IO Genix Protein Mass - Rapid Muscle Development

What is IO Genix Protein Mass?

It is a mass-gain powder to be mixed with liquid, with a reference serving of 50 g for 195 kcal, combining protein, carbohydrate, creatine and glutamine. The flavours listed: Intense Chocolate, Original Black Cookies, Vanilla-Hazelnut, Crema Rica Cookies and Petit Yogurt.

Let us set the right expectations straight away, because the name can be misleading. With 16 g of protein and 28 g of carbohydrate for 195 kcal, this product belongs to the lean gainer family, not to the heavyweight gainers. A true hard gainer delivers 400 to 600 kcal per serving. That is not a flaw: it is a different category, and it is better to know before you buy.

The first ingredient on the list is oat flour, not maltodextrin or sugar — which explains the mere 2 g of sugars for 28 g of carbohydrate. Then come maltodextrin, a LACTOMIN® whey protein concentrate, L-glycine, Kyowa L-glutamine, creatine monohydrate, flavourings, sucralose, a colour (azorubine), the DigeZyme® enzyme complex and vitamin B6. The rest of the Spanish range can be found in our IO Genix aisle.

What does a 50 g serving contain?

* Column calculated from the values declared for 50 g. Not included in the data supplied: the energy value in kilojoules, the "of which saturates" line, the "fibre" line, the vitamin B6 content and the net weight of the pack — so we cannot calculate the number of servings per tub. Divide the weight printed on the packaging by 50 g.

The most interesting figure in this table is not the protein, it is the creatine: 3,000 mg per serving. That is exactly the daily maintenance dose, the one on which the only authorised claim on this entire product rests: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise, a claim valid from 3 g per day. One serving puts you right on it. If you take two, you are at 6 g, which brings nothing further.

The second figure is the sugars: 2 g for 28 g of carbohydrate. That is what genuinely sets this powder apart from a cheap gainer loaded with dextrose. The oat flour at the top of the list is not a marketing line: you can see it on the "of which sugars" row, and it is verifiable.

A third reading, less flattering: 16 g of protein per serving is not a lot. An ordinary whey shake delivers 22 to 25 for 120 kcal. Here, the protein comes with 28 g of carbohydrate. That is the very principle of a gainer, but it does mean you should stop comparing this product to a protein: it is not the same use.

On the glutamine and the DigeZyme® complex we shall be brief: no health claim is authorised in Europe for either glutamine or an enzyme complex. We mention them because they appear on the label, without attributing any effect to them.

How do you take Protein Mass?

Serving: 50 g, that is two scoops. Liquid: 300 to 400 ml of water or skimmed milk. Timing: between meals, or after training. Frequency: up to two servings a day depending on your bodyweight and your needs. Duration: ongoing, as no course duration is set.

The manufacturer's advice, which we are happy to repeat: start with a half serving for the first week. Twenty-eight grams of carbohydrate, creatine and glutamine all at once, in a stomach that is not used to it, makes itself felt. Building up gradually avoids the discomfort that makes people give up after three days.

Shake vigorously for thirty seconds, pouring the liquid in before the powder. With oat flour in the formula, the texture is thicker than a whey shake: that is normal, and 400 ml rather than 300 makes it considerably easier to drink if you have to get it down between two meals.

Creatine brings one further instruction, and it is not decorative: increase your water intake throughout the period of use. That applies to any product containing creatine monohydrate.

A final word on timing. The manufacturer suggests four slots; in practice, a gainer is there to add calories where you cannot manage to eat them. Take it at the point in the day when you usually skip a snack, not on top of a meal you are already eating.

Who is Protein Mass right for, and who is it not right for?

It is aimed at those who cannot get their calories up at the table: limited appetite, short days, a metabolism that burns through everything. Drinking 195 kcal is far easier than getting the equivalent down in rice and chicken. It also suits those already taking creatine who appreciate not having one more product to juggle.

The product contains GLUTEN (oat flour) and MILK. Note a discrepancy in the labelling supplied: the ingredient list mentions SOYA among the possible traces, while the warning places it among the allergens present. If you are allergic to soya, work on the more cautious assumption and check the packaging. Traces of WHEAT, EGG and FISH are also possible. The manufacturer advises against it for children, adolescents and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

It contains azorubine (E122), an azo colour that requires the following regulatory wording: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. We reproduce it because it is mandatory, and because it appears nowhere else on this page.

It is not suitable if you are coeliac: oat flour is the first ingredient, and here gluten is a component, not a trace. Nor is it suitable when cutting, or if your aim is simply to raise your protein intake — in that case, a whey shake does better for fewer calories.

What you should not expect from it: mass gain without eating. 195 kcal is a snack, not a meal, and two servings a day represent 390 added calories. If your diet does not follow, this product will do nothing at all. The phrase "rapid muscle development" should not lead you to hope for anything other than a well-composed calorie supplement.

Protein Mass or a hard gainer?

That is the choice that really matters, and it comes down to a single line: calories per serving.

A hard gainer delivers 400 to 600 kcal per serving, with a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio often of 3:1 or 4:1 and a lot of maltodextrin. It is the better choice if you genuinely struggle to put on weight and need to add 800 to 1,000 kcal a day. Its drawback is well known: the volume is enormous, the taste quickly becomes sickly, and part of the calories come from simple sugars.

Protein Mass is the better choice for measured mass gain, where you want to add 200 to 400 clean calories without sending your sugars through the roof. The protein-to-carbohydrate ratio here is 1:1.75, which is far more balanced than a conventional gainer, and the 3 g of built-in creatine saves you a further product. It is also a shake you can drink every day without coming to hate it after a week.

A third route exists, and it is often the most economical: buy a protein, an oat flour and creatine separately, and put it together yourself. You control every dose and the cost per gram falls. What you lose is the convenience of a single powder — it is up to you to decide what matters most.

Frequently asked questions

Is it a gainer or a protein?

Not quite one and not quite the other: it is a lean gainer. With 16 g of protein and 28 g of carbohydrate for 195 kcal, it delivers less protein than a whey and far fewer calories than a hard gainer. Its place is that of a solid, well-composed snack, not a protein shake nor a massive calorie top-up.

Should you take creatine alongside it?

No, if you take one serving a day: the 3 g it contains correspond exactly to the daily maintenance dose, and that is the threshold on which the authorised claim rests. Adding more on top will do nothing further. On the days you do not take a shake, however, your creatine intake drops to zero.

Does the product contain gluten?

Yes, and not merely as traces. Oat flour is the first ingredient on the list, and traces of wheat are flagged as well. In cases of coeliac disease this product is not indicated — that is a point better read here than after the purchase.

How many servings per tub?

The net weight of the pack does not appear in the labelling data supplied by the manufacturer, so we cannot calculate it. Divide the weight printed on the packaging by 50 g, which is the reference serving for every value on this page.

Water or milk?

The manufacturer allows both, with skimmed milk. With water, you stay at 195 kcal, which is the honest calculation. With milk, allow 100 to 130 kcal more depending on the volume: that is useful if your aim really is to raise your calories, and it needs to go into your total if you are counting them.

Why start with a half serving?

Because 28 g of carbohydrate, 3 g of creatine and 6 g of glutamine all at once often cause bloating in the first few days. A week at 25 g is enough to let the body get used to it. It is common-sense advice, given by the manufacturer itself, and rarely followed.

Which flavour should you choose?

Intense Chocolate and Original Black Cookies are the boldest, Crema Rica Cookies and Vanilla-Hazelnut are milder, Petit Yogurt is noticeably lighter and tangier — it is the one that goes down best if you have to drink two servings a day, boredom being the number one reason a gainer gets abandoned. All of them contain sucralose and a colour.

Where to buy IO Genix Protein Mass?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. If this is your first gainer, pick a flavour you know you can drink every day: that is the most decisive criterion.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we always start with the same question in front of this aisle: how many calories are you eating at the moment? Nine times out of ten, the answer shows that a meal is missing, not a supplement — and a lean gainer like this one solves exactly that problem, no more and no less. The rest of the aisle can be compared in our sports nutrition range.