PMP – Peak Muscle Performance – is a pre-workout supplement product made by GAT (German-American Technologies) and is marketed to bodybuilders and gym goers to enhance their muscle strength and size gains from resistance training.
PMP fits the profile of our preferred type of pre-workout supplement: the Muscle Pump pre-workout!
The formula is a mix of mini proprietary blends that have 3 to 5 ingredients in them, but no individual inclusion quantities.
We don’t like that approach unless the product blows us away when we use it. We’d rather know what’s in the formula and how much so we can compare with other products….but then, that’s exactly why some companies don’t provide that information!
When companies like GAT use science to lure customers in, it gets on our nerves when they get it wrong, or misuse it.Beta-Alanine is the lead ingredient in the mini-proprietary blend “NO Enhancers”, and since that’s the blend with the most weight, Beta-Alanine is probably the main ingredient in PMP.
Except it’s NOT and NO (nitric oxide) enhancer. What it DOES do is buffer acid from the muscles, allowing you to dig deeper inside a set of lifts; maybe pushing out another 2 or 3 reps.
It’s a good ingredient, but doesn’t have to be in a pre-workout because it’s not time-sensitive. You just need to take beta-alanine most days and it helps whenever you work out.
The space it takes up could have been given to L-Citrulline, which is the best NO booster around, and produces the best muscle pumps.
Unfortunately, L-Citrulline is 3rd on the list, behind L-Arginine.
If you’ve read our article all about citrulline and muscle pumps, you’ll know Arginine is nowhere near as good as Citrulline at getting you swole.
To cap it off, there isn’t enough in the blend. Citrulline has to be present at about 6000mg (6 grams) to be really effective for giving you a good pump!
Third on the list of ingredients that only make up 3.125 grams doesn’t look good.
Follow the link below to see how it should be done.
Click here to find out which product is the BEST in this category
Benefits of PMP
GAT call them “formula advantages”. Sometimes we’ll paraphrase, but these are the benefits they advertise:
- Increased Strength and Stamina
- Prolonged Energy and Mental Focus
- “Massive Pumps”
- 325mg Caffeine
- “Creatine Free”
- There is a stim-free version
Don’t know about you, but 325mg of caffeine is a little on the heavy side for us.
Also, “Creatine Free” is not a benefit. In this case, however, creatine might contend with the Agmatine for receptors, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.
How PMP Works
GAT describes this in terms of a “Multi-Wave Delivery” – Wave 1 to Wave 3.
Wave 1 has you feeling PMP’s “strong muscle stimulating action”. That’s probably the beta-alanine giving you the tell-tale harmless tingles.
Wave 2 involves the cognitive aspect: improved focus and mind-muscle connection. That’ll be the intended effect of the L-Tyrosine and L-Theanine with the caffeine.
Wave 3 is the muscle pump, steadily increased energy and associated improved performance.
Ingredients in PMP
The following ingredients and inclusion rates are in 1 scoop (1 serving) of GAT PMP. There are 30 servings per tub.
The inclusion rates are only the totals of the mini-blends, as there are no precise quantities on the label.
| Ingredient/Mini-Blend | Quantity per Serving (1 scoop) |
|---|---|
| Thiamine | 10mg |
| Niacin | 25mg |
| Vitamin B-12 | 50mcg |
| Calcium | 13mg |
| Sodium | 78mg |
| NO Enhancers: Beta-Alanine, L-Arginine Malate,
L-Citrulline, Citrulline Malate, L-Norvaline |
3125mg |
| Pump Accelerators: Agmatine Sulfate, Glycerol Monostearate,
L-Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate, Calcium Lactate |
900mg |
| PMP Focus & Cognition: N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, L-Theanine | 700mg |
| PMP Energetics: Caffeine anhydrous, Acetyl L-Carnitine HCl | 525mg |
The Beta-Alanine is in the form of the branded version; Carnosyn. It’s likely to be present in sufficient quantities to have a mild effect.
L-Arginine is mostly broken down by the liver and has no effect, which is why Citrulline is the better ingredient.
L-Citrulline should be in quantities ranging from 4 – 8 grams to have a good muscle pump effect. That clearly isn’t the case here.
The L-Tyrosine and Theanine – two great nootropic stress reducers and focus boosters are included at pretty good amounts assuming they are close to 500mg and 200mg respectively.
Caffeine, as we said, is a little highly dosed in our opinion.
GAT PMP Customer Feedback
Feedback tends to be positive. GAT has a large presence in the US supplement market, together with celebrity bodybuilder endorsement.
Most comments mention taste, and that they have tasted better supplements. It appears the most appreciated flavor is Raspberry Lemonade.
Our colleagues and friends who have used it confirm this for the most part. The general consensus is that the original GAT Nitraflex is preferred overall to PMP.
The caffeine – as suspected – is a little too much for some.
The tingling/itch from Beta-Alanine is misunderstood by some. It is not dangerous or unsafe in any way.
Side Effects
Again, we re-iterate that the tingling from Beta-Alanine is completely normal and safe.
Caffeine “naive” people might have a hard time with the 325mg in PMP, although the Theanine in the formula should help reduce the peak/buzz/crash somewhat.
Pregnant and nursing women should keep well away from products like this. As should young people under 18 and elderly people. Anyone taking medication and/or that have a medical condition should check with their physician.
We tolerated PMP okay but that much caffeine is unnecessary in our opinions.
The Judgement – Is GAT PMP Recommended?
We wouldn’t take it again by choice!
It’s okay in terms of a mild pump and some decent focus, but we know what works a lot better and we’ll stick to those supplements.
For us, the NO Enhancing blend is too busy. There’s no need for all those ingredients; you just need a couple really well dosed ones to get an epic pump.
We also don’t need caffeine melting our face off, whether or not l-theanine is in there to smooth it out. About 120mg to 180mg is enough.
We’d probably take the stim-free version if we had to, but then again, we’d just use what we want to, because we don’t have to do anything we don’t want to.
4Gauge is our Muscle Pump Juice of choice at the moment with 6 GRAMS of Citruline Di-Malate. And its nootropic elements are second to none as well. Rhodiola is the cat’s pyjamas for a zen workout.
Leave a Reply