Top Pick
- Zero calories.
- Very pure.
- Flavorless.
The key to gaining impressive muscle tone and definition is to push your body to the limit in each and every workout—the best creatine monohydrate supplements can give you the essential boost you need.
This article explains the potent power behind these fitness products and brings you the top five creatine monohydrate supplements available today.
The Best Creatine Monohydrate Supplements
Here are what we consider to be the best creatine monohydrate supplements on the market today:
1. Gnarly Creatine
In my opinion, it’s simply the best creatine monohydrate supplement that money can buy.
Gnarly Creatine is NSF Content Certified. It goes through a toxicology review, label claim testing and contaminant testing for heavy metals, microbes and pesticides.
It is also an NSF for Sport Certified. This means it must pass NSF Content Certification and are additionally tested for over 270 substances that are banned by professional sports leagues as well as national and international doping oversight organizations.
Gnarly creatine is vegan! This means vegans and vegetarians can benefit even more from creatine supplementation since most dietary sources of creatine are animal-based and thus vegan and vegetarians have lower baseline levels of stored creatine.
- Pros
- Zero calories—ideal for those looking to lose weight or during a cutting phase.
- Mixes great in hot or cold water.
- Gnarly creatine is vegan!
- Flavorless—for people who want to mix with their own favorite drink.
- Very pure form – NSF Content Certified and NSF for Sport Certified.
- Cons
- None that we can think of.
2. Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder by Optimum Nutrition
Manufactured by respected training supplement providers, Optimum Nutrition, this could prove to be the ideal product for those looking for nothing but pure unadulterated creatine powder—containing 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per serving—nothing else.
Being micronized, the surface area of the creatine is increased, which should make it more readily absorbable into the body.
- Pros
- Zero calories.
- Micronized—for improved absorption.
- Flavorless.
- Large 600-gram container—providing 114 daily servings.
- Competitively priced.
- Cons
- Takes a little time to dissolve into water.
3. Evlution Nutrition Creatine5000 by Evlution
Close behind the #1 spot in this best creatine monohydrate supplements list is this pure blend, from EVLution Nutrition.
For people who want a minimalistic approach and are possibly supplementing with additional products, this single ingredient creatine may appeal. While not micronized, every 5 grams of unflavored creatine will provide training boosts beyond normal levels.
- Pros
- Unflavored—ideal for mixing to your own tastes.
- Respected manufacturer.
- Made in the US.
- Cons
- Only 60 servings per tub.
4. NAKED CREATINE
Possibly one of the highest quality creatine monohydrate on the market.
NAKED NUTRITION is a rising superstar supplement company. I was personally impressed by the simplicity yet effectiveness of most of their products. This micronized creatine monohydrate is one of the purest in its form. It’s extremely easy to mix and fast to absorb.
- Pros
- Fast dissolving and absorption.
- 100% pure creatine monohydrates with no additional ingredients or flavor.
- Vegan, non-GMO, soy and gluten-free.
- Cons
- Some consumers report faulty seal.
5. Platinum Creatine Monohydrate Powder by MuscleTech
A potent daily dose of 5 grams of micronized creatine which I believe pushes this up there with the best creatine monohydrate supplements available.
This supplement has been independently tested with HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) to ensure that it contains 100 percent creatine monohydrate—shaping it into an option for athletes who want assurance that their product hasn’t been tainted.
- Pros
- A daily serving of 5 grams of 100 percent tested micronized creatine monohydrate.
- Free from artificial flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners.
- Includes 80 servings.
- Claims to be the USA’s #1 selling brand.
- Cons
- Some users find it has a gritty texture when mixed.
6. Genius Creatine Powder by The Genius Brand
A supplement which may be considered the best creatine monohydrate supplement for those looking to improve recovery time as well as boosting stamina. This is due to the inclusion of the lactic acid-preventing beta-alanine, and the inflammation-reducing Panax notoginseng and astragalus.
The ingredients are as follows:
- Creatine monohydrate 3 g.
- Creatine HCI 1.5 g.
- Creatine magnesium chelate 500 mg.
- Beta-alanine 1.6 g.
- Panax notoginseng and astragalus 25 mg.
- Pros
- Complete performance and recovery formula.
- Unflavored.
- Mixes easily.
- Zero calories.
- Cons
- Doesn’t include pure creatine monohydrate.
- Only 25 servings per container—not enough for even one month.
Informational guide to Creatine Monohydrate Supplements
What Is Creatine?
Firstly, creatine is 100 percent natural—so there’s no need to worry about lab-created synthetics.
The amino acids, arginine, glycine, and methionine, combine in the human liver and form creatine. Additionally, this compound can be taken into the body through food—being present in chicken, fish, and beef.
Whether synthesized in the body or ingested, the majority of creatine is then stored in the muscles.
And that’s important.
This chemical is essential for their function—hence making it important for the dedicated bodybuilder or athlete.
But, be careful.
Not all creatine supplements are the same—ensure that you choose a product that specifically contains creatine monohydrate.
This is because:
- More research has been completed on this form of creatine than any other.
- Studies have indicated that, even with constant daily use, creatine monohydrate induces no adverse health effects.
- It’s the most potent form—compared to other types of creatine, monohydrate is known to be the strongest.
How Does Creatine Work?
Whether lifting weights or going for a run, you need your muscles to be working efficiently.
The contraction that the muscles experience during exercise (curling a dumbbell or pounding a treadmill for example) is fuelled by ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
Here’s a quick chemistry lesson—don’t worry, it’s short!
ATP has three phosphates. When one breaks free, this “release” powers the muscles into contracting and the dumbbell is lifted. Now being one phosphate short—it turns into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) which cannot power the muscles. Once all your body’s stores of ATP are exhausted, fatigue sets in and your training session is over.
The ADP needs to find additional phosphates to turn back into the muscle-powering ATP.
And that’s what creatine does!
This chemical reattaches the essential missing phosphate, replenishing your ATP reserves.
The bottom line—the best creatine monohydrate supplements offset muscle fatigue, allowing you to train longer and harder, increase fitness, and boost muscle growth.
If you wish to know a little more detail about the workings of ATP, here’s a useful and informative video.
Benefits of Creatine Supplements
Supplied in powder form, the best creatine monohydrate supplements are mixed with your favorite drink, or water, and consumed daily.
Creatine is generally considered to be the most popular training supplement on the market—and it’s easy to see why.
Fatigue is the enemy of the fitness freak—any supplement that can stave off this condition is welcomed.
But, there’s more to creatine that just boosting endurance.
Through raising ATP reserves, the best creatine monohydrate supplements can:
- Increase strength—research on experienced bodybuilders indicated that just five grams of creatine supplementation elevated their lifting power.
- Build muscle—increased ATP levels raise the amount of water in the muscles which can promote muscle protein synthesis.
- Heighten the production of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor)—boosting muscle size and growth.
- Lower the volume of myostatin—a protein which can push the body into a catabolic (muscle-losing) state.
- Raise focus and concentration—ATP improves brain function and is known to help alleviate symptoms of mental conditions.
How to Take Creatine
While creatine improves training performance, this chemical isn’t one which would be termed a “pre-workout” ingredient—that is, those products which are taken around 30 minutes before exercise.
The issue is—it’s not that fast acting.
The body needs to build up its stores of creatine first—and then have these levels maintained on a daily basis. Which means it still needs to be taken on your rest days.
Here’s the secret.
Experienced health-nuts begin with a session of pre-loading when starting creatine supplementation. This means commencing with a dose of 0.3 grams of creatine per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight—or as a rule of thumb for an average person, 20 grams per day.
This is done for one complete week, to boost creatine levels fast. Levels are then maintained by dropping the dose to 5 grams of creatine every day.
What to Look for in the Best Creatine Monohydrate Supplements
While sounding and looking similar—not all creatine supplements are the same. Here are a few factors to consider.
- The form—as discussed, creatine monohydrate is the optimum version of this supplement, so don’t settle for anything less.
- Additional ingredients—some creatine supplements can include other performance-enhancing ingredients, such as BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids)—for some people this could be important, for others, superfluous.
- Container size—the larger the product tub, the less requirement to reorder.
- Dosage—as we’ve seen, 5 grams is the optimum creatine dose; ensure this is what your supplement delivers in every serving.
Side Effects of Creatine Supplementation
One of the most attractive features of creatine is that it provides no known side effects.
Extensive research has indicated that even with continuous use, athletes using this supplement haven’t experienced any health issues.
Although, naturally everyone can respond differently to supplementation—so if you do see some unwanted reactions to this compound—cease use immediately.
Conclusion
In my view, the best creatine monohydrate supplement available is Gnarly Creatine.
This supplement delivers five powerful grams of creatine monohydrate—with no additional fillers or ineffective ingredients. Thus, ensuring that you’re receiving the most potent form of this compound to elevate your training sessions.
While other supplements in this list are similar, the #1 supplement is both NSF Content Certified and NSF for Sport Certified.
In addition, it is very suitable for vegans and vegetarians since it is vegan.
That being said, some users may find the creatine supplements which contain additional ingredients to boost performance appealing—although, they could be redundant for athletes who already use these enhancers in another form.
The bottom line—for pure stamina and endurance-building power, in my estimation, Gnarly Creatine powder is possibly the best creatine monohydrate product available.
