Hydrapharm : Myogenesis Natural Muscle Builder

Hydrapharm has previously produced some of the best reviewed and most popular natural muscle building supplements around with the likes of their natural anabolic Adamantine, and their estrogen blocker, Alchemy, winning plaudits for their ability to offer truly effective solutions for athletes seeking a natural way to increase their performance in the gym or to enhance their body composition.

Since those products were released, Hydrapharm has tended to focus more on innovative nootropics and energy boosters but with the introduction of Myogenesis, they have once more brought another supplement to the table that promises greater muscle and strength gains via a unique selection of ingredients, something which is a calling card of this brand.

Understanding how Muscle Mass is Built

First, a basic primer on how muscle growth works. We all know that training causes the body to undergo a process whereby muscle tissue is broken down (protein breakdown) and then rebuilt (protein synthesis) with the net muscle protein balance, or amount of new muscle gained, being muscle protein synthesis – muscle protein breakdown.

Over time, the body becomes more and more resistant to gaining new muscle due to these two factors cancelling each other out. Generally speaking, most muscle building supplements tend to focus on increasing the rate of muscle protein synthesis so that it exceeds the rate of muscle protein breakdown but as with anything, eventually you get a law of diminishing returns kicking in. This is one reason why simply ingesting more and more protein is not an effective way to build more muscle mass as the body becomes more adept at breaking down muscle tissue ever more quickly.

An easy way to think about this is that muscle growth is governed by the interplay by between anabolic (muscle building) and catabolic (muscle breakdown) activity. While most supplements focus on increasing anabolic activity, by reducing catabolic action, you would also gain muscle mass.

Solving the Catabolic Conundrum

While supplements such as Alchemy and Adamantine are excellent ways to increase anabolic action in the body, there is a lack of supplements today which seek to mitigate muscle protein catabolism. The reality is that the optimal way to increase muscle mass as quickly as possible will be by both increasing the rate of anabolism while decreasing the rate of catabolism. Indeed, it is a little-known fact that steroids and prohormones exert their powerful muscle building actions by increasing anabolic activity while ALSO reducing catabolic activity.

Myogenesis, now offers natural trainers the first truly anti-catabolic supplement that does not rely on hormonal manipulation. However, Myogenesis is far more than just an anti-catabolic.

Myogenesis - Creating new Muscle Fibres

When someone gets more muscular, it was long held to be true that this was a result of muscle cell hypertrophy, in layman’s terms, the muscle cells got bigger. However, there are specific situations where muscle growth is attributable not only to muscle fibres growing larger but also by a process called myogenic differentiation or myogenesis.

What this refers to is the formation of new muscle fibres. Something of a holy grail of bodybuilding, the ability to increase our genetically constrained limits would be advanced significantly if we were able to create new muscle fibres as it would give the body two ways to build more muscle mass.

Hydrapharm have always placed a premium on uncovering new, science backed ingredients and the Myogenesis product ensures that the very latest scientific advances are brought to bear to give you the ability to reach the very limits of your physical potential. Here is a brief overview of some of the key Myogenesis ingredients and why they were included in this formula.

Fructus Schisandrae – An extract of the fruit schizandra chinensis, Fructus Schisandrae (FS) has been shown in clinical studies to be capable of combating muscle atrophy, even being able to combat dexamethasone induced muscle loss. Indeed, one study[1] revealed that across a number of key biomarkers, FS was capable of delivering comparable effects to the steroid osxymetholone with 500mg of FS being comparable to 50mg of oxymetholone. The study concluded that via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect, FS was capable of increasing muscle protein synthesis and decreasing muscle protein breakdown. In other, words it helped to both build new muscle tissue and combat muscle loss.

Just as compelling, a second study[2] looked further into the mechanisms that could cause FS to both increase muscle mass and inhibit muscle atrophy. This second study concluded that FS augmented myogenic differentiation and attenuated atrophy by increasing muscle protein synthesis via a number of pathways making it a “useful natural dietary supplement in increasing skeletal muscle mass.”

In short, Fructus Schisandrae increases muscle growth and decreases muscle loss via increasing myogenic activity in the muscles of the body.

Maslinic Acid - Maslinic acid is a triterpene, like ursolic acid, which has a number of interesting properties.  It reduces fat mass in humans, relieves joint pain and inflammation, and, again like ursolic acid, has powerful anabolic activity [3] [4] – even greater than ursolic acid itself in fact.  

Such is the potential of Maslinic Acid in promoting muscle growth it is the subject of a patent in the USA specifically regarding its muscle building capability [5] (fortunately, not being US-based, this patent would not impact Hydrapharm). More recently, Maslinic Acid has been investigated both for its capacity to counteract muscle loss and promote muscle gain with the author stating that "Maslinic acid can significantly boost protein-synthesis rates and act as a growth factor anf glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor" going on to state that it demonstrates "the potential to favour muscle hypertrophy and reduce atrophy". [6]

As if all its anti-catabolic/anabolic properties were not exciting enough, Maslinic Acid also offers general health benefits in a recent Spanish study including optimising blood glucose levels, exhibiting anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and even showing anti-cancer benefits. [7]

A recent study conducted in women suffering from arthritis demonstrated both its ability to reduce pain while also improving muscle function and strength - a key finding which further underlines its abilityas both an anabolic and anti-inflammatory. [8]

To conclude, with feedback on ursolic acid products such as Ursobolic and UR Spray showing consistent improvements in both muscle mass and fat loss, Maslinic Acid has a duel-action effect in Myogenesis by promoting lean mass gains and also improving body composition while demonstrating general health properties which includes improving joint function.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) – While the previous teo ingredients both provide support for increasing muscle mass and preventing muscle breakdown, ATP is primarily included for its notable effects on performance which, by supporting gains in strength creates a positive feedback loop to enhance the muscle building action of Fructus Schisandrae and Maslinic Acid.

With creatine’s effects being mediated via its effects on ATP, ATP itself has become the subject of more and more research which has revealed it to have positive effects on performance as well as helping to reduce muscle fatigue and promoting greater power output over an extended period of time. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Furthermore, ATP has benefits in terms of promoting oxygenation, capillarisation and speeding up recovery. It therefore helps to ensure that you are able to make ongoing gains in the gym to further optimise the rate at which new muscle growth can be built, supporting the effects of Fructus Schisandrae yet more.

Forskolin 95% - Along with ATP, Forskolin is the best-known ingredient in the Myogenesis formula and many users will attest to the positive effects they have seen from a high quality extract. 

Forskolin has been shown in numerous studies to play a key role in improving body composition and optimising hormonal profile. [14] [15] [16] [17] In short, it can help support gains in both lean mass and improve the rate of fat loss. However, not all forskolin supplements are equal in origin which is why Myogenesis uses only the very highest quality extract available.

By including Forskolin 95% in Myogenesis, it both helps support mood, and promotes a hormonal profile that supports higher testosterone and lower levels of cortisol. Added to this, it again helps make Myogenesis a more versatile supplement and one which can be used just as effectively by individuals regardless of if they are dieting or bulking.

Concluding Thoughts

In a crowded sports nutrition marketplace, Hydrapharm have once again come up with an original formula that will add to the brand's reputation for uncovering hidden gems that can help athletes seeking to improve their performance, enhance muscle mass or improve body composition.

We have tested Myogenesis oursleves and in as little as a single week you can expect to see improved body composition, and recovery. Due to it including ingredients not found in Hydrapharm's other supplements, it can be stacked with anything else from their range with abd Adamantine and Myogenesis stack being the obvious option for users seeking to enhance muscle mass and strength. By adding Alchemy to this, you get additional pro-testosterone and anti-estrogen support which will further enhance performance and body composition.