Introduction
Mass gain supplements are nothing new, there are hundreds of different companies selling thousands of different products, all with the aim of building muscle. Promising to help you increase muscle size and improve physical performance, could Muscle Builder be the supplement that transforms your results?
In this MuscleTech Muscle Builder review, we’re digging into the ingredients list to find out.
What Is MuscleTech Muscle Builder?
Muscle Builder is a performance-enhancer and muscle building supplement by MuscleTech, a Canadian supplements company that has been in operation since 1995.
Each pack costs between $15 and $21 depending on where you purchase them from Bodybuilding.com is slightly more expensive than Amazon. The packs contain 30 servings of 1 tablet, the advice is to take one per day meaning that you can get a month’s supply for around $20. This works out at $0.5 per serving if purchasing a 30 pack at Amazon.
Muscle Builder seems to be primarily aimed at men, though this is probably due to the fact that a higher percentage of men are interested in muscle building than women. There is no ingredient contained within Muscle Builder that should exclude women from using it.
Consumers of Muscle Builder are promised that it will deliver 90% more muscle and double their strength thanks to its “advanced, university-tested anabolic formula”.
Does MuscleTech Muscle Builder Work?
What is really interesting about Muscle Builder by MuscleTech is that it only contains one ingredient; Adenosine 5-Triphospahte Disodium. This ingredient is known as Peak ATP and it is created by a separate company called TSI. This company has been around since 1996 and they actually sell their ingredient to several different companies. MuscleTech is by far their biggest partner, using Peak ATP in no less than 8 of their current supplements.
But there are quite a few other companies that also sell supplements that contain Peak ATP, many of them combine it with other ingredients though. Muscle Builder by MuscleTech contains just Peak ATP. Does this make the product less competitive? That’s up for debate.
The idea behind Adenosine 5-Triphosphate Disodium supplementation is to “enhance the ability to maintain high ATP turnover during high-intensity exercise.” [1]. ATP is the energy currency for the body, the more you have, the more energy you can use. Creatine monohydrate is taken to help increase ATP recycling by increasing the body’s store of ATP. An ATP supplement such as Muscle Builder is looking to achieve the same goal.
There does seem to be some evidence that taking an ATP supplement can help to improve anaerobic power and muscular strength. A 2004 study found that taking oral adenosine triphosphate led to a small yet statistically significant increase in muscular strength [2]. Though some studies have failed to see any difference when ATP was orally ingested [3]. If Peak ATP has managed to sort this issue out (and everything seems to point to this being the case) then it could well help to increase strength.
According to the Peak ATP website, the supplement works in three ways: 1) It increases blood flow by raising nitric oxide production – this helps supply the muscles with oxygen 2) helps your muscles contract faster and recover quicker, by improving calcium release, and 3) raises ATP to increase protein synthesis (through the mTOR pathway for anyone who is interested).
Peak ATP has been used in several studies. A 2017 study by Freitas et al found that taking Peak ATP led to improvements in performance in trained males [4]. Another 2017 study found that taking Peak ATP led to higher post-exercise ATP levels after a repeated sprint bout (this could help increase recovery) [5].
A 2013 study by Wilson et al saw huge increases in strength (147%), power (30%), lean body mass (100%), and muscle thickness (96%) when comparing Peak ATP to a placebo [6]. Increases in blood flow [7], and reductions in muscular fatigue [8] have also been found.
The studies mentioned do seem to indicate that Peak ATP and by extension MuscleTech Muscle Builder can help to increase muscle growth and exercise performance. However, these studies have clearly been highlighted by Peak ATP as they are successful, no company is going to show studies that fail. So, this may indicate that there is another side to this.
Bottom Line: Muscle Builder by MuscleTech does appear to work, and there is plenty of evidence that the main/only ingredient (Peak ATP) can increase muscle size and improve performance. There has in the past been some worry that ATP supplements are not effective when orally administered, but more recent studies seem to indicate that this issue has either been exaggerated or fixed.
The Pros and Cons of MuscleTech Muscle Builder
Below is a list of the pros and cons of Muscle Builder by MuscleTech:
The Pros
- Reduces muscular fatigue
- Increases blood flow
- May improve exercise performance
- Increases muscle size
The Cons
- Contains just one ingredient that is available in several competing products
- More research required
What are the MuscleTech Muscle Builder Ingredients?
As mentioned above, there is only one active ingredient present in Muscle Builder.
One Serving Contains: 400mg Adenosine 5’-Triphosphate Disodium.
Is MuscleTech Muscle Builder Safe?
While intravenous injections of adenosine are slightly high-risk, oral administration (which is how Muscle Builder is taken) are very low risk. According to WebMD Adenosine may cause gout, but again, this is most likely to be the injectable version [9].
Is MuscleTech Muscle Builder Suitable For Everyone?
People who have heart disease, are susceptible to gout, or who are pregnant/breastfeeding may want to avoid taking Muscle Builder. Anyone taking certain medications may also want to consult their doctor as Adenosine can interact poorly with medication designed to inhibit blood clot formation or medication that treats epilepsy [9]. All this information is regarding injectable adenosine though, oral adenosine is less likely to cause an issue.
What Are The MuscleTech Muscle Builder Side Effects?
We have compiled the following list of potential side effects based on the ingredients used within the formula:
- Headache
- Low blood pressure
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Flushing
- Lightheadedness
- Insomnia
- Anxiety [9]
Note: these side effects are possible, but may not be the typical user experience.
Are There Any MuscleTech Muscle Builder Reviews From Customers?
Muscle Builder averages 4.7 stars out of 5 from 98 reviews on Bodybuilding.com and averages 4.1 stars out of 5 from 464 reviews on Amazon.
In other words, Muscle Builder is a top-rated supplement on both websites. It is of course difficult for members of the public to accurately measure the difference that a supplement makes to their progress, as they are only guessing whether the new supplement is/is not responsible for the results/lack of results they are experiencing.
Still though, there are many glowing reviews:
One of the few products in 20 years of supplementation where I have felt a noticeable difference in energy, muscle gain, and weight loss
This product helped me push myself more during my workouts and helped me get that extra rep or extra set
Being a woman, I was skeptical at first, but I could actually feel it working!
Our Final Verdict on MuscleTech Muscle Builder
A common criticism of supplements is that they throw as many ingredients as possible at the wall in the hope that something sticks. Muscle Builder does the opposite, using just one (little-known) ingredient. Of course, the rebuttal to that would be that Muscle Builder is putting all of its eggs in one basket. Oral Adenosine Triphosphate is not a common supplement ingredient, and there may be a reason for that.
But as reviewers all we can do is base our reviews on the evidence available, and the few studies that use Peak ATP have all seen positive results. Anecdotally, there appears to be a lot of hype surrounding this product with numerous five-star reviews.
On the other hand, why not just take a creatine supplement? It does everything that Muscle Builder claims to do but is one of the most heavily researched supplement ingredients on the planet. It’s up to you. Do you go for the sexy lesser-known supplement that may transform your training forever? Or do you go for the well-known, reliable supplement that is guaranteed to work? Or maybe you’ll go for both?