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Thoughts? It's one of the few performance supplements that have been shown to actually work and there is essentially zero downside to taking it outside of some water weight gain.
Stick to regular creatine monohydrate or micronized creatine. All of the fancy formulations don't work any better but empty your wallet faster. Any reputable name brand will be fine. I generally use NOW Sports or BulkSupplements for my creatine.
Appreciate the response. Do you have a preference between powder or pill form? Any difference?
I've never used anything but powder. I know pill forms exist but when I considered them (which was over a decade ago) the price per unit compared to powder made it a nonstarter. I just buy bulk monohydrate powder and mix it into my drinks. In a rush, you can just spoon the powder into your mouth and wash it down with fluids.
That said, I doubt there would be any difference assuming equal doses.
You might also consider beta-alanine as well. It goes well with creatine and I found pretty substantial benefits when I used them both together.
Having used it for many years and then going completely off of it for the last 3 or 4 years, I can say I really haven't noticed enough of a difference to warrant going back on it again. I still have the same strength more or less, muscles are just as firm but I would say the only minor difference I've noticed is recovery time is slower; however, that could also be due to age. I also had some GI issues while on it so for me, it just wasn't worth the $$.
I've been taking creatine on and off for around 28 years. I used to take the powder form, but got tired of taking it that way, so I use capsules. Creatine used to be a lot more expensive when I first started taking it, but it is now fairly inexpensive.
It is best to use creatine monohydrate, which is the most common form. ConsumerLab found one product to be contaminated when they tested several brands. That was MuscleTech Creactor.
I can't say for sure that it makes a big difference. I try to take it when I'm in a serious lifting phase.
The only downside I have found is it can affect certain lab tests. My primary care doctor wanted to send me to a specialist because a couple of my lab test were out of the normal range. I told her I was on creatine, and would stop it for a month and get new lab tests. The lab tests went back to normal.
I've been taking creatine for years. I can tell a difference when I get off it for a bit in that it tends to take me longer to recover from a hard workout. My muscles tend to feel less full as well (but that's likely water retention) but strength doesn't change.
I've tried a few and settled on the Beyond Raw Chemistry Labs Creatine HCL. I only have to take 3g per day versus 5g of the other brands. I would suggest monohydrate as the others have mentioned.
It's been around forever which is good. I took it 21 years ago in powder form, pre-workout with apple juice. It gave me a boost in energy and after about two months of a lot of cardio and losing weight I was dunking a basketball at 33 yrs. old for the first time in my life. I broke my elbow on day 1 of dunking because I wasn't used to the concept of it being okay to hold onto the rim if you're momentum was carrying your feet too far forward. Fell 10 feet on my elbow. Never got back to that level but I have the satisfaction that I used to be able to dunk.
I've been taking creatine for years. I can tell a difference when I get off it for a bit in that it tends to take me longer to recover from a hard workout. My muscles tend to feel less full as well (but that's likely water retention) but strength doesn't change.
I've tried a few and settled on the Beyond Raw Chemistry Labs Creatine HCL. I only have to take 3g per day versus 5g of the other brands. I would suggest monohydrate as the others have mentioned.
If anyone is considering this brand, you might want to check the reviews about the taste and compare prices. This brand is probably the most expensive brand on the market.
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