MusclePharm Gainz Reviews

MusclePharm’s latest HardCore Series has been officially released. One of the three new products in this line is Gainz. Gainz is a post-workout supplement that is designed to optimize your recovery, but also be separate from a standard protein post-workout powder.

I was able to get my hands on a bottle of MusclePharm Gainz. Here’s what I thought it.

The Ingredients

The key ingredients in Gainz are the 4:1:1 ratio of BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids), CarnoSyn, and Creatine Hydrochloride.

Branched chain amino acids are used to speed up the recovery process post-workout so your muscles can function better for subsequent training days. Also, L-leucine in particular improves protein synthesis. Considering all these advantages, athletes usually supplement with BCAAs pre and post-workout.

CarnoSyn is a brand of beta-alanine and is used for its ability to improve athletic performance and exercise capacity.  CarnoSyn,  has been studied and found to improve physical performance in 2.3 – 6.4 g doses. [1]

Another main ingredient in Gainz is creatine hydrochloride . Creatine is often used by athletes to enhance ATP regeneration for improved power output.

The ingredients in Gainz look fairly effective, albeit, standard. The amount of CarnoSyn in Gainz per scoop is smaller than the clinically studied dose. Consequently, I’m not sure how that will affect your workout performance. Perhaps consistent supplementation will result in similar workout enhancing benefits.

Also, if you plan on supplementing with creatine, I wouldn’t necessarily rely on the amount in Gainz alone, as it is pretty small. You’ll most likely want to buy yourself a separate creatine supplement for optimal creatine amounts, which tend to range from 3-5 g per day.

Taste, Mixability, Effectiveness

Gainz comes in a Fruit Punch and Raspberry Twist flavor. I was able to get my hands on a bottle of the Raspberry Twist Flavor –as I am not a huge fan of fruit punch.

I mixed one scoop with 12 oz. of water in my shaker cup. It mixed well, and the flavor was good! Because I added 12 oz. of water, the flavor wasn’t as strong, and I’m a fan of more subtle flavors. I noticed slight settling towards the end of my drink, but I just kept shaking it as I drank. Overall, not bad mixability.

As far as effects noticed, I think it’s important to mention that most of these ingredients take effect in the “background” so to speak. They require consistent supplementation to produce maximal effects.

I took Gainz after only a couple workouts; however, I noticed some slight improvements in muscle recovery and soreness after my leg and chest workout, but I was also supplementing with some whey protein at night.

Overall, the BCAAs in Gainz did the trick, and my muscles weren’t as painful as they can be without branched-chains.

Final Thoughts

MusclePharm Gainz isn’t a bad post-workout supplement. The best thing it has going for it, I believe, is the BCAA content. There isn’t enough creatine in there to make it my sole creatine supplement, so I continued supplementing with an additional creatine supplement.

Each bottle provides 30 servings and retails for $35. The price isn’t terrible, but considering the basic ingredients -some lower dosed- I’d say Gainz is just “ok.” But, if you are looking for a tasty post-workout to add to your supplemental regimen and you are also supplementing with a good whey protein and creatine supplement, Gainz may be something to check out.

[1]  Beta-Alanine. WebMD