Creatine is one of the most popular bodybuilding supplements, and for good reason. Creatine can not only help you gain muscle faster but can also make you more explosive in the gym.
So which is the best creatine for bulking?
Find out below…
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a natural compound found in the body that is involved in the production of energy for muscle contractions. It is made up of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine, and is primarily stored in the muscles and brain. Creatine is used as a dietary supplement to enhance athletic performance, increase muscle mass, and improve exercise recovery. It is available in several forms, including creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester, and creatine hydrochloride, and can be taken in powder, capsule, or liquid form. Creatine has been extensively studied and has been shown to be safe and effective for improving exercise performance, particularly during short-term, high-intensity activities like weightlifting and sprinting.
Benefits of Creatine
When researching creatine you will come across a variety of medical studies on the various benefits of creatine, some of these include:
- Increased muscle growth
- Increase in muscle strength and high-intensity performance
- Increased muscle energy
- Reduced fatigue and increased muscle recovery
Source: HealthLine
Creatine Side Effects
Creatine has been regarded as one of the safest supplements out there, there are over 500 studies support its safety and effectiveness. However, it is always important to check with your doctor before taking any new supplements. High doses of creatine has been regarded as possibly unsafe according to WebMD, so remember, more is not necessarily better.
What’s the Best Type of Creatine?
When searching for a creatine supplement you will notice that creatine comes in different forms such as monohydrate, HCL, Ethyl ester. Monohydrate is considered the best among nutrition experts as it has the most studies supporting it.
Do I Need to Load Creatine?
It is often suggested to “load” up on creatine in the first week by taking 20-25 grams, however it is not needed and their is not much evidence to support this. You should start off with a normal dose (5-10 grams per day) and continue that throughout your creatine cycle.
Our Top 5 Creatine Picks For Gaining Mass in 2021
These are our top recommended creatine picks for bulking. Since creatine is super simple supplement, we decided to create a table with the price per serving and a rating. Creatine is more or less the same from each brand, so you will want to look for the best serving to price ratio.
When Should You Take Creatine And How?
So you got your creatine powder, but now how should you take it?
Well according to MyProtein, taking one serving before exercise, and one serving in your post workout shake provides the most results. From personal experience I tend to agree with them, however, I would also just stick to one serving in your post workout shake if you don’t want to be taking two servings per day.
If you don’t have yourself any whey powder to mix it with, you can also use a sports drink or fruit juice. Most creatines will come unflavored so you will want to mix it with something.
Conclusion
Creatine is a very popular during those bulk phases to gain more muscle and strength. When it comes to choosing a good creatine supplement, look for creatine monohydrate with a good price per serving and you will be all set. Our recommended choice would be the Creatine Monohydrate by BulkSupplements as they provide good quality and price per serving.