Micronutrients & recovery
HMB-Free Acid (HMB-FA) provides a minor, statistically significant improvement in lower body strength (leg press) compared to HMB-Calcium and placebo, but this effect is likely too small to be practically meaningful for hypertrophy.
HMB-Free Acid might give you a tiny boost in leg press strength compared to the calcium version or placebo, but it won't help you build more muscle or improve upper body strength. The difference is likely too small to matter for your overall progress.
HMB-FA group displayed significantly greater strength values at POST when compared to HMB-Ca (p=0.007) and to PL (p=0.017)... The effects are rather minor... and only observed for lower body.
Why this rating
Same study design as N1, robust for detecting this specific interaction.
Source
Negligible Effects of β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate Free Acid and Calcium Salt on Strength and Hypertrophic Responses to Resistance Training: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study
Aline C. Tritto et al. · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · 2019
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