About
Carnivor is a beef-protein powder made by MuscleMeds. It is designed to support muscle growth and performance.
Each serving provides 23g of protein, 0g of total fat, 8g of total carbohydrates and 120 calories. According to the MuscleMeds website, the product is made with USDA-inspected beef and contains 350% more amino acids than steak. The protein source is 99% beef-protein isolate.
The protein powder is manufactured in a “GMP compliant facility”. It has also been tested under the Informed-Choice program and is now certified free from banned substances.
Carnivor is – or has been – available in five flavors: “Chocolate”, “Chocolate Peanut Butter”, “Fruit Punch”, “Strawberry” and “Vanilla Caramel”.
mcglynn1813 –
If you can choke it down, Carnivor is a decent option.
—-Introduction—-
Okay, so I’m a vegetarian now, but way back in January of last year I caught a good deal for the big tub of Carnivor and pounced on it. That was the only tub I’ve ever had since. I usually did two scoops (46g protein/~250 kcal) and it lasted me about six weeks, so I’d say my $20 went a long way.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
Okay, so ingredient wise, it’s pretty standard, compared to other proteins. It’s got about the same amount of calories as the Muscletech and Betancourt options, and I think only one less gram of protein, so it’s not like this is a standout option. It’s a beef isolate, so it’s super concentrated beef protein, which yields some extra ingredients that are the driving force behind choosing beef over whey: B12 (1667% of RDA/scoop) and 2.5 grams of Creatine. If you’re looking to kill two birds with one stone and have your creatine (it’s a little shy of the recommended daily dose) as well as your protein, the Carnivor is for you. It also may appeal to those of you who are lactose intolerant, since it obviously contains no lactose.
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-3/10
Okay, here’s where my review gets a little strange. Carnivor was miles ahead of the other beef protein powder that I’ve had a chance to try. (It was GNC‘s ‘Rare’ beef isolate, it got discontinued around summertime last year, and for good reason too.) Compared to Rare, Carnivor mixes extremely well, and is far superior in terms of taste. However, that’s not saying much when you compare it to a common whey protein. It still mixes very well in comparison to the usual whey powder, but my god the taste is awful. I bought Vanilla Caramel, and I could taste the hint of caramel, which I think they added to try and hide the horrible beefy overtones. Every time I drank it, I had to force myself to chug it, then immediately chase with something else to wash out the taste of hydrolyzed beef. However, since it mixed so well, this was relatively easy to do. Not fun, but easy. I think it may have been the choice of vanilla caramel, though, because I imagine that something like fruit punch wouldn’t be too bad if made sweet enough.
—-Effectiveness—-6/10 (8/10 originally, but i took off two points for taste)
Since it’s got a good amount of protein and creatine, I definitely felt the effects on my strength a little bit more than normally. I usually take the suggested 5g of monohydrate every day, but I could definitely tell the difference in my strength that the added 5 grams (from two scoops) brought to the table.
As far as recovery, it affected my soreness levels at a level that was comparable to a whey isolate. I would feel pretty sore at all the normal times, after switching up my workouts or doing more reps than normal. So it is nothing special in regards to recovery. However, I believe I was running the Russian Squat program during my usage of Carnivor and I was able to follow the program’s guidelines to a tee. (If you’re not familiar, it’s squatting 3x a week with weights ~70-90% of your 1RM) So perhaps if I had been using a whey protein, I might not have been able to keep up with the programs demands, one of these days I’ll do the program again while using a whey powder and compare.
—-Value—-
I got it on a deal from some website I’ve never heard of, and haven’t visited since, but even so it still is pretty cheap in a lot of places. DPS nutrition currently has it at $40 for 4lbs, which is about the price of 4lbs of whey isolate, if not a little cheaper. The value on this stuff is pretty good.
—-Side Effects—-
I noticed a small amount of occassional bloating in the hour or so after drinking this, it could have been from other stuff I was taking/eating, but I think it was from the increased creatine in my diet. Tough to say.
Otherwise, no adverse side effects to speak of.
—-Conclusion—-
The stuff is pretty cheap and pretty effective, but also pretty nasty. If you don’t mind awful taste, give it a try. (I am actually curious to see what Blue Raz and Fruit Punch taste like, If you’ve tried them, let me know how they are!)
Supersaid1 –
The ample chioce for maintaining mass..
—-Quick Summary—-
Carnivor is the ideal product for a person adding and maintaining mass only because it has no added carbs and fats so you dont worry about that extra calories. The nitrogen retention technology gives a boost for more muscle building property to ur mass so that the shirt u are wearing popped out in the crowd making U pointed out.
—-Introduction—-
You might have tried proteins blend but this particular type will give u the energy U want and the desire effects to achieve ur goals. Packed with proteins and creatine that are more concentrated than a steak will offer U the macros u needed for the physique u always wanted and the look u want to keep on the go. Only the wise can make this choice.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
One scoop of 34.2 gms of carnivor provides,
Proteins – 23gms
Cratine monohydrate – 2.5gm
Calories – 120
The very low calories and rich in proteins and creatines are the basic ingredients for building the mass and so is all the carnivor is providing with the staple amount for the growth.
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
Taste is well(vanila caramel), mixing is good, flow is good never clupms but a very firm flowing powder u are getting.
—-Effectiveness—-
Depends upon the diet and macros u have set for urself, but wisely adjusting it in ur routine mainly after a good work out will provide u the benefits of its peak but i recomend it for serious people out there looking for an intelligent option for getting their best results.
—-Value—-
—-Side Effects—-
Belching, bloating may occurr due to the creatine in it, but not a big deal or to worry about it.
—-Conclusion—-
The great combination for muscle building and maintaining strategy, and the best product to be found in this complex world of supps and the one can get.
dconti –
My Favorite Protein
—-Introduction—-
I have a sensitivity to Whey and Casein Protein due to the fact they are derived from Milk. They often leave me feeling bloated and I am convinced it causes me have acne breakouts. I first tried MuscleMeds Carnivore almost 10 years ago when it first came out. Back then they only had a couple flavors (blue raspberry and fruit punch) that tasted horrible and produced a lot of foam when mixing. After my first tub, I switched proteins and kept switching them for about 3-4 years. When I heard the Musclemeds created new flavors I tried them again, and ever since then it’s been my favorite protein. I get all the benefits from Whey protein, with none of the side effects that I get from Whey.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
Per 36g gram scoop:
110 CAL
0g Fat
4 Carb (0g sugar)
23g Protein
340 mg sodium
90mg potassium
2.5 g creatine Monohydrate
Anabolic Nitrogen Retention Technology intermediates (unlisted quantity)
BCAAs (unlisted quantity)
I would like to see an exact dosage of bcaa on the container.
For digestive enzymes, Im not enirely sure if they are needed for beef-based protein. I have no trouble digesting this and have had good gains so I expect it to be absorbing properly.
Being that it is sugar-free I would like to see the implemation of waxy maize or other quick acting carb to replenish glycogen levels after intense training. Right now I eat a banana to satisfy this need. It really helps prevent getting shakey when you leave the gym.
For the price I’m paying ($0.75/serving), I don’t mind if it lacks some of the other ingredients found in other supplements. I can just supplement those seperatly for the the same price as one of those fancy proteins. My favorite thing about this protein is that is doesn’t come from milk (allergies) so that’s why I would rather take this along with some other supps instead of one of those fancy whey proteins.
This protein is not going to be one of those all inclusive supplements. Additional creatine, and other things may need to be added to your diet if you like taking those things. It does what it says it does which is delivers quality protein to your muscles at the speed of whey.
One more thing is that I would definantly not recommend this as a meal replacement, due to its very low carb and fat free profile. The one time I tried taking this as a meal replacement I had very soft stool.
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
This product has really improved over the years as far as mixability and taste goes. I give the Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors a 9.5/10. As far as all the other flavors go, I would steer clear from them. The Blue Raspberry, fruit punch, Strawberry, and Vanilla Caramel were gross. When this product first came out it created a lot of foam when shaking (sometimes taking 20 minutes for the bubbles to go down), causing me to feel bloated and gassy. After trying a different product for a while, I eventually tried Carnivore again and it was obvious that they had fixed this issue (foam settles immediately after mixing now). Dosing is average. It contains 23g of protein per 36g scoop. It also has 2.5g of creatine and according to the container contains a good amount of BCAAs. What’s really nice about this product is that it has 0g of sugar, fat, and cholesterol. [b]Main thing to remember here is to stick with the chocolate or chocolate peanut butter flavors, I found some of the other and discontinued flavors to be repulsive.[/b]
—-Effectiveness—-
I find Carnivore to be a very effective protein as long as you have a sound diet. Recovery is enhanced from the creatine and BCAAs. I usually take a scoop and a half post workout, and sometimes drink it for breakfast when I run out of egg whites. If your goal is to bulk, this protein will not be as effective for you since it has no fat and low carbs. Carnivore is great for maintenance and cutting phases. I would recommend some sort of post workout carb to stack with this to restore glycogen levels. I usually just eat a banana with my post-workout shake for those quick sugars.
—-Value—-
For a beef Protein, I find it to be very reasonably priced. I try to buy it on sale and usually buy it from Amazon. They currently have a 100 serving bag for 75 bucks and some change. For less than a dollar a serving, I find it to be an outstanding value. Shop around because I have found a huge price difference based on where you buy it from.
—-Side Effects—-
None. Like I mentioned earlier it used to make me gassy due to the amount of foam that was produced during shaking, but Muscle Meds fixed this issue a a while back. I would highly doubt if there are any old batches still in circulation. The reason I switched back to this product was because of the side effects I get from Whey (ie. bloating, gassy, acne). I get none of those side effects from this product.
—-Conclusion—-
I will continue with taking carnivore as long as MuscleMeds continues to produced quality products. The only reasons why I didn’t rate this a 10/10 is because it contains some artificial sweeteners and flavors. I also prefer around 30g of protein post-workout so that means I have to take a little more than 1 scoop to get my desired amount of protein. This protein is also not a great bulking protein due to the low fat and carb content, so if bulking is your goal I would not recommend this product. If you are looking to cut or put on lean mass, this protein works wonders. [b]If you are one of those people that gets side effects from whey like me, you will love this product too.[b/]