Gainer (from the English gain-gain) is a class of sports nutrition, which is a protein-carbohydrate mixture.
Sometimes manufacturers add creatine, vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, etc. ingredients. Also, the gainer often contains a small amount of fat. The main function of the gainer is to increase body weight and quickly replenish energy reserves. The effectiveness of combining protein and carbohydrates in bodybuilding has been proven in several independent studies.
The history of the gainer is quite long, it is one of the first sports supplements. In the past, gainers were produced using cheap types of proteins, loaded with sugar and fats to maximize the caloric content. One serving of such a gainer could contain up to 3000 kilocalories. The quality of the protein left much to be desired. Surprisingly, even now you can find such sports nutrition in Russia, nevertheless, high-quality, balanced gainers have appeared on the market, which contain purified protein with high biological value, contain special carbohydrates and many other useful substances.
Why do they take a gainer?
The gainer is designed for people of a lean physique or ectomorphs, without problematic fat deposition, who seek to add body weight in a short time. If you add three servings of this sports supplement to your usual diet and systematically engage in bodybuilding, then your weight will begin to grow steadily. For people with a fast rate of metabolic reactions, this is sometimes not enough, so you have to include additional sports supplements and raise the calorie content of the daily diet. People who are prone to fullness or endomorphs are not recommended to take a gainer, since most of the carbohydrates will be deposited in adipose tissue, so it is more reasonable for them to consider protein mixtures as an additive, and consume mainly slow carbohydrates.
Also, the gainer is well suited for track and field athletes, boxers, football players, basketball players and other athletes who are subjected to prolonged aerobic loads. The use of a gainer before exercise allows you to maintain a high level of energy during classes and games, and after training helps to restore strength and muscles. If you follow the right diet and the regime of taking a gainer, then you can easily maintain the weight at the right level. Modern gainers are well suited not only for increasing muscle mass, but also as energy and restorers.
How to take a gainer
In bodybuilding, the most appropriate time to take a gainer is a few minutes after the training. At this moment, the so-called protein-carbohydrate window opens, which can fully close the gainer. This will allow the athlete to quickly restore strength, regenerate muscle tissue, suppress catabolic processes and replenish depleted energy reserves.
You can also take a gainer before training. The advantage of this moment of time is that the body will receive an energy substrate-carbohydrates, which will allow you to train more intensively and for a longer time, and a high concentration of amino acids will suppress catabolism from the very beginning of training. However, there is a significant drawback in this — during the training there will be no fat loss, and the probability of its increase will increase.
Some recommend taking a gainer at other times, two, three or even four times a day. There is a reasonable reason for this, if you want to increase your weight as quickly as possible and are not at all inclined to fullness, otherwise you risk gaining weight mainly due to fat. It is much more reasonable to take 1 gainer once, the remaining 2-3 doses should fall on protein.On average, each serving of a gainer contains: 20-40 g of protein, 50-80 g of carbohydrates and several grams of unsaturated fats. The amounts of other substances vary depending on the brand of the product. Do not exceed the doses recommended by the manufacturer, since large amounts simply will not be fully absorbed. In preparation, the gainer is quite simple: a portion of dry powder is stirred in milk or water, after which it is ready for use.
Combination with other sports nutrition
The gainer is perfectly combined with creatine. Carbohydrates and proteins included in it help creatine to be absorbed better and faster. They can be mixed in one cocktail and taken after the training.
In addition, to make bodybuilding as productive as possible, it is also advisable to take a protein, a pre-workout complex and a vitamin and mineral complex. It is perfectly combined with anabolic complexes.
Never take a gainer during drying cycles, losing weight and working on relief.
