What Are The 5 Best Weight Gainers?
What Are The 5 Best Weight Gainers? If you’re a skinny guy trying to add lean muscle, it might seem like you already eat enough food, yet you wonder why you aren’t making any gains, right? More than likely, you aren’t eating as much as you think (especially if you don’t track your macronutrients).
Guess what? You still need to eat more! Of course, make sure you’re eating 3 whole food meals per day and that you’re following a clean high protein, moderately high carb, low sugar, and healthy fat diet. Next, it’s time for a Gainer! A good Weight Gainer will add quality calories and help you gain lean muscle. Many Weight Gainers feature multiple protein sources, lots of high quality carbs and low sugar. With that in mind, let’s look at the Top 5!
A Quick Look At The 5 Best Weight Gainers
| Weight Gainer | Calories perServing | Protein per Serving | Total Carbs perServing | Sugar perServing |
| Hi-Tech Critical Mass | 610 | 50 Grams | 75 Grams | 10 Grams |
| Muscle Meds Carnivor Mass | 710 | 50 Grams | 125 Grams | 0 Grams |
| IForce Mass Gainz | 506 | 40 Grams | 75 Grams | 10 Grams |
| Mutant Mass | 1060 | 52 Grams | 192 Grams | 18 Grams |
| Beverly Mass Maker Ultra | 390 | 25 Grams | 50 Grams | 6 Grams |
Reviews – The 5 Best Weight Gainers
What Is The Best Overall Weight Gainer For Muscle Growth?
I picked Hi-Tech Critical Mass because it’s not just another Weight Gainer. It’s a high-protein, high-calorie formula that features a macronutrient ratio of 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates, and 20% fats. 30% protein may seem a little light, but that works out to be 50 grams per serving, with carbs at 75 grams and only 10 grams of sugar!
What’s more, the trademarked protein blend consists of whey concentrate, whey isolate, whey hydrolysate, and micellar casein, a good combination of fast and slow digesting proteins. There’s also a trademarked carbohydrate blend consisting of whole food sources such as oats, sweet potatoes, and quinoa. The formula is capped off with MCT’s, a fast digesting water-soluble fat source that digests quickly and actually helps burn fat!
Finally, one serving (2 scoops) of Critical Mass gives you 610 calories. Consider that when you’re trying to gain mass, you should go up by roughly 500 extra calories per day, and you continue with a 500 calorie per day increase every 2 weeks until you start to gain. Now, adding a 610 calorie shake per day more than covers that number. This means all you really need is one shake a day. Having said that, if you’re young with a super-fast metabolism, you can bump up your daily calorie increase by drinking 2 shakes a day (1220 calories). Critical Mass is a delicious way to do that!
Rating: 5 Stars!
PROS
- Excellent Balance of Macronutrients
- Trademarked Ingredients – Even The Name!
- Whole Food Sources of Carbs
- Tastes Great!
CONS
- Contains Some Artificial Ingredients
What Is The Best Low Sugar Weight Gainer?
Muscle Meds Carnivor Mass not only contains zero sugar (very unusual for a Gainer), it has the most unique formula. Why? Because it features Beef Isolate protein (50 grams per serving). It also contains a unique approach to carbohydrates.
Let’s find out more!
In order to stimulate muscle growth without adding body fat, Carnivor Mass uses both calories and advanced nutrient partitioning. The idea is to create a greater anabolic environment. This is achieved by using rapid macronutrient delivery and by optimizing the anabolic hormone insulin, one of the primary anabolic hormones found in the body.
If protein and carbohydrates are rapidly absorbed, that helps spike your blood levels of amino acids and glucose. This in turn can potentially stimulate faster protein and glycogen synthesis and can lead to faster muscle mass gains. Cool, right?
Carnivor Mass also uses micronized carbohydrates for easier digestion and a greater insulin spike. This is called iSPIKE Technology. But wait, don’t insulin spikes cause fat gain? Yes, when you’re ingesting excess carbs over the needs of the body. A reasonable amount of carbs consumed post-workout with fast digesting protein causes these nutrients to be absorbed into your muscles.
The bottom line is Carnivor Mass uses fast-digesting Beef Isolate protein with micronized carbohydrates to create a powerful anabolic gainer that can pack on mass fast!
Rating: 4.5 Stars!
PROS
- Beef Isolate Protein
- Good Macronutrient Balance
- Trademarked Ingredients
- iSPIKE Technology
- Whole Food Sources
- Tastes Great!
CONS
- Contains Some Artificial Ingredients
- Some Flavors May Have A “Meat” Aftertaste
What Is The Best Weight Gainer For Trademarked Ingredients?
IForce Nutrition Mass Gainz™ (yep, even the name is trademarked) is the pick for having the most trademarked ingredients. That’s a big thing – it shows a dedication to quality.
Here’s how it looks:
- ProtoPlex™ – Mass Gainz utilizes 40 grams of both whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate which are fast digesting sources.
- CarboPlex™ – utilizes 75 grams of whole food carbohydrate sources (oats, oat fiber, and quinoa).
- LipoPlex™ – 10 grams of pure MCT’s, which are well known as an easy way to increase daily calories.
IForce is actually owned by Hi-Tech, who have quite the family of brands. Many of their products use prop blends, yet you will see some tremendous things in their lineup, and the same applies to their family of brands. In this case IForce Nutrition rocks the weight gainer category with Mass Gainz – a balanced Gainer providing 506 calories per serving!
Rating: 4.5 Stars!
PROS
- One Of The Better Macronutrient Profiles
- Several Trademarked Complexes
- Whole Food Sources
- Tastes Great!
CONS
- Contains Some Artificial Ingredients
What Is The Best Weight Gainer For Endurance Athletes?
Mutant Mass wins this one hands down for one simple reason – 192 grams of carbs per serving (one serving = 4 scoops)! Engaging in a serious endurance training program will allow your body to utilize that many carbs, and may even spare some to contribute to gaining weight. Of course, you’ve got to have plenty of protein for muscular weight gain, and Mutant Mass delivers.
We’re talking 52 grams of protein from a blend of Whey Protein Concentrate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Whey Protein Isolate, Micellar Casein Protein, Milk Protein Concentrate, and Milk Protein Isolate, a great combo of fast and slow digesting proteins.
Finally, there’s a Lipid Foods blend consisting of Fractionated Coconut (MCT) Oil, Avocado, Flax Seed, Pumpkin Seed, and Sunflower Oil.
Given the very high carb total, I would only suggest this Gainer for younger individuals engaged in a demanding endurance-based sport.
Rating: 4 Stars!
PROS
- Great For Endurance Athletes Needing To Gain Muscular Weight
- Exclusive Protein Blend – Fast And Slow Digesting Sources
- Exclusive Healthy Fat Blend
CONS
- Way Too Many Carbs For All But Endurance Athletes
- Contains Some Artificial Ingredients
What Is The Best Weight Gainer For Older Lifters?
Beverly Mass Maker Ultra is the choice here. Why, you might wonder? Well, us older lifters tend to have slower metabolisms that are not going to work in our favor if we load up on a 500, 600, 700, or 1100 calorie shake every day.
On the other hand, 390 calories is not bad. Mass Maker Ultra has just 25 grams of protein, but it’s a blend of milk protein isolate, whey isolate, egg albumen, and sodium caseinate, a solid blend of slow and fast digesting proteins. The carbs are from slow and fast digesting sources as well, and the 10 grams of fat comes mainly from coconut oil.
As a company Beverly positions itself as an “exclusive” high-end brand, and goes to great lengths to promote this image. The truth is, they are a decent brand that has focused on the past with many of their products influenced by the supplements of the 60s and 70s. Still, they make some good products, Mass Maker Ultra being at the top of the list.
Rating: 4 Stars!
PROS
- Good Macronutrient Profile
- Features Slow and Fast Digesting Proteins
- Lower Calories – Ideal For The Older Lifter
- Tastes Great But Limited Flavor Choices
CONS
- Needs More Protein Per Serving
- Needs More Flavors
- Contains Some Artificial Ingredients
The 5 Best Weight Gainers – Buying Guide
What Is A Weight Gainer?
A Weight Gainer is a powder that provides a concentrated source of calories primarily from protein and carbohydrates with a minimal amount of fat and sugar. Historically, they were mostly sugar with protein added. The best modern Weight Gainers feature fast and slow-digesting proteins and sophisticated carb blends with low sugar and low fat. (1,2, 3)
Advantages
- Concentrated Source Of Nutrient-Dense Calories
- Support Muscle Growth & Recovery
- Act As A Meal Replacement – Provides A High-Calorie Meal For Busy Lifestyles
Disadvantages
- Some Weight Gainers May Be Too High In Sugar
- Some Weight Gainers May Be Too High In Sodium
- A Few Weight Gainers Rely On Maltodextrin – A High Glycemic Carbohydrate
What To Look For In A Weight Gainer
A good Gainer should contain at least 500 calories per serving (with the exception of one that works for older lifters with slower metabolisms, such as Beverly Mass Maker Ultra. Protein can come from a variety of sources and most Weight Gainers will use a blend of whey and casein to take advantage of the unique digestion speeds of each. Of course, many of the Gainers listed in this article have more advanced blends.
In addition, many Gainers use advanced carbohydrate blends with many that absorb quickly but act like a complex carb in the body, meaning they do not cause insulin spikes. Having said that, Muscle Meds Carnivor Mass strives to create high insulin spikes that are meant to be optimized for muscle growth – meaning post-workout. If you drink 2 shakes of this Gainer a day, drink your second shake in the morning when your muscles need fast digesting protein and carbs.
Finally, most modern Gainers use MCTs as a fat source. MCTs add calories yet digest quickly, burn quickly for energy, and can even burn body fat! Historically, their claim to fame was John Parillo, whose mantra was “there’s no such thing as over-training, only under-eating”. He was famous for pushing a 10,000 (not a typo) calorie a day diet, with much of those calories coming from his liquid MCT supplement (Parillo Performance).
The diet was and is extreme, but MCTs are a great way to add calories when used sparingly.
How To Use A Weight Gainer
Here’s the best way to use a Weight Gainer for quality gains. The entire point of a Gainer is to gain lean muscular weight. Therefore, you have to gradually increase your daily calories until you start to gain weight.
You’ll want to gain relatively slowly so you don’t gain fat. It’s important to be patient and take a methodical approach. Some users will take a serving a day for a week or so, not gain anything, and then claim that Weight Gainers don’t work. They’re calories, they can’t not work.
The key to a Weight Gainer working is to find the number of daily calories you need to gain weight. Read that last line about 5 times, because it’s the key point everyone misses. Maybe you need 5,000 calories a day but are only getting 4000 between your diet and single Weight Gainer shake. OK, you need to up your calories. Once you hit 5,000, or whatever the number, you will gain.
Yes, there are calculations you can do, or you can simply begin with one serving per day for one week, mixed in water. Monitor your results. Again, and it bears repeating, if you don’t gain, the answer is simple. Increase your calories! Do this by going up to two shakes a day. Follow this process until you start to gain.
Also as noted, a Weight Gainer should never be used as your primary source of calories. Therefore, use it like you would a protein shake. Consume it in-between meals (post-workout on training days), and make sure you are eating 3 whole-food meals a day. Not junk foods, but healthy foods.
Summary
In this article, we have answered the question: What Are The 5 Best Weight Gainers? The Gainers presented here will help you gain muscular weight. For the most part the Gainers on this list have reasonable calorie totals, not insane totals (maybe you remember the 4,000 calorie per serving Gainers that came in “dog food” bags back in the early 90s). Calories in the range presented in this article are calories you can work with. It’s easy to gradually increase your daily total working with those kinds of numbers and you can focus on gaining mass without fear of fat gain. With that in mind, it’s time to stop by illpumpyouup.com and grab your Gainer!
References:
- Boirie, Y., Dangin, M., Gachon, P., Vasson, M., Maubois, J. and Beaufrere, B., 2020. Slow And Fast Dietary Proteins Differently Modulate Postprandial Protein Accretion.
- G;, M. D. J. L. D. K. T. D. S. (n.d.). Protein Quality Assessment: Impact of Expanding Understanding of Protein and Amino Acid Needs for Optimal Health. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18469291/
- CM;, E. (n.d.). Carbohydrate Intake and Resistance-Based Exercise: Are Current Recommendations Reflective of Actual Need? Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27993175/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-lowdown-on-glycemic-index-and-glycemic-load