Posted on 31 Mar 2017
4 min read
Another day another mass gainer.
This time round it’s a new product from Optimum Nutrition: their Gold Standard Mass Gainer.
In my eyes Optimum have been releasing too many products recently – whether it’s the lean women’s range or three differently packaged BCAA ranges, I find it hard to keep up and I’ve no doubt consumers feel the same.
They seem to have diluted a once very simple (and excellent) product range with a bunch of offerings that try to compete with mostly crappy brands like USN.
So I’m sceptical as to how this mass gainer will perform, and whether we actually need it.
Let’s find out…
The Gold Standard Mass Gainer is clearly a product aimed at those looking for the best of the best when it comes to weight gain supplements.
Optimum Nutrition already offer their Serious Mass, but the difference here is that the Gold Standard Mass Gainer is more of a refined product, and that much is clear just by looking at the macro nutrient breakdown and serving size.
Gold Standard Whey has always (in our opinion) been one of the best whey protein products out there, and this mass gainer aims to be the Gold Standard in that category.
Per 203g serving (four scoops) the nutritional breakdown is as follows:
| Calories | 763kcal |
| Protein | 55g |
| Carbs (of which sugar) | 105g (10g) |
| Fat (of which saturates) | 12g (8.2g) |
| Fibre | 7.2g |
| Salt | 1.18g |
I was really impressed with this product here, in that most of the ingredients manage to keep the sugar content damn low, coming in at only 10 grams per 200 gram serving!
Compare this to some of the mass gainers out there (Weider’s gainers, for instance, tend to have around 60 grams+ of sugar per serving) and it’s clear that Optimum have created a solid set of ingredients.
The core of the powder is made up of carbs from oats, pea and potato which also add to the protein content, and the core protein ingredient is whey derived.
I particularly like the addition of extra calories from some good fats like MCTs and Flaxseed, rather than just bumping up the sugar.
For this category Gold Standard Gainer absolutely smashes it.
The taste isn’t amazing, but it’s also not sickly at all like most mass gainers.
It doesn’t taste like you’re downing pure sugar, and the texture is excellent really.
One area where it does shine is in mixability, which was always my main problem with Serious Mass (you need a blender for that really).
You can really mix a serving of Gold Standard Gainer in a shaker cup with about 500ml of water, making it massively convenient.
We’ll start with the most important factor here when it comes to mass gainers and their effectiveness: does it turn you into an all-day-fart-producing machine?
And the answer is yes, but, in comparison to other gainers, no.
It’s actually very easy on the stomach, and won’t bloat you out like the mass gainers with 1k calories or over, yet it’s managed not to fall into the category of the cheaper mass gainers with 500 calories.
If Mutant Mass is a 10 on the the Fart-O-Meter/Fart Richter Scale, then Gold Standard Gainer is a 2.
This is for sure the most attractive trait of this product, as many of you who have tried mass gainers in the past will know.
It’s pretty much impossible to be using a mass gainer and be anywhere near attractive to women at the same time.
But does it help you put on mass?
Providing an extra 763 calories and 55 grams of protein, when taken alongside a hard training regimen, yes, yes it bloody does help you put on mass.
Just make sure you’re supplementing with it and not replacing food.
Ok so there has to be a price to pay for what is probably the best mass gainer on the market, right?
Yep.
A 2kg tub will set you back a whopping £49.99.
So yeah, you pay a hefty price to get the best gainer.
This is a product for those who really care about their health as well as gains!
Gold Standard Mass Gainer really does take the top spot for quality in a mass gainer, but at almost £50 for a 2kg tub it may be a little pricey for some.
You can usually get the best price on Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Gainer by shopping here at Amazon.
If you find it anywhere cheaper please get in touch via the comments section below.
And if you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to hit us up as well!
Will lives in London and is a Digital Marketing Executive by day. He first started going to the gym because being weedy and ginger doesn't really get the girls. Now he is muscly and ginger he still doesn't get the girls, but at least he can bench more than their boyfriends. You can find him blogging over at willkennard.com.
Posted on 15/11/2013
You are spot on with the cost – it is pricey.
I do love the low sugar content compared to other similar items.
I am not the biggest fan of weight gainers, but understand that they can help some people get those extra needed calories.
Too expensive for me I have been using Reflex Instant Mass tastes and mixes ok and is cheap. It seems to do the Job. I like the Gold Standard Whey its my go to protein powder but find myself not overly impressed with the their other products especially given the premium cost
Maybe try the Optimum Serious Mass mate, it’s cheaper and still solid, but it does need a blender to mix.
It is expensive but it is damn gooood man.
Go for it
Optimums whey protein seemed to do solid for the gains.
I loved Cytosports weight gainer – chococlate tastes like a dang chocolate milkshake.
Yeah it is quite pricey but I do think you get what you pay for.
Muscletech arguably make some of the best supplements on the market and they make the most of it in the price and milk people.
You are spot on with the cost – it is pricey.
I do love the low sugar content compared to other similar items.
I am not the biggest fan of weight gainers, but understand that they can help some people get those extra needed calories.
Good review Will.
I’ve tried this product before and I think it’s one of the best on the market.
I love this stuff.
I’ve been using it for 6 months now!
It is worth the price.
I agree this brand is quite expensive.
But there are places where you can find it for a cheaper price.
My favorite brand is still Dymatize!
Great blog by the way I will check back!
I am used to seeing the pros and cons in any review, but for GOLD STANDARD, I don’t see any cons because I have been using this brand in all my supplements for more than 2 years: whey protein, BCAAs, mass gainers.
GOLD STANDARD IS THE BEST!
What I don’t like is that it is sold out so quickly.
So my question is, Serious Mass or Gold Standard Mass Gainer?
Also let me post some personal information that may help you to give me the right answer.
I was consuming Serious Mass for 3 months or something just not the full dose as is hell much for me.
I turned to 2 split scoops per day instead.
About fart machine I give a 0 in comparison with BSN SYNTHA-6 Ultra Premium Protein Powder.
So about Serious Mass again, the bulking was real, gave me 22 pounds.
The negative here is that much of that was stomach and chest fat and even cellulite appeared on my belly.
I am a hardgainer person and 136 pounds and at my best I reached the 158 and if stop working out and bulking I return back again.
My diet is decent if somehow I motivate my self to eat close to 3K calories daily made by dietologist.
The supplement is additional of course.
That’s it, what do you recommend?