The Top 9 Best Creatine Supplements For Men: Powders & Pills
This is sponsored content. M&F is not endorsing the websites or products listed in this article.
If you’re trying to make clean gains, creatine is a supplement that can help you achieve your fitness goals. This naturally occurring ingredient gives your muscles the energy they need to overcome muscular fatigue and push through the most intense moments of your workout.
This guide will introduce everything you need to know about the compound – we’ll explain how to take creatine, discuss its many benefits, and share nine of the best creatine supplements for men.
If you’re ready to take your physique and training to the next level, continue reading as we show you the power of creatine.
Top 9 Best Creatine Supplements For Men – Powders and Pills
After thoroughly researching and reviewing the many options available on the market, we’ve managed to put together a list of what we believe are the 9 best options.
Check them out and follow the links provided to learn more.
1. Huge Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Huge Creatine Monohydrate is about as clean of a supplement as you can find and its results speak for themselves. The product is formulated using a research-backed 5,000 mg (5 grams) dosage of creatine monohydrate. This sets it apart from other inferior products that use less-well-researched varieties of creatine.
After loading the supplement, men can expect increased power output, enhanced performance, and faster muscular growth in the gym. Even with a maintenance dose, you’ll still experience significant benefits and results.
With hundreds of reviews to support it, it’s hard to deny the effectiveness of Huge Creatine Monohydrate.
What we like most about this product, though, is that it’s available in both powdered and capsule forms. This is ideal for guys on the go or for anyone who doesn’t like the taste or texture of drinking powdered creatine. And, at only $29.95 for a one-month supply, it’s hard to pass up Huge Creatine.
If you want to get your hands on a tub of Huge Creatine Monohydrate powder, visit the official product page. Alternatively, if you’d rather get pills, you can get those by clicking here. The powdered option is completely free of added artificial flavorings or sweeteners, so you can easily add it to your pre-workout or protein powder before or after a workout.
2. Transparent Labs Creatine HMB
This product from Transparent Labs is another excellent creatine supplement for men. Formulated using research-backed dosages of creatine monohydrate, HMB, and Bioperine, the product is designed to help you build muscle, improve strength, and increase power output.
All these ingredients together make this option an excellent and well-rounded creatine supplement for men. The product is also free from artificial sweeteners, flavors, or dyes.
This ensures that you’re only putting clean and healthy ingredients into your body. The supplement is also third-party tested, so you can rest assured that you’re not taking anything that could jeopardize your health or athletic career.
We must add that this option is a lot more expensive at $49.95 per 30-day container; that’s something to keep in mind!
3. Genius Creatine
The Genius Brand has made a name for itself by formulating science-backed supplements that deliver real results. This product is no different. Formulated using a research-backed 5 g dose of creatine monohydrate, the supplement is designed to help you build muscle, improve strength, and enhance performance.
Like Transparent Labs’ products, Genius Creatine also contains beta-alanine without any artificial sweeteners, flavors, or dyes and is third-party tested to guarantee its purity and potency. So, you can rest easy knowing that you’re taking a clean and healthy supplement that will improve the health of your body.
If you want, though, the Genius Brand does offer a green apple variety of creatine, which does contain some flavorings. Both options retail for $24.99.
4. EVL Creatine1000
Creatine1000 from Evlution Nutrition offers a capsulized variety of creatine that is quick and easy to take. Similar to other brands, Evlution Nutrition uses micronized creatine monohydrate, which is easier to dissolve and more easily absorbed by the body.
This ensures that you’re getting the most out of the supplement and that it’s working as efficiently as possible.
Compared to other brands, EVL’s Creatine1000 is also one of the most affordable options, costing just $26.99 for a 2-month supply. Be warned, though, that you will have to take 5 capsules every day as a maintenance dose and, if you’re still in the loading phase, you’ll have to take up to 20 capsules at a time.
If you’re not comfortable swallowing the many pills, we recommend trying a powdered brand instead. But, iyou’re ready to give EVL Creatine1000 a try, we recommend picking it up from Amazon.
5. Animal Creatine Chews
For many athletes, the daily combination of protein powders, creatine powders, pre-workout powders, and BCAAs means that they’re constantly mixing and drinking supplements.
Yet, many more athletes hate having to swallow fistfuls of capsules. Luckily, Animal Creatine Chews offers a solution to all of these complaints.
These chews are specifically designed to help you take creatine on the go by simply popping a tablet into your mouth and eating it like a vitamin. Each chew is packed with 1.25 g of micronized creatine monohydrate and they’re small enough that you can easily take them with you wherever you go.
And, best of all, the chews are also available in Grape and Fruit Punch flavors, so you won’t have to deal with the chalky taste of creatine powder.
6. BSN Micronized Creatine
BSN Micronized Creatine could be considered the gold standard of creatine powders for stacking. It contains nothing much than micronized creatine, dosed in 5-gram servings, for easy mixing with other products.
Understandably, it’s completely unflavored and formulated without added fillers or sweeteners.
The lack of extras does make it one of the more expensive products on the market, at $33.80, but, if you’re looking for a quality creatine monohydrate supplement to mix with your other favorite products, BSN Micronized Creatine is one of the best options you can find.
7. Beast Sports Creature Creatine
Beast Sports Creatine is a top-rated product that has a bit more to offer than just creatine monohydrate. The supplement is formulated with a blend of five different types of creatine, including creatine monohydrate, creatine anhydrous, and Crea-Trona.
The three types of creatine work together to help you overcome muscular fatigue, improve performance, and experience increased muscular growth.
The addition of Crea-Trona and creatine anhydrous help to reduce the rate at which the stomach breaks down creatine, helping it to reach your muscles in its complete form. This makes this product more effective than other products on the market.
Despite its added benefits, Beast Sports Creatine is still one of the more affordable supplements on the market, coming in at only $26.99 for a one-month supply. You can pick up a bottle in either Cherry Limeade, Pink Lemonade, Fruit Blast, or an unflavored variety.
8. GAT Sport Creatine
GAT Sport is a well-known supplement company that produces a variety of different sports nutrition products. The company’s creatine product is one of the most popular on the market and for good reason.
GAT Sport Creatine is a high-quality, research-backed supplement that uses a 5 g dosage of creatine monohydrate.
The addition of a small amount of carbohydrates helps to increase the absorption of creatine, making it more effective than other products on the market.
This blend of ingredients also helps to reduce the chances of developing an upset stomach, a common side effect of taking creatine.
9. Cellucor COR-Performance Creatine
Cellucor has been around for years and has a reputation for crafting high-quality, effective workout supplements. Their Cor-Performance Creatine is designed to help men pack on slabs of lean muscle mass, improve recovery times, and increase strength and power in the gym.
It’s formulated with nothing more than a 5-g dose of micronized creatine monohydrate to help your muscles absorb and utilize the creatine faster. Chances are that you’ll be experiencing the benefits of this product rather quickly.
If you’re looking for a high-quality supplement to help you take your gains to the next level, this product is a great option to consider.
Picking The Best Creatine Supplements For Men
As we were compiling our list of top products, we knew that we had to home in on a few key points to differentiate one product from another.
After all, we didn’t just randomly pick products to the best creatine supplements for men without a reason. No, we’ve done a lot of research and looked at various factors, which we’ll discuss below.
The Type of Creatine
Although creatine is a naturally occurring compound, our bodies simply struggle to produce enough of it to see the results you’d expect from a supplement.
In other words, you’re better off consuming creatine as a supplement in addition to a healthy diet.
But, as with most supplements, synthesized creatine is more than just one compound. In fact, there are several types of creatine:
- Creatine Monohydrate: This form is synthesized by combining a single creatine molecule with a water molecule. It’s the most popular and most researched form of creatine and is often hailed as the gold standard.
- Creatine HCl: This form is synthesized by combining creatine with hydrochloric acid. It’s often marketed as being more soluble and absorbable than creatine monohydrate but it’s still too new to say if these claims are true.
- Creatine Ethyl Ester: This form is synthesized by combining creatine with an ester. It’s touted as being more bioavailable than creatine monohydrate but it lacks the research to back these claims up.
- Creatine Nitrate: This form is synthesized by combining creatine with nitric acid. It’s hyped as being more soluble and pump-inducing than creatine monohydrate but most people don’t really see a difference.
- Buffered Creatine: This form is synthesized by combining creatine with an alkaline compound. It’s believed to be gentler on the stomach than creatine monohydrate and won’t break down into creatinine.
In our opinion, though, creatine monohydrate is the best form of creatine. It’s been around for more than 30 years and has been backed by dozens, if not hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific findings, as well as decades of first-hand experience among bodybuilders.
For this reason, we specifically looked for products formulated with creatine monohydrate.
Dosage
The recommended dosage for creatine is 5 grams per day but some people take up to 20 grams per day, especially when loading. When it comes to creatine, more is not always better.
In fact, taking too much creatine can actually lead to negative side effects like weight gain, bloating, and diarrhea. Therefore, we looked for products that provided a moderate yet effective dosage of 5 grams per day.
We understand, though, that not everyone enjoys taking powders so we were also careful to find a handful of quality brands that offer capsule dosages.
And, for athletes who want something even simpler, we were sure to include a chewable option that’s both flavorful and stacked with a clinically-backed amount of creatine.
User Reviews
We also looked at online reviews when coming up with our list of the best creatine supplements for men. Although online reviews are far from perfect, they can give you a good idea of what other people are saying about a product.
We specifically looked at reviews on Amazon because it’s one of the largest online retailers and home to some of the most honest customers in the world.
If we noticed any bad reviews, we immediately took note and considered whether it was worth adding the product to our list. Understandably, not all bad reviews are true but, if we started to notice a trend, we were quick to eliminate ineffective and untrustworthy brands.
This way, you can trust the creatine you’re taking and have faith that others have had the same results
Price
Last but not least, we looked at the prices. Although we believe that you should never sacrifice quality for price, we understand that not everyone has the budget for a premium product.
Therefore, we tried to find a good balance between quality and price. We specifically looked for products that offered at least a one-month supply of creatine and fell between $25 and $35.
What Does Creatine Do for Men?
Creatine is a popular supplement among athletes and bodybuilders because it can help you achieve peak performance.
In fact, it’s often referred to as a “performance-enhancing” supplement because of its ability to increase strength, power, and muscle mass. But how does it work?
Well, creatine works by increasing your muscles’ ability to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is the energy currency of your cells and is responsible for powering everything from your brain to your biceps. The more ATP your muscles have, the more energy they have to lift weights, run faster, and jump higher.
In addition to increasing ATP production, creatine also increases your muscles’ ability to store ATP. This is important because it allows your muscles to maintain their energy levels throughout your workout.
For example, if you’re lifting weights and your muscles start to run out of ATP, your strength and power will start to decline.
However, if you have a lot of stored ATP, your muscles will be able to maintain their energy levels and you’ll be able to lift heavier weights for longer. But creatine does more than simply help power your workouts.
When you built up a store of the compound, you’ll also start to notice a few key changes in your body.
It Improves Lean Muscle Growth
Creatine is often touted as a “muscle-building” supplement because it can help you build lean muscle mass. In fact, one study found that taking creatine increased lean muscle mass by 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) and reduced body fat by 1.6 pounds (0.73 kilograms) in just eight weeks.
This makes it one of the top supplements for both bodybuilders and anyone hoping to lose weight. By combining it with a regular workout routine, you’ll soon build slabs of lean muscle and develop a solid physique.
It Boosts Your Training Performance
Creatine is one of the most popular supplements on the market because it works. In fact, there are dozens of studies that have shown that it can help improve your training performance.
For example, research shows us that it improves anaerobic running performance by up to as much as 15 percent. You’ll be to push yourself to the limit during high intensity exercise.
It Helps You Get Stronger
Creatine isn’t just a performance-enhancing supplement, it’s also a strength-building supplement. In other words, it can help you get stronger.
One study found that creatine increased bench press and squat strength by 5 to 15 percent, which is a significant improvement for natural lifters.
It also helps you work through the fatigue of an intense workout and boosting your muscular growth, the compound can help you reach your strength goals faster.
It Speeds Up Muscle Recovery
Last but not least, creatine can also help you recover from your workouts faster. In fact, one study found that taking creatine after a workout helped reduce muscle soreness by up to 50 percent.
By helping your muscles recover faster, creatine can help you stay consistent with your workouts and make the most of your gym time.
Even during workouts, you’ll notice that your muscles last longer without fatiguing, helping you to get in another set and speeding up your overall results.
Don’t be afraid to test your new limits and adjust your workouts as needed to compensate for the new gains.
Does Creatine Cause Side Effects in Men?
Unlike other performance-enhancing supplements, creatine is one of the safest bodybuilding compounds in the world.
With more than three decades of research behind it, it’s widely considered safe and effective, even at higher dosages. However, as with anything, you shouldn’t take more than the recommended dosage.
Although it won’t hurt you, your body can only absorb and store so much creatine at a time. Trying to take more than your body can handle will simply waste your creatine and, in some cases, cause stomach pains from bloating and diarrhea.
Other than that, though, creatine is completely safe.
Compared to regulated performance enhancers, creatine won’t lead to any negative side effects like hair loss, testicular atrophy, or high blood pressure. However, you should still be aware of a few potential side effects, which include:
- Bloating: Although creatine can help you build lean muscle mass, it can also cause you to hold on to water weight. When you first start taking creatine, you may notice that you gain a few pounds, which is completely normal. However, this weight gain is usually just water weight and will go away after a few weeks.
- Muscle Cramps: In some cases, creatine can cause muscle cramps. This is usually due to dehydration, though, which is why it’s important to drink plenty of water when taking the supplement and exercising.
- Diarrhea: In rare cases, creatine can cause diarrhea. However, this is usually only the case when people take too much creatine or don’t drink enough water.
If you’re concerned about any of these side effects, we recommend starting with a lower dosage and increasing it gradually over time. This will help your body get used to the supplement and minimize the chances of any side effects.
How to Take Your Creatine Supplement
Creatine may seem complicated but it’s actually one of the easiest supplements to dose and start. However, if you’re new to the compound, we recommend loading it to build up a store of creatine within your muscles.
Loading means taking a higher dose for the first 5 to 7 days and then switching to a maintenance dose.
The typical loading dose is 20 grams per day, which can be split up into four 5-gram doses. By taking such a high dose, you’ll quickly saturate your muscles with creatine, which can help you experience its benefits sooner.
However, after you load, you should switch to a maintenance dose, which is typically 5 grams per day. This is the standard dose that’s recommended by most experts. Although you can take more than this, there’s no need to as your body can only absorb and store so much creatine at one time.
When it comes to taking your supplement, you can either mix it with water or your favorite beverage. Most creatine is completely tasteless so it won’t affect the flavor of your drink. Just make sure you drink it right away as creatine can start to break down when exposed to air and light.
As long as you make sure you’re getting in your daily dosage, you can take the powder however you want. Take it as a pill, mix it with juice, or even add it to food for an added boost. Just be sure to get at least 5,000 mg (5 g) every day.
Final Thoughts: Creatine For Men
Creatine is one of the most popular and effective supplements on the market. It’s often referred to as a performance-enhancing supplement because it can help you build muscle, improve strength, and increase power output.
However, it’s also one of the safest supplements around, with few side effects and no negative health effects.
If you’re looking for a creatine supplement, we recommend Huge Creatine Monohydrate. It’s a research-backed product that’s available in both powder and capsule forms. It’s also one of the most affordable options on the market, costing just $29.95 for a one-month supply.
If you’re still not sure which product is right for you, though, we recommend checking out our list of the top 9 best creatine supplements for men.
All of the products on our list are formulated using a research-backed 5,000 mg (5 g) dose of creatine monohydrate and are priced competitively. Or look for your own preferred brand by following the same criteria we used above.
This is sponsored content. M&F is not endorsing the websites or products listed in this article.