Protein shake for gaining weight: How to build mass successfully

Why fitness shakes and gainers are suitable for healthy weight gain.

Advisors and tips to lose weight can be found numerous. However, there are also many people who haveproblemsgaining weight . Often suffer from underweight and can eat a variety of meals without putting more weight on the scale. These people are also called hardgainers among strength athletes, which means that they find it difficult to gain weight.

Those who want to gain weight should focus primarily on building muscle. As a rule, it is healthier to gain most of the weight in the form of muscles and not in the form of fat. A normal body fat percentage should be maintained. It should be noted that every person and every body has different needs. This means it doesn't work for everyone to take in as many calories as possible through diet and increase their workouts. Although diet and exercise are important for building muscle, supplements like protein powders can also help by providing calories and protein, for example.

Our guide looks at the questions of whether protein powders or protein shakes are suitable for gaining weight, and what properties protein shakes should have in order for them to work as gainers.

How can you gain weight properly?

To gain weight healthily and effectively, it can be helpful to eat plenty of protein. A diet rich in protein can helpbuild muscle and not accumulate unwanted fat in the body.[¹] Experts recommend consuming 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight daily to build muscle mass.[²]

Since not all people succeed in integrating this much protein into their diet, protein in powder form or in a shake can be relied on to gain weight. In addition, each person has an individual need for calories. This need is influenced by one's weight, the muscles in the body and daily exercise. To successfully gain weight, you need to eat more than you consume, thus providing a calorie surplus.[³]

Each person has a certain basal metabolic rate of calories that the body consumes at absolute rest - depending on factors such as gender, age and body size. In addition, there is the performance metabolism, which is achieved through physical activity: Sports, as well as general exercise while doing household or everyday things, are factored into personal calorie needs. Once it is clear how many calories the body needs, the calorie intake from food should then be looked at, because the amount is often underestimated or overestimated. This can be remedied by tracking calories over several weeks.

Incidentally, it also does not make sense to build up a calorie surplus by eating fast food such as burgers or pizza. These foods do not have good nutritional values and are not the solution. Because you also need enough vitamins and minerals to gain weight in a healthy way. For this, you should prefer a balanced diet that covers all the nutritional values and consists of unprocessed foods as much as possible.

In addition to calorie requirements and proper nutrition, strength training also plays an important role in gaining weight. This is because the body needs muscle stimuli to use the excess energy from the calorie surplus - without the muscle building, it stores it in the form of fat deposits.

Some people proceed exactly as recommended when gaining weight, but they still don't really want to succeed. For these hardgainers, protein powder is suitable for gaining weight - often these people simply take in too few calories through their meals or are "bad eaters".

What are hardgainers?

Hardgainers are usually thin, lanky people with a generally low body fat percentage and narrow shoulders as well as hips. They often have low hunger pangs and thus get full faster than other people. Therefore, these individuals in particular find it difficult to build body mass and muscle.

People who tend to be underweight should definitely eat a healthy diet and, for example, eat enough protein. In this way, you contribute something to maintain the existing muscle mass and stimulate muscle building.

A diet plan for hardgainers can help to eat enough meals with sufficient nutritional values throughout the day. Since hardgainers usually take in fewer calories than they consume, a high-calorie fitness shake can be the solution to gaining weight. These so-called weight gainers are useful for achieving a calorie surplus.

Also, for petite women who find it difficult to achieve a calorie surplus, gaining weight with protein shakes in combination with a healthy diet can be a healthy and effective solution.

Looking for a weight gainer with a delicious taste to help you gain weight?

Does a protein shake help you gain weight?

Protein takes a significant role in muscle building and muscle supply. Only those who consume enough protein can effectively build muscle mass. For this reason, protein supplements in the form of shakes or powders can be useful for gaining weight.

A protein drink for gaining weight is also quickly prepared by yourself. The important thing is to choose the right ingredients and combine, for example, high-quality protein powder with healthy foods - so you can create your shake according to your personal taste.

The shakes can thus be integrated into the diet in a varied way. Another plus point: Many people often find it easier to consume calories in liquid form than to constantly monitor nutritional values and the amount of meals.

Protein shakes for gaining weight: Prepare yourself or buy?

There are now countless protein and fitness shakes available. Whether a purchased or homemade protein shake for gaining weight is suitable for you personally, you must decide for yourself.

Both variants have advantages and disadvantages: Purchased shakes save time and are quickly available, but these ready-made weight gainer shakes do not always have the best nutritional values, for example, contain a lot of sugar. If you resort to a ready-made protein drink, you should definitely make sure that it contains high-quality proteins and no added sugar.

With a homemade shake for gaining weight on the basis of a high-quality protein powder such as Whey Protein, you may have to schedule a little more time, but you know exactly what is in it. The ingredients can be adjusted at any time and the flavor can be customized.

Gain weight healthily: The right ingredients for the protein shake

A high-quality protein drink for gaining weight should cover all macronutrients and the most important micronutrients if possible. This sounds more complicated than it is! The ingredients you need are just healthy and high-quality foods.

A healthy protein shake for weightgain should contain:

• Carbohydrates, for example from oatmeal, bananas or berries.
• Protein from the right protein sources, such as whey protein, vegan protein, milk and dairy products like curd or adequate plant-based alternatives
• Fats, for example from nuts and nut puree, coconut oil or seeds
• Vitamins and minerals, such as from nuts and fruit, depending on the flavor you desire

You should also pay attention to the form of nutrients. For example, complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal do not cause blood sugar to spike as quickly and still provide sufficient energy.

Protein shake recipe for weight gain

A protein drink for gaining weight is quick to prepare, but some beginners are overwhelmed with choosing the right ingredients for the shake.

For those who struggle a bit with preparing a homemade shake, here is arecipe that can be easily modified :

• 400 ml milk, preferably organic whole milk (or plant-based milk alternatives).
• 75 g oatmeal (alternatively, de-oiled nut flour or melting flakes can also be used)
• 1 banana
• 100 g frozen berries of your choice, for example blueberries
• 25 g nut puree or nut butter
• 30 g protein powder, such as ESN Designer Whey or for the vegan variant either ESN Vegan Pro Complex or ESN Vegan Designer Protein
• 10 ml / 1 tablespoon linseed oil (can also be replaced by nuts or avocado)

Conclusion: This is why protein shakes are worthwhile for gaining weight

To gain muscle and weight, the right diet and proper training are important above all. To gain weight, it is necessary to achieve a caloric surplus, that is, to take in more calories than the body consumes.

In addition, it can be helpful to supply more protein through the diet than the body breaks down. This is where protein powders or protein drinks and shakes for gaining weight come into play! The protein suppliers can help with exactly that. Due to their easy availability or preparation, weight gainers and protein shakes can be ideally integrated into the daily diet. This way, you can easily take in more calories and protein, and increase your weight in a healthy way.

Sources:

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22215165/

[2] https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31012296/