Let's face it, in order to gain muscle mass and weight, you need to consume more calories than you burn and that would include heavy lifting, more calorie intake and moderate cardio training. Nutrition is definitely of utmost importance because in order to grow, you need to eat. Consuming whole foods is a key component in any weight gaining routine but there are times weight gain supplements come in handy and are really convenient as meal replacement.

A lot of people training at the gym use some kind of supplement and weight gainers are among one of them. These supplements are getting more and more popular primarily because more and more skinny guys want to bulk up and due to the fact that eating 6 meals per day is not easy, having recourse to weight gainers is the perfect route to take for many.

Many aspiring bodybuilders notably hardgainers are looking for the holy grail of weight gainers and with the vast amount of weight gain supplements on the market, it's like finding a needle in a haystack but in this article I'm going to pinpoint out the best weight gainers in terms of quality and calories.

It's important to note that choosing a weight gainer based on only the amount of calories is a mistake as all calories are not created equal. It's recommended to choose a weight gainer that has more protein and carbs with minimal fats and sugars, so it's vital to read the nutrition label carefully. The simple reason is that too much fat and sugar isn't too healthy. Fats also contain 9 calories per gram and that's 2.25 times more calories than protein and carbs at 4 calories per gram each. As for sugar, this can add up pretty fast for weight gainers that has lots of sugar as 1 gram of sugar has 3.87 calories. Imagine some weight gainers at 60-80 grams of sugar per serving, that's 232-309 calories just from sugar alone. Frankly speaking, I wouldn't touch a weight gainer that contain that many calories from sugar.

The serving size of the different weight gainers on the market will vary, so don't automatically assume that weight gainer A has more calories than weight gainer B simply based on the amount of calories displayed on the supplement. You can always adjust the serving size to increase or decrease the calories. What is more important is to read the nutrition label and check where the calories are coming from.

When you're trying to bulk up, it's unavoidable that you will also gain some fat in the process but most of your gains should come from muscle mass, this is why selecting a quality weight gainer is of vital importance. Weight gainers that have more protein, decent amount of carbs and less fat and sugar are usually your best bet.

After in-depth research, here are the top 8 weight gainers with most calories without sacrificing the quality aspect as well.

(1) Naked Mass Premium Weight Gainer

With only three ingredients notably whey protein concentrate, micellar casein and complex carbs ie organic tapioca maltodextrin, this is a high-quality weight gainer and one of the healthiest on the market. Produced by Naked Nutrition, this weight gainer is packed with 1,250 calories per serving at 4 scoops. Even at 2 scoops, you still get a whopping 625 quality calories.

Per serving size(4 scoops/321 grams), you get 1,250 calories, 50 grams protein, 252 grams carbs, 5 grams sugars, 2.5 grams fat, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Here are six reasons why Naked Mass is my favorite weight gainer of choice.

Calories from quality ingredients

Don't let the amount of calories alone fool you. Not all calories are created equal, thus more and more calories are not necessarily better if the calorie source isn't good or if most of the calories come from fats, sugars, simple carbs and a bunch of fillers. With Naked Mass, you get an optimal ratio of clean source multi-phase protein and complex carbs, so you're actually getting 1,250 calories from quality ingredients. In addition, Naked Mass is also cold processed and made using acid and bleach-free processing hence the proteins have not been denatured.

No artificial sweeteners

For the health-conscious individual, this supplement is completely natural. It does not contain any artificial sweeteners like sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame and no artificial flavors or colors whatsoever, heck it only has 3 ingredients ie organic tapioca maltodextrin, whey protein concentrate and micellar casein protein, so you're getting the real good stuff.

Organic milk

These proteins are derived from milk of grass-fed cows so it's really high quality. Naked Nutrition vouches on organic products. Grass-fed cows are better than grain-fed cows.

Complex carbs

The carbs used in Naked Mass are not some cheap simple carbs or inferior wheat based maltodextrins, instead they use organic tapioca which is a complex carb. Complex carbs are what you should eat in your nutrition routine most of the time as they provide a gradual release of energy and don't cause any energy spike and crash thereafter. Complex carbs are also highly nutritious and will help you gain muscle mass as relying on protein alone for muscle building isn't enough. Other examples of complex carbs include sweet potatoes, yams, taro, brown rice, rolled oats, oat bran etc... Per 4 scoop serving, you get 252 grams of complex carbs.

High in protein

Protein composed of amino acids are the building blocks of muscles as you already know and with Naked Mass, you get a great amount of protein at 50 grams per 4 scoop serving. With whey protein concentrate and micellar casein combined, you get instant released and time released proteins keeping your body anabolic.

High in BCAAs

Branched chain amino acids(BCAAs) ie Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine are vital for building muscle as they help in protein synthesis and stimulate muscle growth. Per 4 scoop serving, you get 11.5 grams of BCAAs.

Even at a 2 scoop serving, you still get 25 grams of protein, 5.75 grams of BCAAs, 126 grams of complex carbs and 625 calories which is still great. Instead of a total of 11 servings at 4 scoops, you'll get 22 servings at 2 scoops and your weight gainer tub can last longer. If you plan to have 4 scoops per day, you can easily divide that into 2 meals.

Naked Mass is also soy free, gluten free, growth hormone free and GMO free(genetically modified organism).

NAKED MASS - All Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,250 Calories - 11 Servings

CHOCOLATE LESS NAKED MASS - All Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,360 Calories - 11 Servings

VANILLA LESS NAKED MASS - All Natural Weight Gainer Protein Powder - 8lb Bulk, GMO Free, Gluten Free & Soy Free. No Artificial Ingredients - 1,260 Calories - 11 Servings

You can also create your own homemade weight gainer with different supplements and this will definitely last you much longer. Here is a great combination below. Adding whole milk and fruits like bananas, blueberries or strawberries will improve the taste and increase your calorie intake as well as boosting the nutritional value of your weight gainer.

Tip: For a frosty and more delicious shake, freeze the banana beforehand. Peel it first, slice it into 1-2 inch chunks, put it in a ziplock bag in a single layer and then store it in the freezer. It's best to use overripe and spotty bananas as they are sweeter and have more flavor. Actually you can freeze any fruit you want but frozen bananas, frozen blueberries and frozen strawberries are more popular to use in a weight gainer shake.

Naked Oats + Whey and Naked Casein and Naked Peanut Butter. If you follow the serving size on the label, this gives 200 calories + 110 calories + 50 calories = 360 calories. Adding 8 oz of whole milk and 1 medium banana to your weight gainer shake provides an additional 136 calories and 105 calories respectively for a total of 360 + 136 + 105 = 601 calories. This is a great weight gainer shake from good clean calories. You're getting complex carbs and dietary fiber from oats, clean source multi-phase protein from whey and micellar casein, healthy omega-3 fats from the peanut butter and potassium from the banana. For the macronutrients from the 3 supplements, here is a breakdown:

Protein - 58 grams

Complex carbs - 27 grams

Healthy fats - 3.5 grams

Dietary fiber - 9 grams

Sugars - 4 grams

NAKED OATS + WHEY - Premium Organic Oats + Grass-fed Whey Protein Powder - 5lb Bulk

NAKED CASEIN - 100% Micellar Casein from US Farms - 5lb Bulk

NAKED PB - 100% Premium Powdered Peanut Butter - 2lb Bulk

(2) Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer, Double Chocolate, 10.19 Pound (Packaging May Vary)

Another weight gainer high on my list is Pro Complex Gainer by Optimum Nutrition. Contains whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, calcium caseinate, egg albumen, hydrolyzed whey peptides and glutamine peptides.

Per serving size(1 scoop/165 grams), you get 650 calories, 60 grams protein, 85 grams carbs, 6 grams sugars, 8 grams fat, 5 grams dietary fiber. Gram per gram, this weight gainer has more protein and calories than Naked Mass. At 321 grams, you'll get 116 grams of protein, 165 grams carbs, 11 grams sugars, 15 grams fat, 9 grams dietary fiber for a total of 1,264 calories.

Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer, Double Chocolate, 10.19 Pound (Packaging May Vary)

(3) Nature's Best Isopure Mass, Dutch Chocolate, 7 Pound

With maltodextrin and whey protein isolates as carbs and protein respectively, per 321 grams serving, you'll get 106 grams of protein, 172 grams carbs, 6 grams sugars, 10 grams fat, 8 grams dietary fiber for a total of 1,203 calories.

Nature's Best Isopure Mass, Dutch Chocolate, 7 Pound

(4) Universal Nutrition Real Gains, Chocolate Ice Cream, 10.6-Pounds

Real Gains protein complex consists of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, micellar casein, calcium caseinate and you also get maltodextrin as carbs. Per 321 grams serving, you'll get 109 grams of protein, 173 grams carbs, 14 grams sugars, 12 grams fat, 10 grams dietary fiber for a total of 1,246 calories.

Universal Nutrition Real Gains, Chocolate Ice Cream, 10.6-Pounds

(5) Ultimate Weight Gainer 7 Pounds (Unflavored)

With a protein blend of micellar casein and whey protein isolate and carbs like waxy maize and maltodextrin, this is also one of the healthiest weight gainers out there. At 321 grams per serving, you'll get 90 grams protein, 195 grams carbs, 6 grams sugars, 1.6 grams fat for a total of 1,179 calories.

Ultimate Weight Gainer 7 Pounds (Unflavored)

(6) CytoSport Cyto Gainer

Contains whey protein hydrolysate, whey protein concentrate, milk protein isolate, creatine monohydrate, l-glutamine and maltodextrin. Per 321 grams serving, you'll get 115 grams protein, 158 grams carbs, 21 grams sugars, 10 grams fat, 4 grams dietary fiber for a total of 1,198 calories.

CytoSport Cyto Gainer Protein Drink Mix, Chocolate Malt, 6 Pound

(7) Legion Atlas Weight Gainer Supplement - Healthy Meal Replacement Shake with Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate & Micellar Casein, Naturally Sweetened & Flavored, Chocolate, 5.22 LBS

Contains whey protein isolate, micellar casein, oat flour, coconut oil powder, flaxseed, potato starch, tapioca starch, maltodextrin, cocoa bean powder and a vast array of vitamins and minerals. Per 237 grams serving which is 4 scoops, you'll get 76 grams protein, 102 grams carbs, 12 grams fat, 4 grams dietary fiber for a total of 740 calories.

Legion Atlas Weight Gainer Supplement - Healthy Meal Replacement Shake with Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate & Micellar Casein, Naturally Sweetened & Flavored, Chocolate, 5.22 LBS

(8) ProMix Nutrition 8.25LB Mass Gainer,252g of Carbs, 50G of Protein

Last but not least, ProMix Nutrition has come up with its own weight gainer and it's a clear winner. Contains grass-fed whey protein, micellar casein, non-GMO egg whites, organic gluten-free complex carb tapioca maltodextrin, creatine monohydrate, l-glutamine and a superior bioavailability of 28 vitamins and minerals your body needs to grow. Per 2 heaping scoops(340 grams serving), you'll get 50 grams protein, 252 grams carbs, 16 grams sugars, 4 grams fat, 7 grams dietary fiber for a total of 1,275 calories without milk and 1,640 calories with low-fat milk. With real cocoa powder and no artificial sweeteners, this is a MUST have in your supplement stack if you're bulking.

ProMix Nutrition 8.25LB Mass Gainer,252g of Carbs, 50G of Protein