We’ve seen a lot of formulas designed for fat loss, muscle growth, sleep support, and energy enhancement.
But what if there was a supplement that combined all of these benefits into one?
Is it really possible?
Well, that’s what IM-21 claims to do. Continue reading our IM-21 review to see if it’s truly a top-notch supplement for all-around performance, body recomposition, and vitality.
About IM-21
IM-21 is a comprehensive performance supplement created in part by Mike Tyson. It’s actually a blend of two different formulas, Burn and Build, which are designed to work synergistically to help you pack on muscle, burn fat, and improve overall athletic performance.
Both formulas contain creatine, HMB, digestive enzymes, and micronutrients to provide muscle-building support, without added calories or unnecessary ingredients.
The Burn formula is taken during the day, and also includes a small amount of caffeine, taurine, and B-vitamins to enhance energy and exercise performance.
And Build is their night formula, which contains GABA, valerian, melatonin, and other ingredients to support sleep, recovery, and growth.
Altogether, the two formulas in IM-21 are designed to help you pack on muscle, lose fat, and look and feel better than ever.
IM-21 Benefits
The main advertised benefits of IM-21 are:
- Enhanced Muscle Growth
- Boosted Energy
- Improved Recovery
- Better Sleep
- Greater Fat Burning
Enhanced Muscle Growth
IM-21 claims to enhance muscle growth, through a variety of different ingredients. For example, they use creatine, HMB, and vitamin D3 to support muscle growth and strength.
And their formula also has amino acids as well as papain and protease to enhance the digestion and absorption of protein, leading to greater anabolic effects.
Boosted Energy
IM-21 is also advertised to boost energy, especially from their Burn formula. Taken during the day, this has B vitamins, caffeine, and taurine to enhance energy and boost workout performance.
Plus, their Build formula includes sleep-supporting ingredients which could give you greater next-day energy too, for complementary effects.
Improved Recovery
Recovery is just as important as training for optimal muscle growth and strength. IM-21 claims to improve recovery with a variety of muscle-supporting ingredients, such as creatine and HMB, as well as ingredients to support recovery and anabolism during sleep, such as glycine and GABA.
Better Sleep
A great night’s sleep is a pivotal part of muscle growth and fat loss. IM-21 is advertised to give you better, more restorative sleep, with a potent mix of valerian, GABA, glycine, and melatonin.
These may work to relax the body and mind, support sleep quality, and help you sleep interrupted throughout the night. This may even lead to other benefits too, such as better recovery, fewer cravings, and less stress.
Greater Fat Burning
Lastly, IM-21 is advertised to offer fat-burning effects to help you get that chiseled, cut look. Their burn formula contains caffeine and B vitamins which may enhance metabolism and give you more energy for calorie-burning workouts.
Plus, their Build formula is designed to improve sleep, which can then lead to fewer cravings, improved metabolism and better body composition as a result.
Overall, IM-21 is designed to offer many benefits for body composition and overall health and performance.
But is it really effective?
Read on to find out!
IM-21 Ingredients
IM-21 has 21 active ingredients, which is where the name comes from.
Ingredients found in both formulas are:
- HMB
- Vitamin D3
- Creatine
- Fulvic Acid
- Glycine
- Glutamine
- Protease
- Papain
Here are the ingredients unique to the Burn formula:
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Caffeine
- Phenylalanine
- Taurine
And finally the ingredients unique to the Build formula:
- Cordyceps
- GABA
- Tryptophan
- Melatonin
- Valerian Root
Continue reading to see what benefits these ingredients may have.
(For the ingredients in both formulas, we’ve listed out the dose per serving for each supplement [on the left] and the total daily dose [on the right] ).
HMB (500mg / 1,000mg)
HMB, which stands for beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, is a natural metabolite of leucine, which is an essential amino acid.
There are many positive effects of HMB in the body. For example, HMB can enhance protein synthesis, help prevent muscle breakdown, and enhance growth hormone and IGF-1. So basically, HMB offers many anabolic effects.
Evidence shows that HMB supplementation can lead to greater muscle mass, improve strength, and enhanced body composition in older adults and people prone to muscle loss, as well as athletes and gym-goers.
Today, there are even some protein powders that include HMB, such as Re-Built Mass XP, for greater anabolic effects.
Vitamin D3 (5,000 IU / 10,000 IU)
Vitamin D3 is a very important vitamin. It actually acts like more of a hormone in the body and is important for immune, bone, muscle, and brain health, to name a few things.
People who don’t get enough vitamin D may experience muscle and bone health impairments. But supplementing with vitamin D may be able to enhance muscle and strength, especially if someone is deficient.
This can be beneficial for athletes as well as people at risk for muscle loss, like older adults.
Plus, some research shows having enough vitamin D can actually improve the effects of HMB, which leads to even greater benefits.
Creatine (1,500mg / 3,000mg)
Creatine is another very valuable nutrient for muscle and performance. This substance is found in high amounts in the muscles, in the form of creatine phosphate. It helps the body make ATP during high-intensity exercise, which keeps energy levels high.
Creatine supplementation has benefits for high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting and heavy weightlifting. Additionally, creatine may even improve recovery and muscle growth, due to its ability to decrease muscle damage.
Fulvic Acid (2mg / 4mg)
Fulvic acid is a humic substance, which refers to organic compounds that are formed when microorganisms in soil break down and decompose plant matter.
Sounds pretty weird, right? Well, fulvic acid can actually have some benefits, mainly due to the various minerals and other nutrients in it. There is some evidence that fulvic acid can enhance gut health and improve nutrient absorption, which could lead to other benefits.
Plus, fulvic acid has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that may improve recovery and overall health.
Beyond that, fulvic acid may help with hormonal balance, which is why it’s in some testosterone boosters like T-Hero.
Glycine (100mg / 200mg)
Glycine is an amino acid with a few important roles. For one, it acts as a calming neurotransmitter and may help improve sleep quality.
It’s also a component in collagen and may offer joint health support.
Plus, glycine can enhance gut barrier function which may lead to better digestion.
Glutamine (100mg / 200mg)
Glutamine is an amino acid often used for recovery. It may benefit immune health and decrease inflammation, which is why it has potential recovery benefits, although the research isn’t conclusive.
Also, glutamine feeds the cells in your gut which can lead to better gut health and decreased digestive problems.
Protease/ Papain (200K USP / 400K USP)
Protease and papain are both proteolytic digestive enzymes, meaning they help break down protein into amino acids.
This can lead to greater absorption and utilization of the protein you eat, which could lead to greater recovery and muscle-building effects.
Burn Ingredients
Now, we’re looking at the specific ingredients that are only included in Burn. Let’s take a look.
B Vitamins
Burn contains vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, which are all B-complex vitamins. These increase energy production and support healthy metabolism.
And intense exercise may deplete some of the B vitamins, which is why supplementing could be helpful to get your intake at the right level.
Vitamin C (45mg)
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin mainly with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It also is important for immune health.
Together, these effects might make vitamin C beneficial for recovery and overall health.
Caffeine (75mg)
Burn contains a modest dose of caffeine, which can lead to a boost in energy, alertness, and exercise performance, especially for longer-lasting workouts.
Caffeine is also known to activate the sympathetic nervous system, which can increase metabolism and fat-burning. This is why caffeine may also help you lose fat.
Phenylalanine (40mg)
Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid and a precursor to tyrosine. This is important because tyrosine stimulates dopamine and noradrenaline, which boosts alertness and mental energy.
Also, phenylalanine may enhance blood sugar metabolism. And it seems to be beneficial for fat loss when combined with exercise.
Taurine (100mg)
Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid with many different roles related to muscle and fitness.
For one, it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that could reduce soreness and improve recovery.
Taurine also may help the body use fat for fuel and increase cellular energy. This could lead to greater fat loss and better endurance. But the dose used in Burn is pretty low.
A different supplement with a high dose of taurine (1g) is Redcon1 Total War Pre-Workout.
Build Ingredients
Now, let’s take a look at the unique ingredients in the Build formula.
GABA (100mg)
GABA is an amino acid and neurotransmitter. It has inhibitory effects in the brain, meaning it can potentially promote mental calmness.
Some research shows that GABA can reduce stress and anxiety, and improve sleep quality.
Tryptophan (40mg)
Tryptophan is amino acid which is necessary for production of 5-HTP and serotonin. These brain chemicals are important for mood, stress management, and general well-being.
In fact, tryptophan supplements may help reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and even reduce cravings. These are all thought to be related to the boost in 5-HTP/serotonin.
Melatonin (3mg)
Melatonin is a naturally-occurring hormone that regulates sleep/wake cycles. Used as a supplement, melatonin may lead to higher-quality sleep, such as fewer awakenings and greater deep sleep.
But it isn’t effective as an anxiety-related sleep supplement.
Valerian Root (50mg)
The last ingredient in Build is valerian root, which is a popular herbal remedy. Valerian contains compounds that can stimulate GABA and possibly other calming brain chemicals. And it may also reduce cortisol and other stress hormones.
When combined, these effects are likely why valerian supplements can reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality
It’s included in several other sleep products, such as Prestige Labs Sleep Multiplier.
Cordyceps (10mg)
Cordyceps is a medicinal mushroom with many beneficial compounds in it. It generally offers support for immunity, gut health, and metabolism.
Plus, cordyceps contains a compound called cordycepin which may improve sleep, but research is limited.
Does IM-21 Work?
There’s a lot to consider when analyzing IM-21’s effectiveness. But overall, it seems likely to work for overall body composition and performance.
The main ingredients with the most potential effects are HMB, vitamin D3, and creatine. These are all well-researched and proven to offer benefits for muscle growth, strength, and performance. Plus, they’re all dosed pretty well, although HMB and creatine might need to be a bit higher for some people. Also in this category are protease and papain; these digestive enzymes can enhance protein synthesis and may lead to better muscle growth.
The unique ingredients in Burn and Build also likely offer the advertised effects. For example, caffeine and B vitamins in Burn should help improve energy and fat loss. While GABA, melatonin, and other ingredients in Build may support sleep quality and recovery.
However, quite a few ingredients are underdosed, such as glutamine, tryptophan, valerian, glycine, and cordyceps. This isn’t as big of a deal since the primary ingredients we mentioned are dosed well. But it still limits the overall potential benefits.
How Does IM-21 Compare?
IM-21 is a very unique muscle-building and performance-enhancing supplement. There definitely are other supplements with creatine, vitamin D3, and HMB. But IM-21 also adds in other beneficial ingredients such as proteolytic enzymes, metabolic boosters, and sleep supporters. Plus, they use a day and night combination formula to possibly get greater benefits.
All this is to say that IM-21 is definitely a well-rounded supplement. Of course, although it hits all these angles, it doesn’t hit every one of them to a GREAT degree. This is due to the lack of proper doses from some of the ingredients. But overall, it’s a quality supplement.
One of the supplements that comes to mind when comparing IM-21 is Transparent Labs Creatine HMB. This formula has 5g of creatine monohydrate, plus 1,500mg of HMB and a solid supporting dose of vitamin D3. so, it may have benefits for muscle growth, strength, recovery, and body composition. However, it doesn’t contain any of the energizing ingredients in IM-21 Burn nor the sleep-supporting ingredients found in IM-21 Build.
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB is still a great choice, especially if you’re just looking for a more basic muscle and strength product, whereas IM-21 is a more comprehensive, well-rounded formula. The regular price is $49.99 for 30 servings, whereas IM-21 is $69 for a one-month supply of both products.
Also, it’s worth noting that IM-21 doesn’t have any protein or really any calories. So, if you’re looking for a product for the most mass-building potential, it might be better to go with something like Re-Built Mass XP. This is a mass gainer with 60g of protein per serving, plus solid amounts of creatine, HMB, betaine, and BCAAs for optimal muscle growth. It also includes digestive enzymes and other ingredients for bioavailability.
Who is IM-21 Best For?
IM-21 is best for anyone looking for a day-and-night combination formula to build muscle, burn fat, and look and feel better overall.
This product is sold as a pack, so it’s not for anyone who wants just one of the products. Basically, if you need some help in boosting muscle, sleeping better, and improving overall body composition, IM-21 seems to be worth looking into.
Due to the unique combo of creatine, HMB, and vitamin D3, it’s a potential option not only for athletes but also people at risk of muscle loss, such as older adults and people who can’t exercise often.
How to Take IM-21
IM-21 is a combination of two supplements: Burn and Build.
They both come in packets and are in powdered form.
Take one packet of Burn mixed with 12 to 16oz of water in the morning, every day.
And then at night, take one packet of Build mixed with 12 to 16oz of milk or milk substitute about 30 minutes before bed.
You can substitute any liquid for the water or milk, but these are there recommendations.
Is IM-21 Safe?
IM-21 has a lot of ingredients, but they are all generally recognized as safe when used in appropriate doses.
One thing we saw initially is the high dose of vitamin D. there is 5,000 IU in both formulas, which gives a total dose of 10,000 IU each day. This is really high and has the potential to cause excess vitamin D levels. So always talk with your doctor before supplementing.
Other general possible side effects of IM-21 are:
- Digestive upset
- Headache
- Allergic reactions
- Itching
Side effects from the Burn formula in particular may include:
- Anxiety
- Increased heart rate
- Mood changes
And specific side effects from Build may include:
- Drowsiness
- Mood changes
- Excessive dreaming/nightmares
Where to Buy IM-21
You can buy IM-21 right from Mike Tyson’s IM-21 website.
Each purchase comes with the Burn and Build formulas, so you can’t buy the products separately at this time.
You can buy a one-, three-, or six-month’s supply.
Below are the prices for IM-21:
- One-Month Supply – $69 ($2.30/day)
- Three-Month Supply – $177 ($1.97/day)
- Six-Month Supply – $294 ($1.63/day)
These prices might seem a bit high. But keep in mind that it’s for both products when taken every day. So, really, the price for each product is around a dollar per serving, which is definitely in the reasonable range. Between the Burn and Build products, you’re getting many different ingredients, so it seems to be a pretty good value overall.
Plus, they offer a Lifetime Money-Back Guarantee, which really is rare to see with supplements.
Verdict: IM-21 Review
Well, we’ve reached the end of this IM-21 review and can say that, altogether, it’s a well-formulated supplement. It’s not perfect, but IM-21 has many effective ingredients for muscle growth, body composition, sleep support, energy, and fat loss.
It’s a very comprehensive formula, although some of the ingredients are underdosed. But we like that it’s separated into the Burn and Build formulas. Each formula has creatine, vitamin D3, HMB, and other ingredients to support muscle and strength.
But they also have their own unique ingredients, such as caffeine and B vitamins for during the day with Burn, and melatonin and GABA for at night with Build.
Overall, it seems IM-21 is worth trying out if you’re someone who wants to get a boost in overall body composition, strength, and performance.
