Gain! and all-in1

If you're one of those people who see calories as the arch-enemy of good living, look away now. If, on the other hand, you're like me and you love nothing more than putting your muscle tissues under undue stress by lifting heavy weights, then this review might just help.

Ask any weight-trainer or body-builder what the key factor to muscle growth is (after Dianabol and other illegal steroids) and they will tell you universally - protein and calories! Without these, particularly protein, you can lift all the weight in the world, and it's  not going to make a blind bit of difference. Such is the importance of good protein and calories, there are companies making millions upon millions of pounds, making sure that we lifters have access to the most wholesome and most effective proteins and weight-gain mixes available. As you might expect, each company claims to have the best available.

Before I continue, I should stress my position and goals, as that is where the perspective of my review will come from. I'm a thirty-eight year old male ectomorph, who used to seriously lift in his younger years, then took a long break from it, and has returned to it, in order to shed some of those fat deposits that gather in later years. I have no competition goals, train each and every weekday with weekends off, don't smoke, don't drink, and don't eat any junk food. 

Being an ectomorph, I need to take in calories, in high volume, and there are only so many hours 
in a day to prepare meals and eat them. That's where weight-gain mixes and protein drinks come in.

The weight-gain product I'm now reviewing is Gain! from a UK company called all-in1. (Note that as this is the first time I've used this company, it's also a mini-review of the company too.)

Website: http://www.sports-nutrition.net/

First Impressions of the Company

The first impression I got from the company was, of course, the website. Being a web designer and developer myself, I found the site a little "on the cheap" visually. However, to their credit, 
it was perfectly functional, finding products was incredibly easy, and the ordering process was 
easier still. (The failing of the latter is something that has lost many a company my business.)

I was particularly attracted by their low prices, which became all the more attractive when I factored in the volume discount. For me, ordering four tubs of the product, resulted in 
a saving of around £20. Something that always perks me up! Then I received a first-time buyer saving, and a free shaker, and, though it wasn't stated at the time, I received a free tub of Omega 3 (90 Capsules). One might argue that these are relatively inexpensive add-ons, but for first-time "wow factor", they really do help put the company in a good light, and make for a great
first-impression.

As promised on the site, the product was delivered the next day, without any problems. So, as 
far as the company goes, I'm in love with them. I have no tolerance at all for poor service in this day and age, and fall in love with any company that manages to avoid all of the common gotchas and pit-falls. all-in1 passed my tests with flying colours.

The Product

I ordered four tubs of the Gain! product, as I was attracted by their volume pricing, which, no matter how you look at it, just makes good sense. The downside, of course, is that if you hate the taste or the consistency of the product, you've a lot to get through! Each tub weighs in at 2.66KG and comes in a choice of flavours: Chocolate / Strawberry / Vanilla / Banana. I ordered strawberry.

Be aware, the tubs are large, and so garage storage might be useful if you don't have a great deal of spare kitchen storage space.

Nutritional Value (Per Serving)

Energy: K Calories - 347
Energy: K Joules - 1471
Protein - 30
Carbohydrate - 50
Fat - 3g
Sodium - 88mg
Potassium - 388mg

Serving Size

A serving consists of 95 grams mixed with anything up to 450mls of water or milk. (I personally 
can't stand the thought of mixing it with water, and so use milk.)

Mixability

Many athletes will tell you that a key aspect of any protein/gain drink is how well it mixes. Few people I know enjoy drinking lumps of powder. With Gain! I am able to just use the shaker that came free with my order and this has so far kept my drinks lump-free. This is the first product which hasn't required me to use the electric blender.

Calories

Of course, a weight-gain product stands and falls on the number of calories it can provide to the athlete. There are products that give a higher number of calories per serving than Gain!. Prolab's N-Large product, for example, gives a staggering 580 calories. However, you then need to factor
how these calories are being delivered, through sugars, fat, etc, as well as price. While Gain! provides almost 250 calories less than N-Large, I can tell you, through experience of both products that, all things considered, I prefer the Gain! product.

The reason I would choose the Gain! product is two-fold:

1. Price. If you're an ectomorph like me, you're going to consume tons of the stuff, and based on that factor, it makes sense to go with the cheapest, providing it gives reasonable gains.

2. Bloat. N-Large consistently made me feel bloated and subsequently lethargic. This is not something that I've experienced with Gain!

Does It Work?

All of the above review would fail miserably if I had to tell you that, despite my best efforts, 
Gain! did not help me increase mass at all. I'm pleased to report that this is not the case. In what is now 21 days, I've added a further 3kg of weight. (I should stress that I also started taking all-in1 Creatine at the same time however - review to follow.)

The simple fact is that if you take more calories in than you burn, you're going to gain weight.
With that in mind, the real questions become, does it work well enough? Are there enough calories? Are they quality calories? For me, the answer is a resounding yes. Even if you feel that the 347 calories per hit are not enough, you can drink more servings per day, should you so wish. You also need 
to remember that Gain! is providing a 30g protein hit each drink. That alone is sufficient
incentive for me.

I always felt that the Prolab alternative was just too much for me. I noticed I was adding a lot 
of fat, which sort of defeated my purpose. Weight gain is good, but gain that is just fat is not what we're after here!

Any Criticisms?

I do have one small criticism of the product. Yes, it's the taste. It's hard to describe what's wrong with it, other than to say it tastes very sugary. Certainly, when I mixed it with only 300mls of milk, the sweetness was too much for me. Since increasing the milk to 450mls, it's become more tolerable, but damn, it's still very sweet.

Product Rating: 4 / 5 (Just that sweetness that prevents a 5 /5)
Company Rating: 5 / 5

Great content, let me share it! »