Creatine Review

•   » Our Rating: 93%
  
•   » Uses: Muscle building, weight gain
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  » Editor Review:

Opinions on creatine vary greatly: some say it’s a miracle elixir, others say it’s downright dangerous. Now that creatine has been available for several decades, long-term studies have been released and are indicating that creatine is both very safe AND very effective.

I’m not sure where the notion that creatine is unsafe originated from, but it’s simply untrue – creatine is actually a natural substance, found in fish, beef, and many other foods. Unfortunately, you’d have to eat huge amounts of such foods to garner any benefits. This is why powdered creatine supplements have become increasingly popular.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that creatine is one of the only supplements that actually delivers on its promises.

Creatine improves your muscular strength during short bouts of exercise thanks to a fairly complicated metabolic process involving the chemicals ATP & ADP. This means that creatine has been shown to benefit not only bodybuilders but also sprinters, football players, hockey players, and so forth.

Anyone who needs short bursts of intense energy can benefit from creatine supplementation. Weight training is the epitome of anaerobic exercise, and thus creatine is a perfect supplement for bodybuilders.

Almost everyone who tries creatine will see improvements in their lifting and overall muscular size. Despite rumors, side effects are rare and mild. None of the MuscleGainGuide editors have ever experienced any side effects (other than increased strength, anaerobic endurance, and muscle size!).

When choosing a particular type of creatine, it’s usually best to look for products that are good value. Research has not shown that different types of creatine (ie. “creatine citrate”, “tri-creatine malate”, etc) have any benefit over the traditional creatine monohydrate.

My favourite brand is EAS Phosphagen Pure Creatine, while the best overall creatine product is probably BSN No-Xplode even though it’s a bit more expensive.

If you want to stay simple, try Higher Power Micronized Creatine and mix it with some dextrose (simple sugar) or juice.

Read about why buying supplements online is recommended.