Review: Muscletech’s Anabolic Halo (Original)
Note: this review concerns the original incarnation of Anabolic Halo. Although the product still exists in name, it has been re-formulated and re-purposed as a protein shake. The new formula will be covered in a separate review. This one will remain “as-is,” as a monument to The Most Ridiculously Extreme Example of “label decoration” that I’ve ever encountered in my 10+ years of analyzing supplement formulas.
“Brace yourself, for the extreme musclebuilding potency of the world’s most hardcore anabolic/non-androgenic musclebuilding supplement – ANABOLIC HALO. The cryogenically enhanced formula forces you into a total body muscle metamorphosis… It synergizes a shockingly powerful anabolic environment that radiates from your muscles, setting the stage for chilling, eerie muscle gains the likes of which no bodybuilder has ever imagined.”
At first glance, Anabolic Halo looks like a reviewer’s worst nightmare. In addition to the loooooong list of (75!!!) ingredients, there’s a flood of “techno-speak” to cut through. To all appearances, Anabolic Halo is the most complicated, technologically-advanced supplement on the market.
Appearances can be deceiving, however. Despite the barrage of words, Anabolic Halo is actually pretty simple to figure out.
Need proof? Here’s an example…
“The second pharmaceutically inspired technology, called Lyophilization, actually changes the physical state of a proprietary dose of an anti-catabolic complex in ANABOLIC HALO. Lyophilization exploits the micro-molecular process of sublimation which is so advanced, it actually forces molecules within a structure to skip matter states and go directly from a solid to a gas.”
Lyophilization” is just the technical term for “freeze drying.” It’s a food processing technology that’s been around for decades. Taster’s Choice instant coffee is a classic example. “Sublimation” is nothing unique or mysterious—let alone “advanced”…it’s what dry ice does when it “melts.” Freeze drying helps to preserve compounds and/or structures that might be damaged by conventional drying processes (which utilize heat), but it doesn’t magically alter their properties or make them more bioavailable.
See what I mean? It’s just an ordinary process that’s been “dressed up” to look extraordinary.
A similar trick’s been done with the list of ingredients…
Amount Per Serving
Energy 80
Fat Calories 0g
Total Carbohydrates 19g
Sugars 9g
Thiamin(as Thiamin Mononitrate) 0.5mg
Riboflavin(as Vitamin B2) 0.57mg
Niacin 0.33mg
Vitamin B6(as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 0.64mg
Vitamin B12(as Cyanocobalamin) 20mcg
Iron 0.1mg
Sodium 120mgAnabolic Halo™ Proprietary Blend 24,832mg (Powered By Patent-Pending Jet Pulverizing, Hammer Milling, Lyophilization Cryogenic Technologies)
Supercritical Growth Factor
Dextrose Monohydrate
Maltodextrin
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine Malate
Creatine Taurinate
L-Lysine HCL
N-Acetyl L-Valine
L-Valine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
L-Valine Ethyl Ester HCL
L-Isoleucine Pyroglutamate
L-Isoleucine Ethyl Ester HCL
N-Acetyl L-Phenylalanine
L-Threonine
L-Histidine
L-Histidine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
L-MethioninePure Anabolic ICE Crystal
L-Leucine
Evodia Powder (As Tetradium Rutacarpum)
Big Catuaba Powder (As Trichillia Catigua)
L-Leucine Isovaleric Acid
N-Acetyl L-Leucine
L-Leucine Ketoisocaproate
L-Leucine Pyroglutamate
Alpha-Amino L-Butyrate
Alpha-Hydroxyisocaproic Acid (HICA)
11-Hydroxy Yohimbine (8 Mcg)FREE-TEST Cold Burn
L-Carnitine Fumarate
Coleus Forskohlii Extract (Root) Standardized For 10% Forskolin And Supplying Isoforskolin And 7-Deacetylforskolin
Vitus Vinifera Extract (Skin) Standardized For 20% Proanthocyanidins
18 Beta Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Acetyl L-Carnitine HCL
Acetyl L-Carnitine L-Arginine HCLGH Sub-Zero
Wasabia Japonica Powder
Yohimbine Extract (As Pausinystalia Yohimbe)(Bark) 2mg
Rubus Idaeus Powder
L-Aspartic Acid
Beta Alanine
L-Glutamine
Muira Puama Powder
Maca Powder (As Lepidium Meyenii)
Sandalwood Powder
Bacopa Monniera Extract (Aerial Parts) Standardized For 20% Bacosides
Deanol Bitartrate
Tylophora Indica Extract (Leaf) Standardized For 0.1% Alkaloids
Quercetin Dihydrate
Cassia Extract (Cinnamomum Cassia)(Bark) Standardized For 40% PolyphenolsGrowth Isotherm
Flos Chrysanthemi Extract (As Chrysanthemum Morifolium)(Flower) Standardized For Luteolin And Apigenin
N-Acetyl-5-Methoxytryptamine
L-Ornithine
L-Ornithine Eicosanoate
Geum Japonicum Extract (Whole Plant) Standardized For 2% Triterpene
Rubus Coreanus Powder
Fadogia Agrestis Powder
Propolis Extract (From Bee Pollen)
Mistletoe Extract (As Viscum Album)(Stem)
Idebenone
Alpha Glycerophosphocholine
Cis-9, 10-Octadecenoamide
Artichoke Flavonoids (As Cynara Scolymus L.)(Root) Standardized For 5% IcariinMuscle Hail Storm
Adenosine 5′ Triphosphate Disodium Salt (ATP)
Adenosine 5′ Monophosphate Free Acid (AMP)
Cytidine 5′ Monophosphate Free Acid (CMP)
Guanosine 5′ Monophosphate Disodium Salt (GMP)High Performance ATF-4 Insulin Coolant
Fenugreek Extract (As Trigonella Foenum-Graecum)(Seed) Standardized For 5% Trigonelline And 40% Galactomannan
D-Mannose
Impressive, no?
Well, actually…no, it isn’t. Muscletech’s “cryogenically-enhanced” formula is really designed to produce a brain freeze. It exploits a classic—but unreliable—assumption: “more is better.” When you pick up the container and look at the list, you’re supposed to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of “stuff” you’re getting.
Before reaching for your wallet, however, there’s a follow up question you should ask: how could the formula be optimized for that many ingredients?
It’s not just that there are 75 distinct compounds to juggle…it’s also that many of them have no “track record” when it comes to improving muscle gains and/or performance.
Thus, it’s not hard to eliminate the superfluous and/or irrelevant compounds and focus on the ones known to be useful.
Looking at the label, it pretty much comes down to this…there’s good research to show that L-leucine (alone or in combination with other essential amino acids) can help kick start muscle protein synthesis after resistance exercise. Glutamine and beta-alanine have some merit, too. So does creatine.
These are all basic, tried-and-true elements, regardless of the number of different forms they’re provided in.
As such, Anabolic Halo should work ok—provided it supplies enough of these compounds to do the job. Does it, though? Let’s do a bit of math to find out.
According to the label, one scoop of Anabolic Halo provides 24,832 mg of ingredients. This is a skosh under 25 grams, but we’ll use this (slightly higher) figure to simplify things. Now, 25 g seems like a lot, but—as the nutritional info tells us—19 of those grams consist of carbs (dextrose monohydrate + maltodextrin).
25 g – 19 g = 6 g.
Uh-oh…I think we just figured out why the recommended dose is 3 scoops! However, 18 grams (6 g x 3) still doesn’t leave us with a lot of “room,” as ingredients like creatine and amino acids need to be taken in fairly large doses. Even Muscletech says so! For example:
“A critical anabolic agent in ANABOLIC HALO can amplify muscle satellite cell concentration by over 100% in just 28 days!”
This comes from a 2006 study on creatine monohydrate. The researchers reported a 111% increase in satellite cells per muscle fiber by the end of the 4th week (28th day) using a dose of 24 g x 7 day (loading phase) + 6 g/day maintenance).
Does the recommended amount of Anabolic Halo supply 6 g of creatine? Since Muscletech iimplies Anabolic Halo will deliver results similar to the study, we’ll assume the answer is “yes.”
18 g – 6 g = 12 g
Moving right along…
“In a 21-day human clinical study at the University of Connecticut, a key musclebuilding compound in ANABOLIC HALO was shown to dramatically increase the number of pre-workout androgen receptors compared to a placebo. The tested compound was able to facilitate an improvement in free-testosterone bindability and utilization.”
This refers to a study on L-carnitine…simple, inexpensive L-carnitine. Does Anabolic Halo supply the full 2 g equivalent used in the study? Once again, we’ll assume the answer is yes, since Muscletech uses it to claim Anabolic Halo achieves “greater free testosterone utilization.”
12 g – 2 g = 10 g.
Likewise, research has shown that it takes a good 6 g of essential amino acids to trigger muscle protein synthesis; approx. 3 g beta-alanine to raise muscle carnosine stores; 2 g of L-glutamine to increase growth hormone levels; and…
10 g – 6 g – 3 g – 2 g = ???
Whoopsie! I think we just ran out of “room.”
Now, to be completely fair, we could tinker with these numbers a bit. For example, one 1999 study showed that taking as little as 3 g/day of creatine monohydrate for 28 days was an effective way to elevate muscle creatine stores. Needless to state, this ISN’T one of the studies Muscletech is citing, but it does indicate we can shave the doses down, here and there, without skimping on the “basics.”
It still doesn’t leave much room for all the botanicals and extracts, however. Propolis extract, for example, is typically taken in ~500 mg doses; ditto Bacopa monnieri and Muira puama…so this stuff can add up pretty quickly.
This leaves us with one inescapable conclusion: if Anabolic Halo is to work at all, then most of the latter are going to be “label decoration.”
Like I said, it’s really a lot simpler than it looks…
By now it should be clear that the apparent complexity is straight out of Marketing 101. In reality, Anabolic Halo has some merit, but it’s expensive, and doesn’t offer anything that you can’t get by—say—mixing Purple Wraath or IntrAbolic with some dextrose and creatine. And for my money, I know which one I’d choose.
