Tag: Creatine
The Only 3 Supplements You Should Be Using
The Only 3 Supplements You Should Be Using
The fitness industry is full of fads. The supplement companies have gotten better at marketing their products. Most of these companies invest more in marketing their products as compared to R&D.
As any marketing professional would confirm, the best way for a company to make more money is to get their customers to buy more products from them. The phenomena of selling a new product to an existing customer are known as cross-selling.
The idea of making more money can be tempting for anyone and we can’t blame the supplement companies for it. If a customer already has bought a whey protein powder, selling him another tub of the same product won’t be effective in moving the supplement company’s balance sheet.
On the other hand, the supplement company could bundle up the whey protein supplement with another supplement like a BCAA powder and a guarantee that it will give the consumer better results. Most of the people buying supplements to improve their bodies won’t mind spending a few more bucks every month in hope for better results.
Hardly do these buyers know, these additional supplements will minutely budge the needle. There is no doubt technology is getting better with time and so are the supplements. But the question is, do you need all the supplements a supplement company has in its catalog?
The simple answer is a no. Bodybuilding has been around for a long time and many bodybuilders made it big with the help of few supplements and so can you. Most of the athletes endorsing new supplements don’t use the products themselves. If they can do without it, so can you.
Whey Protein
If you’ve been around the fitness scene for some time, you would know the importance of whey protein by now. Most bodybuilders and fitness athletes swear by whey protein. Many of these athletes consume the protein powder multiple times in a day.
Whey protein powder contains essential amino acids which are absorbed quickly by the body. Studies show whey protein can help you increase strength, gain muscle and lose significant amounts of body fat.
You can also check out our official buyers guide for the best protein powders of the year right here. Take the guesswork out of perfecting your supplementation with our helpful guide.
Pre-Workout Supplements
Even the best of bodybuilders have days when they don’t feel like training. Pre-workout supplements can be the push you need on these days. Some pre-workout supplements can take your workouts to the next level by supplying you with energy, mental focus, and muscle pumps.
Some pre-workouts supplements contain stimulants. After some time your body can get accustomed to these stimulants and might stop responding to them. It is recommended that you cycle using the pre-workout supplements.
Find the perfect pre-workout to fit your lifestyle with our buyers guide of the best pre-workouts of the year right here.
Creatine
Creatine is a controversial supplement, and a lot has been said about it. Many people think using creatine can harm your kidneys, liver, and heart. Many studies have proved creatine is a completely safe supplement and has no side effects when used in moderation.
Creatine is a chemical which is naturally formed in the human body and is also found in red meat and seafood. Creatine can improve exercise performance and can help you complete more sets and reps which can, in turn, lead to gaining muscle mass.
Check out our official buyers guide for the best creatine on the market this year right here. We break down the pros and cons of the top creatine supplements for bodybuilders.
What supplements do you use?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Best 9 Creatine Supplements To Buy For Strength Building (Updated 2021)
Creatine is a powerful supplement on the market to boost muscle growth, enhance focus, and increase recovery for all your bulking needs.
Creatine is a very popular supplement on the market for athletes of all experience levels with great potential to increase muscle growth, enhance focus, provide for better bulking, and boost recovery. As a widely researched and staple supplement on your shelf, this safe and effective supplement can seriously enhance your muscle mass, strength and performance. While we are all looking for the edge to get us over that training bump, creatine promotes strength, power and endurance.
When looking for the best creatine supplements, it is important to look for those top tier products on the market that focus on bulking, muscle growth, and aiding in recovery. Helping to raise muscle ATP energy to power growth while recharging muscle for your next session will allow you bounce back faster and still see great gains. By stimulating proteins, stem cells, strength, and growth factor used to build quality muscle, you will build a physique others will surely envy. Of course, our workouts do tend to be grueling and by increasing your work capacity, this will ensure your muscles get great work done across all strength and endurance activities without limiting muscle growth and repair.
We put together this list of The Best Creatine Supplements to buy on the market to restore muscles and enhance your performance to the next level. With a high-quality product, your gains will surely grow so you can focus on any competition or sport specific needs that require your utmost attention.
The Best Creatine Supplements To Buy in 2021
Best Creatine Overall: Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB
Amount Of Creatine
5,000mg
Number Of Servings
30
Serving Size
1 scoop
Best Way To Take
Take 1 scoop 30 minutes after a workout.
Although one of the more expensive creatine supplements available, Transparent Labs creatine is well worth the price and is one of the best creatine products for pure creatine. It has no added artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, or coloring, which means the body isn’t wasting energy metabolizing useless chemicals — just pure creatine. Transparent Labs creatine is infused with HMB, or β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate, which has been proven to increase muscle strength and lean body mass while decreasing fat mass and boosting focus. At a good price, this is a one of the best creatine products on the market to buy for bulking.
Pros
Clean ingredients
No artificial additives
Great flavors and benefits
From a reputable and trusted company
Cons
Premium priced option
Only available through their website
Price: $39.00/ 30 servings
Click here for the best price
Use the promo code GENIRON10 for 10% off! Check out our individual review for Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB here!
Best Creatine Pills: Performance Lab Maintain
Amount Of Creatine
3,000mg
Number Of Servings
10
Serving Size
6 NutriCaps
Best Way To Take
Take 3 capsules in the morning and 3 capsules in the afternoon on an empty stomach on rest days.
This supplement from Performance Lab can restore depleted muscles on your rest day with 12 hours of steady anabolic nourishment. It can reload your muscles with key sport nutrients, provides extended-relief muscle growth support, and promotes strength, power, focus, and endurance. With three ingredients, creatine monohydrate being the biggest, this has the power to upgrade your rest day to new heights. The ultramodern design and easy to swallow capsules are great for digestion and bulking and comes from the best in sports nutrition technology on the market.
Pros
Amazing natural ingredients
Optimal effectiveness
Ultramodern design allows for maximum absorption
Cons
Premium priced product
Only available from their website directly
Price: $30.60/ 10 servings
Click here for the best price
Best Creatine Monohydrate: Kaged Muscle CreaClear
Amount Of Creatine
5g
Number Of Servings
53
Serving Size
1 scoop
Best Way To Take
Mix one scoop with 8-10 ounces of water or juice and shake or stir or 20-30 seconds. Consume in the morning, mid-day, or before bed.
Kaged Muscle CreaClear is the perfect muscle building creatine supplement for anyone looking to improve strength and size while still optimizing recovery between workouts. As a great product to accelerate muscle gain and bulking, this will help fuel muscle strength and power, reset for better muscle recovery, and aid in high-intensity work with increased focus. With zero artificial colors and flavors, this product contains no banned substances and is a fantastic creatine monohydrate on the market.
Pros
Superior mixing and solubility
5g of clean creatine monohydrate
No artificial colors or flavors
No banned substances
Cons
Some flavor options would be nice
Price: $19.99
Click here for the best price
Use code GENIRON10 for 10% off!
Best For Post-Workout: Legion Recharge
Amount Of Creatine
5g
Number Of Servings
60
Serving Size
1 scoop
Best Way To Take
Mix 1 serving with 10-12 oz. of water with your post-workout meal.
This post-workout supplement from Legion is a 100% natural post-workout drink that boosts muscle growth, improves recovery, increases focus, and reduces muscle soreness for all your bulking needs. With four great flavors and three main ingredients, this naturally flavored supplement is perfect for giving you a healthy and effective recovery product. Each ingredient is well-researched and clinically dosed with no added artificial food dyes, fillers, or junk to give you a great post-workout supplement for muscle soreness.
Pros
Great natural supplement for muscle building and recovery
Amazing taste with natural sweeteners
Cons
May cause stomach and digestive problems
Price: $35.99/ 60 servings
Click here for the best price
Best Creatine For Muscle Gains: Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB
Amount Of Creatine
5,000mg
Number Of Servings
30
Serving Size
1 scoop
Best Way To Take
Take 1 scoop 30 minutes after a workout.
Although one of the more expensive creatine supplements available, Transparent Labs creatine is well worth the price and is one of the best creatine products for pure creatine. It has no added artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, or coloring, which means the body isn’t wasting energy metabolizing useless chemicals — just pure creatine. Transparent Labs creatine is infused with HMB, or β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate, which has been proven to increase muscle strength and lean body mass while decreasing fat mass and boosting focus. At a good price, this is a one of the best creatine products on the market to buy for bulking.
Pros
Clean ingredients
No artificial additives
Great flavors and benefits
From a reputable and trusted company
Cons
Premium priced option
Only available through their website
Price: $39.00/ 30 servings
Click here for the best price
Use the promo code GENIRON10 for 10% off! Check out our individual review for Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB here!
Best For Bulking: Kaged Muscle CreaClear
Amount Of Creatine
5g
Number Of Servings
53
Serving Size
1 scoop
Best Way To Take
Mix one scoop with 8-10 ounces of water or juice and shake or stir or 20-30 seconds. Consume in the morning, mid-day, or before bed.
Kaged Muscle CreaClear is the perfect muscle building creatine supplement for anyone looking to improve strength and size while still optimizing recovery between workouts. As a great product to accelerate muscle gain, this will help fuel muscle strength and power, reset for better muscle recovery, and aid in high-intensity work with better focus. With zero artificial colors and flavors, this product contains no banned substances and is a fantastic creatine monohydrate for bulking on the market.
Pros
Superior mixing and solubility
5g of clean creatine monohydrate
No artificial colors or flavors
No banned substances
Cons
Some flavor options would be nice
Price: $19.99
Click here for the best price
Use code GENIRON10 for 10% off!
Best Creatine For Women: Performance Lab Maintain
Amount Of Creatine
3,000mg
Number Of Servings
10
Serving Size
6 NutriCaps
Best Way To Take
Take 3 capsules in the morning and 3 capsules in the afternoon on an empty stomach on rest days.
This supplement from Performance Lab can restore depleted muscles on your rest day with 12 hours of steady anabolic nourishment. It can reload your muscles with key sport nutrients, provides extended-relief muscle growth support, and promotes strength, power, focus, and endurance for serious bulking. With three ingredients, creatine monohydrate being the biggest, this has the power to upgrade your rest day to new heights. The ultramodern design and easy to swallow capsules are great for digestion and comes from the best in sports nutrition technology on the market.
Pros
Amazing natural ingredients
Optimal effectiveness
Ultramodern design allows for maximum absorption
Cons
Premium priced product
Only available from their website directly
Price: $30.60/ 10 servings
Click here for the best price
Best Premium Blend: Staunch Creatine Five
Amount Of Creatine
4,950mg
Number Of Servings
30
Serving Size
1 scoop
Best Way To Take
Take 1 scoop with water.
Staunch Creatine Five is a synthesized blend that contains 5 optimized forms of creatine working in tandem to make this one of the best creatine products. Creatine monohydrate, MagnaPower creatine, tri-creatine malate, creatine pyruvate, and creatine anhydrous are all found in this powerful blend and delivers more creatine by weight than any other form of the best creatine on the market making it a good buy. The blend of creatine allows the body to break down, process, and use the maximum amount of creatine ingested — virtually nothing is wasted.
Pros
Great formula packed with five forms of creatine
Awesome benefits for focus and bulking
Great flavor
Good price
From a reputable company who knows sports supplements
Cons
Does contain sucralose and other artificial flavors with unspecified amounts
Price: $29.00/ 30 servings
Click here for the best price
Check out our individual review for Staunch Creatine Five here!
Best For Mixing: MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate
Amount Of Creatine
5g
Number Of Servings
200
Serving Size
1 tsp.
Best Way To Take
Mix 1 tsp. with 6-8 fl. oz. with desired beverage.
MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate is a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free creatine powder made convenient for all of your goals. This hard hitting powder is scientifically proven to increase physical performance by improving overall power. Great for everyone, this pure creatine supplement will pump you with this naturally occurring substance to provide for even better recovery, focus, and muscle growth. MyProtein brings this straight creatine supplement to enhance all of your training and bulking goals.
Pros
Hard hitting formula
Great for increased physical performance
Conducive to almost all diets
Cons
Bitter after taste being unflavored
May contain less per amount than advertised
Price: $23.75/ 200 servings
Click here for the best price
Benefits Of Creatine
Increase strength: Increases blood flow through overworked muscles to provide for muscle pumps and really build that desired strength.
Improve metabolism: Controls insulin sensitivity and glycemic control for fat loss and providing fuel (1) so you tackle weight loss needs and change your body composition to something others will envy.
Boost athletic performance: Enhance power output and refuel energy stores to support recovery and growth (2) to boost any performance goals you seek to accomplish.
Promote better mental capacity: Increases oxygen utilization in the brain to boost memory and processing speed when enduring grueling workouts while enhancing focus so you stay locked into each exercise.
Types Of Creatine
Creatine Monohydrate: A pure form of creatine, this can work to increase endurance by removing lactate faster out of the muscles. It will also aid in muscle growth and burn more calories at rest (3).
Creatine HCL: Creatine bound to hydrochloric acid for increased bioavailability and limits side effects so you get an effective dose of this supplement.
Tri-Creatine Malate: Combines creatine and malic acid that helps your body absorb more creatine. This will lead to higher ATP levels (4).
Creatine Anhydrous: The most potent form, this will increase muscle mass and enhance sports performance (5) by directly hitting your body.
Creatine Pyruvate: A combination of creatine and pyruvic acid, this is great for muscle recovery and gains and has good absorption properties.
How We Choose
When it comes to choosing a creatine supplement, you need the most clean products out there to boost your overall health and gains. We look for what forms of creatine are used and at what dose, for that will greatly affect your gains. Knowing the type you are looking for can also help you decide which option is best for you. When looking at each product, we also pay close attention to the company and their reputation. Many groups try and pump out supplements and take quantity over quality, which is not what you need. A quality brand will work for you as you seek to boost not only training and performance, but also health and wellness. Lastly, we take price into heavy consideration because we know this stuff can get expensive. Looking at affordable options on the market that are still great products makes this list a great place to shop.
FAQ Section
What is the best creatine?
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB. This creatine supplement is clean and effective and will work to increase muscle strength while promoting lean body mass and decreased fat mass. With no artificial ingredients, this is a trusted product from a transparent company.
What is creatine?
Creatine is naturally found in your body and plays an important role in the production of energy. It works by increasing creatine phosphate stores in our muscles to consistently provide energy during workouts. It has been shown to increase strength, power, lean body mass, and performance.
Is creatine safe?
Creatine has been widely studied and is a safe and effective supplement to use. Always read the label on the respective product and seek expert advice if something remains unclear.
When is the best time to take creatine?
It is best to take creatine shortly before or after a workout, as this will work to fill those stores. On rest days, taking creatine can help maintain creatine levels in the muscles. Be sure to read each respective label so you get the most out of each supplement.
Wrap Up
Creatine is a great supplement on the market to add to your routine in efforts to maximize those gains and enhance recovery so you are primed and ready to for whatever challenge comes your way. A widely researched supplement, creatine is naturally occurring in your body and safe to take as a supplement to enhance all of these gains. Check out our list here of the best creatine supplements and really see what they can do for you to enhance all of your goals.
Generation Iron may receive commissions on purchases made through our links. See our disclosure page for more information.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
References
Pinto, Camila L.; Botelho, Patricia B.; Pimentel, Gustavo D.; Campos-Ferraz, Patricia L.; Mota, Joao F. (2016). “Creatine supplementation and glycemic control: a systematic review”. (source)
Graham, A. S.; Hatton, R. C. (1999). “Creatine: a review of efficacy and safety”. (source)
Kerksick, Chad M.; Wilborn, Colin D.; Campbell, William I.; Harvey, Travis M.; et al. (2009). “The Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation With and Without D-Pinitol on Resistance Training Adaptations”. (source)
Sterkowicz, Stanislaw; Tyka, Anna K.; Chwastowski, Michal; Sterkowicz- Przybycien, Katarzyna; et al. (2012). “The effects of training and creatine malate supplementation during preparation period on physical capacity and special fitness in judo contestants”. (source)
Kreider, Richard B. (2003). “Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations”. (source)