Creatine is an essential supplement if you’re looking to build muscle and increase your strength.It also helps the muscles recover quickly during intense exercise.
But there are lots of different creatine supplements available, and it can be tricky to understand what features you should be looking for, when deciding on the right one for you.
To help you out, I’ve put together this list of my 10 best creatine supplements in the UK and provided a brief review of each one.
BULK POWDERS Creatine Monohydrate Powder
The Bulk Powders Creatine monohydrate powder is one of the best reviewed creatines on the market. It’s made from an ultra-high quality and pure source of creatine, giving the product a 99.9% purity rating, where many others can have as much as 5% impurities. It’s easily mixed, available in Apple and Lime, Mixed Berry and Unflavoured varieties. The suggested way to take it is mixed directly with water and/or whey protein post workout. The bag re-seals well to prevent moisture getting in.
- Creatine type: Creatine Monohydrate
- Serving size: 5g
Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine
Optimum Nutrition are one of the highest profile companies in the supplement world. This micronized creatine powder is made with creapure, which is a creatine monohydrate highly regarded on account of its exceptional purity and small particles. The unusually small particles means the powder mixes more easily and stays suspended in the liquid – this prevents the powder sinking to the bottom and building up the dreaded sludge at the bottom of your shaker! It’s available in Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla and Unflavoured varieties.
- Creatine type: Micronised Creatine Monohydrate.
- Serving size:6g
Optimum Nutrition Creatine 2500 mg Capsules
The Optimum Nutrition creatine monohydrate capsules are another market-leading offering. They are made from creapure which ensures they have the premium 99.9% purity which is expected of the high end creatines. They’re also a super convenient way to take creatine and make supplementation so much easier for many users. If you don’t like the powdery nature of a shake, or you don’t like the taste of the flavoured creatines then this could be the product for you. It’s tasteless, easy to transport, doesn’t require measuring a dose size and can be taken very quickly. These are a very high dose creatine relative to other products on the market.
- Creatine type: Creapure creatine monohydrate
- Serving size: 5g
MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate 500g
The MyProtein Creatine Monohydrate powder is a budget-mid range creatine that offers good value for money. Where it’s not micronised like some of the higher end products, it is a lot of creatine for the price and as such is a good option for those users with a tighter budget. If you’re used to the smoother consistency of the micronized creatines, perhaps stay away from this but if you’re not as fussy, go ahead! MyProtein have got a solid reputation in the industry so you won’t go far wrong here.
- Creatine type: Creatine Monohydrate Powder
- Serving size: 3g
Creatine Xtreme
The Creatine Xtreme from Iron Labs is another capsule based creatine supplement. In this case, it also contains Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Zinc, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. It’s a more rounded supplement, but with a serving suggestion of 3 capsules, twice per day (AM and PM) it’s arguably not as convenient as others. Each 6 capsule daily dose provides 3.9g of creatine, plus the additional nutrient benefits of the Zinc, Vitamin D and B12. Like some other capsuled creatines, the capsules are quite large so may be slightly difficult to swallow
- Creatine type: Creatine Monohydrate Capsules
- Serving size:9g
MET-Rx Creatine 4200
MET-Rx is another of the world leading supplement brands and their creatine capsules have been very well received by users. They use a pharmaceutical grade of HPLC creatine monohydrate, which means it is broken down into the smallest possible molecule size to ensure fast absorption by the body. The capsules are slightly smaller than other brands which can make taking them much easier as well. They’re in the upper mid-range in terms of price, but these are a premium product.
- Creatine type: Creatine Monohydrate Capsules
- Serving size:2g
Nu U Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate Powder Micronised
This creatine powder from Nu U nutrition is a great offering if you’re vegetarian or vegan. The product is allergen free, lactose free, GMO free, gluten free and sugar free. It comes in a very large (1kg) bag and will last for 7 months if taken daily. Each serving contains 5g of creatine, which is also a large dose. It’s an unflavoured powder and mixes well, plus the dosing is easy because the product contains a serving scoop.
- Creatine type: Creatine Monohydrate Powder
- Serving size: 5g
USN Creatine Monohydrate
The USN creatine monohydrate is another of the mid-price creatine powders. It is micronised like the premium ranges but some users suggest that it doesn’t mix as well as the brands at a higher price points. The serving size is 5g and each serving contains 4.4g of creatine, so it is relatively high dose. The USN creatine product doesn’t contain a serving scoop so most users will serve with a 5g teaspoon, which seems to do the trick just fine!
- Creatine type: Micronised Creatine Monohydrate
- Serving size:4g
Creatine Monohydrate Tablets by OPAL Fitness
The OPAL Fitness creatine monohydrate tablets are a low dose creatine taken across multiple small tablets. On one hand, the creatine itself is HPLC tested which authenticates its ability to be absorbed by the body. On the other, you have to swallow 5 tablets in order to get a 2g dose of creatine. With other brands offering up to 5g of creatine per serving, you have to consider how active you need an how much creatine you would like to take. If your needs are low (because you eat lots of red meat for example), this could be the brand for you! It’s a mid-range price so won’t break the bank.
- Creatine type: Micronised Creatine Monohydrate Tablet
- Serving size: 2g
Reflex Nutrition – Creapure Creatine
Relfex Nutrition have a growing reputation in the supplement industry and this Creapure Creatine is another great product. It’s a premium product, but the fact that it is made from Creapure (the purest form of creatine there is) and mixes well wholly justifies its price point as a premium product. In addition, the Relfex Nutrition creatine is Halal and vegan friendly, so can be used by a wider number of people with absolute confidence. There’s a reason this is seen as one of the market leaders.
- Creatine type: Creapure Creatine
- Serving size: 5g
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Choosing the right creatine supplement
You have a few different considerations when it comes to choosing your creatine supplement – most notably your budget, your preferred way of taking it, your dosage requirements and also any dietary considerations, for example if you were vegan, a capsule probably wouldn’t work because it would contain gelatine. Beyond that, there are a few standard points to consider that we’ll discuss now.
Powder or tablet
Both of these have their pros and cons. In terms of ease, a tablet or capsule is easiest. It can be swallowed quickly, requires no measuring of a dose and has no taste or texture. Creatine capsules can be large and difficult to swallow though, so need a lot of water.
Powders are mixed with a drink for immediate post-workout consumption, but if you buy a cheaper powder they tend not to mix well and can be less appealing to drink. Powder is typically cheaper and you can take larger or smaller doses.
Flavour
When it comes to creatine most powders are unflavoured, with a couple of rare exceptions. For this reason a lot of people tend to consider flavour less important than mixability, because if it mixes well, it will be added to protein shakes or fruit juice.
Brand
There’s brand loyalty in all industries and supplements are no different. If you have a lot of products from a particular brand and like them, start there. If that doesn’t work for you, I’d suggest you look at the premium brands and work back – that way you’re less likely to waste money on cheaper, poor quality products.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a natural compound that is used to recycle energy in the cells. Essentially it helps to reform ATP (the fuel our body uses) quicker and more effectively, which in turn allows us to train harder, for longer when bulking. The result of this extra training means better physical performance including increased strength, power and muscle mass, plus longer time to fatigue. It occurs naturally in our diets and can be produced by the body, but active people benefit by adding extra creatine to their diets via supplements.
Benefits of taking creatine
Improved muscle mass, improved strength, improved power, improved endurance and in some cases, improved mental alertness and cognitive ability. As one of the most researched supplements around, there is a hug evidence base to support its use – top athletes use it, recreational exercisers use it and there’s even evidence that it can help students studying for exams because it boost memory, understanding and recall of information.
How to take creatine
Typically you start with a ‘loading’ phase where you’ll take a very high dose for up to 4 weeks (depending on the brand and dosage), then after that you’ll reduce to a standard dosing of around 3-5g per day.
Some people like to cycle on and off creatine every few weeks, but this isn’t always necessary. It can make some people slightly heavier as they hold on to more water, but cycling off for a couple of weeks reduces this. It’s a case of keeping an eye on how you look, feel and perform whilst on creatine, before deciding whether to cycle off or not.
The best creatine supplements in the UK
Like any supplement range there are good and bad, but you have to make a choice based on your requirements. Thankfully creatine isn’t hugely different in its processing or taste, so your decisions are largely based on budget, dosage and how you want to take your creatine. Follow these reviews and you’ll certainly find a creatine to suit your needs.