Whey Protein Vs. Mass Gainer: Which is Best for You?

While adding supplements to your diet is one of the best ways to complete the nutritional value, we completely understand how difficult it can be to select a supplement. Whey protein and mass gainer are among the most common choices of supplements that come to mind when building muscles. In order to make sure you choose the right supplement, we will provide you with a detailed comparison of whey protein vs mass gainer.

Both whey protein and mass gainer bring numerous benefits to the table and are among the handful of supplements that can be consumed by almost anyone without any side effects. Although a detailed comparison of whey protein vs mass gainer is essential, let’s first take a look at what exactly these two supplements are.

What Is Whey Protein?

The protein in whey protein is obtained from milk during the process of cheese production. Whey protein carries a high protein content, and as a matter of fact, whey protein is among the richest sources of protein. Thanks to its high protein content, it helps the consumer to build their desired muscles while improving muscle recovery.

Whey protein also carries a hefty amount of amino acids compared to other protein supplements. Besides amino acids, whey protein also has natural antioxidants, which boost immunity and neutralizes diseases and infections. Moreover, the nutrients carried in whey protein also help the consumer to relieve stress and depression by boosting their morale and helping them to achieve athletic performance.

What Is Mass Gainer?

As the name suggests, mass gainer helps in building muscle mass by increasing one’s weight. A mass gainer is also a dietary supplement that carries a high quantity of carbohydrates and calories. Although mass gainers are also a rich source of protein, their protein content is lower than other protein supplements, as their whole purpose revolves around increasing one’s muscle mass.

Mass gainers are among the best choices of supplements for those who have a fast metabolism and face trouble gaining weight. Moreover, mass gainers can also be consumed by aspiring bodybuilders to put on weight and muscles. Mass gainers also support a speedy recovery and provide the consumer with energy throughout their workout sessions.

Whey Protein Vs Mass Gainer

It is common to get confused between whey protein and mass gainer. However, we are here for the purpose to clear that confusion and help you select the right supplement. Now that you are aware of what both these supplements are, let's take a closer look at the detailed comparison of whey protein vs mass gainer.

• Composition

Whey protein is a supplement that is composed of amino acids and contains approximately 90% whey protein with very few carbohydrates. Besides the high content of protein, whey protein also carries amino acids that promote muscle building and recovery. Whey protein also carries BCAA and essential vitamins that promote athletic performance.

Mass gainer, on the other hand, carries high amounts of carbohydrates, and the amount of calories in mass gainer is also higher than whey protein. An ideal mass gainer carries a 1:3 ratio of protein and carbohydrates. Moreover, mass gainer carries less sugar content and high digestive enzymes. The nutritional value provided by mass gainers helps to build muscles in or out of the gym.

• Function

Although both supplements are well known in their field, it is essential to consider your goals while selecting one of them. Mass gainers are among the best supplements to gain weight, and as a matter of fact, they are among the best choices of supplements to gain weight and muscle mass. On the other hand, whey protein is the better choice of supplement if you want to build muscles without bulking up. This is also a key difference between mass gainer and whey protein. Mass gainer spikes up the consumer’s insulin level and also stores unwanted fat in their body. On the contrary, whey protein is pure protein. Although whey protein does not help with weight gain, you should opt for whey protein if you want lean muscles, not bulk.

• Overall nutrition profile

Whey protein is among the best sources of protein as the supplement does not carry fat and only carries very few amounts of carbohydrates and calories. Mass gainer helps in consuming protein, carbohydrates, and fats, which are essential for bulking up. Although the comparison of whey protein vs mass gainer can be clearly seen in their nutritional profile, choosing one of the two supplements depends on what your fitness goals are.

• Fitness goals

Fitness goals completely depend on what type of muscle growth you want to achieve. Building muscles is not only limited to bulking and leaning, and deciding on whether to use a mass gainer or whey protein supplement to achieve that goal is an essential step.

• Bodybuilding

Although mass gainers provide a surge of energy and improve the growth of muscles, opting for whey protein is the ideal choice. Whey protein targets the group of muscles while reducing lactic acid build-up and boosting the healing process. Moreover, thanks to the high quantity of protein, whey protein also lowers the chances of injuries.

• Athletic/lean physics

If you want to build lean or athletic muscles, then the best option would be to go with whey protein as it will not increase your weight but will promote lean physics. Whereas mass gainers can potentially disrupt your whole fitness journey by increasing the muscle mass and bulking you up. Building lean muscles requires one to cut down their carbohydrate and calorie intake, and by consuming mass gainer, that goal won’t be achieved.

• Improve sport performance

In order to improve your sports performance, whey protein is among the best supplements to do so. Whey protein not only improves muscle recovery but also provides strength for athletic performance. The amount of protein, vitamins, and other nutrients makes it one of the best supplements to enhance sports performance.

In comparison to whey protein, mass gainers can disrupt the body’s metabolism level, which can highly impact one’s sports performance. The weight gainer vs whey protein comparison does not make much sense in the field of sports performance, as protein is the most required nutrient, which makes whey protein the superior choice of supplement.

• Weight gain/bulk

If you are simply looking to gain weight, then no supplement can beat mass gainers. Mass gainer carries hefty amounts of calories and carbohydrates and helps the consumer to hit their weight goals. Although mass gainers can help with both weights gaining and bulking, it is important to avoid unhealthy food as they can build fat rather than muscles and can also impact the heart.

If you are struggling with the choice of mass gainer or whey protein for skinny guys, then cross whey protein because it won’t be of any use to you. Although whey protein does not help with weight gain, you can start taking this supplement once you have reached your weight goal. As for bulking up, nothing beats mass gainers.

How To Consume Whey Protein?

The whey protein supplement is an excellent source of protein, and consuming it before working training sessions is one of the best ways to enjoy the benefits. In order to further boost the properties of whey protein, you can add 1 - 2 scoops of the supplement in banana, chocolate, or other protein shakes of your choice.

How Do You Consume Mass Gainers?

It is completely safe to drink mass gainer more than once a day, but if you are a beginner and want to gain weight through the supplement, then consuming it once before working out would be for the best. However, if you are using mass gainers for bulking, then consuming it with breakfast and before working out would be the ideal choice. Similar to whey protein, you can also add mass 1 - 2 scoops of mass gainer to a shake of your choice.

Faqs

Can I Take Mass Gainer And Whey Protein Together?

Ideally, mass gainer and whey protein should not be consumed together, as they won’t be of any use and can cause harm to your muscles. Between the two of them, you should take one supplement that helps you to achieve your fitness goals, and with the help of the whey protein vs mass gainer article, you can easily decide on the supplement.

Which Is Better, Mass Gainer Or Whey Protein?

Both supplements are in a class of their own and serve different purposes. If you have a healthy BMI and want to build lean muscles, then opting for whey protein should be the ideal choice. On the other hand, if you want to gain weight or want to bulk up, then you should definitely add mass gainer to your diet rather than whey protein.

Mass Gainer Vs Whey Protein For Skinny Guys

Although whey protein is the ideal choice of supplement for building muscle, if your BMI is lower than average, then you should go with a mass gainer. Mass gainer will help you to gain weight as well as muscles which you will need to train later in order to build.

To Conclude

Goals play an important role in defining one’s physical fitness in the future, and if your goal is to gain muscle or bulk up, then mass gainer is going to be the ideal choice of supplement for you. Mass gainers are rich in carbohydrates and calories, which are the most important nutrients for gaining and bulking.

However, if you want lean/athletic physics, then adding whey protein to your diet is the choice to go with. With a detailed comparison of whey protein vs mass gainer, you can easily figure out which one suits you by taking a look at their nutrition profile and matching them with your fitness goals.