{"product_id":"muscletech-clear-muscle","title":"MuscleTech Clear Muscle","description":"\u003ch2\u003eMuscleTech Platinum Clear Muscle — 1,000mg BetaTOR HMB Free Acid Per Softgel\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClear Muscle delivers 1g of BetaTOR, the free-acid form of HMB, in a single liquid softgel, plus 250mg of betaine anhydrous. Taken three times daily that is 3g of HMB free acid, the dose used in the research. Available in 42 and 84 softgel bottles. In stock at TopDog Nutrition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat HMB Actually Does\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHMB is a metabolite of leucine. When you eat protein, roughly 5% of the leucine in it converts to HMB, which means you already produce small amounts every day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts main job is defensive rather than constructive. HMB works chiefly by slowing muscle protein breakdown, largely through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, the system your body uses to dismantle muscle tissue. It has some effect on protein synthesis too, but leucine itself is better at that side of the equation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis distinction matters when you decide whether to buy it. HMB is not a muscle builder in the way creatine is. It is a muscle protector. It earns its place when something is actively working against you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eFree Acid Versus the Calcium Form\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the real difference between Clear Muscle and standard HMB, and it is worth understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost HMB supplements use calcium HMB, a powder bound to calcium. It works, but it has to dissociate before absorption. Peak blood levels arrive around two hours after taking it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetaTOR is HMB in its free acid form, suspended in a liquid softgel. It skips that step. Absorption is faster, peak plasma concentration lands at roughly 30 minutes, and the peak is meaningfully higher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat pharmacokinetic difference is measured and real. Whether it produces a better training outcome is less settled, because very few studies compare the two forms head to head over a full training block. What you are paying extra for is better absorption, which is a reasonable thing to pay for, not a guaranteed difference in results.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want the conventional form at a lower price, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/nutrex-hmb-1000\"\u003eNutrex HMB 1000\u003c\/a\u003e is the straightforward comparison.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho This Is Genuinely For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeing straight about this, because HMB has been oversold for a decade and the research is more conditional than the ads suggest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHMB shows the clearest benefit when muscle breakdown is elevated:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIn a calorie deficit.\u003c\/strong\u003e Cutting is when you are most at risk of losing muscle alongside fat. This is probably HMB's strongest use case.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHigh training volume or a hard block.\u003c\/strong\u003e When you are deliberately overreaching and recovery is lagging.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReturning after a layoff.\u003c\/strong\u003e Injury, illness, or time away from the gym.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBeginners.\u003c\/strong\u003e Untrained people respond better to HMB than trained lifters do.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOlder adults.\u003c\/strong\u003e Age-related muscle loss is one of the better supported applications.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere it does less: a well-fed, well-trained lifter eating adequate protein in a calorie surplus already has muscle breakdown under control. The effect in that population is small. Some of the headline studies on HMB free acid reported gains far beyond what independent research has reproduced, and later analyses have been considerably more conservative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are in a surplus and chasing size, your money goes further on \u003ca href=\"\/products\/optimum-nutrition-micronised-creatine-powder\"\u003ecreatine\u003c\/a\u003e and hitting your protein target with something like \u003ca href=\"\/products\/optimum-nutrition-100-whey-protein-2lb\"\u003eGold Standard Whey\u003c\/a\u003e. Come to HMB when you are cutting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Betaine\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach softgel carries 250mg of betaine anhydrous, so 750mg across a full day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorth knowing that research showing betaine benefits for power output generally uses around 2.5g per day. At 750mg you are well under that, so treat the betaine as a minor addition rather than a reason to buy. The HMB is the product.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSupplement Facts\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eServing size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 liquid softgel. \u003cstrong\u003eServings per container:\u003c\/strong\u003e 42 or 84.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBetaTOR (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate free acid) — 1,000mg\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBetaine anhydrous (from Beta vulgaris root) — 250mg\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSoftgel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Glycerin, Modified Food Starch, Carrageenan, Sorbitol, Purified Water.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCoating:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hypromellose, Glycerin, Natural Flavour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to Take It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDose:\u003c\/strong\u003e One softgel three times daily with water. Morning, mid-afternoon and evening.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTraining days:\u003c\/strong\u003e Take one of those three about 30 minutes before you train.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaximum:\u003c\/strong\u003e Do not exceed 3 softgels in 24 hours.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConsistency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Like creatine, HMB works on accumulation. Daily use including rest days, not just before sessions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProtein first:\u003c\/strong\u003e HMB cannot compensate for inadequate protein. Get the diet right before adding it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want HMB alongside creatine in one product, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/nutrex-creatine-hmb\"\u003eNutrex Creatine+ HMB\u003c\/a\u003e covers both, and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/nutrex-recovery-stack\"\u003eNutrex Recovery Stack\u003c\/a\u003e is the broader recovery option.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCommon Questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it a steroid or prohormone?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nNo. HMB is a naturally occurring leucine metabolite. You produce it from the protein you eat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I take it with creatine?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nYes, and they work differently enough to be worth combining. Creatine supports power output, HMB limits breakdown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo I need to cycle it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nNo. There is no established reason to cycle HMB.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long before I notice anything?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nHMB is not something you feel. Any effect shows up over weeks in recovery and in retained muscle during a deficit, not as an acute sensation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MuscleTech","offers":[{"title":"42 Liquid Softgels","offer_id":47526569312345,"sku":null,"price":49.9,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1513\/5678\/files\/MuscleTechClearMuscle.png?v=1792636416","url":"https:\/\/topdognutrition.co.nz\/products\/muscletech-clear-muscle","provider":"TopDog Nutrition","version":"1.0","type":"link"}