Sports nutrition: gainer, carnitine, BCAA. Sportspit: how to choose and why

The modern world of fitness and bodybuilding is simply impossible to imagine without the field of sports nutrition. Here you will find an incredible variety of different products: proteins, amino acids, vitamins, pharmaceuticals, all kinds of supplements, which are gaining more and more popularity every day. A clear example of this is Gainer. What is Gainer? What is it for? How to take this supplement correctly? And why is he so popular? We will answer all these questions in this article. Ready? We, too!

What does a gainer consist of?

So, a gainer is a sports nutrition supplement intended primarily for people involved in strength sports. The supplement consists primarily of carbohydrates and whey protein - two main compounds for the athlete's body. There are also multicomponent protein gainers, consisting of not one, but several types of protein. Sometimes gainers are called energy drinks - for the effect of a sharp increase in the body’s energy potential immediately after consumption.

In addition to carbohydrates and protein, various types of gainers may contain:

• Creatine (carboxylic acid to stimulate energy metabolism);
• Vitamins;
• Selected amino acids to enhance effectiveness;
• Microelements;
• A small amount of fat for balance.

The effect of the combined use of carbohydrates and proteins has been proven by independent studies. The main function of the sports supplement is muscle growth and replenishment of energy reserves.

Beware, low quality product!

Unfortunately, due to the increased popularity, various manufacturers, in order to increase their income, produce a product of extremely low quality. If you come across such a supplement and take it for a long time, then serious side effects (including a negative effect on potency) cannot be ruled out. To avoid problems, buy products only from trusted retail outlets, carefully study the composition, and check the labels on the packaging. If you have the slightest suspicion about quality, refuse to purchase.

For example, you should be wary of a large amount of simple carbohydrates (this is regular sugar), a high percentage of soy protein and strange additives. The manufacturer often resorts to cunning manipulations to reduce the cost of the product and increase its profits at the expense of the buyer, that is, you.

How does a gainer work?

The English word "gain" means "to gain" or "to gain."
We are talking about muscle mass, strength and energy reserves: all this is ensured by the use of a gainer. This is one of the first supplements in the history of bodybuilding. At first, gainers were made from the cheapest types of protein and generously diluted with sugar and fats to increase calorie content. The quality of such mixes was low, and the effect did not always meet expectations. Modern supplements from well-known and reliable manufacturers are high-quality balanced mixtures that are absolutely harmless to the body. They contain highly purified protein, specially selected polysaccharides with different molecular chain lengths, plus healthy additives. Gainers have become absolutely indispensable for full-fledged training of bodybuilders, weightlifters, triathletes, representatives of high-speed and energy-consuming sports disciplines - running, football, basketball, martial arts.

Readers should immediately draw attention to the fact that the gainer is intended mainly for ectomorphs (thin people). The supplement will be useful for those whose body is not prone to rapid accumulation of fat reserves. Gainer for ectomorphs is the best way to add muscle mass and strength in a short time. Each athlete himself finds the ideal type of gainer with the most optimal ratio of proteins and carbohydrates for him (the proportions differ in different types of mixtures).

So, a gainer is needed for:

• Rapid weight gain for people of thin build;
• Replenishing energy costs and maintaining high energy levels during prolonged aerobic exercise;
• Maintaining weight indicators at a stable level;
• Rapid restoration of energy reserves after exercise.

You can purchase this nutritional supplement in specialized sports stores. By adding 3 servings of the mixture to your regular diet, you can achieve amazing results in just 4 weeks of use, provided that the training is complete and systematic. Athletes with an increased rate of metabolic processes in the body may need to increase the calorie content of the daily menu. But people who are prone to obesity (endomorphs and mesomorphs) are not recommended to use gainer: this will lead to the deposition of most of the carbohydrates into lipids.

Drug name

Gainer is a mixture of carbohydrates and proteins, which, when taken regularly, allows you to gain weight faster, improve muscle definition and help increase energy. It is not a medical drug and works solely as a means to improve physical fitness.

When choosing a sports nutrition, you should pay attention to a gainer, which will be the best option, since its composition meets all the body’s requirements for the period of intense training:

• carbon complex (various degrees of complexity of compounds);
• glycemic index;
• protein that stimulates muscle growth.

When using sports nutrition (for example, gainer), it is worth understanding that the ratio of proteins and carbohydrates leans towards the latter (40%/60%). It turns out that the mixture correctly affects the body of the one who uses it.

Recommendations for use

When to take a gainer? The most common option is to take the supplement immediately after training, that is, when the athlete’s body most needs energy in the form of carbohydrate compounds and building material in the form of high-quality, biologically active and accessible protein. This method will allow you to restore strength in a short time and suppress catabolism (destruction of the structural elements of muscles), thereby ensuring complete regeneration of muscle fibers.

A certain portion of strength athletes take gainers before training. The purpose of this method is obvious: the body receives energy in advance for more productive and prolonged exercise, and catabolism is suppressed at the very beginning of the training. The method has a disadvantage: during strength exercises there is no loss of lipids, but on the contrary, the risk of fat gain increases.

Some people recommend taking the supplement both before and after workouts, as well as in the morning and evening. This option is acceptable only for those who are absolutely not inclined to be overweight, otherwise the weight will be gained not from muscles, but from adipose tissue.

Now about how to take the gainer. The nutritional supplement can be diluted in water, juice, milk. The exact ratio of powder to liquid is indicated on the packaging of the product you choose. The recommended dosage is also indicated there. To prevent unwanted consequences, it is better to follow the instructions literally.

Can a protein-carbohydrate mixture replace regular food? The supplement is unlikely to provide a complete lunch and dinner, but it is quite possible to satisfy hunger between main meals with a protein-carbohydrate mixture. In some cases, taking a gainer is even necessary - when an athlete urgently needs to eliminate the feeling of hunger and replenish energy losses.

Regarding the question of which is better – gainer or protein, the answer depends on the athlete’s body type. For ectomorphs, a gainer is definitely preferable, since for full weight gain both proteins and an energy substrate are needed. However, for endomrophs and mesomorphs, pure white mixtures are more suitable. In some cases, it is advisable to combine taking a gainer (exclusively after training) and eating protein (the rest of the time).

The only drawback of protein-carbohydrate mixtures is their high price compared to proteins. If you want to save money, it is better to buy protein concentrate and get carbohydrates from food products.

Positive effects

What are the benefits of carbohydrate-protein supplements?

• They help people with a high metabolic rate gain quality muscle mass.
• They replenish energy deficiency and supply protein to the muscles.
• Help maintain the desired body weight in professional athletes (football players, basketball players, etc.)
• In conditions of lack of time, the gainer can be used as a complete meal replacement.
• The product helps control calorie content and balance the diet (you know exactly how many calories and nutrients are in 100 g of powder).

In addition, modern manufacturers often add creatine, glutamine, BCAA and vitamin-mineral complexes to carbohydrate-protein mixtures, thus increasing the benefits of the gainer.

How to choose the right gainer

The correct choice of mixture depends on the purpose of use. If you are a bodybuilder and powerlifter, it is better to buy supplements that have a higher protein content. If supporting your energy level is a priority for you (you are a football player, track and field athlete, boxer or sprinter), then purchase a supplement with a higher percentage of carbohydrates.

Which gainer is best for gaining muscle mass, you will have to decide for yourself. Experts recommend choosing supplements from reliable and well-known manufacturers. To begin with, you can familiarize yourself with the rating of the best gainers in specialized literature on bodybuilding.

Price policy

If you decide to use a gainer in your daily diet, it is better to buy it from a trusted supplier. This is the only way you can rest assured that the purchase will be inexpensive, and the quality of the product will not disappoint. If you look at the prices, you can note that the cost of such a drug is affected by the following nuances:

• manufacturing company - the more popular the brand, the more expensive the product will be (if the company is not very well-known, the drug is cheap);
• packaging - 1 kg and above (depending on daily dosage and frequency of use);
• purchase - if you purchase goods in bulk, the price of the gainer will be significantly reduced.

Our online store offers the best conditions for purchasing a sports product that will improve your physical fitness. Only here you can buy it at low prices and with delivery in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Contact professionals to make your life better!

Contraindications and possible side effects

People who have never taken sports nutritional supplements often ask: are mass gainers harmful? The clear answer is no. In more detail, the proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins that make up this supplement cannot be harmful to the body simply by definition, just as regular food consisting of the same elements cannot be harmful. The nutritional supplement is equally useful for women and men and has no age-related contraindications. The side effects of the gainer are thus completely absent.

Potential harm from the gainer is possible only in the case of individual intolerance to individual components of the mixture. However, this is extremely rare. Even less common is enzyme deficiency caused by pancreatic dysfunction: with this pathology, any supplements are not recommended.

Ordinary food poisoning as a result of consuming a low-quality product is also possible. This happens when storage conditions are violated, moisture gets into the mixture (which promotes the growth of pathogenic bacteria), or when purchasing counterfeit (counterfeit) goods without a certificate. In this situation, you should refrain from further intake of the product and eliminate intoxication.

Can weight gainers cause harm to the body?

Regarding the harm and contraindications to taking gainers, we can say the following - the drug itself is natural, so it does not cause harm. The only exceptions are cases of individual intolerance, and also possible poor tolerance in people who suffer from disorders of the pancreas, since it is the pancreas that secretes the enzyme lipase, which actually breaks down the fats that make up the gainer.

There may also be cases of digestive upset due to taking this sports nutrition. This only happens if moisture gets into the jar with the drug or bacteria multiply.

If symptoms of food poisoning occur, the drug must be discontinued for several days and then taken again, starting with small doses and gradually increasing them. Thus, as a conclusion, we can say that gainers are quite effective sports nutrition, but before taking it, you need to be completely sure that there are no contraindications to its use, especially with regard to excess weight.

True-Mass BSN

A high-quality gainer from an American manufacturer, one of the market leaders. Unlike Serious Mass, this is a high-protein gainer; it contains a lot of protein and fewer carbohydrates per serving. Suitable for mesomorphs (“average” body type) to gain lean muscle mass without fat deposits. But if you still don’t have enough calories in your diet, then BSN has a gainer called True Mass 1200, it is similar in composition, but contains more carbohydrates, one serving of this mixture includes 1230 kcal.

Pros:

• High protein gainer.
• Multi-component protein matrix.
• Contains dietary fiber.
• Contains BCAA amino acids.

Minuses:

High price

Where can I buy?

True Mass gainer comes in 2.6 kg cans or 4.65 kg bags

Please note that stores often hold promotions and make big discounts on sports nutrition that is approaching its expiration date. Here the choice is always yours, you can save a little or take a fresher product

Price update: 20.8.2019