A lot of people nowadays are focused on losing weight. It’s no wonder because nearly 70% of adults in the US are overweight or obese. On the other side of the picture, however, approximately 2% of the population is struggling to gain weight.
This is where supplements like Optimum Nutrition's Serious Mass comes in, and in this review, we will take a look at the whether Serious Mass can actually help someone gain weight, and what the best way is to take it.
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With the current obesity epidemic, the thin guys are forgotten
For those who belong to the majority of the population whose metabolism favors weight gain, the problem of skinny people might not seem to matter. Being skinny, however, is just a potent cause of a reduction in self-confidence as being obese or overweight.
Just as it is hard for overweight people to shed weight, surprisingly, the biology of skinny people prevents them to gain weight, as well.
In a study conducted by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the University of Vermont Medical School, they found out that people who naturally have difficulty gaining weight will not gain weight even when consuming an excess of up to 10,000 calories.
A healthy way to gain weight effectively is to consume calories from protein and carbohydrate in a specific ratio in a particular manner and timing. The idea is to allow natural muscle mass growth rather than increase in fat mass to gain weight.
There are a lot of ways to achieve that. One of the most effective ways it to take a high-quality protein and carbohydrate supplement in conjunction with a workout. An example of a sought after and effective supplement is Serious Mass by Optimum Nutrition.
Serious Mass supports weight gain by adding 1,250 of high-quality calories per taking that are formulated to facilitate muscle growth. How is this achieved? More importantly, in this review of Serious Mass, we are going to determine if it lives up to its promised weight-gaining effects?
What Is Serious Mass?
Serious Mass is a food supplement designed to assist a person in gaining weight. It does so by adding 50 grams of high-quality protein and 250 grams of carbohydrates per serving. A serving adds a total of 1,250 calories in one’s diet.
Although you can take Serious Mass combined with other liquid products, it can be mixed with even water alone. It comes in the form of a powder which you add to an amount of water and process to create a shake.
Skinny people usually have a metabolism that allows them to process excess calories in such a way that they do not turn into excess mass.
The thing about skinny people, as research found out, is that their body seems to protect their normal weight. If they take excess calories, the body will respond in such a way that they are discouraged to take in more and that the excess energy is expended.
Serious Mass is effective because the excess calories that it introduces are in the form of nutrients that the body can use to build muscles. Gaining mass through muscle growth is the healthiest way to gain weight. You can view the current price on Amazon here.
Is Serious Mass Good For Gaining Weight?
The trouble with weight gain programs is that most of them encourage weight gain through an increase in fat mass. Such a weight gain is very unhealthy. You might achieve your weight gain goals but in exchange for some health risks that might cost you your life.
Most supplements are cheaters. They include sugar in their formula in very high amounts. Yes, you will likely gain weight from the excess calories from sugar. However, you will tread down a dangerous path to metabolic problems.
Weight gain due to metabolic problems, or the inability of your body to process and store energy efficiently and correctly leads to many diseases—most of them are fatal. These include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Serious Mass does not contain any added sugar. Thus you don’t run the risks of developing metabolic diseases. It may have 250 grams of carbohydrates, and you might say that it is still sugar.
The thing is, the carbohydrate content is of high quality. It comes with creatine and glutamine, two ingredients that you’d usually find in muscle building formulas. In addition, Serious Mass contains a mixture of 25 vitamins and minerals.
The idea is you gain weight not from fat accumulation but through muscle mass buildup. Experts agree that weight gain through muscle buildup is way better compared to that of fat accumulation.
The idea behind the creation of the formula is that one can take only so much food. To gain weight, one needs to increase his or her caloric intake. Most probably, skinny people’s body are already in equilibrium.
This means that the amount of food they comfortably take during meals are enough to maintain the weight they already have. Serious Mass provides additional calories in a form that won’t compete with space in your stomach with other foods.
How To Take Serious Mass
Here’s the thing about serious mass, however. There’s an excellent way to take it so that you get optimum results. You can take Serious Mass anytime you want, but its effect will be intensified if taken at certain periods and in a certain manner. How is it?
Must Read: When To Take Alpha Amino: What You Need To Know
Take It In Between Meals
Allow yourself to take normal meals. The food you eat will add bulk to your digestive system—one that your body is naturally accustomed to. This will also keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Take Serious Mass in between meals. This will give you an additional 1,250 calories per serving to augment your caloric intake during regular meals. The extra calories will be converted to either muscle or fat mass or both depending on your metabolism.
In addition, because you are taking it in between meals and because it is in liquid form, you are more likely to consume it. Taking it with the meals will make it difficult for you because it will compete with space in your stomach.
Prepare It With Milk
You can make a Serious Mass drink by mixing two scoops of it in plain water and then shake or process it. However, to maximize the number of calories you take from it, you can mix it with non-fat or low-fat milk.
In addition to getting 1,250 calories from Serious Mass, you also gain the caloric content of a glassful of milk. Also, the milk that you will take will provide you with other nutrients that your body will need to grow and build the mass you want to have.
Take It Before And After Workout
During a workout, you burn a lot of energy. At first, your muscles will tap into your glycogen reserves, a type of sugar stored for quick access. Later on, it will tap into your ATP reserves. These reserves are small, however, and easily depletes.
If you want to supply your body with constant energy while working out, the ideal setup is for you to take calories before a workout. Serious Mass is perfect because it contains all the necessary nutrients that will fuel your body and allow muscle growth.
Many people argue against it. They say that taking Serious Mass post workout is not a great idea. The thing is, after a workout, your muscles is primed for energy and nutrient uptake.
Without sufficient energy, your body will turn to your muscles, instead, for energy. You don’t want that. You don’t want to lose muscle mass. Taking an energy source, especially Serious Mass, will bypass this process.
In addition, Serious Mass contains a perfect balance of nutrients that will nourish and heal micro tears in the muscles. When micro tears in the muscles that are sustained during exercise heal it results in muscle gain.
Take It Before Going To Bed
After a workout, some of your muscle fibers sustain microscopic damage. This is the reason you feel sore after a heavy exercise. You also feel sore post workout after a long period of not exercising.
The instant your body rests and take in nutrients and energy, the healing process immediately takes place. However, it does so at a very slow pace.
During sleep, the repair and rebuild mechanisms are optimized. This is the time your body will mostly need protein and nutrients to rebuild torn muscle fibers and grow more of it.
A serving before bedtime is ideal because your body will have access to nutrients, particularly protein, that it can use to repair, rebuild and grow muscles.
On a side note, if you are interested in also taking a pre-workout supplement, you will enjoy our study on how long pre-workout lasts in your system.
Should you buy Serious Mass?
The human body is a very complex environment. As what research provides, you can’t easily gain or lose weight. What the body does is it maintains the weight you already have.
Certain methods, however, work in such a way to circumvent one’s metabolic limitations. In gaining mass, for example, the most efficient method is to grow muscles. When muscle mass is prioritized, the body doesn’t work against it.
One way to gain weight through an increase in muscle mass is by taking food supplements such as Serious Mass. This supplement provides extra high-quality calories that allow your body to grow muscles.
Optimum Nutrition's Serious Mass is a good supplement for weight gain, but only if you combine it with heavy weightlifting. Taking Serious Mass in addition to your normal meals will help you eliminate any caloric deficits, and allow you to start putting on the pounds! You can view it's current price on Amazon by clicking here.
To maximize the benefit you get from the supplement, it’s best to take Serious Mass at certain schedules and in a particular manner. If followed diligently, one can achieve a significant weight gain in a period of 2-3 months after taking it.
Have you learned anything from this article? Do you agree with the suggestions this article outlines the best way to take Serious Mass? Let us know by leaving comments in the section below.
