A small number of people, perhaps twenty percent, are called creatine non-responders: Their bodies don’t uptake creatine the same way most people do. ( 19) It’s hard to know if you’re one of them until you start taking it. This is one of the reasons it’s great that creatine is so inexpensive: You’re not down too much money if you come to find that you don’t respond to the supplement. You Can Have Creatine With Caffeine An example of these advancements is the creatine serum, which is useless. If it hasn't been made within the same month, the chances of it being pure creatine instead of creatinine are very low. Finally, we also appreciate how Kaged offers Creatine HCl in a capsuled form. This can create a more convenient consumption experience, particularly for athletes who prefer to forgo another shake in their regimen. Additionally, the price does not differ between Creatine HCl’s powder and capsules, so the decision ultimately rests on your personal preference.

Hoffman JR, et al. (2018). Effects of β-Alanine supplementation on carnosine elevation and physiological performance. We also like this creatine supplement for bulking phases thanks to its wide array of available flavors. This can be great for defending against flavor fatigue, and offers a treat-like sensation to your diet when you’re consuming so many macros in a day. This type of creatine dosage has been linked to higher ATP turnover, meaning you have improved energy and stamina for taxing your muscles to their fullest potential. ( 2) Also, the presence of HMB in this formulation should have muscle-minded athletes excited, as combining these two potent ingredients has been shown to increase strength better than taking either supplement on its own. ( 9) Krieder RB, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine.We think this supplement is a particularly great creatine for menwho are in a bulking phase or who want a solid supplement to take after their intense gym sessions to potentially help with strength and muscle growth. Swolverine Kre-Alkalyn delivers 3,000mg of creatine phosphate per dose, which is a little less than other supplements in this guide yet still falls within the recommended maintenance dose of three and five grams per day. ( 29)

Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Creatine monohydrate has been shown to produce some negative side effects. However, it all depends on whether or not you personally will tend to experience them, or not. The most commonly reported side effects are bloating, cramping (stomach), and cases of diarrhea.

Creatine Extreme Quality Assurance

Debatable whether this is actually any different than monohydrate, or whether it even gives the same results. Nunes JP, Ribeiro AS, Schoenfeld BJ, Tomeleri CM, Avelar A, Trindade MC, Nabuco HC, Cavalcante EF, Junior PS, Fernandes RR, Carvalho FO, Cyrino ES. Creatine supplementation elicits greater muscle hypertrophy in upper than lower limbs and trunk in resistance-trained men. Nutr Health. 2017 Dec;23(4):223-229. doi: 10.1177/0260106017737013. Erratum in: Nutr Health. 2021 Aug 9;:2601060211037228. PMID: 29214923. Also, it only works for 80% of users, so 1/5 of people are non-responders to monohydrate! And we still get amazing results from it! So why not use something more advanced at the same price such as micronized creatine for example. Micronized creatine is basically purer and more soluble than monohydrate, but it's still the exact same chemical!