they are transformed into subcutaneous fat, which will adversely affect the relief of the figure. That is why these shakes are best suited for lean 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 the result.
Based on the above, there are two options:
- Take at the same time protein and low-protein gainer in equal proportions;
- Take gainer with large quantity protein, approximately 35%/55% in favor of carbohydrates.
However, high protein gainers are quite rare, and the difference in price compared to high carbohydrate supplements is significant. Therefore, it is better to buy a high-carb gainer and protein and mix them in the right proportions, which are determined individually. Experienced athletes advise 1:2 or 1:3. These nutritional supplements absolutely compatible.
Before training (60-90 minutes before), it is better to drink a gainer with a high content 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 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 mass fraction protein. If you are overweight, it is better to start immediately with protein, not forgetting the minimum necessary daily dose carbohydrates.
When compiling an individual mixture, it is advisable to consult a professional instructor, as well as a doctor. And the last thing: when choosing a protein or a gainer, you should not forget that these are nutritional supplements that will not replace normal nutrition.
