Introduction
There are thousands of different pills and shakes out there that all claim to be able to help you gain lean muscle mass, which makes identifying the ones that work from the scams difficult.
One such product to claims it can potentially help users gain “16lbs of muscle in 12 weeks” is named Clean Muscle.
In this MuscleTech Clear Muscle review, we will be taking an in-depth look at the ingredients list, the claims made by MuscleTech, and the effectiveness of the product. Allowing you to make up your mind as to whether Clear Muscle is the right choice for you or not.
What is MuscleTech Clear Muscle?
Clear Muscle by MuscleTech is a muscle building supplement, meaning that it is aimed at helping you to build bigger muscles by improving your workout performance, increasing your strength, and maximizing recovery. It does this through reducing muscle protein breakdown and enhancing protein synthesis (but more on that later).
MuscleTech is a Canadian supplement company that has been around since the mid-90s. MuscleTech was taken over by a Chinese company a few years ago, but production still seems to be in North America.
A single pack of Clear Muscle contains 168 liquid capsules, which at 2 capsules per serving works out at 84 servings. MuscleTech recommends taking three servings per day, once in the morning, once around mid-afternoon, and once in the evening. If you are training, then try to schedule one of these servings so that it is 30 minutes before you train.
If you are supposed to go through three servings per day (6 capsules) you could expect Clear Muscle to last you four weeks. You can purchase Clear Muscle from a number of websites, Amazon.com and Bodybuilding.com being two of the most well-known. On Amazon, a single pack of Clear Muscle costs $45.84 or $0.55 per serving.
MuscleTech recommends taking Clear Muscle for a 12-week cycle. Working out at $135 in total. Quite expensive when you look at it!
Clear Muscle is primarily targeted at men, but there is no reason why women should avoid it. Clear Muscle is probably aimed at men, because men are much more likely to be interested in gaining muscle mass. Though there are obviously women out there who would bite your hand off for bigger muscles and increased strength and performance!
Clear Muscle is designed to increase muscle mass, improve strength and athletic performance, and significantly reduce recovery time. This last benefit may just be the most important.
The main difference between bodybuilders who take anabolic steroids and bodybuilders who avoid them is that “enhanced” bodybuilders can recover faster and therefore train at a higher intensity for prolonged periods of time. Not that Clear Muscle has any anabolic steroids contained within.
Does MuscleTech Clear Muscle Work?
Clear Muscle is a single-ingredient supplement, which means (funnily enough) that it only has one active ingredient – this is BetaTOR, also known as “Free acid beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate” (you can see why they shortened the name). BetaTOR is a supplement created by Metabolic Technologies Inc and used in several MuscleTech products (as well as a couple of Japanese supplements).
But let’s back up for a second. What is Free acid beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate?
HMB is a metabolite of leucine, an amino acid. It is used by the body to prevent muscle protein from breaking down. Leucine is often referred to as the most effective branched-chain amino acid, and it is known to be effective at slowing down muscle protein breakdown. But HMB is even more effective than leucine.
HMB is usually combined with calcium (HMB-Ca) and it has been shown to improve performance. However, it takes a long time to be absorbed by the body. The free-acid version of HMB takes just 30 minutes to reach peak concentrations in the blood, which is significantly quicker than HMB-Ca. BetaTOR is the free-acid version, and it benefits from faster absorption and increased bioavailability.
Several studies have found HMB to increase exercise capacity [1], prevent muscle protein breakdown [2], increase strength and increase power [3]. However, the majority of studies have failed to find a significant improvement in power or muscle gain [4][5]. MuscleTech claim that subjects who used Clear Muscle “gained 16.3lbs of muscle in 12 weeks” but this seems unlikely.
There does seem to be quite a lot of evidence that HMB can reduce muscle protein breakdown though. A 2000 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that taking HMB led to a significant reduction in muscle damage compared to the placebo [6].
Bottom Line: Clear Muscle by MuscleTech does appear to reduce muscle damage after a workout, and this can translate to improved recovery times. Saying that it will lead to significant increases in muscle mass and exercise performance is a bit of a stretch though. Yes, Clear Muscle does work, but it is not going to be as effective as some of the marketing by MuscleTech implies.
The Pros & Cons Of MuscleTech Clear Muscle
Here is a list of the pros and cons associated with Clear Muscle by MuscleTech:
The Pros
- Contains a superior form of HMB
- May increase strength and power
- Evidence that recovery time is improved
- Reduced muscle protein breakdown
- Potentially higher protein synthesis
The Cons
- Many claims seem exaggerated
- No good evidence that HMB increases strength or power significantly
What Are The MuscleTech Clear Muscle Ingredients?
Clear Muscle is a single-ingredient supplement containing BetaTOR otherwise known as HMB.
One Serving Contains: 1,000mg of Free acid beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB)
Is MuscleTech Clear Muscle Safe?
Yes. HMB is a naturally occurring metabolite of leucine, it has not been found in any way to be unsafe. Standard dosage of HMB has been found to be completely safe for long-term use [7].
Is MuscleTech Clear Muscle Suitable For Everyone?
After researching HMB thoroughly, we can find no evidence that HMB has any adverse side effects, and there are no populations that should avoid it. WebMD warns that pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid it … but they generally say that about absolutely every supplement ingredient. There is no particular reason why, just being cautious.
Are There Any MuscleTech Clear Muscle Reviews From Customers?
There have been a large number of five-star reviews of Clear Muscle from happy customers on Amazon and Bodybuilding.com. There have also been some negative ones too. The problem is that your average customer is going to find it almost impossible to accurately assess whether a supplement is working or not.
Think about it, you start taking a new supplement while joining a new gym and starting a new training program. How can you know whether it was the supplement that was responsible for your results or not? You can’t, there are too many variables. Maybe the training program was so good that you would have got the exact same results anyway? Maybe the supplement only worked as a placebo?
Still, without anecdotal evidence it would be almost impossible to review these supplements either positively or negatively. So, let’s take a look at some.
“Clear Muscle helped me build muscle mass, it also helped me with recovery time after using both weights and cardio”
“I have used Clear Muscle for four weeks now, during that time I have put on muscle mass and my lifts have got bigger”
“I have taken Clear Muscle as part of a MuscleTech stack. I’ve experienced huge gains in my resistance training. If you are looking to increase your strength quickly, then this is the product for you”
Our Final Verdict On MuscleTech Clear Muscle
We are usually quite skeptical about supplements that try to reinvent the wheel, and this is what Clear Muscle feels like to us. Taking a regular supplement ingredient (HMB) and tweaking it slightly, increasing its bioavailability and reducing the amount of time it takes to work. Other than that, Clear Muscle is just HMB, something you can buy in bulk from most supplement websites for a fraction of the price.
Does this mean that we don’t like Clear Muscle? No! It looks like a decent supplement. There is evidence that it can reduce recovery time, and it may even enhance protein synthesis. Which can lead to strength and muscle gains.
But Clear Muscle doesn’t really seem to be doing enough to justify the price tag. You could save your money and use a slightly less effective version of HMB and still expect the same results in the long-term. It’s a bit like buying Artisanal water. Yes, it comes in a fancy bottle and looks cool, but it’s still the same as regular water.
If you want to buy Clear Muscle, then great. You should expect some decent results, and you have a supplement that you know you can trust. However, if you want to save money yet still get the same results – just purchase some standard HMB supplements – it’s really up to you.