IO Genix HMB 1000mg Anticatabolic - Muscle Protein Synthesis

What is IO Genix HMB 1000 mg?

IO Genix HMB 1000 mg is a single-ingredient supplement in capsule form. Each capsule provides 1,000 mg of HMB, and the daily dose of three capsules provides 3 g. The bottle holds 90 capsules, which is exactly 30 days' worth.

HMB, or beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, is not an amino acid but a metabolite: it is what the body makes from leucine, one of the three branched-chain amino acids. Around 5% of the leucine you consume is converted into HMB, which means you would have to swallow a considerable quantity of leucine to reach 3 g of HMB from food alone.

That arithmetic constraint is what explains the existence of this product. An HMB supplement delivers the metabolite directly, at the intended dose, without going through the conversion. The rest of the Spanish range is in our IO Genix aisle, and the amino acids it derives from in our BCAA aisle.

What does a serving of HMB contain?

3 g a day is the reference dose for this molecule, and the format matches it exactly. Three capsules, thirty days, one bottle: there is nothing to work out and nothing to split by hand. That is a consistency you do not always find on this aisle, where plenty of bottles run out after eighteen days at the stated dosage.

The capsule contains nothing beyond the HMB and an anti-caking agent. The manufacturer specifies that the molecule is in its free form, known as the acid form, rather than as a calcium salt. That piece of compositional information is useful to anyone comparing two products; we pass it on as it stands, without drawing from it any efficacy argument that nothing would support.

In regulatory terms the position is clear-cut: no health claim is authorised in Europe for HMB. Not for muscle mass, not for recovery, not for preserving muscle during a deficit. The role of HMB as a metabolite of leucine is a fact of biochemistry; what supplementation produces in a trained adult is another question, and reported results vary considerably depending on the population studied. So we describe the molecule and its dosage, without any promise attached to a figure.

Finally, one point the manufacturer flags and that matters: this product may duplicate another supplement containing HMB or leucine. Plenty of amino acid formulas already contain some. Read your labels before stacking.

Ingredients list

Hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB), coating agent (GELATINE), anti-caking agent (magnesium stearate). No added sugar, no sweetener, no preservative, no colouring, no lactose.

May contain traces of GLUTEN, EGGS, MILK, FISH and SOYA.

How do you take HMB 1000 mg?

Dose: 3 capsules a day, i.e. 3 g of HMB. Liquid: a large glass of water with each serving. Timing: split into two servings, one of them around training. Frequency: every day, rest days included. Duration: a course of 8 to 12 weeks, with an optional two-week break.

One clarification is needed, because the manufacturer's documentation offers two different splits. One puts two capsules in the morning and one after training; the other one capsule before the session and two after. The total is the same either way: 3 g a day. We go with the version that is easiest to stick to — two capsules in the morning, one after the session — because over twelve weeks it is consistency that decides the outcome, not the detail of the split.

Take the capsules with a large glass of water, preferably with a meal. The manufacturer also recommends leaving about two hours between an HMB serving and a creatine serving. That instruction is easy to follow in practice: creatine sits happily in the evening, HMB in the morning and around the session.

Rest days count as much as any other. As with most background supplements, the point is not to prime a session but to maintain a steady intake. Skipping weekends means lengthening the course without realising it.

The manufacturer puts the course at between 8 and 12 weeks, with an optional two-week break. Since one bottle covers thirty days, reckon on three bottles for a full course. This product logically sits alongside an adequate protein intake: it replaces neither a protein nor essential amino acids, it comes after them. Anyone looking for strength first will do better to look at creatine monohydrate, whose regulatory dossier is on an altogether firmer footing.

Who is HMB for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult in regular physical training, and more precisely at two points in a training journey: a phase of prolonged calorie deficit, where the aim is to preserve lean mass, and a return after a long lay-off. Those are the two situations in which it is most often recommended.

It is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans: the capsules are made of gelatine. Nor is it suitable for children or adolescents, whom the manufacturer explicitly excludes, or for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

One contraindication deserves careful reading: in cases of liver or kidney disease, the manufacturer asks that you consult a doctor before use. That is a serious precaution and not a stock phrase, on a molecule taken at 3 g a day for several weeks. The same goes for anyone on medical treatment.

The product may contain traces of gluten, eggs, milk, fish and soya.

What not to expect from it: this is not a product with a noticeable effect, you will feel nothing when you take it, and that is normal. It is not a fat burner, not a stimulant, and it does not build mass on its own. Above all, it in no way makes up for an insufficient protein intake: if your diet does not meet your protein needs, that is where to act first, and no capsule will let you off doing so.

HMB or EAA — which comes first?

Both touch on the same subject — amino acids and muscle — but they do not answer the same need, and the order matters.

EAAs provide the nine essential amino acids, that is, the ones the body cannot make itself. They fill a genuine gap when protein intake is low, during fasted training, or in people whose diet contains little animal protein. If your daily protein total is inadequate, that is where to start — or more simply with a protein powder, which is cheaper per gram.

HMB only makes sense after that. It fills no nutritional gap: it is a metabolite, not an essential nutrient, and it is only of interest to someone whose diet is already sound. Taking it while eating 80 g of protein a day at 85 kg is putting a second coat of paint on a wall that has had no first coat.

During a cutting phase, it logically complements a strategy built first on protein and a controlled calorie deficit — not on the capsules in our weight loss aisle. When bulking, it is the calorie total that decides, as our mass gain aisle sets out.

Frequently asked questions

How many capsules a day?

Three, i.e. 3 g of HMB, split into two servings. The 90-capsule bottle therefore covers exactly thirty days. Do not exceed this daily dose, and take account of any HMB present in your other supplements.

Should you take it on rest days?

Yes. HMB is not a session product but a background supplement, whose value rests on a steady intake over several weeks. On days without training, simply spread the three capsules across the day.

Why leave a gap before creatine?

The manufacturer recommends an interval of about two hours between the two. In practice this poses no difficulty: creatine sits happily in the evening and HMB in the morning and around the session. There is no incompatibility, merely an instruction to space them out.

Are these capsules suitable for vegetarians?

No. The shell is made of gelatine, which is of animal origin. That is a common limitation across this range, and there is no plant-based version of this particular reference.

Can it be taken with BCAAs or EAAs?

Yes, but check your labels. The manufacturer explicitly flags a risk of duplication with other supplements containing HMB or leucine. Plenty of amino acid formulas contain some, and stacking will bring you nothing extra.

How long before you can judge?

The manufacturer puts the course at between 8 and 12 weeks. That is also the order of magnitude on which a supplement of this kind is judged: nothing is settled in three weeks. Reckon on three bottles to see a full course through.

Does HMB build muscle?

No claim of that kind is authorised in Europe for HMB, and we are not going to write one. It is a metabolite of leucine, whose value depends entirely on the context: diet, training, phase of the programme. It builds nothing on its own.

Where can you buy IO Genix HMB 1000 mg?

The 90-capsule bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we never sell first: the question always comes before the purchase, and it is a simple one — how much protein do you eat a day? For as long as the answer is vague, this bottle can wait. The rest of the aisle can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.