Find out how to find the right weight gainer from a wide variety of carbohydrate blends to suit your training needs. You probably know that a gainer is a protein-carbohydrate mixture. Today we will deal with the question, which gainer to choose? Carbohydrates are the cheapest raw material and still make up the bulk of the supplement. This is very convenient for manufacturers. Note that all US sports nutrition manufacturers export their weight gainers to Europe.
This is due to the fact that at home this type of sports nutrition is practically not in demand. In turn, on the domestic market, gainers account for about a third of all products. The most popular protein to carbohydrate ratio is 20 to 80. There are certainly exceptions, but supplements like this should be looked for.
In addition, many manufacturers add creatine, trace elements, amines, etc. to the composition of gainers. Moreover, the content of these elements in the total amount of the additive is insignificant. Companies do this solely to attract customers, hoping to lure them with the content of these auxiliary elements that can not bring real value.
What type of gainer should you choose?
If you carefully study the composition of the products presented in our sports food stores, you will notice that the difference between the gainers can be simply huge. Very often on the network there are recommendations for thin athletes to use gainers to accelerate mass gain. But at the same time, the quality of these products is very rarely remembered.
In total, you can find two types of gainers on sale:
- Containing simple and cheap carbohydrates such as maltodextrin or dextrose.
- With quality complex carbohydrates.
In the first case, the indicator of the glycemic index of the gainer will be approximately equal to ordinary sugar, or, more simply, extremely high. In the second situation, the glycemic index will be significantly lower. If you decide to start using a gainer, then you need to use it only in the following situations:
- For quick replenishment of the glycogen depot, for example, in cases where, in addition to exercising, you have a lot of physical activity throughout the day.
- To increase the energy value of the nutrition program.
Also, you should understand that for each of these cases, a certain type of protein-carbohydrate mixture is required. This is where you need to know which gainer to choose and when to take it. In the classroom, glycogen is actively used, which is contained in the tissues of muscles and liver. The body is always the first to use glycogen for energy. However, energy can only be obtained after glycogen has been converted to glucose, resulting in an increase in blood sugar concentration. Gradually, during training, you begin to get tired, and this is a signal from the body that the glycogen depot is gradually starting to empty. As a result, you become lethargic, and there is a desire to rest.
To speed up the recovery process, you need to restore the energy balance. To do this, you need to consume fast carbohydrates. Most often, the following types of simple carbohydrates are used in gainers: starch, glucose polymers, dextrose, maltodextrin. If you want to increase your efficiency in the classroom, then you need to take a gainer in twenty or thirty minutes. This will provide the body with glucose, which will immediately begin to be used for energy. As a result, glycogen stores will begin to be consumed much later, and you will be less tired.
We have already said that most often weight gainers contain about 80 percent carbohydrates and if they are fast, then you should not use such supplements outside of training. This is because all glucose that is not used by the body for energy will be converted into body fat. In addition, frequent surges of insulin negatively affect the pancreas, which secretes this hormone.
Let's move on to considering the second type of protein-carbohydrate mixtures containing complex carbohydrates. When consumed, the glucose level rises gradually, which ensures that there are no spikes in insulin production. The most popular sources of slow carbs among weight gainers today are legumes, buckwheat, oats, bran, etc.
If one of these carbohydrates is found in large quantities, then you can safely use this gainer to gain mass. In addition, the content of protein compounds must be at least 30 percent. You can use these gainers on weekends as a substitute for meals.
It is not always worth trusting advice, you need to think for yourself. Any supplements sold in sports food stores should only be used if they help you achieve your goals.
How to choose the right gainer for gaining mass, you will learn from this video:
[media =
