Table of Contents
You are probably considering taking a weight gain shake to help you bulk up.
Knowing that a mass gainer is full of calories, you might be worried about it giving you a bulging belly, instead of a muscular physique.
How can you take a mass gainer without increasing your belly size? Let’s find out!
When you say you want to grow in size, that certainly means achieving a muscular physique – not a big belly.
With its rich calorie content, a mass gainer can definitely help you bulk up.
If you want to avoid developing a large belly, you better pair your mass gainer with a proper diet and the right kind of exercise.
Drinking a mass gainer does not automatically translate to muscle growth.
Without the right workout program, all those calories can just get stored as body fat that ruins your physique.
Learning how to use your mass gainer is a must to prevent excess fat from messing up the look of your abs.
Mass Gainers Make Your Belly Bulge: Fact or Fiction?
You’ve always wanted to put on lean weight. You start drinking a mass gainer and you see your body weight gradually increasing as each day passes.
Unfortunately, you notice that most parts of your body stay slim and skinny – and only your belly is showing signs of growing larger. ☹
First, what exactly causes the growth of a bulging belly?
#1 A Poor Diet
Having a diet that is rich in sugar, refined carbs, and trans fats is a surefire way of making that belly look more pronounced.
Sugary food can slow down your metabolic rate and reduce your body’s ability to burn off existing fat stores.
#2 Drinking Too Much Alcohol
Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can also contribute to belly fat.
A typical bottle of beer or a large bottle of wine can contain as much as 150 to 230 calories.
That’s also the same amount of calories you get by eating a sugar-loaded candy bar.
#3 Stress
Whenever you feel tense or stressed out, you tend to reach for a sugary treat to relax your senses.
Stress also leads to the release of cortisol, a hormone that can slow down your metabolism and contribute to unhealthy weight gain.
#4 Lack of Exercise
Not having enough exercise is probably the most common reason for belly fat to form. If you are consuming more calories than your body burns off, expect fat reserves to start forming around your abdomen in no time.
Can Drinking a Mass Gainer Contribute to Belly Fat?
Taking a weight gain shake can either give you a large and lean physique, or a large and chubby body.
It all depends on how much exercise you put into your fitness regimen.
There’s nothing wrong with supplementing your training with a mass gainer, as long as you follow an effective workout program that builds lean muscle and eliminates fat.
How to Lose Belly Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?
Building lean muscle without gaining fat is arguably one of the hardest fitness goals to achieve.
To grow in size, you definitely need to kick up your caloric intake.
Consuming larger amounts of calories, however, can lead to an increase in body fat, which can manifest in the form of a bulging belly.
It’s all about finding the right balance between your exercise and eating habits.
Add Protein to your Diet
If you are looking to build lean muscle, you need to feed your body with nutrients that support muscle growth.
According to a review published in Sports Medicine, you can gain muscle and lose fat by consuming between 2.3 to 3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight.
Protein supplies your body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle tissue.
Supplementing your mass gainer with a high-quality protein shake is a good idea of boosting your daily protein intake and kickstarting lean muscle growth.
Sweat It Out and Lift Weights
Follow a training program that focuses on stimulating muscle growth, repair, and recovery.
Lifting heavy weights at least 3 times a week is an excellent way of increasing muscle size and reducing fat levels in the body.
Performing complex exercises that target different muscle groups is also a great way of shaping up your whole body.
Every time you go to the gym, tell yourself to push your performance to the next level, little by little.
That can mean putting in a couple of extra reps to your sets, or adding on a few extra pounds to your weights.
By doing so, you help toughen up your body and develop even more strength for your future workout sessions.
Don’t Forget to Rest
The last thing you want is your body burning off your hard-earned muscle gains due to too much exercise. Give your hardworking muscles time to rest and recover.
Don’t try to overdo it because you might end up burning fat AND muscle tissue at the same time.
Are There Specific Exercises That Can Help Reduce Belly Fat?
If you have found yourself in a position where your belly has grown in size due to consuming a mass gainer without exercising, there’s no need to fret.
It’s never too late to trim down those unwanted fat stores and get you back on track to building a solid and muscular physique, while there is no specific form of physical activity that can make your belly fat disappear overnight, these simple exercises can help tone your body and reduce the appearance of your bulging belly:
Crunches
Ask any fitness enthusiast about their favorite belly-busting exercise, and he/she will probably say abdominal crunches.
Lay flat on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Cross your arms over your chest, and start crunching that belly fat to oblivion.
Take a Walk
As simple as it may sound, walking can work wonders if you are trying to slim down your waistline.
Just a quick 30-minute walk outdoors increases your heart rate and speeds up your metabolism – not to mention all the fresh air you get.
Jogging, running, or cycling are also great ways of burning off excess fats in your body.
Leg Raises
Leg raises are also a popular choice when it comes to melting fat around your belly.
It engages your abdominal muscles, which can help give your stomach a well-toned look in no time.
Lay flat on your back with your palms resting below your hips.
Slowly lift your legs to a 90° angle and hold that position for a few seconds.
Lower your legs back down while exhaling. It’s that easy!
Bulk Up the Right Way
Mass gainers are all about increasing your caloric intake and helping you grow in size.
It can either help you build a muscular physique or just add pounds of unwanted weight on your body.
To keep your mass gainer from making your belly balloon in size, it would be better if you follow these tips: watch your diet, live a healthy lifestyle, and follow a sensible training program that concentrates on building lean muscle and burning off body fats.
