Best Rated Creatine Supplement 2019

In our efforts to find the best creatine supplement on the market today, we looked at a number of variables. We tested the ease of use, practicality, label accuracy, purity, and value for money – and the results were very interesting.

Our aim was to look at a handful of well known brands, as Creatine Monohydrate is a single ingredient supplement and wouldn’t have many differentiators. Let’s skip the small talk and jump straight to the top creatine out there.

*Top Pick Winner*

MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate

 

Without a doubt, and with no close second place, MyProtein’s most popular creatine supplement takes the win for 2019. Not only do MyProtein provide a super-convenient method of supplementation in tablet form, but it’s great value for money and has been scientifically proven to increase physical performance and high-intensity exercise. It’s both vegan and vegetarian friendly, and has passed highly in both accuracy and purity tests from Labdoor.com (rigorous supplement testing company), and has a solid 4+ star rating from over 247 reviews. This is the best creatine for men and women.

Having tested the best creatine supplement ourselves at Team FTD we highly recommend always carrying a 1l water bottle with you wherever you go as it has a tendency to make you thirsty. Which has many upsides such as staying hydrated, clearer skin, a healthier mind, but also greater focus on mental energy.

#2 BULK POWDERS Creatine Monohydrate Powder

 

A tough decision as BULK POWDERS are a great manufacturer of supplements too. They provide a creatine mono in it’s purest form available – 99.9%. With good mixability, this is best to take with juices or water (definitely avoid a milky protein shake). It’s also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Our downside to BULK POWDERS is that we were unable to verify it’s purity and accuracy from a third party source. In addition, we found it difficult in testing to use a powder form each day which can be cumbersome compared to an easy tablet form.

#3 Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine Powder

 

Optimum Nutrition are generally in the top rankings for most supplements. They have a solid reputation for quality supplements and a strong brand name that comes along with a price tag. The micronized creatine label comes from it’s purity and potency as well as the smaller particles which make for easy mixing.

We’ve had to rank ON down in this review as we’ve noticed they’ve lowered the stated amount of cretine monohydrate from 5g to 3g since it was last tested by Labdoor.com. Labdoor third party tested showed that although stating 5.25g of creatine per serving, it actually only contained 1.37mg of creatine from 8 analytical tests. Granted the formula may have changed now, we didn’t think this was good to see from ON.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is the most effective natural supplement for performance enhancement in sports and fitness today. It is one of the most tested supplements in the world and has an “outstanding’ safety profile”. Many studies on creatine have proven it’s ability to increase muscle mass, strength, and performance in physical activities.

Although there are plenty who deem this supplement to be unsafe, this has not been supported by any substantial evidence.

Creatine, a chemical that is naturally produced in the body, can be found in both the muscles and the brain. Smaller amounts can also be found and ingested through eating red meat and some types of seafood.

Creatine is an amino acid that is stored in your muscles which your body converts to phosphocreatine (fos-fo-kree-ah-teen) in order to make a substance called ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). ATP is able to provide energy for your muscles to contract. Although it can be used to treat some rare types of brain disorders and heart conditions – it’s most used for athletes trying to improve their performance.

How Does Creatine Work?

Supplementing creating causes your muscles to store additional phosphocreatine in your muscles. This is also why those taking this supplement will gain some temporary water weight. The extra supplies allow your body to produce more ATP, the primary energy source for your muscles to lift harder, and for longer. ATP is essentially the nitro to your race car.

Benefits Of Taking Creatine

• Muscle cells produce far more energy

• Raises levels of IGF-1 which increases muscle mass

• Significant improvements to high intensity training.

• Speeds up muscle growth

Different Types Of Creatine Explained

What are the different types of creatine, and what exactly do they do? There are 5 main types of creatine that you can easily access.

• Creatine Monohydrate

• Creatine Ethyl Ester

• Creatine Hydrochloride

• Liquid Creatine

• Buffered Creatine

The most popular and best type of creatine is Creatine Monohydrate. Majority of the studies that have researched and tested creatine have been through the use of creatine mono. Some studies have even shown the use of creatine powder (creatine monohydrate) having a positive effect on cycling performance by 10% whereas the liquid form having none.

Is Creatine Bad For You?

Why is creatine bad for you? It isn’t. Creatine is incredibly well researched and some studies have lasted around 5 years with no negative impact on the individual. One notable study looked at 52 different blood markers and found 0 negative effects from almost 2 years of supplementing. As with any supplement or drug, there are some side effects:

• Bloating (through temporary water weight)

• Weight gain

• Muscle cramps

As with any supplementation, you should always consult with your doctor, or at least be monitoring your blood through private testing each month to understand the effects on your body and health. Those with pre-existing kidney or liver conditions should be more cautious.

How To Take Creatine

If you’re using the MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate tablets – it’s simple. Take 3 tablets pre or post workout. After all, this is the best creatine monohydrate.

There is evidence to suggest that a ‘loading phase’ may boost creatine stores by up to 40% in some cases. Taking creatine before and after a workout or training isn’t necessary as the effects are immediate. You can take it before or after, it’s much simpler.

The Loading Phase

For the first 5 days of taking creatine – ingest 20g of creatine. After that, drop back down to 5g per day. Although this isn’t necessary and may be difficult for the first 5 days, the positive effects are promising.

Conclusion

Creatine, or creatine monohydrate is a very effective supplement for any athlete or individual looking to improve their performance. With a lot of evidence and research supporting its use, creatine is not only safe to use but recommended. We’ve looked at the best creatine monohydrate on the market and have placed a clear winner. Let us know how your creatine journey goes!