Shred Matrix is a fat burner supplement by MusclePharm. You get 40 servings per bottle, and it’s priced at around $28.
Claimed to promote:
Fat loss
Energy
Mental Focus
Supression of appetite
We’ll take you through the positives and negatives of Shred Matrix, to help you decide whether this fat burner is worth taking a look at.
Take a look:
About the Company
MusclePharm are a huge name in the supplements industry, and have been around since 2010. They market numerous products, ranging from pre-workouts to protein powders.
MusclePharm are well known for sponsoring numerous athletes, most notably UFC fighters such as Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.
The Ingredients and How They Work
When looking at the ingredients list for Shred Matrix, we’re hit with 6 different proprietary blends – this is bad.
But you might be thinking, what’s wrong with proprietary blends?
Well, proprietary blends are mixtures of numerous ingredients that are only shown to you as one quantity – meaning, you’ll never know the exact amounts of each individual ingredient in these blends.
This is a problem, as there could be high amounts of ingredients that you might be sensitive to, increasing the risk of experiencing unwanted side effects.
However, there are some positives to Shred Matrix – it contains some quality ingredients for a pre-workout, such as Caffeine, Green Tea Extract, Glucomannan and Cayenne Powder.
See for yourself:
Stage 1 & 2: Energy & Fat Metabolism
This is the first proprietary blend contained in Shred Matrix – you won’t know the exact amount of each individual ingredient inside this blend, meaning you’re at risk of experiencing side effects if the doses of a particular nutrient is too high.
We’ll analyze the contents of this blend for you – take a look:
Guarana Seed Extract
Also known as Pullinia Cupana, the seed of this tree are ground and used traditionally in Amazonian medicine.
Guarana Seed Extract is a stimulant that contains more caffeine than coffee beans – this is a problem as it’s mixed in a proprietary blend.
Due to it’s large caffeine content, it increases the risk of experiencing side effects like jitters, energy crashes, and insomnia – you’ll never know how much Guarana Seed Extract as it’s part of the proprietary blend.
As caffeine is the most beneficial stimulant for a pre-workout, we recommend looking for a product only containing caffeine without Guarana Seed Extract – this will ensure that you avoid any unwanted side effects.
Guarana Seed Extract has shown to be unsafe when taken in large doses for long periods of time – this is a problem, as you usually need to use a product for a month before you notice its full effects on your physique.
Caffeine
MusclePharm have tried to fix the negatives about proprietary blend by proving the amount of caffeine in this blend (150mg).
However, as Shred Matrix contains Guarana Seed Extract (which has more caffeine than coffee beans), there’s a chance that you’ll be consuming too much caffeine.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for caffeine is set at 400mg – there’s 150mg of caffeine, along with an unknown quantity of Guarana Seed Extract, meaning it’s possible that you’ll be ingesting over 400mg.
Ultimately, this cause you side effects like jitters, energy crashes, and insomnia. MusclePharm should have kept caffeine as their only stimulant (as it’s the best stimulant you can find in a fat buner) in Shred Matrix to keep you safe from these side effects.
Green Tea Extract
This is one of the best ingredients in Shred Matrix – Green Tea Extract (GTE) contains high amounts of catechins which benefits almost every organ in your body.
Not only that, it’s also a proven fat loss ingredient – the catechins in GTE positively affect lipid oxidation and fat burning pathways, meaning it promotes fat loss in your body.
You should definitely look out for product containing GTE on your search for a top quality fat burner.
Saw Palmetto
Also known as Serenoa repens, this is a fatty acid mix that’s believed to increase testosterone. MusclePharm have included this in Shred Matrix in as increased testosterone aids fat loss.
However, here’s the problem – there isn’t any evidence to prove Saw Palmetto is an effect testosterone booster.
This means that this ingredient will have no effect in raising your energy levels or fat loss rate.
The worrying thing is that Saw Palmetto is part of the proprietary blend – meaning this blend could be mostly made up of this ineffective ingredient. Ultimately, this would mean that Shred Matrix is an ineffective product.
MusclePharm should have left this ingredient out of their fat burner.
Cayenne Powder
This is a quality ingredient to have in a fat burner, as it contains capsaicin. Capsaicin is a thermogenic, meaning it increases your body temperature.
This encourages your body to burn calories, as it works hard to raise and regulate it’s temperature – meaning increased fat loss.
However, the problem with Shred Matrix it that there may be a minimal amount of Cayenne Pepper inside – meaning you may not experience the full benefits of this ingredient.
Cayenne Powder is a quality ingredient to have in a fat burner, and we strongly recommend looking for fat burners containing it – that doesn’t contain any proprietary blends.
Yohimbine
This is derived from the bark of a Paustinystalia Yohimbe tree in Africa. While it’s shown to reduce body fat and strengthen erections, if you’re reading this in the UK, you won’t get hold of it – because it’s banned in the UK.
Ingredients don’t get banend for no reason – Yohimbine caused a severe increase and decrease in blood pressure, leading to side effects like rapid heart rate, cold sweating, insomnia.
This is a problem – as Yohimbine is part of a proprietary blend, there may be a large dose of it inside Shred Matrix, meaning increased risk of side effects.
We strongly recommend that you stay away from this ingredient to avoid these side effects.
Stages 3 & 4: Appetite Balancing & Weight Management Control
Glucommanan
Also known as Konjac Root, this is one of the best ingredients in Shred Matrix. Glucomannan is a dietary fibre that’s used as an emulsifier and thickener, as well as for making Shiratake Noodles (which are very popular in Japanese dishes).
It’s used in fat burners as it’s a very effective appetite suppressant – you’ll snack less, meaning you’re calorie intake will be lower, resulting in more fat loss.
However, here’s the problem with Shred Matrix – if Glucomannan is consumed in very large doses, it can cause side effects such as bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
As Glucomannon is part of a proprietary blend, you’ll never know the exact amount that’s contained in Shred Matrix. This means, you might experience its side effects.
Don’t let this put you off though – look for a fat burner that provides the exact quantity of Glucomannon to experience it’s benefits without the side effects. The perfect serving size of this ingredient is around 125mg (daily doses of 500mg).
Guar Gum
This is another ingredient that’s used as a thickener in food.
However, this is an issue – as Shred Matrix already contains Glucomannan (a thickening agent), you’re at increased risk of experiencing side effects like bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
There’s no need for Guar Gum to be in Shred Matrix – Guar Gum allergies are fairly common, which causes further concern.
MusclePharm should have kept this ingredient out of their fat burner.
Stage 5: Anti-Stress Mood Balancing Matrix
Panax Ginseng Root
While this is one of the best ingredients to have in a testosterone booster, it’s not necessary in a fat burner.
MusclePharm have included Panax Ginseng Root with aim of increasing your mood as a result of increased testosterone – but there are already top quality T-booster products on the market.
MusclePharm should’ve left this ingredient out and included more beneficial ingredients for a fat burner like Green Coffee Bean Extract – this is proven to aid fat loss.
Other ingredients in this blend
This “Stage 5” proprietary blend also contains ingredients like Tumeric, Echinacea Angustifolia and Wood Betony.
However, none of these ingredients are proven to aid in fat loss. This is a problem, as these ingredients could be taking up the majority of the space in Shred Matrix, meaning the whole product could be ineffective as a fat burner.
Stages 6, 7 & 8
We’ve put these three proprietary blends together, as almost all of the ingredients in these blends are ineffective in promoting fat loss.
This is worrying, as there is 6 proprietary blends in total, so at least half of Shred Matrix is likely to be ineffective as a fat burner.
Check out which ingredients work and which don’t in our
– Fat burner ingredients guide –
Side Effects
Apart from Yohimbine (which has been banned in the UK due to causing severe increases and decreases in blood pressure), the other ingredients are relatively side effects free when used correctly.
However, the problem with Shred Matrix is that all of its contents are part of 6 different proprietary blends.
As you don’t know the exact amount of each individual ingredient, there might be a very high caffeine content from the Guarana Seed Extract contained alongside caffeine in Shred Matrix – meaning you’re at risk of experiencing side effects like jitters and energy crash.
Here’s a list of the side effects that Shred Matrix can cause:
- Jitters
- Insomnia
- Energy crashes
- Severe increases and decreases in blood pressure
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Bloating
Not what you’re looking for? See your best options in our
– Top 3 Fat Burners Page –
Pro’s and Con’s
Pro’s
- Contains some quality ingredients for a fat burner like Caffeine, Green Tea Extract, Cayenne Powder and Glucomannan.
Con’s
- All ingredients are part of a proprietary blend – meaning you’ll never know the exact amounts of each individual ingredent contained.
- Contains Yohimbine (which is banned in the UK)
- There could be high amounts of certain ingredients that can lead to increased side effects
- Not good value for money – while Shred Matrix has a large nutrient profile, it might be filled with ineffective ingredients.
Shred Matrix Review Conclusion
While Shred Matrix contains some great ingredients that can make up a top quality fat burner, they’re outnumbered by ineffective ingredients in the 6 proprietary blends.
This means you don’t know the extent of the side effects you may experience – as you don’t know the exact amount of each individual ingredient in Shred Matrix.
We strongly recommend that you search for a fat burner that’s completely transparent (contains no proprietary blends), so you know exactly what you’re getting.