If you want to gain lean muscle mass then you need to to eat enough protein. This can be a difficult task for many folks, specifically for those that have a hard time gaining weight. One of the best ways to remedy this situation is to supplement your diet with a protein drink. I’ve taken the liberty of combing through the internet for the 16 best protein drinks for weight gain, and sorted them for who they’re best for. Keep reading to see which is your ideal protein drink.
Readers of this website will know that I’m a research nerd. Most of my fitness programs are based off of research, as are my nutrition calculators. In short, I like to find out what the science says on a given topic before I write about it.
The best way to see the scientific lay of the land is to find a good research review or meta analysis. This summary of all relevant research can quickly point you in the right direction. Wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what I did to help find the 16 best protein drinks for weight gain and lean muscle mass.
The Science of Protein Supplementation
Many structures in your body require protein, and their component amino acids to repair and rebuild them. Most gym goers understand that protein intake is key for increasing muscle protein synthesis which is associated with muscle growth.
There is a clear relationship between protein intake and building lean muscle tissue. In fact this research review highlights that taking a protein drink only benefits athletes who are lifting weights. Sedentary individuals didn’t build any muscle tissue when they took a protein supplement. Let’s talk about how much protein you need to gain weight.
Daily Protein Intake Recommendations
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a huge amount of protein to maximize your muscle gain and strength. This research review on weight lifters found that there was no appreciable benefit to taking more than 1.6 g/kg/day of protein. In imperial units that .73 grams of protein per day, per pound of body weight.
If you do the math, you’ll see that’s only about 150g of protein for an average sized male. Don’t go pushing that caps lock button just yet, hear me out. There isn’t a penalty for eating more protein than that, but the only folks who really see a measurable benefit to eating very high protein are those aiming for weight loss.
Very high protein diets can help maintain lean muscle tissue during a diet. Lastly, you need to remember that larger athletes will need more protein. Now let’s talk about the most important factor in gaining weight, energy intake.
Energy Intake to Gain Muscle Mass
This research study was very detailed. They took dozens of participants and feed them in a lab for 12 weeks. They were split into three groups, low, normal, and high protein diets. They were overfed about 950 calories per day for about 8 weeks.
The researchers made several interesting discoveries. First, over eating produced the lowest overall weight gain in the low protein diet, but the weight gain was almost all fat. The normal and high protein diet had higher overall weight gain, which included lean muscle mass.
Because these lab subjects had perfectly controlled diets, the researchers were able to conclude that weight gain was almost purely a result of the amount of excess energy that was ingested. We must have a sufficient amount of protein, and after that, gaining weight is a matter of eating more. This leads us to the best way to increase your calorie intake easily, choosing your best protein weight gain shake.
The 16 Best Protein Drinks for Weight Gain and Lean Muscle Mass
In this section I’m going to recommend the 16 best protein drinks for weight gain, and lean muscle mass. I’ve broken them down into several categories, depending on the type of drink you like. Most of these products come in different flavors, which is good thing because strawberry is gross (fight me). Similarly, many of them are whey protein based, and some are animal or plant protein based. If you have specific questions about them, follow the links to read their full ingredient list.
I’ve chosen these products after looking at their details and overall review history from Amazon. There are certain things like leucine (one of the essential amino acids) content that really matter. I’ll only be including the highest quality supplements, with excellent reviews. Any links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means if you purchase from them they pay us a referral fee at no cost to you. It helps keep the lights on here, thanks!
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The Top 4 Highest Rated Protein Drinks for Weight Gain
These are the most popular, and best rated products. Most of these drinks are protein powder that have thousands of positive reviews. The number one drink has over 30,000 positive reviews. These are very high calorie drinks with added sugar and fats. Here they are.
1. Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass
Serious Mass is by far the most popular protein drink for weight gain. It has over 30,000 positive reviews and includes much more than just protein. It has 50g of protein, 250g of carbs, plus a plethora of vitamins and minerals. It also has 1250 calories per two scoop serving.
2. Dymatize Super Mass Gainer
Dymatize Super Mass Gainer has a few key things that will really help drive muscle protein synthesis. It includes 5 grams of leucine which research shows is key for repairing and building muscle tissue. Each serving is 1350 calories, with 52 grams of high-quality protein, and 245 grams of carbs. Importantly, the protein is a blend of fast, medium, and slow absorbing protein.
3. Muscle Milk Gainer Protein Powder
Muscle Milk Gainer is a lower calorie mass gaining protein drink. If you don’t need more than a thousand calories per serving, then this would be a great choice. It has 32 grams of protein, and about 109 grams of carbs. Each serving is 650 calories.
4. BSN True-Mass Weight Gainer
BSN True-Mass gainer is another medium calorie weight gainer. Each serving has 700 calories with 50 grams of protein, and 85 grams of carbs in each serving. It comes in a variety of flavors, and has several different types of protein for even absorption across several hours.
The Top 4 Pre-Mixed Protein Drinks for Weight Gain
For those that constantly forget to wash out their protein shakers, these premixed drinks are going to be your best bet. They work very well, and I’ve found that my taste buds prefer them over something I’ve mixed myself. Now, I might expect that folks who love their blenders and watch Food Network constantly, might be able to do better, but I’ll stick to the premixed stuff!
1. Boost Very High Calorie Complete Nutritional Drink
Boost Very High Calorie Complete Nutritional Drink is one of the highest rated, premixed protein drinks. This drink only has 22 grams of protein, and 52 grams of carbs. However, it has a whopping 26 grams of fat.
2. Ensure COMPLETE Nutrition Shake, 30g of Protein, Meal Replacement Shake
Ensure COMPLETE Nutrition Shake, 30g of Protein, Meal Replacement Shake is a lower calorie option with a good amount of protein. It comes in 42 grams of carbs, and 30 grams of protein, plus various vitamins and minerals.
3. Boost Plus Chocolate Ready To Drink
Boost Plus Chocolate Ready To Drink is a great option for those that don’t need a lot of calories. It has 14 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbs, and 360 calories per serving. This would be a good drink for athletes that do a lot of endurance and strength work.
4. Core Power Elite High Protein Shakes (42g)
Core Power Elite High Protein Shakes (42g) is the highest protein premixed drink. It only has 230 calories per serving with 9 grams of sugar. This would be a good choice for those that just can’t get enough protein in their diet via meat, or other options.
The Top 4 Best Protein Drinks: More Than Whey
These protein drinks will still provide the correct amount of protein, and carbs that you need to gain mass. The important thing to remember is that each of these has thousands of great reviews, and will work, provided that you take in enough calories.
1. MuscleMeds Carnivor Mass Diet
MuscleMeds Carnivor Mass Diet is an interesting option for those that are staying away from whey protein. This supplement is actually a whole foods beef isolate. It still comes in all the normal flavors, and has 50 grams of protein, and 125 grams of carbs. This is a good option for those that are lactose intolerant.
2. Naked Mass – Chocolate Vegan Weight Gainer
Nake Mass – Choclate Vegan Weight Gainer is good choice for those that are staying away from soy, gluten, or dairy. This protein drink uses pea protein and rice protein powder. It is very high calorie with 1280 calories per serving. It includes 50 grams of protein, and 237 grams of complex carbs. You can actually get a flavor free version for cooking or other uses.
3. Redcon1 MRE
Redcon1 MRE is a full meal replacement powder. It’s derived from animal sources, such as beef, chicken, and eggs. It also comes in a lot of flavors that you can easily incorporate into other recipes. It has 47 grams of protein, 75 grams of carbs, and 530 overall calories for each serving.
4. MuscleTech 100% Mass Gainer Protein Powder
MuscleTech 100% Mass Gainer Protein Powder is a newer product from a well known supplement company. Interestingly enough it also includes creatine in the mix, which should really help you pack on the muscle mass. It includes 60 grams of protein, and a whopping 1500 calories for those that need all the energy.
The Top 4 Protein Drinks for Weight Gain: New Companies
It’s easy to keep selling supplements when you’re a large well known company. That doesn’t mean that smaller companies don’t offer awesome products, or in certain cases, products that are superior. These dietary supplements have great reviews. Take a look.
1. Ultimate Nutrition Muscle Juice Revolution 2600 Weight Gainer
Ultimate Nutrition Muscle Juice Revolution 2600 Weight Gainer is an interesting product that includes glutamine, and omega 3s in their mix. There is some limited research that shows some health benefits to these substances. This may something to try.
2. NOW Sports Nutrition, Carbo Gain Powder (Maltodextrin)
NOW Sports Nutrition, Carbo Gain Powder (Maltodextrin) isn’t strictly speaking a protein drink. It’s pure carbohydrate. It has 60 grams of carbs per serving, and would be a good choice for endurance athletes that are carb loading.
3. Nutrabolics MASS FUSION Hardcore Mass-Building Gainer
Nutrabolics MASS FUSION Hardcore Mass-Building Gainer is a high calorie drink with 950 calories per serving. It has 50 grams of protein, and 175 grams of carbs. It’s a new product, but so far has some solid reviews. If you need a lot of protein and carbs, then this could be a good choice for you.
4. G6 Sports Nutrition Mass Pro High Protein Mass Gainer
G6 Sports Nutrition Mass Pro High Protein Mass Gainer might be the highest protein offering. This product features 64 grams of protein, 127 grams of carbs, and 838 calories per serving. This product also includes 5 grams of creatine per serving as well.
Finding The Best Fitness Program to Gain Weight
As I alluded to earlier, taking a high calorie protein drink isn’t going to do a whole lot for you unless you’re working out hard in the gym. In order to maximize your gains you need to have a solid fitness program. If you truly want to gain the most muscle mass you can, in a short period of time, then you should try my hybrid bodybuilding program below. Be warned there’s a lot of lifting!
Although the hybrid bodybuilding program is my best mass building program, I do have tons of other options. Check out this page to see all my best programs. You can pick the one that fits your goals best. Now let’s wrap this article up.
Final Thoughts
While there are a lot of choices, you don’t need to agonize over which one to pick. A balanced diet, and good recovery will matter more than a certain supplement. If you have the basics right and need a high calorie protein drink then you have some factors to consider. The most important factor to consider is the amount of energy you need. If you do extremely high volume training, or train strength training and endurance training, then one of the higher calorie choices might suit you.
If you need more protein than overall energy then pick one of the products that has lower energy content. Once you determine the type of product you need, find one that has flavors that you find palatable. The bottom line is it doesn’t matter how awesome the product is if it tastes like chalk, then it’s worthless. Now get out there and get training.
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