The Top 5 Creatine Supplements To Help You Build Muscle
Are you looking to increase your muscle strength and power?
Creatine is by far the most popular nutritional supplement and the most widely researched. Creatine is a natural compound that helps the body produce energy. Creatine supplementation increases creatine concentrations in the muscle, leading to lean muscle growth and improved athletic performance.
Also, creatine supplementation may enhance muscle recovery, prevent injuries, help during rehabilitation, and reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses.
Check out our list of the top 5 best creatine supplements on the market.
My Selection Process
You've heard that creatine can help you build muscle, but you need to decide which product to trust.
It's hard to know which creatine supplement is right for you. There are endless amounts of products on the market, and it can take time to determine which ones are safe and effective.
I have done the research for you and hand-picked each creatine supplement after hours of research and contacting dozens of companies.
These products have been proven safe and effective through clinical research and third-party testing for ingredient potency, pesticides, heavy metal content, and microbial contaminants.
Continue reading to learn more about the best creatine supplements so you can make an informed decision.
Klean Athlete Klean Creatine
Best for supporting muscle strength, performance, and recovery.
Why I Dig It
Klean Athlete's Klean Creatine is an excellent option for enhancing performance during high-intensity activities. This unflavored powder will help you increase muscle mass and strength and improve muscle recovery after a challenging workout.
Each serving offers 5 grams per serving of pure creatine monohydrate.
Klean Creatine is free of GMOs, artificial coloring, flavoring, and sweeteners. Also, it is wheat-free and gluten-free. Worried about it not being vegan? Don't sweat it - this stuff is 100% vegan-friendly.
The Data Dump
Klean Athlete's Klean Creatine is a safe and reliable supplement for athletes at any level. From recreational to professional, everyone can depend on clean, high-quality performance from this product.
Manufactured in the USA under exacting standards — including NSF-GMP registered facilities — and brought to you through third party-certifications, you can trust that what you consume is safe and consistent.
Klean Athlete performs comprehensive testing in ISO 17025 accredited labs, using chemical, physical, and microbial tests. With the help of sports nutrition experts like dietitians, PhDs, nutritionists, scientists, and physiologists creating the ingredients and formulation for this product, you can use it with maximal confidence!
Plus, with their partnership with TerraCycle for recyclable items used in packaging products such as this one, Klean Athlete is doing its bit for sustainability.
Metagenics Creatine UP
Best for muscle growth and muscle strength.
Why I Dig It
Metagenics' Creatine UP is a unique blend of creatine monohydrate, taurine, and betaine. This formula promotes muscle growth and increases your strength. Just add one scoop of this powder 30 minutes before your workout.
The unflavored powder includes 5 grams per serving of creatine monohydrate, 1 gram of betaine, and 0.75 grams of taurine.
Betaine, or betaine anhydrous, increases muscle power, while taurine helps reduce muscle fatigue and protect against muscle damage.
Plus, Creatine UP is made without GMOs and is free from gluten, making it suitable for all diets.
The Data Dump
Metagenics – Creatine UP is a top choice for those who prioritize safety and transparency regarding supplements. With this product, you can rest assured that its quality testing meets or exceeds the highest purity and potency standards.
All materials and ingredients used in Metagenics – Creatine UP are held to rigorous FDA criteria, including testing for heavy metals, E. coli, Salmonella, yeast, and mold. The manufacturing facilities also received GMP registration from the NSF, ensuring your safety.
It's easy to double-check the quality of any product with Metagenics – Creatine UP because you can go online to find the lot number and related testing information.
So if you're looking for a supplement with an unparalleled commitment to quality assurance, you'll want to give Metagenics – Creatine UP a try!
Onnit Creatine Monohydrate
Best for increasing lean muscle mass, strength, and power.
Why I Dig It
Onnit's creatine monohydrate powder contains 5 grams per serving of micronized creatine monohydrate. This powder will assist you in building stronger muscles and reducing body fat.
Plus, it is an unflavored powder that is dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan.
The Data Dump
Onnit's creatine monohydrate is a scientifically-backed and trusted supplement to have great results in your training.
Onnit works with cGMP-certified manufacturing facilities to ensure the highest quality ingredients go into every batch. They perform rigorous testing in every produced lot to validate purity, heavy metal, and microbial contamination so that you can always trust our product's safety and efficacy.
However, when I contacted Onnit they informed me that they would not provide the Certificates of Analysis for any of their products.
Onnit's creatine monohydrate is a good option and can increase strength and power.
Vedge Nutrition Creatine +
Best for increasing muscular strength and performance.
Why I Dig It
Vedge Nutrition's Creatine + is a unique unflavored formula to help you reach your muscular strength, energy, and performance goals. Whether you're an athlete looking for that extra edge to take you to the top or just trying to turn workouts into results, Vedge is here to make it happen!
This proprietary blend combines 5 grams per serving of creatine monohydrate with a unique mushroom blend from PeakO2. That's right, mushrooms! And this isn't any ordinary mushroom mix.
PeakO2 is derived from six specially-sourced U.S.-grown varieties of mushrooms that have been combined for maximum effect. When combined with creatine, you'll not only reach peak performance but also enjoy the improved cognitive function and less mental fatigue.
The Data Dump
Vedge Nutrition is the perfect choice for a 100% plant-based supplement line. Not only are all of the ingredients in our supplements non-GMO and gluten-free, but they are also free of any dairy or fillers.
Each product batch is third-party tested to determine contaminants, heavy metals, and glyphosate. Additionally, when I emailed Vedge Nutrition they informed me that they do not provide their Certificates of Analysis to the public.
Vedge employs only certified Good Manufacturing Practice facilities in the United States to produce every single one of their products. You can feel confident knowing that you are investing in safe, quality nutrition.
Thorne Creatine
Best for enhancing muscle performance and cognitive function.
Why I Dig It
Thorne's creatine monohydrate powder is full of unique perks. Not only will it increase your physical endurance, strength, and power, but it'll also increase your lean muscle mass. Not to mention the fact that it supports cognitive function and cellular energy production.
This powder provides 5 grams per serving of micronized creatine monohydrate. Plus, every batch is NSF Certified for Sport and has been tested to ensure there are no banned substances of any kind.
And don't worry about dietary restrictions because this powder is gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and made with natural flavors and colors.
The Data Dump
Thorne is committed to offering the optimal product for your supplementation needs. Their Creatine supplement is no exception.
Thorne's stringent quality and purity standards ensure each raw material is adequately tested FOUR times during their manufacturing process to produce high-quality supplements that meet industry standards.
Thorne performs extensive stability tests and checks for microbial contaminants, pesticide residues, and heavy metals, all to guarantee that every product reaches its highest potency potential.
Soon, Thorne will be releasing their Certificates of Analysis (CoA's), illustrating the quality of their products so customers can have complete confidence in their supplements.
You won't regret trying out such an incredible product!
Benefits Of Creatine Supplementation
Creatine is the most extensively researched supplement on the market. Numerous scientific studies have confirmed the effectiveness of creatine in improving muscular strength, power, and lean muscle mass in both trained and untrained individuals.
Thus, increasing creatine content in the muscle via creatine supplementation can increase the regeneration of ATP during and following short-duration high-intensity exercise; ATP is the primary fuel source found in all living things.
Consequently, taking supplements with creatine or creatine monohydrate can significantly improve high-intensity exercise capacity allowing you to perform repetitions more easily during resistance training and sustain short bursts of higher-intensity movements.
Specific sporting events may be enhanced by creatine monohydrate. Some include track and field events (60-800 m, shot put, hammer throw, and discus), swimming events (50-200 m), basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, combat sports, American football, and soccer.
Additionally, research suggests that creatine may benefit people with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Creatine supplementation is an extremely valuable tool for athletes and non-athletes who want to optimize their physical performance, recovery, and health.
Overall, creatine supplementation is safe, relatively inexpensive, and the most effective nutritional supplement for improving lean muscle mass and high-intensity exercise capacity.
Creatine FAQs
Creatine is a dietary supplement that athletes often take to increase muscle strength and performance. While it has many potential health benefits beyond exercise performance, creatine has also become the subject of numerous questions from curious consumers.
To help those interested in taking creatine monohydrate, I have carefully compiled a comprehensive list of the most common questions and researched the information about this popular supplement.
This list will give you insight and confidence when taking creatine - now you can make an informed decision about your supplementation routine.
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When it comes to selecting the most effective creatine, many factors need to be taken into consideration.
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a creatine supplement is its form. Creatine can come in different forms, including creating monohydrate, creatine serum, creatine citrate, creatine ethyl ester, and creatine nitrate.
Creatine monohydrate has been studied extensively and is one of the best forms for increasing muscle mass while improving power and strength during workouts.
Furthermore, research has not demonstrated that the other forms of creatine promote greater creatine retention compared to creatine monohydrate. Thus, I would continue to stick with creatine monohydrate.
Additionally, some research shows that taking creatine with protein and carbohydrates post-exercise shows greater improvements in strength and muscle mass size. -
Yes, it is okay to take creatine every day, but the daily dosage may differ based on your individual needs. Numerous long-term studies (for up to 5 years) have shown that creatine supplementation does not cause adverse health risks. Contrastly, it offers many health and performance benefits.
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The long and short of it is YES! Taking creatine as a supplement is the most effective nutritional supplement to increase muscle mass and strength and lean body mass when combined with regular resistance training.
Long-term studies have shown that taking creatine monohydrate can cause individuals to gain about 2 to 4 pounds of muscle mass during 4 to 12 weeks of training. -
Creatine powder and creatine capsules are equally effective in providing benefits.
However, taking capsules may be more convenient for some people because they can easily be transported compared with consuming a drink mixed with creatine powder. This is especially true if you're consuming creatine several times per day.
Choosing between different creatine capsules versus creatine powder comes down to personal preference. Also, the higher-quality brands make creatine powder over capsules. Thus, the most commonly used form would be creatine powder. -
Yes, it is worth the hype! Research has concluded various ergogenic benefits (i.e., enhanced physical performance) when individuals consume creatine while involved in exercise training.
The benefits can include the following:
increased sprint performance
increased work performed during maximal effort contractions
increased muscle mass and strength
increased work capacity
increased lean muscle mass
greater training tolerance
enhanced recovery
may help reduce the risk of heat-related-illness
reduces mental fatigue
improves cognitive function may improve clinical outcomes for people with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
In conclusion, ample evidence indicates that supplementing with creatine is worth all the "hype" since it offers profound value in terms of physical performance, protection against cognitive decline, and long-term memory improvement, making this one worthwhile investment!
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Everyone's response times may vary when it comes to experiencing the effects of taking creatine supplements – some people may notice improvements much sooner than others depending on their specific physiology or lifestyle habits like diet and exercise routine.
However, the fastest method for increasing muscle creatine stores is a loading phase of ~0.3 grams per kilogram of your body weight per day of creatine monohydrate for 5–7 days, followed by 3–5 g/day after that to maintain creatine stores.
If you ingest smaller amounts, 3–5 g/day, of creatine monohydrate, you could expect an increase in muscle creatine stores over a 3–4 week period. -
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The only consistently reported side effect from creatine supplementation had been weight gain due to increased water retention or lean muscle mass.
Short and long-term studies have examined creatine dosages ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 g/kg/d for up to 5 years with both young and old participants, all of which have shown it does not pose a health risk.
Also, others have demonstrated that creatine supplementation does not increase your risk of dehydration, GI upset, renal dysfunction, or muscle cramping.
Additionally, numerous well-controlled clinical studies have proven that using creatine does not increase the chances of dehydration, gastrointestinal upset, renal dysfunction, or cramping.
Overall, taking creatine can be a safe addition to your health regimen. -
Research is mixed as to whether you should take creatine before or after a workout.
A study conducted in 2013 found that 5 grams of creatine taken immediately following resistance training increased lean muscle mass and strength.
However, others have found no difference in creatine timing (i.e., pre vs. post-resistance training) on maximal strength or changes in body composition.
Thus, more research needs to be conducted to have a clearer picture of optimal creatine timing. With that said, you decide what works best for you. You can consume a pre-workout with creatine or as a post-workout supplement.
I prefer to consume my protein and creatine as a post-workout supplement because I want to avoid drinking a large amount of liquid pre-exercise - but that's just me. -
Yes, it is safe to mix creatine with protein. When creatine is combined with protein, the result can be even more effective for those looking to get into shape or build muscle and gain strength.
This combination of supplements helps fuel your muscles and provides them with the necessary building blocks for increased performance.
The Recap
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for nutrition and supplements, the key is finding one that works for your unique lifestyle and needs. Everyone's body responds differently to various nutrients, so don't be afraid to experiment.
With all this combined, the sky's the limit when it comes to gaining muscle strength and improving overall exercise performance. Good luck on your journey to finding the best creatine supplement – thanks for reading!
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