Sometimes, gaining weight--in the form of muscle--is needed to improve your performance in sports. However, if you're an athlete, you're likely to be training and practicing on a daily basis, which burns up the calories you need for growth. If you find that your appetite can't keep up with your energy expenditure, you may want to consider using a weight gainer product. While many of these products are similar, you should pick one from a well-known brand with favorably reviewed products. While there is no guarantee of success, higher quality brands may give you the best chance for gaining muscle.
4Ever Fit
4Ever Fit is a company with more than a decade of experience producing sports supplements, and the company claims it is committed to producing "high quality, innovative, sports nutrition and health products." 4Ever Fit offers a variety of protein products, as well as two separate lines of weight gainers.
The first is Isolate Gainer, which offers 920 calories per serving, with 178g carbohydrates and 50g of protein. The product contains 5g of fat per serving and also includes creatine, which may help you to build muscle. A study from the March 2000 issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that creatine supplementation increased muscle strength and lean muscle mass over a six-week training program.
4Ever Fit also offers Whey Gainer, which has 1,050 calories per serving. Each serving contains 175g carbohydrates, 55g protein and 14g fat.
Cytosport
Cytosport is the brand behind Muscle Milk, a popular protein supplement. The company does make many other products, though, including quite a few weight gain supplements. In all, Cytosport has four different weight gain powders: Cytogainer, Monster Food, Monster Mass and Muscle Milk Collegiate.
The products vary in calories and protein content, so the best product for you depends on how many calories you burn each day. Monster Food is the most calorie-dense, with 860 calories per serving, while Muscle Milk Collegiate is the lightest with 580 calories. Each of these products contains Cytosport's "Lean Lipids" complex, which consists of medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs. According to research from the January 1983 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, MCTs are digested differently by your body than other fatty acids and may help to prevent obesity.
TwinLab
TwinLab is one of the oldest supplement manufacturers, as the brand was founded in 1968 to produce and distribute protein supplements. Since then, the brand has branched out, and according to TwinLab's official site, it was acquired by ISI Brands in 2003.
TwinLab's lineup of weight gain products comprises Gainers Fuel Pro, Mass Fuel Pro, Mass Fuel Xtreme, and Super Gainers Fuel Pro. The last product is the most calorie-dense, with 1,860 calories per serving. This means Super Gainers Fuel Pro may not be appropriate for all athletes, as one serving is nearly the entire recommended daily allowance for calories--2,000 or 2,500, according to the FDA.
References
- 4Ever Fit: About Our Company
- Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise; Effects of oral creatine supplementation on muscular strength and body composition; MD Becque, JD Lochmann, DR Melrose; March 2000
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat; A Geliebter et al; January 1983
- TwinLab: About ISI Brands
- FDA: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
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