Many novice bodybuilders, when deciding to gain muscle weight, often think about including in their diet nutritional supplements. The most popular sports supplements today are gainer and protein. Most athletes are interested in what is better: protein or gainer? Let's figure it out.
What is a gainer?
Gainer is a dietary supplement, which consists mainly of simple or complex carbohydrates, as well as protein. It is an essential material for muscle growth. Carbohydrates, in turn, provide the body of an athlete vitality required for strength training. Carbohydrates in this mixture - 80%, and proteins - 20%.
Gainer dietary supplement is necessary, first of all, for people who, doing strength training, want to get a muscular and toned body or gain weight.
Gainer intake
In bodybuilding (bodybuilding) the most the right time for taking a dietary supplement, a gainer is considered to be the time after training. Thanks to this, the athlete will restore his own strength in the shortest possible time, replenish weak energy reserves, and suppress the processes of catabolism.
The use of a gainer is also possible before training. The human body will receive the main source of energy - carbohydrates. This will allow the athlete to train in a more intense mode. Due to the high concentration of amino acids, catabolism processes will be suppressed immediately after the start of classes. But there is one drawback. During training, the athlete's body will lose little fat mass, and fat gain will only increase.
Gainer Dose
Each serving of a gainer, on average, should contain: proteins (20-40 grams), carbohydrates (50-80 grams), unsaturated fats (several grams). It is not recommended to exceed this dose, because otherwise it will not be well absorbed by the body.
To prepare a gainer, you need to mix a portion of the dry powder in milk or water. After that, the cocktail will be ready to drink.
Food supplement protein
Protein in bodybuilding is a sports supplement that consists entirely of proteins and contains almost no fats and carbohydrates. Muscle growth is possible only with a positive protein balance.
Proteins in bodybuilding are used for various purposes. First of all, in order to reduce fat mass body, as well as for intensive muscle growth and to maintain good physical shape.
Protein intake
It is very important to consume protein after training. During this period of time, the athlete's body will absorb well useful material and recuperate after exercise.
Dose of protein
The serving size should be thirty to thirty-five grams. The recommended servings of protein should not be exceeded, otherwise they will be poorly absorbed by the body. You can dissolve the protein in milk, juice or water.
Protein indications and contraindications
Consider the indications and contraindications for the use of protein and gainer.
Indications for the use of protein
- With increased physical activity. For an athlete with strong physical exertion, it is sometimes simply impossible to do without additional stimulants. And the use of protein shakes will help him cope with heavy physical exertion. But here it is very important to choose an individual dose, which would depend directly on the physical activity of a person.
- With regular exercise. When the human body cannot cope with additional physical activity, protein is used. It will increase the stamina of the body and enrich it with useful proteins. In this regard, it is also necessary to consult a specialist regarding the dosage.
Protein Contraindications
- With personal protein intolerance.
- For kidney problems (renal failure).
Indications and contraindications for the use of a gainer
The use of a gainer is possible if you:
- Not inclined to set excess weight and you have a low level of physical strength.
- Are subject to regular physical activity and need an additional source of energy.
Contraindications to the use of a gainer
Taking a gainer is contraindicated if a person is prone to gaining excess weight and his plans do not include gaining additional mass, but there is only a desire to maintain his current shape.
Thus, if we compare the indications for the use of a gainer and protein, we see that people who are prone to gaining excess weight should better stop taking a gainer. And protein intake is possible with increased physical activity.
What is the difference between a gainer and a protein?
Natural and safe food raw materials are the basis for the manufacture of these food supplements. Since the composition of the protein is predominantly protein, muscle mass will gradually increase due to this. It must be remembered that people with serious or pathological kidney disease are not recommended to consume proteins.
A gainer differs from protein in that it contains mainly carbohydrates, which provide a huge supply of energy. This allows you to increase the duration and intensity of classes.
How to combine protein intake and gainer
What to use: a gainer or a protein, it is up to everyone to choose. But it is necessary to take into account the state of your body, the structure of the body and the goals pursued. If a person is thin and wants to gain weight in the shortest possible time, it is best for him to start taking gainers. After the athlete gains the required mass, he should switch to protein. In any case, it is necessary to consult with a specialist in this field.
What to drink: gainer or protein?
The best option would be a combination of equal proportions of a low-protein gainer and protein. Thanks to this, the human body will be enriched with building material (protein) and the necessary energy. The most important thing is the selection of an individual dose. It must be remembered that the gainer and protein are not the main food, but only nutritional supplements. You should not get too carried away with them, as they can cause disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
You can learn more about how to drink a gainer in our article.
Novice athletes who have a limited budget for the purchase of sports nutrition often face a difficult dilemma, which is not as easy to solve correctly as it seems to them and even their more experienced comrades in the gym! Sooner or later, when an athlete realizes that the time has come to feed his body with sports supplements, he asks himself the question: “Gainer or protein, which is better?”. The correct answer depends on a number of factors - the type of metabolism, goals set for the athlete, diet, etc. In other words, the decision cannot be made spontaneously, but only after a balanced analysis of the data listed below.
Basic differences
But before disassembling subtle nuances, you should understand the main thing - what is the difference between a gainer and a protein?
Gainer - what is it and what is it eaten with
A gainer is usually called a powder mixture containing proteins, fats and carbohydrates, where the amount of carbohydrates exceeds the amount of protein. Often gainers contain in their composition a noticeably larger proportion of carbohydrates than proteins. This is required to compensate for the energy balance of muscle cells and replenish glycogen stores in them after training.
The main purpose of the gainer is a set muscle mass sportsman. Indeed, to achieve this goal, not only building elements in the form of protein are needed, but also great amount energy. The synthesis of muscle tissue from incoming amino acids is a very resource-intensive process that cannot be fully carried out without carbohydrates.
For this reason, so many athletes never gain muscle mass if they do not get enough carbohydrates, despite the huge portions of protein they absorb - the body simply does not have the resources to absorb all this mass and convert it into muscle tissue.
However, gainers are also different. And the product that is suitable for some athletes will be completely unacceptable for others!
Gainers for athletes with a fast and slow type of metabolism
- Hardgainer mixes are products with a strong predominance of carbohydrates in their composition. Only in this way athletes with a fast metabolism will be able to create a sufficiently high concentration of glycogen in their cells to force them to synthesize all the incoming amino acids into the proteins of the future tissue.
- Mixtures for overweight people - these gainers, on the contrary, have a reduced carbohydrate component in their composition, and carbohydrates here should be presented in the form of slowly digestible ones. This approach eliminates the formation and accumulation of excess sugar in the blood, which leads to the appearance of body fat.
Protein - feeding the body with building materials
Protein is usually called a powder mixture, which is dominated by protein (or protein, pardon the tautology).
After studying the above information, it may seem to someone that the question of which is better - a protein or a gainer, is redundant. In fact, why use protein if you can protect yourself with a gainer with low content carbs while getting protein and energy at the same time?
But there are a number of situations where the use of a gainer with any amount of carbohydrates can harm the athlete's plans:
- The athlete adheres strict diet and conducts fat-burning workouts, where every gram of carbohydrates can slow down this progress.
- Man receives an insufficient amount protein from food, but a normal amount of carbohydrates. In this case, taking a gainer will only disrupt right balance nutrients.
- The athlete is preparing for a carbohydrate “load”, before which carbohydrates are completely excluded from the diet for a while.
The minimal presence or even complete absence of carbohydrates - this is what distinguishes a protein from a gainer! Depending on the degree of refinement and the type of protein used, a protein product often contains no more than a few grams of carbohydrate per serving. It does protein shakes ideal option to solve the problem of lack of building materials for muscle tissue.
Athletes can use protein blends throughout the day to make up for the lack of protein in regular meals without the fear of over-consuming carbs or fat!
Proteins are most actively used by athletes not only to compensate for the lack of protein in food, but also to prevent muscle catabolism caused by an insufficiently rapid supply of amino acids to the blood. Many of the protein shakes contain ultra-fast types of proteins (isolates and hydrolysates) that deliver building materials to muscle cells in a matter of minutes, which no food or gainer is capable of!
Gainer or protein - which is better for specific purposes
Theoretically, both products can be taken to achieve a wide variety of sports goals, but their profile thoughtful application will give results much faster!
Protein intake is essential for:
- Uniform intake of sufficient portions of protein in the body during the day. To get 30 grams of protein, you no longer have to consume half a kilogram of food several times a day, overloading your digestive tract - just one shaker with a serving of a cocktail is enough!
- Special slow protein types can continue to feed muscle cells with amino acids even during the entire night's sleep, without threatening the formation of excess fat.
- Restraint of muscle catabolic processes during fat-burning workouts, when excess nutrition is not allowed and the body is always deficient in protein.
Gainer intake is necessary for:
- Forced set of muscle mass with minimal formation of fat in the body, supplying building materials and energy to it.
- Replenishment of energy reserves after prolonged training, when the level of glycogen in the blood drops to a critical level and does not allow metabolic processes to be carried out in the amount necessary for the athlete, slowing down his recovery.
- Those situations when it is not possible to fully eat and the body begins to experience a lack of nutrients, which leads to catabolism. Instead of a missed meal, you need to drink a gainer.
When choosing a gainer or protein, you need to remember not only your goals, but also the characteristics of your own body (metabolic rate, specific diet, etc.). Only a thorough analysis of all these factors will help you choose the ideal product for each specific situation!
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“In order for muscles to grow, you need to eat a lot of meat!” and “If you want to lose weight, you need to eat less” is 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 just enough to start the hypercompensation mechanism.
At the same time, the amount of food is strictly tied to the load and is regulated by sensations - on some day of the training week, the body may need more food, on some less.
How does muscle growth happen?
The body builds muscle only in conditions of increased physical activity and only if it receives good nutrition. By it, he understands the receipt of several thousand chemical compounds with food, and many must come in strictly designated quantities.
A lack of any of them will lead to a halt in 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 all this complex of compounds at once.
Moreover, the athlete must still have a completely healthy gastrointestinal tract, capable of assimilating all these trace elements, and an overall very high percentage of food absorption.
Otherwise, the athlete simply will not be able to eat and absorb the entire amount of food needed to grow and maintain huge muscle mass with a flat press (and a flat press limits the size of the intestines and the volume of the stomach, which in a builder rarely exceeds 300-400 ml, it’s not easy for you to sit in drooping belly!).
So, the main factors in the growth of muscle mass are intense regular loads, alternating with regular and good rest against the backdrop of a balanced chemical composition, but a little excessive in fact, 5-6 meals a day.
Gainer is a sports supplement for increasing muscle mass and improving total weight body, containing in its composition a mixture of "fast" carbohydrates, proteins, creatine, vitamins and minerals. Word gainer refers to the English verb to gain, meaning in this context a set of muscle mass.
Gainer is recommended for naturally thin athletes (ectomorphs) who have difficulty gaining muscle. The role of this supplement is to increase the total calorie content of the diet, as well as to more efficiently transport nutrients to the muscles by increasing insulin levels.
The principle of action of the gainer on muscle growth
Energy for strength training, the body primarily receives from glycogen - carbohydrate stores in the muscles. That is why after the end of the workout, the intake of carbohydrates with a high absorption rate (and large) has a positive effect on hormone levels and muscle growth.
The use of a gainer, a mixture fast carbohydrates and proteins, increases the level of insulin - a hormone that opens up the possibility for the absorption of nutrients. In addition, this cocktail is more effective than regular protein in reducing blood levels, stopping the process of muscle destruction.
The importance of carbohydrates for mass gain
The opinion that muscles grow from the active consumption of meat, various protein products and sports protein in powder, only partly true. In reality, muscle growth is impossible without increased calorie intake and a significant amount.
Physical exercise require - stocks of processed carbohydrates stored in muscle tissue. In total, up to 500-600 g of this substance is stored in the athlete's body. Lack of carbohydrates in the diet will not allow the body to replenish these reserves, negatively affecting strength and muscle growth.
How to take a gainer?
A typical recommendation for a gainer to increase muscle mass is an amount containing 20-30 g of protein and 40-60 g of carbohydrates - most often this is one scoop finished product, or a scoop of protein isolate and the appropriate amount of a mixture containing carbohydrates.
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 cover the body's needs for carbohydrates and proteins.
Do I need to take a gainer during the day?
Taking additional portions of a gainer during the day is only permissible for extremely thin ectomorphs and with a significant shortage of total calorie intake. In all other cases, it is recommended to either get energy from regular food, or take whey protein.
Given that most of the carbohydrates in a gainer have a high glycemic index, taking such a high-calorie mixture in isolation from strength training can lead to a rapid set of fat mass. Moreover, fat will increase in.
Which is better - protein or gainer?
Gainer is necessary exclusively for naturally thin athletes who have problems with weight gain. In their case, a regular whey protein with a minimum content of simple carbohydrates will be much less effective than a high-calorie mixture from fast proteins and complex carbohydrates.
In athletes who have a tendency to gain fat mass (), 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?
way to save on sports nutrition and on the gainer is self-mixing whey protein with carbohydrates. In this case, you will not overpay for carbohydrates, of which there are more than half in the gainer - in fact, they always cost much less than themselves.
A source of fast carbohydrates can be either isotonic (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 ordinary sugar or fructose, and not maltodextrin, as in a gainer or isotonic.
Gainer, a carbohydrate-protein blend with a high absorption rate, is an important aid to weight gain and muscle growth for naturally lean ectomorphs. A portion of the gainer must be taken either immediately after a strength training session, or divided into two divided doses - before and after training.
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, obtained from milk, whey, egg powder or soy, refined from 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. Eat 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.
The carbohydrates that make up the gainers are simple (with a 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 high content squirrel.
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 mass. 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 big amount 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 are 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.
