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Each 63 gram MusclePharm Combat Crunch protein bar provides your body with 20 g of protein, 28 g of carbohydrates, 7 g of fat, and 210 calories. This also includes 12 g of fiber, which is 48% of your RDA.
But without any creatine, L-glutamine, or BCAAs, is it better to buy a whey protein powder or RTD (Ready to Drink)?
In this review we’ll compare Combat Crunch to two other top-rated protein bars; Quest Bars from Quest Nutrition, and CLIF Builder’s Protein.
Comparisons include the levels of protein, carbs, and fats, as well as the cost per serving, customer feedback, flavors, and total calories.
This is to guarantee you only buy the best protein bar for your current diet and fitness routine. Whether that’s weight loss, lean muscle gain, bulking, or simply to boost your daily protein intake.
MusclePharm Combat Crunch Ingredients
The precise macronutrient breakdown differs between flavors, but generally only by 1 or 2 grams. Each flavor still provides more carbs per serving (26 – 27 g) than the Opti-Bar protein bars (20 g), or the Opti-Lean Whey Bars (16 g), both from Optimum Nutrition.
But having more carbs doesn’t mean more calories, as Combat Crunch has fewer grams of fat (7 g vs. 9 g for Opti-Bars).
In terms of the protein, MusclePharm use a blend of whey protein isolate and milk protein isolate. This is a popular combination for supplement companies, and one that’s shared by the protein bars from Optimum Nutrition.
MusclePharm have an excellent track record when it comes to providing a wide range of flavors. We first saw this with their Combat line of protein powder, which offers more conventional flavors that include chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. That’s compared to flavors such as birthday cake and white chocolate raspberry for their Combat Crunch protein bars.
At around 63 g per bar, they’re not too dense, and the texture makes them very easy to digest, even after a workout. We’d also like to see Musclepharm go the same route as Optimum Nutrition, and offer a low carb version of their protein bars, but at the moment this is all that’s on offer.
What’s in Combat Crunch Protein Bars?
| Ingredient | Amount per Serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 210 | |
| Total Fat | 7 g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 150 mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 101 mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 25 g | 8% |
| Dietary Fiber | 12 g | 48% |
| Sugars | 5 g | |
| Protein | 20 g | 40% |
Protein Blend
Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate
MusclePharm Combat Crunch – Summary
- 210 Calories
- 7g of Fat
- 20g of Protein
- 13g of Net Carbohydrates
- 12g of Fiber as digestion-supportive probiotics
- 5g of Sugar
- Gluten Free
- Made using a proprietary baking process for superior taste and a softer texture.
Weight loss or weight gain?
Combat Crunch Protein Bars are designed to assist with the support of lean muscle growth and recovery, as part of a regular exercise and nutrition program.
If you want to include protein bars in a weight loss diet, your best option is a high protein, low calorie, low carb protein bar, which helps to put your body in a caloric deficit each day.
Quest Protein Bars would be an excellent choice. They contain just 6 g of fat, 20 g of protein and as few as 170 calories.
If your goal is weight gain, you’ll need to consume sufficient protein and enough calories from healthy foods to put your body in a daily caloric surplus.
The moderate carb content of Combat Crunch bars makes them a good option, but if you need more calories, carbs, and protein, MET-Rx Big 100 (30 g protein, 400 cals) would be a better option.
Who are they designed for?
Anyone looking for a quick and easy way to increase their protein intake, including runners, weightlifters, and athletes.
When is the best time to take it?
The moderate carb content of Combat Crunch bars means they’re ideal for pre-workout/post-workout nutrition, or as mid-morning/mid-afternoon snacks. You can also enjoy one as a nutritious snack anytime throughout the day.
Combat Crunch vs. Quest Bars
*Based on buying a box of 12 bars. Price accurate at time of writing.
Combat Crunch vs. CLIF Builder’s
*Based on buying a box of 12 bars. Price accurate at time of writing.
What flavors and sizes are available?
MusclePharm Combat Crunch has a serving size of 63 g per bar, where each box provides you with 12 servings.
At the time of writing this review, prices vary massively between the 43 different flavors and flavor combinations. The most affordable Birthday Cake flavor was priced at $1.50 per serving, compared to $3.70 for Choc Cake and Choc Coconut. That’s why we always recommend calculating the average cost per serving, across all flavors and sizes, before making a final buying decision.
A selection of the flavors available:
- Birthday Cake
- Choc Cake and Choc Coconut
- White Choc Raspberry
- Cookies ‘N’ Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Cinnamon Twist
- Coconut
Flavor combinations are also available, with 6 bars of one flavor, and 6 bars of another. e.g. 6 Birthday Cake + 6 Chocolate Cake. Variety packs contain up to 4 different flavors in a box of 12 bars.
Save money with Amazon
If you’re looking to save money on your monthly supplement order, you might want to consider the Amazon Subscribe & Save program.
Subscribe & Save allows you to unlock savings of up to 15% on a wide range of sports nutrition products, including MusclePharm Combat Crunch (selected flavors only).
You can save 5% with a subscription to 1 product, or save the full 15% by subscribing to 5 products, provided they’re all delivered to the same address. The delivery schedule can be set from monthly, up to once every 6 months.
Although 5 products might sound a lot, if you already supplement with a protein powder, multivitamin, creatine, BCAA, and glutamine, the savings can soon add up. But it’s best to order before you run out of your current supplements, because Amazon set the day of the month each order is sent (same day each month e.g. 14th.).
Who are MusclePharm?
MusclePharm currently produces some of the bestselling sports nutrition products in the world, with brand ambassadors that include over 100 professional MMA fighters, as well as wrestlers, bodybuilders, and american football players.
Despite being relatively new to the industry (founded 2010), MusclePharm has already been nominated for dozens of awards, including fourteen supplement awards from BodyBuilding.com. In 2011 alone they won Breakout Brand of the Year, Best Packaging of the Year, and New Supplement of the Year for their Assault pre-workout supplement.
Their supplements have been designed to improve your strength and recovery, assist with weight control, promote health and wellness, and help increase your protein intake.
To find out more about their protein powders, bars, BCAAs, glutamine, pre-workout supplements, creatine, multivitamins, and weight loss products, we recommend our MusclePharm supplement guide. This includes a summary of the health benefits you can expect from each product, which sizes and flavors are available, and dosages for the main ingredients.
We’ve also added in-depth reviews and comparisons with other top rated nutrition companies, to guarantee you only buy the best supplement for your fitness goals.
Review Overview
Overall Review Rating
4.5 / 5
So, should you buy MusclePharm Combat Crunch protein bars?
In our opinion, they're better than Optimum Nutrition Opti-Bars, with fewer calories and less fat per bar on average. They also have more fiber, and use the same clean protein isolates (milk and whey) in their protein blend.
You'll also struggle to beat Combat Crunch bars in terms of value for money.
At the time of writing this review, a box of 12 cost around $17.98 ($1.49 per bar). That's compared to Quest Bars and MuscleTech Mission1 Clean, which were both priced closer to $2 per bar for the same size box.
Although the range of flavors is more than you get with Opti-Bars and other protein bars, it's still below the likes of RXBAR and Quest Nutrition.
Overall, the taste is delicious, flavors are low in sugar and high in fiber, and they're produced by one of the biggest names in supplements. An excellent choice for anyone that needs more protein in their diet.
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