Best protein powders for muscle gain?

Alex Long8 said:I’m about to dive headfirst into something I swore on my life I would never even look at, let alone actually touch.

Basically, I'm going to go buy some damn mass gainer... and please, just spare me the lecture in the comments. I get it, okay? Gainer is just overpriced sugar... it's just whey mixed with glucose... I know how the sausage is made, trust me.

Look, there's a massive difference between knowing something and actually understanding it. If you truly understood the implications, you wouldn't be thinking this way.

Alex Long8 said:I’m about to dive into something I swore I’d never even touch, let alone actually use.

Basically, I’m buying a damn mass gainer... spare me the lectures—I know the deal. It’s just sugar... whey mixed with glucose... I get it. But I want to pack on those extra 5kg as fast as humanly possible. It’s not some seasonal thing where people start grinding two months before summer hits; I just want an extra 5kg over the next couple of months so I have a decent foundation to work with later. I’ll grab a 3kg tub, knock it back, and then I am officially done with this stuff for good.

I'm getting:
Universal Real Gains

It isn't even that expensive for three kilos of whatever this mix is, and it's got flaxseed oil and all that junk included... seems alright enough.

Have you actually calculated how many calories you'll be running above your maintenance?

Jonathan Miller7 said:There’s a massive difference between knowing something and actually understanding it. If you truly understood, your perspective would be different.

I regularly mix glucose into my whey—mostly because I'm too lazy to prep actual meals and just need an easy way to bump up my calories.

Alex Long8 said:I’m about to dive into something I swore I’d never even touch, let alone actually use.

Basically, I’m going to buy some damn mass gainer... please spare me the comments. Gainer sucks... it’s just sugar... whey mixed with glucose... I know how it works. But I want to pack on those freaking 5kg as fast as possible. It isn't because of summer or any of those ridiculous trends where everyone starts training two months before June to look decent. No, I just want to hit an extra 5kg in maybe 2 or 3 months so I have some actual mass to work with later. I’ll grab one 3kg tub, knock it back, and then I'm done with this stuff forever.

I'm getting:
Universal Real Gains

Look, gainer itself isn't necessarily bad if you actually know how to use it properly. 😉
You aren't going to see any results from the gainer alone if your diet is trash.
It just makes it easier to stay in a caloric surplus, which is obviously what you need for bulking.
Calculate how many calories you're getting from food, then figure out how much the gainer adds to that. Just make sure you're actually in a surplus, otherwise, the supplement is pretty much useless for gaining mass. 😉

placidranger said:I honestly just mix glucose straight into my whey all the time. It’s purely because I’m too lazy to actually cook a meal, so I figure I might as well bump up the calories that way.

Look, I used to do the same thing, and hey, there's nothing wrong with that. But you can't go walking into a store, buy some overpriced gainer, and expect to instantly pack on five pounds. You could literally drink a gainer and still lose weight if your overall diet sucks. A gainer isn't some magic potion; it's just food in powder form, plain and simple.

Jonathan Miller7 said:I used to think the same way, and honestly, it’s fine. But you can't just expect to gain 10 pounds just because you bought a tub of gainer. You could be drinking mass gainer and still losing weight. A gainer isn't magic; it's just food.

I figured someone would say that. Maybe I didn't word my original post perfectly... I get it, diet is the foundation.

Basically, it's 4-5 meals + protein powder + maybe a shake if there happens to be enough time between my last meal and the gym.

I'm slamming a ton of carbs. My plan is to hit about 80g of carbs and 30-40g of protein per meal. That puts me at roughly 4g of carbs per kg of body weight and 2g of protein per kg daily.

Look, if that gainer actually has whey in it, I’d say it’s totally worth grabbing right after a workout. Then, within about an hour, you should follow it up with a solid, slow-digesting protein meal—throw some fats in there too, too.

Alex Long8 said:that would work out to: 4g carbs per kg of body weight and 2g protein per kg

And how much fat?
As it stands, that doesn't look like enough—unless you're talking strictly about what's coming from the mass gainer, in which case it seems like plenty 😕.

placidranger said:And how much fat?
This doesn't look like enough yet—unless you're just counting the mass gainer, in which case it looks like plenty. 😕

That’s without the gainer. I calculated that based on four meals, which is basically the bare minimum I eat.

As for fat, honestly, I have no clue🤷 I'll probably just look up the nutrition facts online later. How much fat am I supposed to be hitting?

Jonathan Miller7 said:If that gainer actually has whey in it, I think it’s worth it for right after a workout. Then, within an hour, you just follow up with a solid meal containing slow proteins and fats.

That’s basically my routine anyway. My campus dining hall is right next to my gym, so I usually knock back a protein shake immediately and then take a long shower😁 to kill at least thirty minutes before heading over to eat at the dining hall.

Alex Long8 said:this doesn't include mass gainers—it’s calculated based on four meals, which is the bare minimum I’d eat.

as for fats, honestly, I haven't a clue🤷—I'll have to look up nutrition labels online and figure it out. how much fat should I actually be hitting?

well, you're eating pretty little (or your math is off 😁). what's your height and weight?

here's the quick breakdown of what you need:
the priority is roughly 2 to 2.5 grams of protein per kg of lean body mass (LBM), and the rest can come from carbs and fats. You definitely need some fat since the body needs it to function, and for carbs, it's best to get them from plenty of fruits and vegetables—vitamins, minerals, fiber, and all that good stuff for digestion.

Let's say you weigh 154 lbs, with 10% body fat—that would put you at about 139 lbs of LBM, so your total protein intake would be around 120-150g daily.
that's about 500-600 kcal.
if you need, say, 2500 kcal a day just to maintain your current weight (check here and here), then the sweet spot for bulking up would be roughly 500 calories above that—so 3000 calories. That's a ballpark figure, but it's a solid starting point. If you start putting on too much fat, cut the calories; if you aren't gaining, bump them up.

Alex Long8 said:It’s kind of just my routine at this point. My campus dining hall is basically right next to the gym, so I usually knock back a protein shake immediately after my sets and then just linger under the shower😁 to kill at least half an hour between finishing my workout and actually sitting down to eat at the hall.

Honestly, that long shower strategy is priceless. 😁😁😁😁😁

Is there actually a way to calculate Body Fat accurately? Like, is there a specific formula I can use, or am I stuck having to go see a doctor for it?😁

Just hop onto Google and search for "Body Fat calculator"

And you'll end up looking at something like this
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

Edit: There are also those methods where you measure your waist, arms, legs, wrists, or whatever else, depending on whether you're a guy or a girl. It’s not exactly pinpoint accurate, but it'll give you a ballpark figure for your Body Fat. I ended up using this one because I don't have access to that specific device—I can't even remember what the thing is called, honestly😁

Alex Long8 said:I knew someone was gonna call me out on that! I guess I worded my last post a bit weirdly... look, I get it, my whole foundation is built on my diet.

Basically, I'm doing 4-5 meals a day plus a shake, and if I happen to have enough time between my last meal and hitting the gym, I'll grab another shake.

I'm slamming a massive amount of carbs here. My plan is to hit about 80g of carbs and 30-40g of protein per meal. That works out to roughly 4g of carbs per kg of body weight and 2g of protein per kg daily.

Man, just ditch the mass gainers! Seriously, do the math for a second—compare what you're paying for a pre-made gainer versus just buying some whey and mixing it with glucose, dextrose, or maltodextrin. I bet you anything the DIY version is way cheaper and actually higher quality. Just toss a scoop or two of protein in there with 2 or 3 scoops of those sugars, and boom—you’ve got your own custom gainer.
Obviously, you still need to be in a calorie surplus. If eating huge volumes of food is a struggle for you, try focusing on carbs that aren't as filling. For example, it's usually much easier to crush a big plate of pasta than it is to eat that much rice if you're looking at the carb count. Making those kinds of smart swaps makes hitting that calorie surplus way less of a chore. I totally get it, though—slamming tons of carbs every single day is a grind!

Matthew Richardson81 said:Because I know hitting those carb targets every single day isn't exactly a walk in the park.

Look, personally, I’ve always found it way harder to smash through 2 or 2.5 grams of protein than to just deal with the carbs. 😢

Matthew Richardson81 said:Stop being a sucker for mass gainers. Just do the math—compare the cost of that gainer against mixing your own whey with glucose, dextrose, or maltodextrin. I'd bet my life it ends up being cheaper and better quality if you DIY it.

Here is what’s actually in that gainer:

Maltodextrin, protein blend (whey protein concentrate, micellar casein, whey protein isolate), inulin, flaxseed oil, MCT, calcium caseinate, natural and artificial flavors (strawberry/cocoa pieces), sodium chloride, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, coloring.

Total weight: 3176 g

Serving size: 155 g (3.5 scoops)
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories: 611 kcal
Protein: 52.7 g
Carbs: 88 g
Fat: 5.3 g

Three pounds of this stuff for $35. That breaks down to one pound of protein and two pounds of sugar.
The price seems fine to me—I mean, sure, it would definitely be cheaper to just mix your own protein and carbs or just eat more food, but overall? This doesn't look half bad.

It’s coming out to about $117 total once you factor in sales tax and customs fees... though I guess $117 for 3.2kg, it’s still pretty cheap
.
And like you mentioned, there's hardly any sugar, plus it has flaxseed oil and plenty of protein... looks like a high-quality product, at least based on the label

Look, man, it's loaded with sugar—about two-thirds of the mass is just maltodextrin, which is basically starch that turns straight into sugar anyway. He’d definitely save some cash if he just mixed his own, even assuming he bought all the ingredients here in the States... but if you're feeling lazy about mixing and you happen to be passing through Chicago...

Is it actually worth drinking whey after a circuit of push-ups, squats, and crunches?