If you're reading this article, it's probably because you're struggling to gain weight or build more muscle mass. And don't worry, you're not alone. We often see motivated athletes who train seriously but simply plateau because they don't achieve a daily calorie surplus .

Understanding the principle of muscle gain (and why you might not be succeeding yet)

Let's start simple:
👉 If you want to gain muscle, you need to eat more than you expend.
It's mathematical.

This is called a calorie surplus : you give your body more energy than it consumes, which allows it to build muscle tissue after your workouts.

You can have the best program in the world: without a calorie surplus , nothing will happen.

But in real life… we know it’s not that simple.
Between work, travel, lack of appetite, or simply the laziness of cooking 5 meals a day… consuming 300 to 500 more calories daily can become a real challenge.

And that's exactly why thousands of athletes stagnate each year in their muscle gain.
Not because they train badly.
Not because they lack motivation.
Not because they don't know anything about it.

But simply because their calorie intake doesn't match their physical ambitions . In this article, we'll explain how to fix that!

A good calorie surplus: the basics you need to know

Before discussing dietary supplements, let's review the basics of successful muscle gain:

✅ A high calorie intake (+300 to +500 kcal/day)

Here's how to calculate your daily resting energy needs: • Male = (13.7516 x Weight (kg)) + (500.33 x Height (m)) – (6.7550 x Age) + 66.473 • Female = (9.5634 x Weight (kg)) + (184.96 x Height (m)) – (4.6756 x Age) + 655.0955

✅ Sufficient protein intake

Without sufficient intake, you are not optimizing muscle protein synthesis, that is, the process by which your body rebuilds and strengthens the fibers destroyed during training.

When bulking up, it's beneficial to consume between 1.8g and 2.5g of protein per kg of body weight. If you weigh 70kg, you'll need approximately 70g x 2 = 140g of protein per day. We recommend dividing this into several meals and snacks throughout the day.

✅ Plenty of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are not just for “giving energy”: they restore your muscle glycogen stores , essential for maintaining intense and explosive workouts.

With too few carbohydrates, your body goes into "energy-saving mode": you'll notice that you train less intensely, recover less well, and your progress slows down. So don't neglect them!

✅ Intense workouts (sets close to failure)

Muscle develops in response to mechanical stress. But this stress must be sufficient to trigger an adaptation, and therefore to develop.

Your program should include heavy weights and compound exercises, working multiple muscle groups simultaneously. But most importantly, push yourself to your maximum capacity, getting as close to muscular failure as possible!

✅ Optimal recovery (sleep, rest, hydration)

You can train hard, follow a strict program and eat properly…
If your recovery is not optimal, your muscle gain will be slow, or even non-existent.

Muscle is built during rest! It is during the night that your body increases the secretion of GH (growth hormone), repairs damaged muscle fibers and reduces cortisol, the stress hormone that slows gains.

Sleeping too little limits your protein synthesis, reduces your energy during training, and slows your overall progress!

Hydration is just as essential. Even a slight lack of water can decrease your strength, congestion, digestion, and nutrient absorption.

✅ Suitable supplements

Supplements are not essential, but they help optimize your intake:

• Whey protein increases your daily protein intake.

• Creatine boosts your performance by increasing your strength.

• The gainer helps you easily reach your surplus!

The problem with gaining mass using only raw foods

Gaining muscle mass should primarily be based on a solid foundation of whole foods such as rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, oats, eggs, meat, fish, and legumes. But as you know, it can quickly become difficult to achieve a real calorie surplus by consuming only whole foods!

In reality, you're not always hungry, you don't always have time to cook, and you're even less likely to be able to eat five solid meals every day. There are times when you finish your plate out of obligation, when you feel like you're eating from morning till night, you're constantly digesting… and despite all that, you're still below the calories you need to make progress.

This is a problem many athletes face: your appetite drops while your nutritional needs continue to increase! And it's precisely in this situation that you risk plateauing ! External support therefore becomes essential!

The gainer: not a miracle solution… but a smart solution

A gainer is a supplement designed to help you reach your calorie surplus without forcing you to eat more than you can.

It generally consists of whey protein and carbohydrate sources such as maltodextrin or other carbohydrates with varying degrees of digestion.

Its goal isn't to replace your meals, but to help you maintain a consistent eating rhythm , day after day, without forcing you to eat beyond your digestive capacity. It will allow you to easily add 300 to 500 calories in a liquid form that is digestible, quick to prepare, and simple to consume, even when you've lost your appetite.

It can very quickly become a real ally during your winter arc , that period when your goal is to accumulate as much muscle as possible before coming back leaner.

Why choose our Big Mass Gainer?

At Squad Nutrition, we believe that a gainer is not just a “calorie shaker”.

For it to be truly useful in gaining mass, it must be caloric, digestible, balanced and formulated with quality ingredients .

It is precisely on these foundations that we designed our Big Mass Gainer : a gainer designed for athletes who want to gain mass effectively, without sacrificing their digestion or nutritional quality, and without excessive fat gain.

What makes us different is our source of carbohydrates. Where the majority of gainers on the market offer almost exclusively maltodextrin, a very fast carbohydrate, not very satiating and sometimes difficult to digest, we have chosen to incorporate a base of rice flour , a natural complex carbohydrate, much more stable over time.

This combination — maltodextrin + rice flour — offers a better balance:

• fewer glycemic fluctuations ,
• more comfortable digestion ,
• a more stable energy
• better maintenance of calorie surplus throughout the day

This is a real plus, especially for those with sensitive stomachs or who wish to avoid energy spikes followed by bouts of fatigue.

👉🏼 In just one serving, our Big Mass Gainer provides:

• 443 kcal per serving: Ideal for satisfying your excess weight without overeating.
• 39g of protein: perfect for supporting your protein synthesis and recovery
• 61 g of complex carbohydrates ( maltodextrin + rice flour)
• Essential vitamins and minerals: supporting overall health and muscle recovery.
• Really pleasant taste

In short: our Big Mass Gainer is not just a calorie supplement.
It's a complete formula , designed to optimize your mass gain, improve your performance, facilitate your digestion, and make your winter arc more effective — while remaining pleasant to consume daily.

How can you intelligently integrate it into your routine?

One serving per day is generally recommended, at the following times:

✅ Right after training: your body absorbs nutrients better.

✅ Between meals: Ideal if you're not hungry enough for solid food.

✅ In the evening if your total calories are not reached: a practical, easy and digestible boost.

✅ As a “mass gain” smoothie: by adding banana, oats, peanut butter…
There, you could easily go up to +700 kcal.

Conclusion: your muscle gain starts now!

If you really want to make progress this winter, stop leaving your total calorie intake to chance.
Structure your meals, increase your intake, optimize your recovery… Put everything in place to reach your goal.
And if you can't achieve your goals with raw foods alone, incorporate our BIG MASS GAINER into your routine. ⤵️

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