Gainer vs. Protein: Which Is Better?

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For normal life, a person needs proteins and carbohydrates. We get them from food, and this is enough for everyday life. However, when it comes to exercising and gaining muscle mass, it is extremely difficult to obtain the necessary carbohydrate and protein reserves from food. It is then that gainer and protein come to the rescue – special nutritional supplements with a concentrated carbohydrate-protein mixture.

To make your workouts effective and not harm yourself, it is important to choose high-quality sports nutrition, depending on your goals and physique. Gainer or protein – the choice is fundamental .

Gainer vs. Protein: 5 Key Differences

Both the gainer and the protein are designed to compensate for the lack of nutrients from food, and as a result, to help the athlete gain weight. Among the main differences between these food additives, it is worth highlighting the following:

  • Protein is a protein concentrate containing 80 to 95% protein. In the gainer, carbohydrates predominate: as a rule, they make up 60%, and the remaining 40% are proteins.
  • Proteins tend to increase muscle mass, and gainers tend to increase both muscle and adipose tissue.
  • Proteins provide muscles with sufficient protein, and gainers provide energy, resulting in increased performance.
  • Weight gainers help increase overall body mass, while proteins only help muscle mass.
  • Protein is considered a “cleaner” product. But professional athletes recommend that beginners gain weight with a gainer for the first months, and then switch to protein.

Protein versus gainer: which to choose?

When making a choice in favor of a particular type of nutritional supplement, the following factors should be considered:

  • the purpose for which you are playing sports;
  • body types (ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph);
  • the number of meals and the amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates obtained daily from food.

If your goal is to gain exclusively muscle mass (with a minimum of fat and water), protein supplements will be indispensable for you. If you are planning to increase your weight in general, weight gainers are exactly what you need.

Taking gainers is indicated for ectomorphs – people who have a low level of subcutaneous fat. These athletes have a fast metabolism, which makes it difficult for them to gain weight.

Taking gainers an hour and a half before training and immediately after sports will allow you to more effectively increase body weight.

If you are an endomorph, that is, you have excess body fat, protein supplements will be very useful for you. Protein will help reduce muscle fat and increase muscle mass. Protein sports nutrition is best taken in the morning, as well as before and after training.

Medium-build mesomorphs will effectively take both types of nutritional supplements: gainer after workouts, and protein the rest of the time.

Taking into account the peculiarities of your daily diet, remember that a person involved in sports with an average body weight of 80 kilograms, on average, needs to consume 200 grams of protein and 300 grams of carbohydrates daily. Calculate how many of these substances are in your diet – and, depending on this, decide how many supplements you need.

Nutritionists and professional trainers will help you determine the ideal dosage of sports nutrition.

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About the Author: Mildred White