Experiences with MHP's Dark Matter Dietary Supplement

[lax1113]

Hey guys,
I am taking a dietary supplement for lifting called dark matter, made by MHP. It was highly reccommended by a trusted website that i visit, so I figured since i had some extra cash i would dip into the honey jar of MHP. I was surprised to find that after mixing this with 20oz of water like instructed, it is extremely gelatinous, unlike anything else I've ever taken before. I was wondering if anyone else has ever taken this and gotten similar results.

 

[Evo]

You really shouldnt' put things in your body if you don't know what they are or what harm they can cause. Lot's of these types of gimicky "supplements" have turned out to be harmful at worst, ineffective at best.

 

[lax1113]

Evo,
I am not trying to come at you, but I just don't understand why about half the questions I ask on this website return an answer that is not related to the question I asked. I did not say that I didnt know what the product did, or that it was simply gimmicky, I simply asked if the product was supposed to be the form that I mixed it to be. It was unlike any of the other supps that I have taken, so I was curious for this reason. I have yet to ever be harmed by anything I or my brother who is also pretty serious about lifting, have ever taken. I don't know if you are simply speaking out of heresay, or if you know this for a fact, but things that you obtain legally often are not harmful, again, this is just from my experience. No offense, but it seems to me that sometimes people answer questions just for the sake of answering them when really it is not in their area to be advising.

 

[WarPhalange]

Post a link to the ingredients or just list them and I can tell you if it's halfway decent or not and if it's supposed to do what it's doing.

I've never taken or even heard of any supplement that was gelatinous. I've seen pills, powder that turns to milky stuff, candy bars, cookies, and our favorite, injections. But I've never seen anything like you are describing.

Funny thing is, I had an upset stomach today and didn't have any regular carbonated water on hand. My mom said mix some soda ash (sodium carbonate) with water. On the package it even showed a glass of water with carbon bubbles which was exactly what I wanted. When I mixed the powder with water, nothing happened. It just dissolved partially and that was that. How much more FAIL can you get?

 

[lax1113]

warphalange,
It is basically a creatine product that has along with it glycogen boosters as a way of transporting the creatine into the body. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mhp/darkmatter.html
There is no doubt that a lot of things that you see on TV are not worthy of time/money, but either way this product does have the amount of creatine that I would be taken otherwise without a transport system, so whether or not the sugars in this help to maximize performance or not, I highly dobt it will hinder the intake of the creatine.
Just to be clear, I am by no means a junkie with supplements. I am a big fan of creatine, because it is a very helpful supp and for getting bigger/stronger/faster... that whole deal... for lacrosse season, it can be a big help. My brother got this and has been saying that he has been seeing gains with it, so I decided to give it a try.

by the way, I used it again today after lifting and added a bit more water than advised, it was less jello--y but still a bit strange.

 

[WarPhalange]

I don't see how adding more water would make it bad. I think it's just a suggestion so it's not too gelatinous.

I don't know what makes it like jello (it's all proprietary garbage), but:

Calories 240
Calories From Fat 0g
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0g 0%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 16%
Sugars 10g †

That right there? Very bad. I'd suggest finding some creatine without added sugar. You really don't need that if you are a competing athlete

By the way, this is why I hate bodybuilding and bodybuilding culture:

WaxiMAX™-C3G Low Viscosity High Molecular Weight Osmotic Waxy Maize Starch With Molecular Dispersion Technology

HydroSIZE™: Multi-Phase Creatine Transport And Cell Volumizing Matrix

All other substances will only slow down the precise nutrient infusion of the high velocity nano-physic particles in DARK MATTER

What does that even mean? It's almost as bad as having a guy in a lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck as an ad, proclaiming the superiority of the product. Because doctors go and make this stuff, you know? In their spare time, between working to pay off their student loans, cheating on their wives with their secretaries, and blowing the millions they make on hookers and blow. It's common knowledge.

Oh, and just as an added bit, your muscles aren't screaming for protein the second you put down the barbell. They have reserves they dip into throughout the day. You ate breakfast, right? Lunch? Dinner? For most people that is enough protein. Your body isn't using up that much for its muscles. Right after a workout your body is trying to put back it's energy reserves first, not repair the muscles.

 

[Proton Soup]

it mostly looks like a waste of money to me. the gelatinous stuff is probably the waxy maize starch. i don't think waxy maize starch has been proven to do anything, really.

most of the rest of it has to do with the ridiculously low price of creatine monohydrate these days. you can get creatine monohydrate(CM) powder for about $10/lb. CM is one of the most studied sports supplements, and it actually works, so there is demand for it. but supplement companies don't like it because of the low profit margin. so there have been several attempts to come up with "new and improved" creatine compounds to get consumers to pay a premium. but it's all hype, they don't work any better than CM. some have even been significantly worse. all you need is 5g of CM and some type of sugar source. many people use dextrose, but other things will work, too.

for the protein, if you're trying to watch your calories, then you can't go wrong with 20g or so of whey. if you're bulking, chocolate milk, it's one of the best post workout drinks available.

the only caveat i can think of is if you have kidney disease, you shouldn't take the creatine, and probably need to talk to your doc about how much protein you can eat. you may still want to include some protein around your workout, tho.

 

[WarPhalange]

if you're bulking, chocolate milk, it's one of the best post workout drinks available.

I remember when I used to chug it by the gallon. I still love the stuff. :D

the only caveat i can think of is if you have kidney disease, you shouldn't take the creatine, and probably need to talk to your doc about how much protein you can eat. you may still want to include some protein around your workout, tho.

Assuming he is doing lacrosse on some sort of school team, he'd have to take a physical for that I would think. Hopefully he doesn't land on a crappy doc... which is very likely. =/