Build Your Own Mass Gainer

Until I formulate a JYM mass-gainer, here's how you can build your own.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated September 28, 2023

One of the common questions I get asked on social media is a recommendation for a good mass-gainer until I release one of my own.

To be honest, I have yet to find a quality mass gainer on the market. And that's why I had to make my own. The problem with most mass gainers is that they're loaded with cheap sugars as a carb source. This not only can lead to greater fat gain, but can be very unhealthy when drinking them several times a day. Of course, many supplement companies try to trick the consumer by using ingredients like maltodextrin instead. While maltodextrin is technically a complex carb, in the body it breaks apart very rapidly and spikes blood sugar and insulin levels even faster and higher than sugar does. This allows them to list less sugar (or no sugar) on the product label. The unsuspecting consumer has no idea that the carbs in that product are sugar in disguise.

So until my JYM mass gainer is out, I recommend that you make your own with the recipe below. Before I get into the recipe, I want to mention one more thing about mass gainers. A mass gainer is not some magical formula that will build muscle better than a regular protein blend like Pro JYM. A mass gainer is designed for those who cannot eat enough calories, protein, carbs and fat to build adequate muscle. This is typically teenage males and guys in their early 20s.

For those of you who are truly hard gainers and no matter how much you eat you cannot gain any weight, this homemade mass gainer is just for you. Drink this mass gainer with breakfast, around workouts (consider making it before workouts and sipping on it before, during and after workouts like I do in this video, and before bed. Three of these shakes per day will add over 2,800 calories, 225 grams of protein, over 270 grams of carbs and over 90 grams of fat to your daily totals.

Ingredients
2 scoops Pro JYM protein powder (any flavor Pro JYM you prefer)
2 cups of whole milk
1/2 cup dry oats
1 medium banana
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter (or nut butter)
2-3 cups ice

Directions
Simply combine the ingredients in a blender and blend. Have it in place of where I normally recommend a protein shake in meal plans.

Nutrition Info
955 calories
75 g protein
90 g carbs
30 g fat

Here's a video I did recently demonstrating this recipe: