Should I try Mass Gainer

rgharwood

Hello people of my fitness pal, I am 5'10" and weigh 165 lbs. I am trying to build muscle and get bigger, but seem to be having a lot of trouble. It has been a month since I have made any weight or muscle gains despite trying to eat big, and lifting 4 days/week. Currently I take ON 100% whey and creatine post workout and in the past this has worked for me. However, because of the lack of progress in the last month or more, I am wondering if Mass Gainer is the way to go. I am not sure if I eat enough, despite me thinking it is a lot, and think maybe mass gainer can be helpful. However, I am not sure how healthy it really is, and if it is really more meant for people who have trouble gaining weight both muscle and fat. I feel like I can gain fat easily if I intake too many calories and that is also a concern of mine because that would defeat the purpose of all my hard work! So my question to all of you fitness gurus is, should I try Mass Gainer?

gtmfitness

What is going on!!

I had a lot of trouble gaining weight in the past.
My best advice to you...drop all supplements and do not get a mass gainer. They are garbage.
You can keep the creatine though. and keep a tub of protein for back up! in case of emergency haha

You said it yourself You don't know if you eat enough.

So you probably aren't if you arent putting on any weight.


Your maintenance is probably around 2600 calories. Meaning you should be striving to hit around 2800 to 2900 calories while resistance training to build some muscle.

You can try some of these foods to hit your calorie numbers:
Steak
Chicken
Ground meat
Eggs
Yogurt
Cheese
Whole Milk
Pasta
Rice
Tortillas
Granola
Veggies
Apples
coconut oil
Peanuts
frozen yogurt ice cream
Cookie Dough Balance Bars
Gatorade Protein Bars

gtmfitness

Hope that helps!

rgharwood

Thank you! I always just feel like when I do eat, I am only gaining fat, and not muscle weight, and so I wondered if a mass gainer would be a "cleaner" bulk

kwtilbury

Mass gainers are typically 25-33% whey protein and the rest cheap carbs. They're convenient, but you're paying for it. You're better off with just whey protein and adding stuff like bananas, rice, potatoes and even ice cream or pastries.

The key is not to overdo it. Try a 15-20% surplus and monitor your weight and body comp over the next several weeks. Adjust accordingly.