What’s the verdict on weight gain shakes?

Anyone trying to gain muscle weight has undoubtedly encountered a whole host of protein shakes, otherwise known as liquid meals, designed to supplement calories and protein in your diet. Can you really rely on these supplements to help build muscle?

I think the key phrase here is help build muscle. As long as you’re using these weightlifting supplements to fill in the gaps in your diet, you should be fine. These weight gain powders help supply much needed protein in calories that are essential for a bodybuilding diet. However, they should not form the core of your diet. Remember that you must consume enough nutrients if you wish to build muscle as quickly as possible, not to mention stay healthy overall. Drinking shakes without enough nutrients, and probably lots of sugar, is not good for overall health and will not help you build muscle.

If you’re counting on weightlifting shakes or protein powders to make up for a poor diet, you should save your money and focus on the fundamentals of muscle building. So many people have found out the hard way that taking muscle building supplements is not a shortcut to gaining lean muscle mass. A tub of powder with artificial ingredients is no substitute for a well rounded diet, even though it helps to add additional protein to your diet.

Do you need another reason to focus on whole foods instead of liquid meals? How about the taste! You’re going to get tired of drinking the same protein powders eventually. Do yourself a favor and get at least 60% of your calories from whole foods. This will go along way to improving your strength training programs