The inspiration for my post today about how to make a homemade weight gainer is the fact that over the past few years of being in the fitness industry, I’ve had clients and trainee’s comment to me on multiple occasions “I’m thinking of taking Weight Gainer X, Y or Z because my friend took it 3 times a day and he BLEW UP!”.
I just had somebody tell me this again a couple of weeks ago which reminded me again of some issues I have with a statement like that!
Issue Number 1 – “He Blew Up!”
Sure, I bet your friend blew up after taking a big brand-name weight gainer 3 times a day! Have you seen the amount of calories in those things??
Most weight gainers commonly contain 500 – 1500 poor quality calories per serving…now multiply that amount by 3 and you have anywhere from 1500 – 4500 extra calories a day! Not including your food.
I don’t care who you are, having that many extra calories per day you’ll certainly blow up – but if you think it’s all going to be quality weight you’re gonna be disappointed! You’re almost sure to put on a lot of unnecessary fat mass along with your muscle gains which you’ll have to spend extra time cutting off of your physique at a later date! Not fun.
Issue Number 2 – There is no such Weight Gainer that is Suitable For Different Times of the Day.
Another reason you’ll probably gain a lot of unnecessary fat from the weight gainers at the supplement store is that there is no such weight gainer out that is suitable for your nutritional requirements at different times of the day. So taking them 3 times a day is a terrible idea!
You’ll probably know that for breakfast it’s good practice to get a shake that contains whey protein and slow-release carbs (such as porridge oats) to start your day off with some steady energy.
After a workout, you’ll need a shake with fast-release carbs and fast acting whey protein to spike your insulin levels to quickly shuttle those nutrients to your damaged muscles and have them recovering pronto!
Just before hitting the sack, you’ll want a nice slow-releasing protein such as Casein to nourish your muscles with protein as you sleep for 7-8 hours (hopefully!) – To delay the protein further I even add a few essential fatty acids such as omega seeds (hemp, linseeds, pumpkin seeds etc) or even olive oil. (Yeah, I’m hardcore like that!)
As you can see, the ingredients needed for your shakes at different times of the day are TOTALLY different. It’s not a simple case of “taking a weight gainer 3 times a day”
Most weight gainers are only suitable for 1 time of the day – it’s impossible for them to be suitable for all times of the day.
Issue Number 3 – Quality of Ingredients in Weight Gainers
Most weight gainers are full to the brim with cheap sugars which aren’t necessarily a bad thing to consume post-workout, but taking these sugars in at different times of the day is asking for trouble if you want to stay fairly lean. Don’t be fooled by any weird trademarked names in the ingredients either like “Super Multivariable Nutriplexocollosus complex” which are sometimes used to mask a group of crappy ingredients..or make a bunch of standard ingredients seem better than they are.
Issue Number 4 – Cost of Weight Gainers
Weight Gainers are probably the lowest value for money supplements you can get and this ties in directly to what we mentioned above – The cheap ingredients. Not to mention, can you imagine how many tubs you would go through if you used the “3 times a day” protocol?? Those tubs commonly have a miniscule 10 servings or so because of the amount of calories per serving! That’ll get expensive reaaal fast..
If you bought these ingredients on their own the benefits would be two-fold – Firstly, you get to use the optimal ingredients for the time of day. Secondly, you get to save a ton of your hard-earned money! Building muscle is a pretty expensive game in the first place..don’t make it more so by wasting money on useless supplements!
The Solution – Homemade Weight Gainer
Obviously, your boy Altug is here with the hook-up to make sure you get the right ingredients down you at the right time…and save you some serious dough!
The ingredients you need to buy are :-
- A sack or tub of Maltodextrin or Dextrose (fast-release carbs)
- A sack of Instant Porridge Oats (Oats ground down to a fine powder – Perfect for shakes!)
- A sack of Whey Protein (isolate or concentrate is fine)
- A tub or sack of Casein
- A few packets of Omega Seeds or oils (Mix of Linseeds, Hemp seeds, Pumpkin etc)
If you buy these ingredients in bulk, they’re extremely cheap! Especially if you stay away from the big brands who have a big marketing budget to sucker you in..without necessarily having better ingredients! I personally buy my stuff from MyProtein.co.uk but I’m from the U.K so for my U.S. readers I’d recommend checking out Bodybuilding.com or N101.com for this stuff – These ingredients will last you for a very long time!
Different Homemade Weight Gainer for Different Times of the Day
You can play with some of the measurements of the ingredients depending on your lean weight :
Homemade Weight Gainer for Breakfast
- 60 grams of Instant Porridge Oats
- 35 grams of Whey Protein
- Water
- (optional) Semi-Skimmed/Skimmed Milk
- (optional) Omega Seeds crushed or sprinkled in
- (optional) Tablespoon of All-Natural Peanut Butter
- (optional) Banana/other fruits
Notes : The goal here is to get a quality blend of protein and carbs first thing in the morning to get your energy levels up (but keep them steady) and some protein to your muscles after you’ve been fasting for 7-8 hours. Some quality fats can be added too if you need the extra calories.
Homemade Weight Gainer for Post-Workout
- 40 Grams of Whey Protein
- 50-70 Grams of Dextrose/Maltodextrin
- (optional) 10 grams of BCAA’s
- (optional) 5-10 grams of Creatine
Notes : The simple goal here = Recovery! Your body is in a musle breakdown state and you want to switch it into a muscle building state asap! You do this by getting in some fast-acting sugars and protein – That’ll flip the muscle building switch in no time.
Before-Bed HomeMade Weight Gainer
- 30 Grams of Casein Protein
- (optional) Teaspoon of Olive oil/Omega Seeds
Notes : You want a slow-release protein like Casein here as you wind down and get ready for bed. Your muscles will not be fed for at least 7-8 hours so it’s about doing the best you can while you’re asleep. The optional fat slows absorption even further.
So there you have it. Stop wasting your money on poor quality branded weight gainers and make them yourself at home. Your wallet and your physique will benefit for it!
Leave your comments below – What are your favourite ingredients to stick in a shake?
Altug
