MuscleTech

[herbcbyers]

Has anyone who's been bbing for atleast 4 years used anator I'd like to gain a little more before I diet down. I don't like to spend money on stuff that doesn't do what it says. So are the gains worth it or not?

[deserusan]

It's a good product. You can make your own similiar version on True Protien for less but it probably won't taste good. Here was a review I did for MuscleTech. To really make this type of formula "work" follow the nutritional protocol at the bottom.

Originally Posted by deserusan

Over the years I have used numerous MuscleTech products with great success. These would include the old CellTech, the old NitroTech, the old ephedra based Hydroxycut, etc. However, over the past few years I have definately strayed from the product line because I am always looking for cheaper alternatives. What brought me back to their line of products a few months ago was when my dad suprised me with a bottle of Leukic. I thought to myself this looks cool and since it's leucine based I'll give it a go and review it for the forum. I was skeptical at first, but as I always do with supplements, I began to research it and was shocked at how much evidence there was to support it's efficacy in existence.

About halfway through my unsponsored review I began to get questions about Anator. I didn't know what is was because I don't read muscle mags for the most part. These questions did perk my interest a bit as Leukic had been proving itself quite effective. I thought to myself I might give this a try down the road as I respond well to anything monohydrate based.

Fortunately, at the end of that review I was contacted by MuscleTech directly and asked if I wanted to review Anator because "I had a good handle on the science." (Thanks Jason ) I thought to myself this will be interesting considering no one does unsponored or sponsored MuscleTech reviews. Also, many forum friendly company reps so vehemently hate MuscleTech which has unfortunately influenced a lot members who look up to these people. I knew this would prove to be an interesting challenge. However, based on my success with Leukic and my past successes with their supplements I decided why not. Frankly, I'm not impressed by the reps most outspoken against MuscleTech and could care less of their opinion of me. I think for myself.

Anator's formulation is based on research that focuses on the effects of insulin on post workout anabolism. The utilization of hyrdosylates, high GI carbs, phenylalanine, and leucine on post workout insulin spiking has proven much more effective then just normal whey protein and high GI carbs (van Loon 2000). This type of formulation was also further studied to maximize muscle glycogen resynthesis which is extremely important to a performance athlete such a bulking bodybuilder (van Loon 2000).

Another effect of heightened insulin secretion that often isn't discussed is it's effect on shutting down signaling pathways that effect atrophy or more commonly known as muscle wasting. This is where the relation of genetics and Anator comes into play. Anator puts you in an anabolic state by preventing the Forkhead family of transcription factors (FOXO) from entering the cellular nuclei to begin cellular apoptosis (Franch 2005). Also, this type of formulation counteracts catabolism by activating the PI3K pathway which limits MAFbx gene expression. When this gene is overly expressed it can lead muscle wasting (Dehoux 2005). As you can see, post workout insulin secretion is a potent anabolic factor not only by assisting with the absorption of nutrients, but by also shutting down catabolic processes.

The other aspect of the Anator formulation I love is the addition of creatine monohydrate. This is the only form of creatine academically tested and proven safe in healthy adults (Bizzarini E 2004). I also think it is extremely beneficial they added alpha-ketoglutarate to make the monohydrate absorption more efficient (Silber 1999). As a strong creatine monohydrate responder I did notice increased strength which only further shows how strong of a ergogenic supplement creatine is as it increases mean power output (Okudan 2005). If you are a creatine monohydrate responder and bulking you will not find a better formulation than this.


Orange Cooler Taste: 7 out of 10

I wasn't really a fan of this flavor. It's not horrible by any means, my palate just didn't agree with it. Taste is pretty subjective.

Berry Blast Taste: 9 out 10

This flavor definately appealed to my taste buds more so than the Orange Cooler. I always have a stronger affinity towards berry/fruit punch flavorings.

Cost: 6 out of 10

This is the only area in which the product could be improved. Based on the effectiveness I will remain loyal to this product. However, the price will turn a lot of potential customers off which is a shame. I do know there will be other similiarly formulated products released shortly within the same price range. I also know some have compared this to already existing formulas, but their formula ratios are off and you would have to stack them other products to get the same effectiveness. Eitherway, I feel MuscleTech could dominate this niche in the supplement market if the price were just a little lower.

Effectiveness: 10 out 10

This is hands down the best post workout recovery formulation I have ever used. As a monohydrate responder I will continue to use this product for any future bulking cycles. I did adhere to the post workout nutrional protocol which is key in utilizing the effectiveness of this type of formula, which was based on my own research. As a result I gained 7 pounds of lean body mass (9 pounds total). I would even suggest for a true hard gainer to maybe utilize a 3:1 carb to protein ratio for the first post workout meal. One thing I would suggest to MuscleTech is to put some sort guidelines on the directions to optimally utilize the Anator formulaton. It would serve the customer a lot better and would ultimately build a stronger relationship with their customers as well.


References

van Loon, Saris WH, Kruijshoop M, Wagenmakers AJ. Maximizing postexercise muscle glycogen synthesis: carbohydrate supplementation and the application of amino acid or protein hydrolysate mixtures. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jul;72(1):106-11.

van Loon, Saris, Verhagen, Wagenmakers. Plasma insulin responses after ingestion of different amino acid or protein mixtures with carbohydrate. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 72, No. 1, 96-105, July 2000

Franch HA, Price SR. Molecular signaling pathways regulating muscle proteolysis during atrophy. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2005 May;8(3):271-5.

Dehoux, Van Beneden, Pasko, Lause, Verniers, Underwood, Ketelslegers and Thissen. Role of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Decline in the Induction of Atrogin-1/MAFbx during Fasting and Diabetes.
Endocrinology Vol. 145, No. 11 4806-4812

Bizzarini E, De Angelis L. Is the use of oral creatine supplementation safe? J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2004 Dec;44(4):411-6.

Silber ML. Scientific facts behind creatine monohydrate as sport nutrition supplement. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1999 Sep;39(3):179-88.

Okudan N, Gokbel H. The effects of creatine supplementation on performance during the repeated bouts of supramaximal exercise. Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness. 2005 Dec;45(4):507-11.

Originally Posted by deserusan

I based some my own recommendation off of some of Berardi's principles. After some tweaking this is what I feel should be your post workout nutritional protocol when using a formula like this for bulking:

-Take you Anator, Myozene, or hydro/high GI carb/leucine shake immediately after your workout. It would be nice if dosing was contigent upon lean body mass.

-30-60 minutes later consume a high GI/isolate protein drink using a 2:1 ratio. To be very accurate use 0.8 grams of carb per pound of lbm and 0.4 grams of protein per pound of lbm. Ideally, this should not be slammed but actually sipped slowly.

-120 minutes later consume a wholefood meal with no fat. I'd recommend using a moderately fast digestible protein source such as eggwhites. The carb source should be low to moderate GI and I would go with a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein and even as high as 3:1 for a true hard gainer.

[herbcbyers]

Thanks man sounds like it's worth a try, I'll give it a shot.