Review of CytoSport’s New Monster Mass!
Welcome to the first of the new weekly supplement review posts! Before I get started on this week’s review, let me take a few minutes to introduce myself, and provide you a little of my background. I have always been very thin. Before I started training I weighed in at a little over 120lbs, at 6’2”. I am a true ectomorph! I have always been interested in getting bigger and stronger, ever since I saw Arnold, Van Damme and Stallone in films.
I have been training seriously for about 7 years now. My current weight is 186lbs, at about 12% body fat. I am currently cutting, so I want to get my body fat into single digits in the new few months. Over the last 7 years, I have put on around 60lbs, and have learned a lot about how to train, how to eat, and how to supplement correctly to achieve maximum gains.
Muscle and Brawn Supplement Store
Lowest Prices | Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 | Free Magazine
In my new column on Muscle and Brawn, I will be reviewing a different supplement every week. This week I will be taking a look at CytoSport’s new Monster Mass. This new weight gainer was only released a few days ago, and I have been lucky enough to get a hold of a couple of sample packets.
Ingredients:
When I look at weight gainers, the first thing I look for is sugar content. It’s not uncommon for weight gainers to be absolutely loaded with sugar. This is an easy (and cheap) way for supplement companies to increase the calorie content of the weight gainer. Too much sugar is more likely to lead to fat gain than muscle growth. Sugar is turned into energy very quickly, and if your body can’t use it, guess where it’s going – on your waist! Monster Mass scores well here, only 6g of sugar per serving. That’s VERY low for a gainer.
Carbohydrate sources are good. Again, we don’t have much sugar. 71 grams of carbs per serving from Waxy Maize Starch and Maltodextrin.
Each serve has 50g of protein, coming from a protein blend:
• Whey Concentrates
• Whey Isolates
• Isolated Milk Protein
• Caseinates
• Lactoferrin
• L-Glutamine
• Glutamine Peptides
• Freform BCAA’s L-Valine, L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine
That’s a good mix of fast and slow digesting protein sources, making Monster Mass a very versatile gainer.
Taste:
If you’ve ever tasted Monster Milk or Muscle Milk, you’d know that CytoSport knows how to make a protein powder taste pretty darn good. No change here, Monster Mass tastes great. I tried it with both water and skim milk, both stood up to my high taste standards!
Mixability:
No problem here. I didn’t try mixing with a spoon, but Monster Mass mixed well in a shaker (around 10-15 shakes) and blender. Both with skim milk and water.
Servings:
This is Monster Mass’s downfall. There are not many servings per container. Compared to similar gainers, some give you more servings for the money. Depending on your calorie needs, you can decrease the serving size and get a few more servings. Thing to remember is, this is a high quality gainer. You get what you pay for.
Price:
At $36.99 for just under 6 pounds, it’s not bad. Not the cheapest gainer on the market, but when it comes to gainers you get what you pay for. High quality carbs, low sugar and a good protein formula make Monster Mass good value for money in my opinion.
Overall, I’m giving it a strong 8/10.
That’s it for this week. If you’ve used Monster Mass let us know what you think in the comments below! Next week I’ll be reviewing MuscleTech’s new Intra-Workout supplement, IntraVol.
I have just tried Monster Mass and so far think it is awesome! I have used many different weight gainers before, but this one seems to be the best one. As we all expect from CytoSport products, the taste is killer! (I love the Cake Batter and Cookies & Creme flavors).
If you are looking for a premium weight gain formula, give MONSTER MASS a try – you will not be dissapointed.
Can you gain fat from Monster Mass? How do you get big lean muscle mass and lose fat?
“How do you get big lean muscle mass and lose fat?”
Cycles. Bulk, then cut. You need periods of lifting where you are not afraid to eat extra calories, so that you pack on muscle, then you cut the fat and reveal the muscle.
It is possible to gain muscle and lose some fat, but generally only during your first year of progressive resistance.
The best thing to do is to focus on getting stronger through compound movements. Once you have that down, things tend to take care of themselves.
How can you say there is no change in taste?! Did you actually try it?
VERY different taste. I’m having to cut it with 1 scoop Muscle Milk just to
get through it.
41% Cholesterol PER shake. How can they say use withOUT caution?
I can’t do 3 of these a day like I can with Muscle Milk.
Chris thanks for your feedback.
how much weight do you usually put on with this weight gainer, or any weight gainers in general
I think that really varies from person to person. if you are eating 5,000 calories per day, you should be adding around a pound a week.
i thought your body could only take in about 24 grams of protein at a time
Monster mass is a weight gainer, so where the calories come from is a minor issue. They feature protein grams because it is the industry’s buzz word.
its not to bad tasting for a weight gainer u cant expect it to taste like muscle milk and u dont have 2 take it 3 times a day thats retarded take 2 scoops twice a day and drink it in the morning expecially cause thats when your muscles are feeding
i really like this stuff. enough said
I have been taking monster mass for a month, only taking once a day four scoops before my workout. I find its taste to be pretty good. I have only been working out for under six months and have already went from 138lbs to 152lbs. I am only 5″9. Along side taking N.O. Explode I have noticed pretty quick results in actual muscle gain and definition. I definately will continue with monster mass for at least another six months and then go natural once getting the mass I am satisfied with.
So…you think you are not currently natural because you are taking a weight gainer an NO explode? bro you are natural if thats all your taking….When someone is referring to being unnatural it insinuates that a person is taking HGH (Human Growth Hormones) pro hormones…or in some peoples opinion test boosters…your in the clear bro. Don’t stop taking protein you will see your gains disapear because your bodies ability to grow and build muscle is being fueled by the extra protein you are getting from your shakes…if you take that out of the equation catabolism will eat your gains away….as far as no explode, i dont recommend ANY pre workout supplement that is packed with caffeine , it is extremely rough on your heart and is responsible for more deaths and disease then steroid use..only because it is not regulated ( not saying that steroids arent dangerous)…..be wise…be careful….and do your research.
BTW just bought some monster mass…….took first shake mixed with banana , walnuts, and 2 percent milk….feel pretty bloated from it. ill give it a couple weeks. Would have got cyto gainer which i have already used and loved but didnt want the extra creatine because im taking Cell Mass. Note to everyone: dont overload on creatine….major no no. It will destroy your kydneys.
I have been taking monster mass for about 6 weeks now. I have gained 10 lbs thus far. When I started i was 162- 15.7% body fat. now 172 (havent had body fat re-tested). I do consider myself a hard “gainer” which is why i decided to use monster mass vs muscle milk or syntha-6.
The taste is pretty good- have used both chocolate and vanilla and both are not bad. I really enjoyed the taste of syntha-6 when i took that and havent tried true mass to compare taste to monster mass (i like cyto sport and bsn products- i think they are both reputable companies and have had good results with both). I must say that i do feel bloated and pretty often upsets my stomach, but i do expect some of that with the extra protein and calories. Not sure if you can avoid that but like i said i havent tried other “gainers”. I only take 4 scoops once a day just following my workout.
Overall, i would say that it is a good product to put on weight and gain muslce mass. I feel like my body fat is essentially unchanged but wouldnt be surprised if it did go up a little bit. I cant really comment on the price as i would certainly prefer it to be cheaper but feel it is a quality product therefore will cost more.