Thursday, August 7, 2008

Best Creatine: Quality Discount Creatine Supplements

Since the Creatine Ethyl Ester blog has been published, I constantly get emails from readers asking me for my recommendation on what is the best creatine supplement. Truthfully, I cannot definitevely say that supplement X is the most effective creatine supplement available, or that brand Y is the best creatine for your money. However, through my extensive experiences, and the extensive experiences of many people I work with, I can give some general recommendations.

Cheap Creatine Supplements

While many creatine supplements are grossly overpriced and not worth the money, that does not mean you should go out and immediately buy the cheapest creatine you can buy. Many of the cheapest creatine supplements are impure, poorly manufactured forms of creatine. It is particularly dangerous to purchase creatine, or any muscle building supplement, from a fly-by-night, little known manufacturer.

Be sure to check the manufacturer out with the Better Business Bureau, and you may also want to check out what the FDA has to say about how to avoid risks when buying dietary supplements.

If a manufacturer is not on the up and up, they could easily be making impure supplements, whether they are labeled as such or not. This means the creatine you buy may not only be less or ineffective, but it may also contain dangerous toxins and contaminants.

Discount Creatine Supplements That Work

Despite the above warnings, you can still find safe, effective creatine supplements at low prices. Just be sure that the supplements are from a known, reputable manufacturer.

Pure creatine monohydrate, especially in powder form, is generally inexpensive. In fact, any form of creatine monohydrate that you purchase should probably be relatively cheap. These creatine supplements, provided they are taken properly and are from a reputable company, should also prove to be effective and safe.

Quality Creatine Products

Still, if you are looking for a little "extra boost" for your buck, you may want to consider spending a little bit more money and getting a premium creatine product. You will want to be careful to avoid getting ripped off.

Avoid any liquid creatine supplement or creatine serum. These products are a waste of money, as most of the creatine in these liquids will have become unstable long before you ingest it. In fact, if you mix your own creatine powder with a liquid, be sure to drink it immediately. Creatine monohydrate breaks down in liquid and becomes less effective over time.

Some well regarded premium creatine formulas that I would recommend are: MuscleTech's Creakic Hardcore, MRI's CE2 Hi-def and CE2 Platinum, and BSN CellMass. All of these products provide quality creatine monohydrate or creatine ethyl ester in a formula that efficiently and effectively delivers the creatine to your muscles. If you have questions about a particular creatine supplement or product, feel free to comment or contact me to get my opinion on the best creatine supplements and products.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im considering using creatine ethyl ester and need to establish the best dose. CellMass does not list the amount of creatine in each serving while the pill forms give the exact amount. I am wondering why?
Lou

Dr. Carter said...

Lou,

Good question. BSN's CellMass product uses a proprietary blend of different types of creatine, which they "AVPT (Advanced Volumizing & Performance Technology)." While the exact amount of creatine ethyl ester is hard to determine, the amount of "AVPT" per serving is about 4.25 grams. Remember, CellMass is supposed to be absorbed much more efficiently than plain creatine products, so in theory a lower dosage is needed. I hope that helps!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know if the Creatine products can be taken in conjunction with multivitamins? I already regularly use a potent multivitamin supllement and am interested in trying the Creatine.

Dr. Carter said...

Yes, you can absolutely continue taking a multivitamin. In fact, I would recommend that anyone who works out take a multi-vitamin supplement.