Behind the Brand: MuscleTech

We are the only company in sports nutrition history to have the best-selling protein power, diet pill and creatine formulas all at the same time.’ -Scott Welch, Associate Director

Truly Legendary. Anyone who has been part of or followed the bodybuilding and fitness industry for any length of time is quite familiar with MuscleTech, and longtime readers of MD know they have supported our publication for decades. The company launched in 1995 and grew to a staff of over 300 with manufacturing facilities in over 7 countries around the world in just a few years thanks to innovative, effective products like Nitro-Tech, Cell-Tech, Hydroxycut, and Meso-Tech. Launched in 1999, Nitro-Tech was actually the first supplement to harness the power of nitric oxide even though it was marketed as whey protein. The company’s products eventually led to heights of success they could never have imagined at the outset. “We are the only company in sports nutrition history to have the best-selling protein power, diet pill and creatine formulas all at the same time,” reveals MuscleTech Associate Director Scott Welch. They have also been awarded Walmart’s prestigious Vendor of the Year, beating out mega food and beverage corporations like Coca-Cola, Heinz, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble, the same year they held the title of GNC Vendor of the Year.

All-star Athletes. Most bodybuilders know that MuscleTech sponsored more top athletes than any other company – at one point there were 150 in their roster! Some of the notables included Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath, who were all MuscleTech athletes during their respective Mr. Olympia reigns, as well as Branch Warren, Greg Kovacs, Chris Cormier, Gustavo Badell and Darrem Charles. “At the 2010 Mr. Olympia, we had four out of the top five under contract and the top three in back-to-back years,” says Marketing Communications Manager Eric Hesse. “I know for a fact we had more all-time total contest wins for our athletes than any other company, aside from Weider, by a wide margin.”

‘Blessing was a perfect fit for us. With his tremendous physique and his sense of humor, he appeals to both the hardcore crowd and regular people. He’s unique and wants to make bodybuilding fun and entertaining to take the sport to the next level.’ -Eric Hesse, Marketing Communications Manager

Superstars of the NFL, MLB and UFC have also been part of the MuscleTech family, such as Rob Gronkowski, Albert Pujols, Brock Lesnar and Jon “Bones” Jones. More recently, MuscleTech worked with actor Henry Cavill, who has shown his muscular physique off as both Superman on the big screen and The Witcher on the popular Netflix series. And of course, MD readers are very familiar with The Boogieman, Blessing Awodibu, who came onboard in the fall of 2022. “Blessing was a perfect fit for us,” says Hesse. “With his tremendous physique and his sense of humor, he appeals to both the hardcore crowd and regular people. He’s unique and wants to make bodybuilding fun and entertaining to take the sport to the next level.” The MuscleTech roster is packed with other standout athletes including Jessie Godderz, star of “Big Brother” and MTV’s “Whacked Out,” who is currently the National Heavyweight Champion of Ohio Valley Pro Wrestling. Jessie is a former pro natural bodybuilder who like Blessing has serious crossover appeal.

A Commitment to Science. The slogan for MuscleTech has always been “supplements that work,” and the company has made good on this with a consortium or research partnerships and in-house research facilities working on new ingredients, clinical trials and flavoring. “We are obsessed with our commitment to research,” says Raza Bashir, VP of Scientific Affairs and Product Innovation. “We have funded over 100 studies and now have over 100 patents worldwide. No supplement company in the world has done more research on both protein synthesis and creatine than MuscleTech has or provided more advancements. We are about the science and about making great products.”

Committed to Our Industry. While MuscleTech’s wild success has allowed them to sponsor the 2013 winning Indy 500 race car, they have always remained true to their bodybuilding roots. Along with the staggering stable of athletes, MuscleTech was the title sponsor of the Mr. Olympia for several years and is a platinum sponsor for the upcoming Arnold Classic. They have sponsored literally thousands of NPC local, regional and national contests. And for those of you who remember when MD was over 400 pages every month, you will also recall MuscleTech was our biggest advertiser for many years. “We are back in MD because even though we have enjoyed tremendous success in the mainstream, we really wanted to get back to our bodybuilding roots and introduce new products to the men and women who appreciate quality products that help them achieve their goals,” Welch tells us.

Looking to the Future. “We are here to be both builders and protectors of muscle,” says Bashir. “If there’s anything that can enhance performance, we want to bring that to market.” You can still find the core products that made MuscleTech famous, as well as newer ones that proudly carry on the tradition of innovation in the industry. These include the pre-workout formula EuphoriQ and the fat-burner Burn iQ, “the smart way to get shredded.” Both include Paraxanthine, the substance that caffeine converts to in the body and which delivers many of the benefits of caffeine that users love, without the drawbacks. There is also the groundbreaking Clear Muscle HMB Free Acid formula, as well as AlphaTest, one of the top-selling testosterone boosters of all time. There are of course many more products sold by the brand, and some exciting innovations in various stages of development that MD readers will be very eager to try. We at MD are grateful for the relationship we have had with MuscleTech for over 25 years and look forward to working with them moving forward as they continue to bring the latest scientific findings and innovations to market so we can all get closer to looking, feeling and performing at our absolute best.

‘We really wanted to get back to our bodybuilding roots and market our products to the men and women out there who are all about getting huge and ripped, and who appreciate quality products that help them achieve their goals.’ -Scott Welch