Who the Hell is Rick Gray???
Had an IM chat this morning w/Simon, the admin for the forums I mod, about Rick Gray. I hadn’t finished my coffee yet, and wasn’t quite awake…so when Si asked me if I’d ever heard of the guy, I momentarily confused him with the author of “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.” A quick Google search revealed the error, however (the “Mars/Venus” author is JOHN Gray, not Rick), so my (still-foggy) response was: “Never heard of him.”
So who is he???
As I discovered, he’s the author of a “free” e-book: Muscle Overload Training – which is being heavily promoted around the internet. It’s 65 pages long: a pretty good length for a training manual…except that’s not REALLY what it is. Oh sure…there are 27 pages with some fairly banal info on training and nutrition…but the rest is nothing more than a blatant pitch for several muscle-building supps sold at anabolicsecrets.com.
In other words, the book is a supp ad in disguise…which is WHY it’s free.
(If you believe the lame-ass reason rationale given on the “Muscle Overload Training” web site (i.e., it’s free because Rick has to collect more testimonials before the publisher will “promote and sell the book”), then there’s a bridge I’d like to sell you. Unlike hard copy books and mags, YOU DON’T NEED A PUBLISHER to create e-books…anyone with a desktop publishing or word processing program + the ability to create .pdf files can do it. Likewise, Rick could easily sell the book through anabolicsecrets.com, seeing as he’s the President of A.S. Research – the parent company. He has all the marketing infrastructure he needs, already.)
Anyway…I flipped through the copy Si sent me, page-by-page, looking for more info on Rick. Obviously, he markets supps, but that doesn’t translate into any special knowledge. And ANYONE can write an e-book (I’ve created and contributed to several, myself), so before I take an author’s advice on training, nutrition, or supplements, I want to know WHY I should listen to him (or her). Has he won bodybuilding contests? Has he trained serious competitors? Has he studied under other famous strength coaches? Does he have any specialized education or training credentials?
In other words, just because someone CLAIMS to be an expert, doesn’t mean s/he IS one. Like I wrote earlier, an expert is someone with “…experience, credentials and/or training that’s relevant to the subject in question” and “…has some standing in his/her field”. This is especially critical when the “advice” involves spending money!
So, who the hell is Rick Gray? What’s his background? NO idea…the book doesn’t say. The book web site doesn’t say, either. All I found was this:
“My name is Rick Gray. I’m a former hard gainer who finally discovered the secrets to gaining muscle mass FAST… after years of searching for the TRUTH.
Listen, I’m not a professional writer, but what I’ve discovered is so amazing and so effective I wanted to write you myself. So please bare with me and my occasional bad grammar.”
Awwwww….that is SOOOOOO CUTE! Let’s “bare” with him and his bad grammar, cuz he’s not a professional writer! I’m amazed he didn’t deliberately misspell “grammar” as “grammer” too. After all, clumsy writing PROVES he’s authentic, right? That one would really drive the point home!
(Note to the unwary: you don’t need to be a professional writer to figure out the difference between “bare” and “bear.”)
And what about those supps? Rick’s peddling five of ’em:
- Ultimate Protein Complex
- F.S.D.S. (Full Spectrum Digestive Support).
- Athletic Multi-Vite
- Dessicated Liver
- HyperGain
There’s a similar-looking web page for each one. Only one, the “Ultimate Protein Complex” displays any ingredient information, however, and it’s nothing special. It consists of calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and egg albumen. Whoopti-do – you can find a number of similar products over at bodybuilding.com, for less than what this is selling for (nearly $50 US per kilo).
But the supp pushed the hardest in this “book” is “HyperGain” – which is a creatine-based formula. Here’s what his ad says about the main ingredient:
What we came up with BLOWS AWAY plain old-fashioned creatine monohydrate!
We’ve successfully altered the creatine molecule to insure maximum absorption.
Creatine ethyl ester is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. The attachment of an ester is important because esters are found in the fat tissue of mammals.
But, why is that important?
You see, creatine monohydrate is semi-lipopholic. This means that it inefficiently uses fat as a transport mechanism.
Esterified creatine will use fat more efficiently to permeate the cell wall and exert its positive effects on cellular function.
This means you can use significantly lower dosages but the absorption of esterified creatine will be significantly increased… and the “creatine bloat” will be totally eliminated!
In other words, Hyper Gain allows you to safely take creatine to its full and most potent effects, with only a fraction of previous dosages.
and…
Here’s a shocking discovery we made…
When creatine supplements were tested after mixing with any liquid, most of it rapidly converts to the by-product “creatinine.” That means there is very little pure creatine left to get to your muscle cells where it’s needed.
And it gets even worse…
After the creatine converts to creatinine… it is a toxic substance capable of causing some nasty side effects!
Some of the side effects from increased creatinine levels are stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, water retention, dehydration, headaches… and potential liver and kidney problems.
These statements are readily disproved. Rick Gray and his cronies colleagues didn’t “come up” with creatine ethyl ester (CEE) – it was originally invented by researchers at the University of Nebraska (click here for the patent). It’s been on the market for several years. And – contrary to claims – it is NOT superior to creatine monohydrate. Here’s what a recent research study concluded:
Since creatine ethyl ester supplementation showed a large increase in serum creatinine levels throughout the study with no significant increase in serum and total muscle creatine content, it can be concluded that a large portion of the creatine ethyl ester was being degraded within the GI tract after ingestion. Furthermore, it appears that the skeletal muscle uptake of creatine ethyl ester uptake was not significant enough to increase skeletal muscle creatine levels without significant degradation to creatinine occurring.
Emphasis mine.
And all the crap about the stability of creatine monohydrate is straight out of the Kre-Alkalyn playbook. “We” didn’t make this “shocking discovery” either.
This ad pitch has red flags flying all over the place…right down to the recurring billing program, which is being promoted as a “Preferred Customer Club.”
If I walked up to you in the gym, and told you I’d invented a super-dee-duper, ultra-special, muscle-building supp, but couldn’t show it to you until you gave me your credit card information, would you simply hand it over – no questions asked??? I sure hope not! But that’s no different, in principle, to what you’re being asked to do here. You don’t know exactly what’s in HyperGain, so you can’t compare it to other supps on the market to determine whether it’s worth the $$$ or not. Even worse, bogus “information” is being used to market the product…which raises questions about the integrity of the folks selling it.
Look, for all I know, “HyperGain” could be the rootin-est, tootin-est, bestest bodybuilding supp in the whole wild West… but the the marketing tells a different story. In the end, someone asking for my money is asking for my TRUST: which means s/he needs to prove that s/he is worthy of it. Is that really so much to ask? So far, I see no good reasons to offer that trust, and several good reasons NOT to.
It all comes back to the question: who the hell is Rick Gray? So far, all I’ve been able to discover is that he’s some guy with a web site, internet marketing connections, and a vested interest in selling me (expensive!) bodybuilding supplements produced by his company. Until I know more, I’m sticking with training information from sources like Charles Poliquin, Ian King, Charles Staley, etc…as well as supps from trusted retailers that I can research before I buy. I suggest you do the same.
April 2, 2009
Just another one in the long line of “experts” trying to sell over priced, under researched supps with the ploy of giving you something free.
As you noted the training advice is nothing noteworthy and the “supplement line” is very suspect. I wouldnt TRUST the products to be “special” or barely standard to what a reputable company would sell.
That being said, I am sure that he will get a few takers and sadly make a few bucks.
As you have said many times “buyers beware, you spends your money, you takes your chances”
April 16, 2009
I wish i’d seen this article before I naively started his program. I did it for the last 9 weeks, made no gains in size even though i’ve been eating massively, and lost some maximal strength.
Maybe the program does work, but didn’t for me.
April 16, 2009
Well, it can be tough to figure out who’s an expert, and who simply plays one on TV (so to speak). For all I know, the guy could be awesome…but he doesn’t provide any basis for making a judgement – and before I invest my money…or my valuable TIME/effort in the gym following his advice, I want to know what qualifies him to give it.
It’s important to ask these kinds of questions, as there’s just SOOOOOO much crap out there.
October 29, 2013
All I can say is I have been trialing this anabolic secret program now for around six weeks, I haven’t responded to Rick’s emails as yet as he seems to be trying to follow up but I can tell you I am impressed so far I actually can’t get over the improvement especially for the abs. I have tried a lot of brands and can say this is the best so far
July 29, 2009
Well kids,I kin see your consternati’n situation. I bought the rick gray stuff off’a ebay and it was mailed to my door for a total of $1.01. Umm. That included postage and packag’n.The supps sounded pretty good but being pretty durn poor. I just went with the diet part..[Higher fat and low low sugar/carbs}.I also have been following [kinda] his training methods along with the diet [although I only have exercised his progam twice a week instead of 4 days.Sorry about my grahm’r. Also I have only done it twice to date.I have lost some weight and about a half inch in my waist with his plan. I put up a red flag when I see any weight loss product.Im going to give the guy some credit for his diet advice and his training prog. I aint spendin my whole frikkin pay check on supps anymore.Whey protien churns my stomach so Im stickin with Herbalife formula 1 for the soy and nutrition. I heard all the horror stories about soy too. Bottom line is ..go with what you can afford and what works.Whats supps are you sellin?
July 29, 2009
Bob – we’re not selling ANY supps… that’s not what we do here. We just review ’em, and examine the claims against the science.
I’m not surprised to find out you experienced some good results… If you cut back some calories; eat healthier, more nutrient-dense foods and do some strength training, this is pretty much a given. As I wrote above, Gray’s nutrition/training advice is standard-issue stuff that you could get from a variety of sources – so, as long as you’re not falling for the “I’m an expert, so buy my overpriced supps” line, you should be ok. Long term, however, you might want to look up some of the authors I mentioned, who are well-known and respected in the bodybuilding field. Another name I’d throw out there – especially if weight/fat loss is your primary goal – is Tom Venuto. His e-book, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” is probably the best of its kind, and quite affordable. Tom is also the author of a hard-copy book: The Body Fat Solution, which you should be able to find in most chain book stores such as Barnes & Noble or Borders. You can check out his blog here: http://www.burnthefatblog.com/
For the record, I’m neither pro-soy nor anti-soy… I don’t go out of my way to eat it (I’m not a vegetarian, and there are higher quality sources out there…not to mention that there are also better sources of antioxidants and phytochemicals), but neither do I go out of my way to avoid it (the horror stories are quite sensationalized… as a physician colleague of mine often quips, “the internet is not peer-reviewed.” 😉 ).
Best wishes on your fitness journey!
October 19, 2009
I have been doing the Rick Gray’s work out & diet, NOT the supplements and have seen some small gains. I would consider myself a hard gainer, the more supplemnts I take, the less results I get. I would like to try something that works, and I am tired of paying an arm & leg for claims that never work, both in supplements & routines.Any suggestions?
October 29, 2013
All I can say is I have been trialing this anabolic secret program now for around six weeks, I haven’t responded to Rick’s emails as yet as he seems to be trying to follow up but I can tell you I am impressed so far I actually can’t get over the improvement especially for the abs. I have tried a lot of brands and can say this is the best so far
October 20, 2009
In addition to the works of the authors mentioned in the post above, I’d suggest Hugo Rivera’s BRE program or Will Brink’s “Bodybuilding Revealed” – both of which come with personalized support… that way, you can receive feedback and guidance on your diet, workout and progress. In the end, “canned” programs can be hit-or-miss… and often need some tweaking to make them work for individuals. It helps to have knowledgeable eyes look over what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
A disclaimer is due here: I’m one of the mods on the Brink site… although I receive no kickbacks or other incentives for directing people there.
If you’re interested in a freebie program, AST’s Max OT has a number of fans… you can find a lot of feedback on the program in places like this: http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/MaxOt-Complete-Routine-m390.aspx
May 10, 2010
There is a Hyper Gain ad off to the side of this article. I bought it… They tricked me…
May 10, 2010
Sigh… see: http://blog.ultimatefatburner.com/2008/11/15/difference-editorial-advertising/
November 30, 2010
elissa, I don’t know who You are ,but you just save me some money.There is so much information out there that ,for people like me , is hard to know what is true and what isn’t.I sincerely thank you for your help.
November 30, 2010
Yes, there is a lot of conflicting information out there – so it pays to be skeptical.
I often recommend Will Brink’s “Brinkzone” site as a resource – it’s free, and Will is well-known for calling BS as he sees it. Another good resource (albeit more science-oriented) is Alan Aragon’s Research Review. There’s a subscription fee for the latter, but it’s pretty nominal ($10.00 per month).
March 2, 2011
If you notice a lot of his e-book is plagiarized Vince Gironda articles
March 9, 2011
Rick Gray’s real name is Dan Gallapoo. He IS a professional writer. He is a copywriter (sales writer) and direct response marketer. He tends to go under the moniker of Doberman Dan for his marketing site – which is located at http://www.DobermanDan.com
I know Dan got into the marketing to bodybuilders business years ago as a way to make money — after lots of failed money making ventures in other types of businesses (i.e., Amway, Vending machines etc). As far as I know, he was your “Joe Average” weight trainer. I’m not so sure he still trains to any kind of high standard. Looking at Dan himself he could do with losing some weight.
Dan is a credible source of marketing information. Although, like all information, I still advise a person to exercise their own due diligence. Obviously, the more a person knows about a subject, the easier it is to do that.
Bottom line: I’m not in any way convinced that Dan’s (“Rick’s”) supplements are any good. Anyone can take an existing supplement to a supplement producer and pay them to recreate a new supplement line with a new name / label on it. That, in a nutshell is what Dan has done. Then he has used his marketing / copywriting skills to “dress them up” as something different / better than other supplements on the market.
For the record: I have nothing against Dan per se. Like I say, he does offer some credible marketing advice through his Doberman Dan site and his offline newsletter. On the supps I personally wouldn’t buy any from him because, knowing what I know about how easy it is for anyone to have their own supplement line — and the marketing tactics Dan is employing to sell them — I’m in no way convinced there is any advantage to buying / taking his supplement products. Dan (“Rick’s”) ultimate goal with the supp biz is to get as many people on his continuity program so he can automatically bill them every month.
That is the cold hard truth of how the business model works.
Hey, I’m just calling it as I see it!
Hope that helps.
March 14, 2011
@Mike: interesting info… thanks!
For the record, often supps aren’t so much “good” or “bad” as they are overpriced and/or inferior to competing products that are readily available – without recurring billing programs. Thus, there would be no advantage to using his supp line, even if his products ultimately turned out to be fine.
August 14, 2011
who in the hell do you think you are rick gray work out program has helped me a lot ive been doning ricks work out routine and his diet for 8 weeks now and i seen big differente my body lookes great hoe do i know that your not full of bs and tryen to make money your self
August 15, 2011
@eric:
I guess you missed this:
” Oh sure…there are 27 pages with some fairly banal info on training and nutrition…”
Gray presents some very basic stuff as a front for his sales pitch – but none of it’s unique or special. You could have “don” any of the diet and workout routines from the authors I mentioned above, and gotten results at least as good, and probably better.
As for whether I’m “tryen” to make money myself? LOL! I don’t own this site, nor do I have any profit-sharing arrangement with the guy who does. Nor do I have any e-books or products available for sale here.