As far as solubility, Kate notes that when she stirred it in a glass with a spoon, it didn’t fully dissolve and she should taste the grains. However, mixing it with a shaker cup and a metal ball broke up the chunks. Creatine has also been linked to increases in muscle mass, which could lead to an increase in weight. Who shouldn’t take creatine? My water just tasted like water,” she says. “I couldn’t detect the powder at all, other than a very small bit of sediment that settled at the bottom of my glass. But that’s because I mixed it with a spoon. If you’re putting this in a blender or using a shaker bottle, like I did with my pre-workout, you can’t tell the powder is in there at all.” Loading protocol: Creatine loading involves taking 20 grams of creatine a day, typically divided into four equal doses of 5 grams, for five to seven days. This has been shown to be an effective method to fully saturate your muscle’s creatine stores in one week’s time. Following the loading phase, it’s recommended to drop down to 5 grams of creatine daily to maintain creatine stores. Though more research is needed, this 2021 study suggests that creatine may be beneficial for blood sugar regulation. Uses

The good news is that creatine HCL is safe to use. There is a common belief that creatine can affect kidney and liver function. You might have read that it causes dehydration. However, there is no evidence that creatine HCL causes these side effects. Digestive Problems

Cellucor Cor-Performance Creatine Monohydrate: Another micronized creatine monohydrate powder at an affordable price point of less than 50 cents per serving. We’d call this a solid runner-up for sure. (We also love Cellucor’s C4 pre-workout, and even have a special coupon code for GGR readers.) Creatine monohydrate is the least expensive form of creatine and the one most commonly used in research studies—so you know it works. Wu SH, Chen KL, Hsu C, et al. Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Nutrients. 2022;14(6):1255. Published 2022 Mar 16. doi:10.3390/nu14061255

The blueberry lemonade flavor is really good. Kinda reminds me of smarties candy. Growth Surge does seem to help me achieve faster recoveries. I’m excited to keep using it to see even more results!”– Kevin G, December 2022 Formulated specifically as a pre- and post-workout supplement, this product from Nutricost contains 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving and is free of artificial additives, fillers, or preservatives.The precise dosing and choice between creatine powder or creatine capsules are what really sets this supplement apart. We ended up eliminating almost all of the capsule-based creatine supplements because they couldn’t measure up in terms of purity and dosage flexibility compared to powder-based products. Research shows that creatine is safe and effective for healthy adults, even if you take it every day. All Optimum Nutrition supplements are tested in-house for banned substances and manufactured in CGMP-certified facilities. Bare Performance Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate is free of fillers, and all the ingredients undergo third-party testing to ensure safety, purity, and potency.

Creatine monohydrate, creatine hydrochloride, di-creatine malate, tri-create malate, tri-creatine pyuvate, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, juice powder blend, flavoring, sucralose, and others The ingredients aide in muscle recovery, muscle building, and are formulated to reduce recovery time and soreness If you prefer the convenience and ease of pills over powders, these creatine capsules from Optimum Nutrition may be a good choice. These are tablets with three different types of creatine (monohydrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, and pyruvate)Beyond the 5-gram dose of micronized creatine, you’re also getting 2.1 grams of L-carnitine L-tartrate, which sports nutritionist Dr. Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., says has been shown to combat muscle soreness and improve muscle repair. However, taking creatine, especially larger doses, may cause some occasional, minor gastrointestinal issues. Creatine Monohydrate increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise Active ingredients (serving strength): CarnoSyn beta-alanine 2,400 mg, creatine monohydrate 2,000 mg, arginine alpha ketoglutarate 1,000 mg, taurine, L-tyrosine 500 mg, caffeine anhydrous 150 mg, thiamine 3 mg, riboflavin 3 mg, niacin 10 mg, vitamin B6 15 mg, vitamin B12 1 mcg, pantothenic acid 20 mg, calcium 18 mg After testing out and carefully reviewing the most delicious supplements on the market, the clear winner of our roundup is Transparent Labs’ Creatine HMB. With its huge selection of flavors (which are all delicious, by the way), and its commitment to only using high-quality ingredients, it’s a clear all-around winner.

However, according to a meta analysis of research on creatine, long-term studies of creatine find essentially no change in blood biomarkers of kidney health ( 13 ). Creatine in capsule form tends to be much easier to transport, if you want to take your supps on the go with you during the day, and you don’t have to worry about mixing or measuring. Plus, you won’t have to deal with any flavors (or aftertaste) you don’t like. This study shows that 1.5 g of Creatine HCL was sufficient in increasing strength and improving body composition. Do I Need to Cycle Creatine HCL? Contains 5 grams of micronized creatine, 2.1 grams of L-carnitine L-tartrate, 10.5 milligrams of corosolic acidWhen selecting a creatine supplement, be sure to consider the ingredient list and dose provided. It’s also a good idea to select a product that has been third-party tested. Ingredients According to Dr. Krissy Kendall, Ph.D., to maximize the benefits of creatine, you need to saturate your body’s stores of creatine, and there are two ways to do this: Available in a variety of flavors and two sizes, this high-quality supplement from Transparent Labs can be a simple and convenient way to ramp up your intake of creatine. What some people don’t know is that there are different forms of creatine you can use for muscle building.