When it comes to gaining maximum size and strength, there are two sides to the coin. If I were to tell you that maximum progression depends on your ability to play both offense and defense, most of you will immediately think of sports. We both know that if your team scores 100 points, it means nothing your opponent scores 101; the game is lost.
This simple concept of balancing offense and defense holds true for almost anything in life - and bodybuilding is no exception. If you think your ability to train hard and bludgeon your muscles into new growth is all that matters, you’re sorely (pun intended) mistaken. Chances are, if you’ve been training for a while, you probably figured out that your ability to train hard and overload your muscles is equally as important as your ability to recover. Inadequate recovery will sabotage your efforts every single time. Consider the concepts of anabolism and catabolism. When speaking about muscle, if something is anabolic, it promotes synthesis of a greater amount of tissue; it’s conducive to building. If something is catabolic, it causes the breakdown of tissue and it runs contrary to our muscle building efforts. That being said, if a substance is both anabolic and anti-catabolic, it can kick ass on both offense and defense and help you win.
If there were something that helped you to train harder while also being anabolic AND anti-catabolic, do you think it would be help support your efforts in the gym?
You bet your ass it would. In 1998 I was 16 years old, and this was the first time I had experienced that synergy.
Creatine had been on the scene for a few years, and the price had come down from a couple hundred dollars per kilo, to about $40. BUT, the same company that had popularized creatine launched a product that combined creatine and HMB. I had no clue what HMB was, or what the benefits were, but I could tell you two things:
- The combo had a cult-like reputation for its ability to promote new size and strength
- It was insanely expensive
In 1998, $90 for 15 servings was no joke. Hell, that was an entire day’s worth of pushing a lawn mower for me!
I got a job at a local store, and the first time I got my hands on a Creatine and HMB supplement was when a customer returned it because they didn’t like the flavor. He had used one serving and my manager said to just chuck it.
No way was I going to just throw that out! It came home with me, I put it to good use and realized, the stuff really WAS that good. Within a week’s time I was fuller, stronger and recovering faster from my training. In short, I was a believer.
Unfortunately, I saw HMB fade as both a standalone product and as an ingredient
I’m willing to bet that it had everything to do with the fact that it was so damn expensive! After all, $90 for 15 servings in 1998 is the equivalent of $177 in 2025 (with inflation)! The price of the ingredient sabotaged its popularity because it simply didn’t make its way into the hands of enough users. It was a total shame because it’s a tremendous ingredient; especially when paired with creatine.
When ANIMAL told me they were dropping a creatine and HMB product, I was really psyched.
I’ve been using supplements for 30 years at this point and I don’t get excited about much. But I know the potential this product has to help the people who use it - myself included. Unfortunately, the novice lifter tends to do a poor job of balancing recovery with the efforts they put forth in the gym. Most will fail to see optimal results simply because recovery is lagging.
By combining HMB and creatine together, you have a product that maximizes exercise output while simultaneously bolstering muscle building and recovery - it’s the total package with huge benefits. Also, ANIMAL’s new formulation has 2x the creatine and HMB compared to what I used back in ’98 and it’s nearly 1/10th of the cost! And that stuff worked!
With double the Creatine and HMB, and an electrolyte complex at a fraction of the cost, it’s a huge win. And if you know me, I don’t really give a shit how it tastes - I want results. But to give credit where it’s due, both the Dragon Berry and Power Punch flavors are insanely good!
It's been 3 weeks since I started using ANIMAL’s new Creatine HMB+ formula and the benefits are downright tremendous. At this point, I’m not even getting sore from my training and I’m experiencing strength progression from workout to workout - a telltale sign that I am retaining more nitrogen than I’m expending and that progress is taking place.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, HMB is best taken 30-60 minutes prior to training so I’m slugging mine down well before I hit the weights. Nothing makes me feel better than being able to recommend something that I know will be of benefit to people. Use it religiously and within 3 weeks you’ll tell me I was right!
About The Author
Evan Centopani has been part of the ANIMAL team since 2006. Earning his IFBB professional status in 2007 at 25 years old, Evan is a 3x IFBB champion who has competed several times in the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia, generously sharing his extensive knowledge of fitness and nutrition with the Animal community.
