Creatine
Creatine supplements for athletes and strength trainers who want to increase power output, support muscle growth, and improve performance across high-intensity efforts.
What to Look For
- Form and dose: Creatine monohydrate is the most researched form and remains the standard. Effective dosing is 3–5g per day. Advanced creatine forms marketed as superior (HCL, buffered) have less supporting research than monohydrate.
- Purity and testing: Creatine should have a short ingredient list. Look for third-party tested, ideally micronized products (finer particle size improves mixability). Proprietary blends or unnecessary fillers add no benefit over plain monohydrate.
- Bundled formulas: Some creatine products include HMB, beta-alanine, or electrolytes. These additions may benefit certain athletes but add cost and complexity. For most people, straight creatine monohydrate at 3–5g per day delivers the same performance benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does creatine cause water retention or bloating?
Creatine pulls water into muscle cells, which can increase scale weight by 1–3 lbs when you first start. This is intracellular water inside the muscle, not subcutaneous bloating. Some people experience temporary GI discomfort when loading; taking smaller daily doses (3–5g) instead of loading typically avoids this.
Do I need to load creatine?
Loading (20g per day for 5–7 days) saturates your muscles faster but is not required. Taking 3–5g per day consistently reaches the same saturation in about 4 weeks. Loading is useful if you want faster results; daily maintenance dosing works just as well for long-term use.
What is the difference between creatine monohydrate and other creatine forms?
Creatine monohydrate has decades of research behind it showing consistent improvements in strength, power, and muscle mass. Forms like creatine HCL and buffered creatine are marketed as superior, but no studies convincingly show they outperform monohydrate at equivalent doses. Monohydrate is the most cost-effective and evidence-based choice.