Scientifically Advanced 6-Stage Research and Testing Protocol

Each and every product sold by MusclePharm� is the end result of a long development process involving leading nutrition scientists doctors, and top professional athletes in the country.

Step 1: The Vision

CEO, Brad Pyatt, President and fitness icon, Cory Gregory, and top sports nutritionist, Eric Serrano, MD take the first step by envisioning a new nutritional supplement with a specific set of performance properties.

Step 2: The Formulation Process

Dr. Eric Serrano, the leading sports nutrition doctor in the US, who is the company's medical director and formulator, begins putting together several scientifically advanced - often breakthrough - combinations and ratios of ingredients resulting in superior formulations.

Step 3: Athlete Protocol Test

At the world reknown MP Performance Center, preliminary formulations of new products are tested on elite professional athletes. Product samples developed at the MP Performance Center are also given to athletes and strength coaches in the NFL, MMA, MLB, and other organizations for further analysis. MusclePharm is the first to use the field as it's lab, truly combining science with athletics. At our 30,000 sq. ft. training facility we use state-of-the-art technology like Omega Wave, DEXA, and Kaiser performance equipment to gather cutting-edge feedback about our formulations. Our medical advisory team, strength coaches, and top fitness experts evaluate the results to give us a practical read on the effectiveness of our products.

Step 4: Research and Product Testing

After athlete testing, the formulation is forwarded to Dr. Jeffrey Stout, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma, who performs an in-depth review of ingredient ratios and combinations to ensure it is sound from both a nutritional and health standpoint. Dr. Stout oversees clinical trials so that product claims are not based solely on published data from individual ingredients but from finished goods.

Step 5: Compliance and Safety

All products are checked against internationally published lists to ensure that no banned substances are included. All production runs are conducted in a state-of-the-art facility that follows government-approved Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). Before being made available to the public, all products are analytically verified for purity and verified for label claim accuracy to ensure that the information we put on the label is 100% accurate. Following testing, reference samples are kept so that we can hold our products to the highest quality assurance standards.

Step 6: NSF Certification Program
and Banned Substance-Free Guarantee

The final step of MusclePharm's product development is by far the most important. To meet the growing demands of athletes, coaches and all those concerned about banned substances in sports supplements, NSF International developed the NSF Certified for Sport® program. This testing program minimizes the risk that a dietary supplement or sports nutrition product contains a substance banned by one of the major sports organizations. It also ensures that certified products contain the identity and quantity of dietary ingredients declared on the product label, but do not contain unacceptable quantities of unwanted contaminants for the recommended serving size.

• Formula Evaluation - NSF provides confidential review of product formulations to screen for potential banned substances and determine testing requirements.

• Good Manufacturing Practices - Production facilities and packaging facilities are inspected to insure controls are in place to avoid the introduction of, or cross contamination with, banned substances.

•Clinical Testing for Metabolites - At the client's request, NSF will oversee clinical testing to determine if any ingredients metabolize into prohibited substances that may result in disqualification from competition.

• Chain-of-Custody Procedures - Each product lot tested for banned substances must be collected by an NSF auditor. All products pending testing are held under locked quarantine until NSF notifies the manufacturer of successful test results.

* MusclePharm is currently in the NSF approval process.