Believe it or not, for some people it’s incredibly hard to gain weight. Calories will make or break a weight gaining program, and without ingesting a ton of calories, you’ll never gain the weight you need to build more muscle. Constantly eating though can be extremely challenging. Mass gainers are protein-carbohydrate supplements, which are loaded with added calories to enhance weight gain. Building more muscle mass is no easy task, especially if you already have a hard time gaining weight. Gainers can provide an easy and convenient way to get the added calories you need, without eating a ton of extra food. So what’s the difference between whey protein vs mass gainers? And if you’re taking a mass gainer, do you also need to supplement with whey protein?

What Is Whey Protein And What Does It Do?

Protein supplements are a useful addition to anyone’s diet, not just bodybuilders and athletes. Whey protein is derived from milk, and has been proven to be one of the most beneficial supplements, to initiate muscle protein synthesis, build more muscle, and improve muscle recovery.

Whey protein supplements can vary widely in quality and ingredients. Several supplements contain added ingredients, or protein blends, which deviate from a pure whey protein supplement. There are several different types of whey protein, which include whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, and whey hydrolysate.

Whey protein, also known as whey protein concentrate, contains up to 70-80% protein, a relatively small amount of carbohydrates, and fat. Whey protein can also contain up to 50% lactose, which can have adverse effects on those that are lactose intolerant such as diarrhea, gas and bloating who are unable to digest it. Whey protein isolate is a highly purified and isolated form of protein, which yields 85-90% pure protein, and less than 1% lactose. Whey protein isolate is a great option for those that have lactose sensitives, or that that may have experienced bloat with whey protein. Swolverine’s Whey Protein Isolate contains 90% pure grass-fed protein, with added digestive enzymes, to help digestion and absorption rate with only 5 ingredients.

Benefits Of Whey Protein

• Increasing Muscle Mass
• Improving Strength
• Better Post Workout Recovery
• Optimizing Body Composition

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What Is Mass Gainer And What Does It Do?

Mass gainers are supplements that are created specifically to enhance weight gain. Gainers are typically loaded with protein, carbohydrates, and a variety of other ingredients. Mass gainers typically contain a mix of protein sources such as whey, casein, egg, beef protein isolate, and milk protein isolate. Maltodextrin, a simple and fast acting carbohydrate source derived from modified form of corn starch, is commonly used in mass gainers. Higher quality gainers will derive carbohydrates from natural sources such as sweet potatoes, yams, oats, such as those found in Swolverine’s Clean Carbs, with added fruit and vegetable blends.

Benefits Of Mass Gainer

• Building More Muscle Mass
• Improving Strength
• Better Post Workout Recovery
• Enhancing Weight Gain

What’s The Difference Between Whey Protein Vs Mass Gainer?

Ingredients

The difference between whey vs mass gainers comes down to the ingredients. Mass gainers contain added carbohydrates and protein blends, as opposed to whey, which typically just contains whey protein. That being said, several whey protein supplements may also contain blends, with added protein sources such as casein, egg, milk isolate, and whey isolate.

Goals

Whey and mass gainers will both help you gain more muscle mass, improve strength, and optimize post workout muscle recovery. Yet, if your body aesthetic goal is to lean out and burn body fat, you’ll want to supplement with whey, or whey protein isolate, not mass gainer. Mass gainers are loaded with added calories and simple carbohydrates, which are two things you’ll be cutting if you’re trying to burn more body fat. Mass gainers are really marketed for one thing – weight gain. Even though you’ll build more muscle mass, you will inevitably gain more body fat and bulk, when supplementing with a mass gainer considering the caloric load. Both whey and mass gainers providing an easy and convenient way to get more protein and carbs in your diet, without the hassle of eating a ton of extra food. If you’re unsure of where to start with your nutrition, hire a certified nutrition coach from The Swole Kitchen, so you can build the body you want to live better and feel great.

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Macronutrients

Since whey and mass gainers both have different ingredients, they will also have a very different macronutrient profile. Generally, mass gainers contain between 500-1250 calories per serving, 50 g of protein, 100 g of carbs, and 5-10 g of fat. Whey will contain 120-150 calories per serving, with 20-26g of protein, 2-5g of carbs, and 2-4 g of fat.

Whey Vs Mass Gainer: Takeaway

The decision of using whey or mass gainer, really comes down to one thing - your goals. If you have a hard time gaining weight, then adding a mass gainer into your diet, can be a very convenient way to get the extra protein, carbs, and calories you need to start putting on more muscle mass and stacking on gains. Whey and protein in general, is needed in nearly everyone’s diet. Eating enough of the right ingredients, is the only way to reach your goals. Whey can help your hit your daily protein intake and macros so you can build more muscle and optimize body composition.