Las mejores creatinas para tus entrenamientos

The best creatine supplements for your workouts

Among the stars of sports supplements for a bodybuilder, creatine stands out for improving physical performance. The best creatine products, regardless of the goal, are not easy to find, as it is difficult to determine which ones suit your needs. Well, we have researched and found all kinds of options. In fact, at least one of them should match your needs. First of all, creatine is a natural compound found in large quantities in red meat, poultry, and fish. In the body, it helps supply energy to cells, including muscle cells. As we continue to explore its properties, we have made some selections you can choose to maintain strength or achieve massive muscle development.

What is creatine?

Creatine is part of a nitrogenous organic acid that helps supply energy to cells throughout the body, particularly muscle cells.

  • Creatine is a combination of three amino acids: glycine, L-arginine, and L-methionine.
  • Most of the substance in the body is found in the muscles, although the brain also stores some of it.

Several different factors can affect how well it works—or whether it works at all—for an athlete. For example, athletes who engage in more intense physical training may benefit from a higher daily creatine intake. Generally speaking, it is quite safe to ingest, although some careless people, through overdosing or ignorance, misuse it to the point of making it ineffective. Without a doubt, you should use it correctly and choose a high-quality supplement, because a cheap product will not do the job here. You should not go crazy as if you were taking an anabolic steroid either, because this substance, like some others, even in combination, serves not only for athletic performance or muscle gains, but also for the athlete's overall health.

A little chemistry first

Creatine is supplied physiologically in equal amounts by the diet and by the endogenous synthesis of arginine and glycine, involving the successive participation of arginine:glycine amidinotransferase [AGAT] and guanidinoacetate methyltransferase [GAMT]. A specific plasma membrane transporter, the creatine transporter [CRTR] (SLC6A8), also enables cells to take up creatine and, through the uptake of its precursor, guanidinoacetate, also contributes directly to creatine biosynthesis. Advances in understanding the role of creatine have emerged from studies of creatine deficiency disorders.

  • Primary creatine disorders are inherited as autosomal recessive traits (mutations affecting the GATM [for mitochondrial glycine amidinotransferase] and GAMT genes) or are X-linked (the SLC6A8 gene).
  • They have highlighted the role of creatine in altered brain functions in patients (global developmental delay, intellectual disability, behavioral disorders).
  • Creatine modulates GABAergic and glutamatergic brain pathways, with presynaptic CRTR (SLC6A8) ensuring the reuptake of synaptic creatine.
  • Secondary creatine disorders, affecting other genes, have highlighted the extraordinary interconnection between creatine metabolism and many other cellular pathways.

This high dependence on multiple pathways supports creatine as a cellular sensor of cellular methylation and energy status.

Creatine biosynthesis

Creatine biosynthesis consumes 40% of the methyl groups produced as S-adenosylmethionine, and creatine uptake is controlled by AMP-activated protein kinase, an ubiquitous sensor of energy depletion. Today, creatine is considered a potential sensor of cellular methylation and energy status, as well as a key neurotransmitter (GABAergic and glutamatergic) that influences:

  • CNS neurotransmission, a therapeutic agent with anaplerotic properties (toward creatine kinase [the creatine–creatine phosphate cycle] and creatine neurotransmission),
  • Energy metabolism.
  • And as an antioxidant compound (benefits in degenerative diseases or temporary conditions caused by intense exertion, through protection against energy depletion and oxidizing species)
  • In addition, it has an osmotic effect (water retention by the muscle).

What types of creatine are there?

There are several different types of creatine supplements available, including:

  • Creatine monohydrate: this is the most common form of creatine. It consists of one creatine molecule and one water molecule.
  • Buffered creatine: also known as Kre-Alkalyn, this form contains an alkaline buffer.
  • Creatine HCL: it is bound to a hydrochloride salt, which may help improve absorption.

Some research suggests that the average person requires approximately 1–3 g of the best creatine supplements; however, it all depends on the specific nutritional plan.

What are its side effects?

In summary, rumors about side effects from using creatine are exaggerated. For example,

  • You will gain weight using creatine, but that is because you are gaining muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat.
  • Or the rumor that it negatively affects your liver and kidneys; this seems true at first glance because creatine levels are used to measure problems in those organs, but correlation does not equal causation, and no study has shown that creatine affects those organs.

The principle is that you should take what you need, but if you don’t need enough, why take certain dietary supplements, including the best creatine supplements for your training?

Do the best creatine supplements work?

Studies everywhere have demonstrated the benefits of using creatine monohydrate. One of these studies shows that its use:

  • Increases the effects of resistance training on strength and body mass.
  • Provides an advantage in the quality and benefits of high-intensity intermittent speed training.
  • Improves endurance performance in aerobic exercise activities lasting more than 150 seconds.

For any athlete, it can improve strength, power, lean mass, daily life performance, and neurological function, which is definitive [1]. This same study demonstrated creatine’s effects in minimizing injuries during training, acting as an antioxidant and helping prevent muscle damage. Beyond that, it will also help muscles recover faster while helping the body cope with brain injuries, among other injuries the body may sustain. So, when you start using creatine, you will see that many of the great results from the basic components begin to fall into place. Just remember to drink plenty of water, as it tends to draw water into the muscles, which can leave you dehydrated.

When you do, you will see how the best creatine supplements are “extremely effective in increasing strength and ​​the sizeñmuscular” .

And if you really want to improve the already impressive results of using creatine, take it together with beta-alanine, a non-essential amino acid of natural origin that can help you surpass your usual strength limit. The various studies indicate that both compounds [2].

  • It will allow you to build muscle like never before if you train hard.
  • You will reduce your body fat level as much as possible.
  • You will increase your raw strength and power.

When should you take creatine?

Creatine is best taken just before or after exercising, but depending on what each person prefers, you can experiment.

It should be taken with some glucose to increase the insulin spike in the blood and allow it to be transported more easily.

Nutritionists also suggest spreading the dose throughout the day and combining it with a meal containing carbohydrates whenever possible, obviously with plenty of water. Experts recommend a creatine loading phase in which 20 to 25 g are taken per day during the first week of supplementation, followed by a dose of 5 to 10 g per day as a regular dose once the loading phase is complete. Other detractors maintain that cycling is not necessary, because depending on your goals, you can take more or less of this exceptional supplement.

What are the best creatines on the market?

The best creatines for your training can be many and come from various brands or delivery formats. However, the most popular ones, which have established themselves as the top products in terms of sales and effectiveness, are the following:

Creatine (Creatpure®) from MM Supplements

The formula developed by MM Supplements is so pure that it delivers the effects for which it is valued. Thanks to its ingredient, Creatpure®, obtained through state-of-the-art microfiltration, this supplement is one of the best for maximum assimilation. Properties:

  • Its high nutritional concentration and bioavailability guarantee its effects on strength, energy, and your muscles.
  • When combined with other substances, it will give you what you are looking for in a creatine.
  • Increases performance and reduces fatigue

This product stands out not only for its advanced ingredients but also for the processes used in its design, such as HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography). Its supplier bears the GMP seal for its new manufacturing practices.

100% Creatine Monohydrate from Iron Addict Labs

One of the best creatines for your training is this one, which has undoubtedly won over thousands of athletes, especially because of its purity, as the formula contains neither artificial compounds nor additives. The scientists at Iron Addict Labs have worked hard to create an exceptionally high-quality product, specifically for the most demanding consumers who want greater absorption and ease of mixing. Properties:

  • Provides complete support for athletes seeking greater strength, power, and energy.
  • It is perfect for pre-workouts, as it does not cause any stomach discomfort.
  • Significantly reduces recovery time.

For everyone who leads an active lifestyle, whether amateur or professional, this creatine monohydrate is undoubtedly one of the best options on the market.

Micronized Creatine Monohydrate from Amix Nutrition

Amix Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate is one of the best creatines for your training because, in its ultramicronized form, it guarantees purity and excellent absorption. This supplement, developed using a scientific foundation and cutting-edge technology called “HPLC CONTROL,” guarantees that the resulting powder is free of all impurities. Properties:

  • It supports muscle mass production and contributes to rapid muscle regeneration through its effects on muscle cells.
  • It is effective for supplying energy.
  • It provides solid support for physical and energy performance.
  • It delivers the explosive power you seek when workouts are very intense.

If you consume it before training with plenty of water, it not only provides its benefits but also maximizes hydration and metabolic function, which together produce unexpected results, such as feeling full and huge when you finish your workouts.

Creatine (Creatpure®) by Vitobest

This product, one of the most highly regarded on the market, is valued not only for the capabilities of its main compound, Creatpure®, which is excellent for providing the energy needed for every muscle contraction. Creatine, synthesized from the amino acids methionine, glycine, and arginine, is found largely in the muscles; therefore, through its scientists, Vitobest has developed a higher-concentration formula unlike anything achieved before. Properties:

  • Delays fatigue during intense training.
  • Increases explosive power.
  • Accelerates post-workout recovery.
  • Sustainably increases muscle mass.

CreaBIG Creatine (Creatpure®) by BIG

The innovative CreaBIG by BIG® is another of the best creatine products for your training, especially because of the Creapure® quality seal, which makes it a superior product manufactured to the strictest quality standards, along with BIG Science, of course—another key factor in the quality of the supplements developed by the brand. Thanks to its sublingual delivery format, you do not need shakers, liquids, or glasses for mixing, making it the best companion you could have at any time of day. Properties:

  • It is one of the best-absorbed creatine products.
  • Delays fatigue during intense training.
  • Increases explosive power.
  • Accelerates post-workout recovery.
  • Sustainably increases muscle mass.

BIG's ingredients are among the purest in the world, as they are produced using cutting-edge technology and are also suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.

Conclusions

Creatine is one of the most popular and widely researched natural supplements. Most studies have focused on the effects of creatine monohydrate on performance and health; however, there are the best creatine products for your training that have become more popular than others. Regardless of the form, it has consistently been shown to:

  • It increases strength, lean mass, and muscle morphology with strength training.
  • It may be beneficial in other exercise modalities, such as high-intensity sprints or endurance training.

However, it appears that the effects of creatine decrease as the time devoted to exercise increases. Although not everyone responds similarly to supplementation, it is generally accepted that it promotes faster regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) between high-intensity exercises. It is clear that this increase in performance will promote greater training adaptations and, even doses of 0.1 g/kg of body weight combined with strength training improve training adaptations at the cellular and subcellular levels. Finally, although oral creatine supplementation is currently considered safe and ethical, the perception of safety cannot be guaranteed, especially when administered over long periods to different populations and at different doses (athletes, sedentary individuals, patients, active individuals, young people, or older adults).

Remember that it can be combined with glutamine and, sometimes, you can also use it with glutamine and BCAAs. Regarding whether you can combine it with D-aspartic acid, it is better to refer to a video where we explain this controversial topic. On the other hand, there are interesting questions from our customers and enthusiasts that have arisen over time, such as:

References

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