This is actually a really simple issue. Creatine monohydrate is the most effective and affordable form on the market. You can get a micronized version that has superior mixing with water, but the actual effectiveness is similar. Cooper, R., Naclerio, F., Allgrove, J., Jiminez, A. 2012. Creatine Supplementation with Specific View to Exercise/ Sports Performance: an Update. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9, pp 33-44. Finally, the positive effects of Creatine on energy status in your body improve cell health and reduce the risk of oxidation-related illness. This can contribute to healthier aging, improved organ function and less cell-death.

The relationship between Creatine and caffeine is complicated, but they conflict if you take them together. They compete for their individual effects on your muscular system and you should avoid consuming them at the same time. This is essential, whatever your fitness goals may be. For further reading – please see our article How does Creatine Work? Loading’ is currently held up as the optimal approach, believed to induce the greatest adaptations, however, it is worth noting that this is more than likely linked, to the fact there are far vaster quantities of research into ‘loading’ compared with other protocols. What if weight gain is an issue though – does creatine make you fat? Kutz, MR., Gunter, MJ., 2003. Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Body Weight and Percent Body Fat. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 17(4), pp 817-821 Creatine is stored within the muscle to a limited capacity. It is a molecule that plays a crucial role in the production of energy during high-intensity muscle contractions over a 1-10 second period. Think sprinting or lifting a weight all out.

The Ultimate Creatine FAQ

Even if you’re new to health and fitness, you’ll probably have heard of this king of supplements. It’s been popular with muscle and strength enthusiasts for decades – from Olympians to Mr Olympia. That’s because you not only build up a tolerance for most stimulants, they tend to work in an “all-or-nothing” manner—as in, even though your first stimulated workout may be intense, it seems that the proceeding workouts leave you chasing that same intensity. Although “new and improved” versions of creatine pop up all the time, none have consistently proven themselves to be any better than regular creatine monohydrate.

I see no reason why somebody shouldn’t supplement Creatine […] it’s safe, it’s healthy, it’s cheap and for most people it just works” The research isn’t final on the perfect time to take your Creatine. Some studies suggest that you should take it before exercise, while others still suggest that you should take it afterwards. To load Creatine, you should spend 3-5 days at 10x as much as you would normally take. The easiest way to do this is to take your bodyweight, get 30%, and take that many grams of Creatine. After this short period of front-loading, you can drop down to ‘normal’ intake and you’ll see a faster response to your supplementation. Not all supplements are created equal. And although creatine is generally one of the most affordable types of sports and fitness supplements around, it’s worth keeping a close eye on the label of any product you’re thinking of taking.

Additionally, a study in 18 resistance-trained women found that those who took whey protein plus creatine for 8 weeks experienced no difference in muscle mass and strength than those who took whey protein alone ( 6). However, your capacity for the fuel that's provided by creatine phosphate runs out at a rapid rate during this type of training, meaning that added creatine supplementation can give you more power for higher reps. Creatine keeps strength and power high when you’re starting to get tired. It does this by providing a ‘reservoir’ of ingredients to build high-energy fuel for your muscles. Called ATP, this compound is the key to your maximum strength and how long you can keep going for. Creatine Extreme from Protein Works takes the world's most popular strength training supplement creatine to the absolute cutting-edge of sports nutrition. Containing ingredients scientifically shown to amplify the effects of normal creatine, Creatine Extreme is unrivalled in terms of its muscle building potential. There are many benefits to the ‘loading’ protocol: muscle stores increase from baseline 125mmol.kg to their max 160mmol.kg in a very short period (3-7 days), Peak Power Output is improved, an increased ability to repeat maximum efforts requiring a shorter recovery period is seen and increased ATP (energy) and Phosphocreatine (PCr) resynthesis. However, a ‘loading’ approach will inevitably lead to weight gain, ~2kg in the first 5 days of CrM supplementation. This immediate gain will mainly be due to fluid retention, recent research has begun to suggest that over a longer period (when combined with resistance training) this may be maintained as muscle mass. Therefore, careful consideration must be taken for any athletes involved in weight making sports (Boxing, MMA, physique competitors, etc.).