Gainers are complex carbohydrate-protein food supplements that replenish the lack of calories in the body. Their use is recommended for people with an increased level of physical activity.
A concentrated charge of nutrients, supplemented with vitamins, allows you to quickly replenish energy losses and helps build muscle mass.
Recipes for making weight gainers at home allow you to create a pleasant-tasting and customized alternative to ready-made products.
Benefits of home cooking
In order to prepare a gainer at home, you will need to spend a little more time, but a product made by yourself will have a number of advantages:
- you can experiment with the composition and volume, and determine the optimal dose of fuel for the body before and after training;
- you can avoid side effects that can be caused by overdose or improper storage of powder additives, allergies to their individual components;
- there is no need to calculate the protein-carbon balance and try out different types of gainers, risking gaining extra pounds of fat;
- no need to buy additional kitchen appliances: a homemade gainer, just like a store-bought one, is prepared in a blender.
By cooking from high-quality and proven ingredients, you can not only replace a gainer, but also save money: high-quality dietary supplements are more expensive than mixtures prepared at home.
Required Tools
To prepare a gainer at home, we will need:
- Blender or mixer;
- Source of carbohydrates;
- Source of protein;
- Something to give the drink a liquid consistency;
- Source of amino acids;
- Flavoring additive.
Blender or mixer - well, everything is clear here, we need a device that can quickly grind, cut and crush even the hardest ingredients such as peanuts. As you understand, a whisk is not a help here. Porridge and various cereals, such as oatmeal, are most often used as a source of carbohydrates. In addition, you can use simple carbohydrates from fruits: apples, pears, bananas.
Although a gainer is a carbohydrate cocktail, it should still contain protein. Its source is most often eggs, raw and boiled, cottage cheese, you can add a little protein powder.
So that our cocktail does not look like porridge and is drinkable, all ingredients need to be mixed with something liquid, for example, water or milk. I recommend using milk, as a water gainer may seem too bland. Regular BCA capsules can serve as a source of amino acids; you can also pour a little 2.5% kefir into a blender. For taste, you can add various fruits, for example, banana, strawberries, if desired, you can sprinkle a little cocoa powder.
Products for cooking
Products that are commonly used to make mass gainer at home are:
- Protein component – eggs, milk powder, cottage cheese
- Carbohydrate component - fruits, jam or honey, berries
- The base is sour fruit juice or milk.
Important conditions for preparing the mixture:
- Products should be easily digestible
- The protein part in the composition should be about 10 - 20 g.
- Simple sugars.
In order to make a gainer with your own hands, you will need protein, which can be used as low-fat cottage cheese, milk, nuts, yogurt, as well as casein or whey protein. The carbohydrate component for the mixture is oatmeal, bran, honey, fiber, fruits and berries, jam or sugar.
If gaining weight is not part of the athlete’s plans, then it is better to use sweeteners instead of sugar and jam. Instead of sweet fruits and berries, you should prefer sour ones. Fiber and bran are needed to ensure that the high-carbohydrate composition has great nutritional value. In this case, the ratio of proteins to carbohydrates should be at the same level – 1:1. Those who find it very difficult to gain muscle mass should prefer oatmeal. How to make a gainer at home? The fruits are crushed, oatmeal, sugar or sugar substitute, cottage cheese or yogurt, milk or water are added and all this is thoroughly mixed in a blender. The mixture should include protein, instead of which powdered milk will do just fine at home. Although you need to be careful with it, as it is a difficult product for the body. Many formulations are prepared using the complex carbohydrate maltodextrin, which is a product of the breakdown of starch.
Homemade gainer recipes and ingredients
Gainers are always created according to the standard scheme:
- First, you need to choose a base with carbohydrates: berries or fruits, honey or jam.
- Secondly, you need to add proteins: cottage cheese, milk, eggs.
- Thirdly, a liquid ingredient is added that simplifies the process of taking the gainer: milk, juice, whey.
This do-it-yourself gainer turns out to be the most correct in terms of the balance of the main necessary components. When choosing proportions, follow a simple rule: there should end up being three times more carbohydrates than proteins. This is the main principle of how to make a gainer effective. If you don’t want to invent it yourself, use simple and popular recipes, tested over the years and by many athletes.
The first way to prepare a gainer will appeal to fans of protein shakes and those who love subtle but familiar tastes.
How to make a banana gainer with your own hands
You will need:
- 180 grams low-fat cottage cheese
- 40 - 50 grams of any nut, you can use healthy peanuts
- 2 large spoons of liquid honey
- 3 medium bananas
- 600 grams of low fat milk
To prepare a gainer at home according to this recipe, just put everything in a blender container and blend until smooth. You can add liquid milk last, when the solids have already been crushed and mixed. If you don’t have a blender at hand, you can mix everything with a mixer or in a regular plastic shaker. This gainer recipe is suitable for you if you take the supplement twice a day between main meals in accordance with your intense training schedule. Nutrients are contained here in the following quantities: 1200 kilocalories, almost 70 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbohydrates. Bananas, nuts and honey give the mixture additional beneficial properties.
The second popular DIY gainer is also based on cottage cheese and bananas, but it turns out to be more intense in taste. It is perfect for the winter and spring periods, when the body especially suffers from a lack of vitamins.
How to make a multifruit gainer
To prepare this gainer at home you will need:
- half a banana
- half a lemon (you can replace it with lime if you wish)
- a tablespoon of any jam (preferably sour berries)
- one hundred grams of low-fat cottage cheese
- 150 milliliters of any citrus juice with minimal sugar content
Home Gamer - DIY Carbohydrate and Protein Blend. It is healthy, has no side effects and is very tasty.
The method of making a gainer is practically no different from the previous one. Mix all the products in a blender: leave only the lemon separately. Add the squeezed juice from it to the already prepared mixture and mix again. This mixture is taken in half: before and after training. If you prepare a fresh mixture after class, you will be able to take your mind off the feeling of hunger and easily maintain an interval of 40 minutes, at the same time you will have time to take a break from the load.
The third gainer recipe contains a chicken egg, which is an irreplaceable source of protein.
Homemade egg gainer recipe
You will need:
- cottage cheese
- eggs
- milk
- honey
- fruits
Take one egg, boil it until fully cooked and separate the white from the yolk. To prepare a gainer with your own hands, add fifty grams of low-fat cottage cheese, two hundred grams of skim milk, one tablespoon of honey, and fifty grams of any berries to a blender along with protein. Mix everything and drink according to the system that you have chosen. The result is a tasty and fairly liquid mixture that is very easy to drink.
Less popular recipes
If you prepare a gainer from ordinary food products, the following recipe options are possible:
1. Gainer made from cottage cheese, milk, banana.
For 1 serving (450 grams) we will need the following ingredients:
- low-fat cottage cheese (200 g);
- low-fat milk (200 ml);
- 1 banana;
- peanuts (50 g).
It couldn’t be easier to prepare: you need to mix everything in a blender, cool and pour into a shaker. To improve the taste, it is a good idea to add honey or sugar.
2. Gainer made from oatmeal, milk and eggs:
Oatmeal and egg gamer is the most affordable source of carbohydrates and protein that can easily be prepared at home.
If you don’t have cottage cheese, then the protein portion of the gainer can be replaced with egg white. To prepare we will need:
- 4 whites (you can add 1 yolk);
- oatmeal (100 g);
- milk (250 ml);
- fruit (100 g)
- jam, honey or sugar to taste.
3. Gainer with milk powder
Skim milk powder is very rich in protein and has virtually no fat. It can be used as a base for a gainer. To prepare we need:
- 2 tablespoons of milk powder;
- milk (200 g);
- blueberry jam (50 g);
- honey or sugar (2 tablespoons).
Instead of jam, you can use any fruit.
4. Gainer based on yogurt and nuts.
- Yogurt (200 ml);
- walnuts (50 g);
- fruits (100 g);
- honey or sugar (2 tablespoons).
5. Gainer for people with accelerated metabolism.
People who are naturally very thin and have a faster metabolism require more calories. This gainer option contains sour cream and is perfect for such people. To prepare we will need:
- sour cream (10%) (150 g);
- milk (200 ml);
- banana (1-2 pcs)
- 2 egg whites.
Prepared in the same way as previous recipes.
6. Gainer with boiled protein and cottage cheese
Another good recipe. To prepare it we will need the following products:
- 1 boiled egg white;
- low-fat cottage cheese (150 g);
- low-fat milk (200 ml).
- sugar, honey or jam to taste.
Usually the ingredients are crushed and mixed in a blender: a couple of minutes - and a tasty (and healthy!) sports drink is ready. Of course, even natural products may contain harmful pesticides or insufficient amounts of antioxidants, but you will definitely be sure that there are no dyes, flavors or flavor enhancers.
If you are interested in how to prepare a gainer yourself and make it especially useful, try to find special supplements in sports nutrition stores or pharmacies. These can be mixtures of amino acids, creatine, glutamine, or a BCAA supplement.
When used correctly, they are very beneficial for health and increase the rate of absorption of gainers and any other sports supplement. The good thing about homemade gainer is that it is always fresh. Therefore, do not prepare it for several days at once, because in this case the main advantage of a homemade supplement is lost. As a rule, the entire cooking process, including preparing the products, takes no more than five minutes, and the main work goes to the blender. The optimal amount of supplement taken at one time is for two doses, but if you have time and desire, prepare it for one time (it’s even healthier for your body). When doing this, expect that you will need to reduce the nutrient content of your serving. In this case, the cocktail should contain approximately twenty grams of proteins, some of which should be easily digestible, and carbohydrates should be approximately seventy grams, and carbohydrates should be quickly digestible (which include simple sugars). If your body is not accustomed to large amounts of milk, use fermented milk products as a liquid milk base; they are very healthy and extremely rarely cause allergic reactions, even in those who are allergic to lactose.
Fast and slow carbohydrates in gainers
The composition of sports cocktails determines the time of their use.
Mixtures containing fast carbohydrates - sugar, honey and sweet fruits are intended to replenish the energy deficit that occurs immediately after physical activity.
Gainers with slow carbohydrates, which can also be prepared at home, contain oatmeal, buckwheat or rice. They can be taken an hour before class or in the morning to prepare the body for intense training.
Preparing gainers at home
According to their intended purpose, gainers prepared at home can be divided into:
- Fast-acting
, containing quickly digestible carbohydrates (sugars) and easier-to-digest proteins, such as eggs, as well as whey protein. They must be taken immediately after training. - Slow-acting gainers
, the components of which are slow carbohydrates and long-term digestion proteins - cottage cheese, milk powder, casein protein. To sweeten such cocktails, fructose or sweeteners are used, the best of which is stevioside. These homemade cocktails are more suitable for pre-workout consumption.
Knowing these rules, you can easily create your own gainer recipe at home. Here are some examples of common recipes.
Important information!
The use of products that have not been heat-treated carries some risk of contracting intestinal infections. Flour from cereals and legumes can sometimes cause intestinal upset, so before use it is advisable to heat it by frying it in a frying pan.
A homemade gainer recipe may contain raw chicken and quail eggs. However, although quite rarely, they can be infected with salmonella, the causative agent of an acute infectious disease. Salmonellosis is especially dangerous for young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. To avoid infection, you must:
- Use only fresh eggs. Not very fresh ones float when immersed in water; they cannot be used raw.
- Never use a raw egg with a cracked shell.
- Do not use raw eggs with traces of droppings. Poultry droppings may contain salmonella bacteria that penetrate through the shell.
- Wash your hands and raw eggs thoroughly with soap and water before breaking them.
- If the contents of the egg are cloudy, contain bloody streaks or have an unpleasant odor, it should not be consumed raw.
- If you are not confident in the strength of your immunity, then it is better to completely abandon the use of raw eggs. Heat treatment completely disinfects them. Fresh boiled eggs lend themselves well to crushing and can be successfully used to prepare gainer at home.
Slow Carb Recipes
- Oatmeal gainer with store-bought protein.
To prepare it you will need:
- Oatmeal or oatmeal (it is advisable to fry the flour in a frying pan) – 50 g.
- Wheat, rye or oat bran – 10 g.
- Cow's milk - 1 glass.
- Fructose – 1-2 tsp. (taste). Can be replaced with stevioside.
- Some fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries) to add flavor.
Crush the berries, mix the ingredients, leave for 10 minutes, then shake in a shaker.
- Recipe with cottage cheese.
You will need soft cottage cheese with zero fat content.
- Buckwheat flour (roasted) – 100 g.
- Cottage cheese – 100 g.
- Cow's milk - 0.2-0.25 l.
- Fructose or stevia to taste.
- Fresh berries for flavor.
Beat the ingredients in a blender and mix with milk.
- Recipe with eggs.
- Chicken egg – 2 pcs.
- Cow's milk - 1 glass.
- Lecithin – 1 tbsp. (not necessary).
- Natural honey – 1 tsp.
Beat eggs with lecithin in a blender, add milk and honey.
- Recipe with milk powder.
- Powdered milk with minimal fat content – 2 tbsp.
- Fresh berries – 50 g.
- Cow's milk - 1 glass.
Crush the berries, mix everything and shake in a shaker.
- Gainer with different proteins
- Boiled egg white – 1 pc.
- Low-fat cottage cheese – 150 g.
- Berries for flavor – 50 g.
- Fructose or stevioside to taste.
- Cow's milk – 250 g.
Beat the ingredients in a blender and mix with milk and sweetener.
Recipes with fast carbohydrates
- Gainer with purchased protein
- Chocolate flavored protein – one scoop.
- Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp. l.
- Oatmeal – 50 g.
- Cow's milk – 200 ml.
- Sugar or honey to taste.
Mix everything in a shaker.
- Recipe with cottage cheese.
- Low-fat cottage cheese – 200 g.
- Fresh banana – 1 pc.
- Cow's milk - 1 glass.
- Honey or sugar to taste.
Beat the banana in a blender with cottage cheese, add milk and honey.
- Recipe with eggs.
- Chicken egg whites – 4 pcs.
- Oatmeal – 60 g.
- Grapes – 150 g.
- Berry jam – 2 tbsp.
Beat the ingredients in a blender and dilute with milk.
So as not to miss new publications!
As already mentioned in previous articles, a gainer is a protein-carbohydrate mixture. Its role in an athlete’s diet is multi-tasking: increase the amount of protein, increase daily calorie intake and improve the body’s recovery during periods of stress. But few people know that a gainer can be prepared at home, using protein or even ordinary products in your refrigerator as a basis.
Gainers based on high-calorie foods and protein powders
Mass gainers can be quickly prepared at home from various sandwich products, creams, protein powders with aromatic additives.
This approach justifies itself if you are tired of the monotonous taste of the finished mixture.
All ingredients are labeled with nutritional value, so in each case it is possible to place the desired emphasis on proteins or carbohydrates. In case of intolerance, cow's milk can be replaced with soy milk.
Recipes to increase muscle mass
A selection of recipes gives you the opportunity to try different flavor combinations in portions of gainers with the same energy value of 800 kilocalories.
Orange: whole milk – 250 ml, orange juice – 250 ml, cream – 120 ml, orange flavored protein – 2 scoops.
Chocolate-almond: whole milk – 500 ml, crushed dark chocolate – 60 g, almond paste – 2 tablespoons, chocolate-flavored protein – 2 tablespoons.
Mint: Whole milk - 250 ml, 1 cup chocolate or vanilla ice cream, ¼ spoon mint extract, mint chocolate protein powder - 2 scoops.
Banana-strawberry: whole milk - 350 ml, cream - 120 ml, 1 large banana, 4 medium-sized strawberries, strawberry-banana protein - 2 scoops.
Peanuts with bacon: whole milk - 500 ml, peanut butter - 3 tablespoons, 2 strips of cooked bacon, 2 scoops of peanut flavored protein.
Cinnamon and pineapple: whole milk - 350 ml, cream - 60 ml, coconut oil - 60 g, pineapple juice - 100 ml, ¼ spoon of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of flavored protein.
Coffee-caramel: whole milk - 250 ml, cream - 120 ml, brewed coffee - 120 ml, caramel syrup - 2 tablespoons, and 2 scoops of caramel protein.
Chocolate: whole milk – 350 ml, cream – 60 ml, 60 g each of milk and dark chocolate, chocolate protein – 2 scoops.
Oatmeal: whole milk - 350 ml, cream - 60 ml, 30 g oatmeal, 4 teaspoons of black sugar, 2 standard spoons of protein with your favorite flavor.
Avocado with chocolate: chocolate milk - 350 ml, 1 ripe and peeled avocado, 30 g chopped dark chocolate, and 2 scoops of chocolate protein.
Protein-carbon cocktails from natural products
Fans of a healthy lifestyle are wondering how to make gainer at home without using protein supplements and chemical flavors.
It’s easy to avoid flavor enhancers by using herbal spices.
Sugar can be replaced with honey, which will add essential vitamins to your diet.
The problem of protein replacement is solved by introducing cottage cheese, raw eggs, and dry milk powder into the recipe.
It is believed that ready-made protein powder, due to the concentration of proteins in the smallest possible volume of the substance taken, provides less stress on the gastrointestinal tract, which is especially important for athletes during intense training.
This point can be compensated by increased consumption of meat and broths in food, in combination with regular intake of gainers from fresh products.
In recipes for homemade gainers, raw eggs are a mandatory ingredient. It is necessary to buy them fresh, with the shell intact, and rinse thoroughly before use.
Alternatively, you can grind boiled eggs in a blender, but their nutritional value will be lower.
The protein component can also be provided by milk powder or cottage cheese. For every 250 ml of milk, add 100 g of cottage cheese, 30 g of milk powder or 2 eggs.
Homemade gainer recipes
Below are recipes for homemade mass gainers, follow the recommended intake, taking into account the nutritional value and total daily caloric intake of the diet. The largest share of the daily diet should be foods containing complex carbohydrates and proteins.
Protein-carbohydrate cocktail option No. 1
This homemade gainer contains a predominant amount of carbohydrates, thanks to the nutritional value of oatmeal, banana and the glycemic index of peanut butter. The cocktail also contains fats necessary to add energy value to the gainer. This cocktail is great for taking before a workout, consumed an hour before.
Ingredients:
- 1 glass of milk (300 ml);
- 100 g oatmeal;
- 1 banana;
- 1 tsp. peanut butter.
Cooking method:
- Pour a glass of milk over oatmeal, add banana and butter.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a blender and consume before or after training.
- Do not store the milkshake for more than two hours in its finished form.
Protein-carbohydrate cocktail option No. 2
This homemade gainer also has high nutritional and energy value; the high content of carbohydrates and fats will give strength during training and prevent muscle destruction. It can also be consumed on an empty stomach on rest days
.
Ingredients:
- 1 glass of orange juice;
- 100 g oatmeal;
- 1 tbsp. l. walnuts or peanuts.
Preparation:
- Mix freshly squeezed orange juice with oatmeal.
- Chop the nuts in advance - beat all the ingredients with a blender until smooth.
- You can add a teaspoon of honey to enhance the sweetness and calorie content.
Option protein-carbohydrate cocktail No. 3
This homemade fermented milk gainer recipe is suitable for use both before and after training. To increase sweetness, you can add 2 tsp. honey or replace with any natural sweetener.
Ingredients:
- 1 glass of kefir;
- 1 tbsp. l. almonds;
- 1⁄2 cup oatmeal;
- 1 tsp. honey
Preparation:
- Grind the almonds first.
- Add nuts, oatmeal and honey to a glass of kefir.
- Blend with a blender for 30-60 seconds.
Option protein-carbohydrate cocktail No. 4
This homemade protein gainer recipe is suitable for use after a workout or at night. The shake is rich in protein - about 30 g per serving, with low sugar content, the main sources of which are lactose and fructose. The recipe with cottage cheese is a great option for closing.
Ingredients:
- 1 glass of milk;
- 100 g cottage cheese;
- 50 g oatmeal;
- 1 cup blueberries or raspberries.
Preparation:
- Rinse the berries.
- Add low-fat cottage cheese to milk.
- Mix all ingredients and whisk thoroughly to break the curd into small particles.
- You can add honey or stevia powder to taste.
Option protein-carbohydrate cocktail No. 5
And this homemade gainer has an excellent strawberry-banana flavor. Thanks to the eggs, the smoothie contains healthy fats and proteins. Chicken eggs can be easily replaced with quail eggs (about 100 g). It is great to take post-workout or on an empty stomach in the morning.
Ingredients:
- 1 glass of milk;
- 1 banana;
- 100 g strawberries;
- 2 eggs.
Preparation:
- Rinse the strawberries.
- Mix all ingredients by adding 2 whole raw eggs to the mixture.
- If desired, add any natural sweeteners.
- Beat the cocktail in a blender.
Option protein-carbohydrate cocktail No. 6
The recipe is especially for coffee lovers, as the cocktail has a mild coffee taste. The tonic effect of coffee makes the cocktail unique. It can also be taken in the morning on rest days
.
Ingredients:
- 300 ml milk;
- 2 tsp. instant coffee;
- 5 g vanilla sugar;
- 100 g oatmeal;
- 1 banana.
Preparation:
- Dissolve coffee in warm, but not boiled milk, and cool.
- Add cereal, banana, vanilla sugar and thoroughly beat all ingredients with a blender.
Low calorie gainers
The process of assimilation of nutritional cocktails is individual and depends on the characteristics of lipid metabolism.
Women are advised to use protein-carbon mixtures with extreme caution, starting with small portions.
Here are a few recipes with dietary products and minimal fat:
For 500 kilocalories:
- 250 ml skim milk, 3 tablespoons of cereal flakes, 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons of honey;
- 250 ml skim milk, 50 g ice cream, 3 tablespoons oatmeal or cereal flakes, 2 raw eggs.
- Light version - 250 kilocalories: 200 ml of skim milk, 50 g of low-fat cottage cheese, white from a hard-boiled egg, a handful of berries and 1 tablespoon of honey.
We have chosen easy recipes for gainers at home:
- You will need: 200 g low-fat cottage cheese; 60 g peanuts; 3 tbsp. l. honey; 2 bananas; 200 ml milk. All ingredients must be mixed until smooth.
- You will need: 100 g low-fat cottage cheese; 200 ml milk; 100 ml orange juice; 2 tbsp. l. fructose; 1 banana. All ingredients must be mixed until smooth.
- You will need: 2 tbsp. l. raspberry jam; 150 g grapes; 60 g oatmeal; boiled whites from 4 eggs; 250 ml milk. Mix the ingredients until smooth.
- You will need: 150 ml skim milk; 2 tbsp. l. skim milk powder; 2 tbsp. l. blueberry jam; 2 tbsp. l. Sahara. Mix everything until smooth.
- You will need: 2 tbsp. l. peanut butter; 1 handful of dried apricots; 1 handful of raisins; 200 ml skim milk; boiled whites from 2 eggs. All ingredients, as in previous versions, must be mixed until smooth.
We are sure that now you know how to make a gainer with your own hands and understand that it is not at all difficult. Do not forget that such a cocktail is necessary for ectomorphs and people with fast metabolism. Gainers at home for gaining weight can also be taken by those who have problems with appetite or temporary difficulties in purchasing professional sports nutrition.
Of course, in practice it is difficult to maintain the exact proportions of the components at home, so for frequent use it is recommended to still give preference to industrially produced gainers. Manufacturers include useful additives in their composition: vitamins, minerals, micro- and macroelements, creatine.
Not all ingredients found in the kitchen are easily absorbed by the body. For example, milk powder is considered to be a fairly heavy product. Try experimenting by adding a little honey or cocoa powder for flavor. Bananas are often used to make gainers at home. Fruits must first be cut into pieces; they may change the consistency of the drink, this is normal.
The volume of liquid can be varied, and substitutes can be used instead of sugar. Do not use citrus juices, they increase the acidity of gastric juice. Gainers are mixed with yogurt and kefir, but not everyone likes the combination with fermented milk products. The option with water will be less caloric if this issue is important to you. The main thing is that it is not boiling water, otherwise the protein will be destroyed.
Do not add a lot of bran to the composition, they often cause digestive upset. Many athletes take oatmeal as one of the main ingredients. You can replace it with oatmeal, buckwheat, pea, soy or barley flour.
It only takes a few minutes to create a delicious gainer at home. A drink prepared at home will replenish the body's energy reserves after a workout and help it recover faster. You should not drink a gainer before going to bed. It is also not recommended to drink gainer for athletes who quickly gain weight. Instead of the desired muscle mass, you can end up with excess fat deposits. If your goal is to burn fat rather than gain fat, opt for fat burners and pre-workout supplements.
How to take gainer
Gainer will help out those who cannot always eat a full meal during the day. However, you should not get carried away with such substitution too often. Before going to bed, it is recommended to drink whey or casein protein instead of a gainer.
But before training, about 40 minutes or an hour, and also half an hour after training, the ideal time for a gainer comes. Protein will protect muscles from catabolism and promote their growth, and carbohydrates will provide the energy necessary for training. Don’t rush to mix the ingredients after the gym; your stomach needs time to prepare to absorb the substances. The timing is also important when taking a gainer before a workout: if you drink it too early, the carbohydrates may not be used and turn into fat deposits. And if it’s too late, create an outflow of blood from the muscles involved in the work to the stomach; with a full stomach, you also can’t start working with heavy weights.
Overcome severe hunger and wait for the optimal time period for the gainer. Drink water, take a shower, change into sportswear - half an hour will fly by. During the day, you can replace the second breakfast with a gainer, and also include it between main meals, observing the daily calorie intake.
Gainer does not replace the ability to take other sports supplements. If necessary, you can also use creatine, BCAA amino acids, and vitamin and mineral complexes. Monitor changes in weight, make timely adjustments to your training and nutrition program.
A warning from nutritionists
In cases where there is a risk of obesity, reinforcing mixtures should be taken once, only after training, 3 hours before bedtime.
Composite drinks saturated with all types of nutrients are suitable only for people with increased physical activity, who are professionally involved in building muscle mass, or for athletes during grueling training.
If you tend to be overweight, it is recommended to replace gainers with protein shakes.