Shop 5 mass gainers products from Mutant, Transparent Labs, Allmax and more at Next Level Sports Nutrition. Order online with free shipping over $100 or pick up free at our 9 Kentucky and Southern Indiana stores. We only carry the absolute best mass gainers, every product hand-selected for its exact ingredients, potency and quality standards.
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A mass gainer is a high-calorie shake: protein plus a big dose of carbohydrates, and sometimes fats and creatine, in one serving. It is built for people who train hard and struggle to eat enough to gain size, often called hardgainers, and for anyone in a bulking phase who needs an easy 500 to 800 extra calories.
A protein powder gives you protein. A gainer gives you calories. This guide explains when a gainer makes sense, how many calories you actually need, what to look for on the label, and how the gainers and carb powders we carry compare.
We only carry the absolute best mass gainers. Every product in this section was hand-selected by our team for its exact ingredients, potency and overall quality standards.
| Mass gainer | Whey protein | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories per serving | About 550 to 880 on the gainers we carry | About 100 to 160 |
| Protein per serving | 28 to 55 g | 20 to 30 g |
| Carbs per serving | About 100 g on Mutant Mass | Usually under 10 g |
| Best for | Gaining weight when food is not enough | Hitting protein in any phase, including a cut |
If you can already eat enough to gain but fall short on protein, a whey protein is all you need. If the scale will not move no matter how much you eat, a gainer is the easier tool.
To gain weight you need to eat more than you burn. A review of research on lifters in a building phase suggests a modest surplus, about 10 to 20% above your maintenance calories, aiming to gain roughly 0.25 to 0.5% of your body weight a week. The same review puts protein at 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilogram of body weight a day while building.
A gainer makes that surplus easy to hit, but more is not better: a bigger surplus mostly adds fat. Start with one serving a day, weigh yourself weekly, and adjust.
Pick the size of shake that fits the gap in your day. A 550-calorie serving like Mutant Mass is easier to drink between meals. A 750 to 880-calorie serving like Transparent Labs Mass Gainer or Core Grow covers a bigger gap in one go. You can always make a half serving.
Look for at least 25 to 30 g of protein. Transparent Labs Mass Gainer has 52 to 55 g, about two scoops of whey in one shake.
Most gainers use fast carbs like maltodextrin. Others, like Core Grow, build their calories from whole foods such as oat flour and sweet potato. A big shake can feel heavy, so many people split one serving into two smaller shakes across the day.
Some gainers include creatine, which supports strength and size with daily use. If yours does not, add 3 to 5 g of creatine a day.
You can make a gainer from a scoop of whey isolate plus a carb powder like cream of rice or dextrose, with milk, oats or nut butter for more calories. That lets you pick the exact protein and carbs you want.
Ready-made gainers first, then the carb powders people use to build their own. Every product shown is in stock.
Transparent Labs' grass-fed whey gainer with creatine added, for the biggest calorie and protein gap.
A whole-food based gainer from oat flour and sweet potato with no maltodextrin, for the biggest calorie gap.
Mutant's flagship gainer, a classic for hardgainers, in a 5 lb bag.
The same flagship gainer in the 15 lb bag, the lowest cost per serving.
Flavored cream of rice for building your own gainer or a pre-training meal.
Plain fast carbs to add to a protein shake around training.
Whey isolate to pair with a carb powder for a custom gainer.
Amounts are per serving from the brand's label at the time we wrote this guide; formulas change, so check the label on your tub. Prices and stock update live.
They work if they help you eat more calories than you burn. A gainer is food in a shake, so it supports weight gain the same way extra meals do, just faster and easier. Pair it with a training program so the extra calories support muscle.
Whenever it fits your day: between meals, after training, or as part of breakfast. Many people split one serving into two shakes. Avoid replacing a full meal with it, since the goal is to add calories on top of what you already eat.
Only if the surplus is bigger than you need. Start with one serving a day, aim to gain about 0.25 to 0.5% of your body weight a week, and cut back to a half serving if you gain faster than that.
If you struggle to gain weight, a gainer. If you just need more protein, whey. Some people use both: whey every day and a gainer on days they cannot eat enough.
Yes. Blend a scoop of whey isolate with a carb powder such as cream of rice or dextrose, then add milk, oats, a banana or nut butter. You control the calories, protein and ingredients.
Not sure which one fits? Stop by any of our nine stores in Kentucky and Southern Indiana and ask the team, or order online with free shipping over $100.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
