Review: Muscle Asylum Project Freak Fix Muscle Whey
Note: Freak Fix Muscle Whey has been discontinued.
“For individuals committed to getting impossibly huge. Freak Fix™ is the first molecularly enhanced, muscle synthesizing protein matrix, conceived by a radical team of scientists to trigger chronic muscle growth. Freak Fix was created specifically for bodybuilders trying to break the 250-lbs. – 300-lbs. barrier…Once you’re on Freak Fix, you will experience a truly extraordinary series of events. Slabs of granite-hard muscle will morph onto your frame, and previous personal bests in the gym will seem like a joke. Freak Fix™ is the choice of bodybuilding extremists willing to do whatever it takes to get BIG!”
Freak Fix Muscle Whey is part of the Muscle Asylum Project (MAP), which “…was established to develop the most scientifically superior line of mega-dosed supplements the bodybuilding world has ever seen.” MAP is a relatively new supplement line…but there’s a familiar name behind it: Iovate Health Sciences, the parent company of Muscletech.
I didn’t need to be told this, however, as it was obvious at a glance. The ads are “classic Muscletech”, right down to the lurid photos, turbo-charged descriptions, “white on dark” text, Flash animations and opaque references to clinical studies. The labels may be different, but it’s otherwise pretty hard to tell the two apart.
As you might expect, the supps are similar too. A look at the Freak Fix label bears this out:
Freak Fix™ Proprietary Blend (Featuring Wave Pulse Technology™) 6.45g
Muscle SYN™ Extreme Muscle Protein Synthesizer
Creatine Monohydrate
Sunflower Oil
L-Leucine
L-Leucine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
L-Glutamine
Glutamine Alpha-Ketogutarate
L-Isoleucine
L-Isoleucine Pyroglutamate
Taurine
Taurine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
L-Valine
L-Valine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
N-Acetyl L-Cysteine
L-Norvaline
Metabolic Inferno™ Severe Metabolic Composite
Picamilon HCL
Flax Oil Powder(as Linum Usitatissiumum)(Seed)-Supplying Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) Including Omega-3
Medium Chain Triglycerides(as MCT’s)
Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Green Coffee Extract (Seed)-Standardized For 25% Chlorogenic Acid
Cinnamon Extract (Bark)-Standardized For 40% Polyphenols
N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine HCL
Strength Fix™ Bone-Crushing Strength Enhancer
Betaine HCL
Alpha-Amino L-Butyrate
Beta Alanine
Other Ingredients: Protein Blend Featuring Wave Pulse Technology (Whey Protein Concentrate [Providing Di-, Tri-, Oligo-, And Polypeptides], Whey Protein Isolate [Ion-Exchanged To 90% And 97% Purity]), Maltodextrin, Canola Oil, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Caseinate, Carrageenan, Carboxymethylcellulose, Soy Lecithin, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Mono- And Diglycerides, Di-Potassium Phosphate, Tri-Calcium Phosphate, Tocopherols
As go the ads, so go the labels: there’s the same “Flash Gordon” buzz words (“Wave Pulse Technology); the same “Hulk SMASH!!!” adjectives (“severe”, “bone-crushing”, “extreme”); the same overly complicated proprietary blends.
As you can guess from the name and label, Freak Fix is primarily a protein supplement: one serving provides a pretty solid whack (34g) of protein, primarily from whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. It also provides some extra calories in the form of fat (canola oil, flax oil powder, MCTs) and carbs (maltodextrin). Thus, it’s somewhat richer and more sustaining than a straight whey protein.
So far, so good: there are very few people, I think, who would deny that high quality protein and extra calories aren’t useful for building muscle.
Nonetheless, there are a LOT of products that can fill that particular bill.
What sets Freak Fix apart from the crowd is the “Freak Fix Proprietary Blend”, which is subdivided into three smaller blends.
Needless to state, there are some useful compounds here. For example, creatine monohydrate can facilitate gains in lean mass and strength; BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) reduce catabolism; n-acetyl-cysteine is a precursor for glutathione production, and so on. All told, there are 24 biologically active ingredients listed—a pretty impressive lot.
There’s only one problem: the entire blend adds up to only 6.45 grams, which is small—too small—to deliver effective doses of most of the ingredients in it. A typical dose of creatine monohydrate, for example, is 3–5 grams. Likewise, amino acids and CLA need to be taken in multi-gram amounts to be useful. Even compounds active in smaller doses (like n-acetyl-l-carnitine and green coffee bean extract) add up when you put enough of them together.
Thus, the inescapable conclusion is that most of them are underdosed. Now, it’s possible that stacking Freak Fix with other, recommended products (as in the “Train Insane Stack”) would compensate for this, but it’s hard to say for sure—and a more expensive prospect to boot.
This is a pity, as there’s some good stuff in that list. Freak Fix would be a better product if the R & D folks actually tried making supps that work better than the competition, rather than just sell better.
Still, it’s important to remember, that what you need most out of a protein shake is the protein—which Freak Fix certainly provides. And—thanks to the added fat—it has a rich, creamy taste that gives Cytosport’s Muscle Milk a run for its money. I tried the “Pure White Vanilla” flavor, and I have to admit, it was pretty yummy…which made it easy to get through the container, at least.
For the record, I didn’t see any “…slabs of granite hard muscle morph onto [my] frame”, either…Then again, I didn’t expect to: a container of Freak Fix holds only 14 servings. But I did find it was a tasty way to get some supplemental protein and cals—especially when blended in milk—so I’m really not complaining. As long as you don’t buy into the hype, and take Freak Fix for what it (truly) is, you won’t be either. 😉
