If you intend to gain muscle mass through hypertrophy training, you must have heard about supplements such as whey protein or hypercaloric. However, when it comes to choosing the ideal supplement to help you with your training routine, some doubts may arise since both whey and hypercaloric contribute to muscle mass gain.

After all, which supplement to choose? To answer this question, we talked to the nutritionist Fúlvia Hazarabedian .

See also: Is pre-workout bad for you?

Whey Protein or hypercaloric?

The nutritionist explains that in this case, the question may not have a single answer, since the indication of supplementation depends on the nutritional, energy, and protein needs of each person in the case of hypertrophy. Thus, to make the right choice for your scenario, you must also consider the characteristics of each product. Below, understand the function of each one:

Hypercaloric

The nutritionist explains that hypercalories are a quick, practical, and comfortable way to ingest high amounts of calories with good digestion and absorption capacity, complementing the caloric intake of the diet.

In the hypertrophy process, it is necessary to ingest more calories than you expend. And for this to happen, the amount of calories ingested daily needs to be greater. "In this case, there may be a difficulty in reaching the necessary calories due to the capacity of the gastric volume. This is when the hypercaloric supplement comes in, which provides calories without taking up too much space," says Fúlvia.

Hypercaloric is indicated for:

• People with a fast metabolism;
• Ectomorphs;
• People who wish to put on weight;
• High intensity physical activity practitioners;

Whey protein

Whey, on the other hand, is known for the convenience that the supplement offers in reaching the necessary daily protein requirement, when this goal is not reached with a balanced diet. In this case, protein is important because it provides the necessary amino acids for building tissue, including muscle.

The supplement is classified according to concentration and filtration, and can be concentrated, isolated or hydrolyzed Therefore, the amount of protein of each type tends to vary. Nevertheless, this supplement has a low calorie content compared to a hypercaloric one.

It is indicated for:

• Replenish the daily amount of protein;
• Carbohydrate-restricted diets;
• Replacing the hypercaloric after reaching the desired weight;
• Maintain the amount of muscle mass already gained.

After all, how to choose?

To choose one of these two supplements, it is important to understand that the hypercaloric helps in the caloric intake, because it has a large amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, while the whey is focused on protein intake.

Therefore, if your goal is to gain a few kilos linked to the practice of some physical activity, hypercaloric may be the most interesting option. However, if the goal is to strengthen the gain of muscle mass and maintain what has already been built, whey is the most indicated.

Finally, supplementation is so individual that in some cases it can even be mixed and include both whey protein and hypercaloric.

In any case, one should not start a supplementation without the advice of a professional. Therefore, talk to a nutritionist who can correctly assess the real need for the supplement. In addition, it is worth remembering that the most interesting for health would be to acquire these macronutrients through food, therefore, supplements can be used as complements.

Contraindications

Due to their composition, supplements like whey and hypercaloric also have some contraindications. Check them out:

• Allergic to milk protein as supplements generally contain whey protein;
• People with chronic diseases such as diabetes, thyroid, kidney or liver problems Pregnant and lactating women, children, and the elderly should only consume with a medical and nutritional recommendation.

Remembering that excess is harmful to health, so start supplementing only after being advised by a qualified professional.

Tips for buying supplements

Before buying any food supplement, it is important to understand what each one is for and what the recommendations are. So, see below:

• Buy supplements from well-known, ANVISA-certified stores and brands;
• Check the warnings, recommendations and restrictions. For example, people with heart problems should check that the supplement is not harmful to the heart;
• Be careful when taking several supplements at the same time;
• Check clinical trials that have been done with a portion of the population similar to yours (in terms of age, gender, etc.);
• Read the label, because most of the supplements found on the market have many chemical additives (coloring, sweeteners, preservatives, stabilizers...);
• People who ingest supplements such as Whey Protein should increase their water intake to avoid overloading their kidneys;
• To take care of your nutrition and, if necessary, supplementation, look for a nutritionist who specializes in the field of exercise and sport.

Source: Fúlvia Hazarabedian, head of the Bio Nutri program.