Muscletech's GAKIC: An Isomer's Review

[Trans_Isomer]

Muscletech's GAKIC

http://www.discountanabolics.com/page/DA/PROD/MUSCLETECH/MT26


Alright, I know what your going to say! Well I stopped by the local GNC to see if they had anything on sale, and the salesman guy asked if he can help me. I say im fine, and he just starts going on and on and on about Muscletech's GAKIC. He says he "feels like a beast in the gym" when he uses it and so on. Now, I know hes probaly just trying to make his commision for the day, so I just nod and keep my mouth shut. Well, I decide to buy it (because I know I can return it!!!!).

So basically, im going to try this product out, and if it doesnt do what it says, im going to return it. If I dont feel an "IMMEDIATE 10.5% INCREASE IN STRENGTH" or "IMMEDIATE INCREASES IN MUSCLE POWER" im returning it, but not before I use it for atleast a few workouts to completely be able to judge the product.

Now, since I am suppose to feel an IMMEDIATE increase in strength and power, I will only do a few days worth of working out to judge this product, probaly a chest day, back day, shoulders, and biceps. Technically since it works "IMMEDIATELY" I should only have to do one workout to be able to tell, but ill reserve full judgement until ive done atleast a couple of workouts on it.

This will not be a full, in depth review like I would do if I was given the product, but this review is only meant to see if this product lives up to its hype. Ive been meaning to make this post since sunday, but ive been very busy with school, but kept notes on the workouts I had.

[Trans_Isomer]

Chest Day

I did 4 sets of flat BP, 4 sets incline BP, DB flyes, DB presses

Did not feel a thing! Weights, reps, all stayed the same. Their was no 10.5% increase in strength, no immediate increase in muscle power, and I did not have "MORE EXPLOSIVE REPS & PERFORMANCE NOW"

Im not going to dismiss the product right away, but so far I am disappointed. Maybe it takes a day or two to kick in

[Trans_Isomer]

Back Day

I did wide grip pulldowns, close grip pulldowns, back extensions, t-bar rows, and seated rows

Weights stayed the same, reps did go up about 1-2 on everything though. Might be placebo, might be the GAKIC. Im doing biceps thurs, so well see then aswell.

[Ibanez]

I could be wrong Trans, but perhaps there 10.5% increase is just a fancy wording. We all assume that they mean your bench would theoretically go from 220lbs to 242lbs..but perhaps their way of covering their butt is that if you normally rep out at 10, now you will rep out at 11????

All I know is that some companies have a play on words to still achieve the same end, but 'trick' the consumer at the same time....

Thoughts???

[Trans_Isomer]

I could be wrong Trans, but perhaps there 10.5% increase is just a fancy wording. We all assume that they mean your bench would theoretically go from 220lbs to 242lbs..but perhaps their way of covering their butt is that if you normally rep out at 10, now you will rep out at 11????

All I know is that some companies have a play on words to still achieve the same end, but 'trick' the consumer at the same time....

Thoughts???

Yea, I was thinking that too. 10.5% increase in strength, does that mean if I benched 100lbs for example, I could do about 110lbs with GAKIC? Or does that mean an extra rep or two? It probaly means the later, as no weights are up yet, but reps did. Again, could be placebo.

[snakemw]

let us know how thursday goes. as far as what ibanez said, that could very well be true. if that is what they are going that is one expensive way to get one extra rep in there.

[Trans_Isomer]

let us know how thursday goes. as far as what ibanez said, that could very well be true. if that is what they are going that is one expensive way to get one extra rep in there.

Exactly. $50 bucks for an extra rep? No way. But they know they are deceiving people when they see "IMMEDIATE 10.5% INCREASE IN STRENGTH"

and also "MORE EXPLOSIVE REPS AND PERFORMANCE NOW"

Makes you think your going to throw on an extra 20lbs on everything and make it look easy

[dinoiii]

I think this depends on calling the product a waste (albeit my dislike for the company could have gone in the opposite direction).

what I mean is this: if you lifted your weight for a greater number of reps, then likely if you were to "max-out" like a 1RM, you would have seen a difference.

we'll look at it differently. take muscle growth for instance. If you don't overload the muscle to absolute fatigue, is it a wasted set? This is the current thought. If you lift for 5 reps, but could have gone for 6, should you have even lifted the 1st 5 - you in effect have stimulated no NEW myofibril tears or microtrauma based on exercise phys principle.

If you get up 2 more reps, you can likely at least increase the weight by 10 at your former rep-tally. Perhaps, it is our negative views of the company that has a negative-placebo effect. Its just a thought.

[dinoiii]

Advice: do not change rep ranges next workout. Simply add 10 pounds shooting for the same rep tally. If you find yourself ABSOLUTELY FATIGUED at the EXACT SAME OR LESS REP TALLY...it could very well be a failed supplement.




Now, the only true way to test the product is contractile force and the like through EMG and I guess I am a little more convinced b/c it is exactly what we did back in early September. I have unfortunately amongst other things failed to post the results yet.

[Trans_Isomer]

Advice: do not change rep ranges next workout. Simply add 10 pounds shooting for the same rep tally. If you find yourself ABSOLUTELY FATIGUED at the EXACT SAME OR LESS REP TALLY...it could very well be a failed supplement.




Now, the only true way to test the product is contractile force and the like through EMG and I guess I am a little more convinced b/c it is exactly what we did back in early September. I have unfortunately amongst other things failed to post the results yet.

^^ I will take your advice dinoii and add 10lbs and shoot for the same rep tally, tonight is biceps which I am about to do in 30 mins :)

[dinoiii]

Can't wait for your results.

[Trans_Isomer]

Biceps & Triceps

Alright, taking dinoii's advice, I upped the weights 5-10lbs on my biceps and triceps workout. I only took GAKIC, no other supps. And the verdict... duh duh duh... Same amount of reps!

I normally do 6-8 reps on my exercises, upping the weights 5-10lbs, I was still able to get 7,8 reps out of them. I am suprised actually, I figured I would be in the 5 range for some of the exercises.

Im still wary of saying GAKIC "works", so I will do shoulders and traps tommorow using nothing but GAKIC again, seeing if it will also produce similar results.

[Ibanez]

Here is another thought. I could be wrong, but I have heard the muscle is built via the last couple of reps anyway, when you are really burning, so if in theory you can extend beyond that point by an extra rep than normal, then you are building that extra small amount of muscle in comparison to repping to failure with 1 less rep

Here is my other thought, after being involved in marketing for a while, I can see the clever use of Muscletech's men in white coats in their advertising to 'legitimize' their product statements. I would prefer to see a lab test done by san rafael labs stating the ingrediants to be correct, or some way of quantifying these findings more than some guy in a white coat...makes sense don't you think?

Finally, I think people in general will miss this, I did initially as well. Muscletech state ONE lab test found ONE individual boosted strength by 10.5% So what was the average test result... 5% 6%?? Muscletech are careful with their wording, rather than saying EVERYONE will get a 10.5% increase..... So my natural next question would be, well what is the typical result, not the absolute best result one individual experienced at one time...

I am convinced that a supplement with enough slick marketing and hype could theoretically be nothing more than a tub of dextrose or something, and yet be touted as some new whizz bang thing, and that an individual shelling out $40+ will train in such a way that psychologically they will believe they are getting the results as stated on the product.

Have you ever heard about the elephant that had a very small rope attached to him to stop him getting away?? Although the rope wouldn't stop the elephant at all !! When the elephant is very young they shackle it with steel, and the elephant weras itself out believeing it can break the shackle. As it gets older they lessen the strength and the elephant already believes that it can't get away, until finbally it is just basic rope keeping the elephant prisoner..... I wonder if any supplement companies think we are elephants??? ;)

Thats what I love about Trans post, if it works, it works. I am very interested to see what will be the end result.

I like Muscletech products, but the more I research supplements, and when I was made aware that companies can write whatever statements they like about a product, without any oversight via the FDA etc... it makes you wonder more.

Cheers
-F.T

[max von]

Good luck buddy I guess we will have the answer to all of our questions

[Trans_Isomer]

Shoulders and Traps

I did one-arm lateral raises, seated dumbell presses, bent-over dumbell raises, dumbell shrugs, and upright rows

I upped the weights about 5lbs on everything. I normally do rep ranges of 6-8, 8-10 on these exercises, and when I added weight, I went from the higher end of the rep ranges from last week, to the lower end of the rep ranges today. Again, taking nothing but GAKIC

[Trans_Isomer]

Final Comments

Alright, I did about a weeks worth of exercises using Muscletech's GAKIC. I did not notice anything on Chest day, back day I did got up a rep or two on my usual weights, on biceps and tricep day I upped the weight 5-10lbs and was still able to get the higher end of the rep range, shoulders and traps I upped the weights but could only get the lower end of the rep range.

Overall, I am not that impressed with the product. The only day I really benefited was on biceps and tricep workout, and that could of just been that I had been needing to up the weights on it.

Impact of GAKIC on workout: 6/10, From the hype of all the Muscltech ads on the product, I expected a lot more. I imagined being able to up the weights on all exercises, and still be within my rep ranges. This only happened on biceps and triceps workout day. I suppose it helps get an extra rep or two out of your exercises, but I was expecting to be able to add a lot more weight and reps. I did not feel any less fatigued after my workouts, and still just as sore as usual the next day. Suprisingly.. lol, Muscletech hyped this product way above what it really does. Ill take a look at some of the claims of GAKIC

"Blast through your bench-press plateaus!"
-Not really, chest day GAKIC didnt do shit.

"Get more explosive reps and performance in just minutes"
-Reps did go up on some exercises, didnt really feel anymore explosive than before

"Biggest bodybuilding breakthrough ever!"
-LOL


Affordability of GAKIC: 3/10, $55 bucks for 16 workout days worth. Thats about $3.40 a serving. That much to be able to get an extra rep or two out of a workout, no thanks. Id only suggest this product if maybe you were trying to max out I guess. $55 bucks for 16 workouts, youd be better off with a years worth of creatine mono for $20 bucks.

Comparison of GAKIC to other products on market: 5/10, for $55 bucks, you can get a creatine and NO product that would be way better for gains. A Controlled labs GB/WB stack would be a way better choice for your money. For what I saw using GAKIC, it would be better priced if it was in the high $20 to low $30 dollar range. Like I said, this product might be of use on "to failure" days, you might get an extra rep or two out.

Side Effects: Nothing bad, no light headedness, dizziness, nothing.

All in all, GAKIC is useful if your looking to maybe get an extra rep or two out of your exercises, but that only really happened on bicep and tricep day for me. The way Muscletech made GAKIC sound "Biggest breakthrough in Bodybuilding!"... I thought I would see a great increase in strength, and add reps to all my exercises, it just didnt happen. I am disappointed with the product, and for the price, $55 bucks for a bucket.. there are definitely more better options out there for your money.

-Trans_Isomer

[snakemw]

great review as always trans

[Trans_Isomer]

great review as always trans

Thanks snake

[dinoiii]

I agree - PHENOMENAL review actually!








I will disagree on the results I had with the product (inclusive of EMG), but I believe what you found to be an honest and rarely (on most forums) well-done review! You certainly get my vote for best review I have seen, especially your final comments post! There is I think only one person I would challenge you for your throne, however, he posts on an INFERIOR message board. ;-)

[Trans_Isomer]

Thanks for all the support!
Dinoii, what kind of results did you have with GAKIC? Im curious to whether you liked it or not

[dinoiii]

I can see how it appears better on paper and in the lab setting - there is actual science beyond the "white coats" but I certainly agree with Ibanek's comments on marketing - at least I can say I am a more muscular white coat.

I will try and really put up some sort of EMG review, but at least in a very controlled setting contractile force increased in what I would call at least a statistically significant manner (keeping in mind how I am NOT a fan of this company either for those familiar). With cessation of the product, post-product contractile force decreased.

I can also see the down-sides however that you mentioned, namely - cost! I am curious to do some comparisons with the individual aminos and perhap not the KIC part, but at least leucine or HMB or something in the pathway of a cheaper cost allowing me more for the money.

I am assuming you tried the powder and not the capsules based on your serving size quoted? I am solely asking because this is the version used in my 2 week stint.

[Trans_Isomer]

I used the caplets. I only posted the link to the powder because the caplets dont have the writeup for it.

I agree that the price is the real downfall of this product. If it were more affordable, I would recommend more people to try it out, it could just of not worked so great on me.

Leucine, if im not mistaken, is the actual amino acid to first start protein synthesis (correct me if im wrong) and have seen some people recommend I beleive 6g post workout

Ok I searched and found some good info on leucine:

Originally Posted by Lok7y
I feel like you are (partially) missing the point.

I scoop of Whey (on average) contains ~ 2.8g of L-leucine. Once it hits the gut, your body can generally start extracting amino acids out of whey after 45 mins. from the studies I've seen. But neither of those are really the point.

What I'm trying to get at is that there are certain amino acids that send a stronger fed state signal per calorie (leucine is one; there are others as well) or per gram than any whole protein source, whey included. Once ingested, free-form aminos are generally taken up as substrate in 15 minutes (1/3 the time of whey).

Now just sit on that for a second in light of my earlier postings. You're getting a more rapid anabolic response, and an amplified anabolic response, with a far more efficient use of calories (which is why I particularly recommend leucine to dieters), not to mention the other aforementioned benefits.

Given how cheap bulk leucine is, it's really hard to argue against the merits of supplementing with it.

[dinoiii]

If you are talking about the general "start codon" to begin translation, then no - it is methionine (usually coded "AUG").

I actually like Loki or Lok7y (which I think is forum-dependent, hehe). His posts are quite scientific and I think he is a very young brain too. Unfortunately, what he references here is something that really has only been shown in vitro (i.e. - in a petri dish) with freshly isolated adipocytes. There are not really hard core in vivo studies (In normal populations - what I mean is that hepatic disease patients have shown benefit and researchers drew some conclusions to BCAA deficiency that I am not convinced they supported well - btw, leucine is a major player in gluconeogenesis in the liver, its major resting place and this is a hard sell to say this isn't partly a say pre-cirrhotic stance) to support the claim. His association with Avant Labs makes me curious if his post was in reference, however, to Leptin stimulation based on their Leptigen formulations.

Nonetheless...
leucine's major keto acid metabolite is in fact KIC and I have no reason to believe you shouldn't get sufficient metabolism from a BCAA formula at substantially lower cost.

I hope I answered the questions you had in there somewhere. ;-)

[dinoiii]

Oh yeah,

the "correct" tally of leucine post-workout is in fact

6.7256921

write it down now.


Come on - I will tell you that the number is dependent upon your entire protein ingestion in the post-workout frame and the entire day for that matter. This is going to vary. BLANKET STATEMENTS NEVER WORK!

But yeah, sure 6g is likely the true number for some people! ;-)

[Trans_Isomer]

6.7256921? I thought it was 6.7256922?

lol, seriously, thanks for the input. You should let me know when you start your supp company so I have a job straight out of college :)

[max von]

Trans all i can say is that your reviews are second to none. If you read just your reviews and nothing else you would have all the info.

I love the number rating system. I really hope some of the other companies on here let you do some more reviews.

Thanks buddy, Now go get your money back LOL

[Trans_Isomer]

Thanks for all the support guys

lol ill return it and say "Im Trans_Isomer and I dont like it!" *while slamming my fist on the counter*

[Ibanez]

I wonder, What if GAKIC just doesn't take off like Muscletech expect?? Do you think if the product doesn't shift units like they want they will lower the price to say $35 or so? I do think compared with what else is out there, over $50 is a lot for a product that gets mediocre results......