Most university campuses don’t offer a nutrition store, but York is lucky enough to have one.
Many students don’t know what to buy when there are so many products to choose from. In case you’re overwhelmed when you walk into Nutrition House, Excalibur is here to help you.
This week, we’re talking about creatine. The supplement has been proven to give you an edge in your workout. Creatine is a naturally occurring acid found in the human body. It is why you are able to run a 100m dash, knock around 300lbs men in football, and have the energy to lift weights. Put simply, creatine maximizes your muscles abilities so that they can perform at their best. So why would you need to shell out all this extra cash if your body naturally produces creatine itself?
While creatine found in the body is definitely enough for non- intensive exercise and long-haul marathons, creatine supplementation will give you that extra edge explosive sports like football or weight-lifting.
But not all forms of creatine are created equal. Scientific studies only vouch for creatine monohydrate. Monohydrate is a pure form of pharmaceutical grade creatine. It is the most effective and the safest type of creatine because it has been exposed to over 20 years of scientific study.
These studies were conducted on both elite athletes and active healthy adults, which means the exact dose you need to get optimal results has been established.
Some other types of creatine use monohydrate in their product, but they’re under-dosed and mixed with fillers that dilute the effectiveness.
We now know why creatine is much more effective than some hyped up pre-workout drink, but which type of creatine should you buy if you’re shopping at the Nutrition House on campus?
1. ALL MAX Nutrition: 100% Pure Creatine Mono- hydrate
Price: $39.99 1000g Bottle (5g each serving/200 Servings)
Taste: It’s practically tasteless when mixed with milk, protein powder or juice.
Effectiveness: This product brings results. You will notice that you can pump out more reps in the gym, lift heavier weights, and push further while sprinting. This type of creatine gives ideal results because you know that you are taking the right amount needed
to maximize your strength. The bottle has no fancy advertising on it, does not claim to give ridiculous results and is much cheaper than the “new and improved” types of creatine.
If you want a scientifically backed product that will “increase indices of high-intensity exercise performance for both males and females,” as ALLMAX Nutrition claims to do, go with this product. It has zero fillers and the 1000g bottle has enough creatine to last you over six months! 10/10
2. Purple K Kre-Alkalyn Creatine
Price: $55.99 for 40 scoops (2 scoops per serving/20 servings)
Taste: Purple-K has a grape juice flavour packed into each scoop. If you like grapes, you’ll love it. If you dislike grapes, your taste buds will hate you. Effectiveness: Its main selling point is not that it increases raw strength but that it decreases water retention. Kre-Alkalyn did not make me hold the same amount of water weight as mono- hydrate. That initial water weight happens quickly and does not increase as you keep taking the product. The lack of water retention might be due to a lower dose of creatine monohydrate. While Purple-K contains creatine monohydrate, it’s a concentrated blend of ingredients, which means you don’t know exactly what gets mixed into the formula (like how much creatine there is per serving). It’s a buffered form of creatine that claims to deliver more to your muscles, but studies by the Journal of International Sports Nutrition actually show that “a buffered form of creatine does not promote greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, or training adaptations than creatine monohydrate.” 7/10
3. Creatine Freak
Price: $44.99 for 90 capsules
(30-day supply)
Taste: Capsules might be a deal- breaker for some folks. It’s much more of a hassle to take 3 capsules a day than to mix an unflavored powder into your drink.
Effectiveness: Creatine Freak is an over-hyped supplement. The box says it contains “organically altered performance enhancing compounds” and that it enhances “mind-muscle connection.” These are simply buzzwords used to get people to believe this product is somehow better than plain old creatine monohydrate. A mind- muscle connection happens when you use proper form — creatine doesn’t enhance that, it lets you push your strength limits and have more endurance during your sets.
A potential downside to Creatine Freak is that it contains beta- alanine. This amino acid causes many people to have itchy skin, and that’s the last thing you want during an intense workout. Creatine Freak is a concentrates form of creatine just like Purple K. That means it is no better than regular creatine monohydrate. 6/10.
Jon Weinstock
Contributor
Price: $55.99 for 40 scoops (2 scoops per serving/20 servings)
Taste: Purple-K has a grape juice flavour packed into each scoop. If you like grapes, you’ll love it. If you dislike grapes, your taste buds will hate you. Effectiveness: Its main selling point is not that it increases raw strength but that it decreases water retention. Kre-Alkalyn did not make me hold the same amount of water weight as mono- hydrate. That initial water weight happens quickly and does not increase as you keep taking the product. The lack of water retention might be due to a lower dose of creatine monohydrate. While Purple-K contains creatine monohydrate, it’s a concentrated blend of ingredients, which means you don’t know exactly what gets mixed into the formula (like how much creatine there is per serving). It’s a buffered form of creatine that claims to deliver more to your muscles, but studies by the Journal of International Sports Nutrition actually show that “a buffered form of creatine does not promote greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, or training adaptations than creatine monohydrate.” 7/10
3. Creatine Freak
Price: $44.99 for 90 capsules
(30-day supply)
Taste: Capsules might be a deal- breaker for some folks. It’s much more of a hassle to take 3 capsules a day than to mix an unflavored powder into your drink.
Effectiveness: Creatine Freak is an over-hyped supplement. The box says it contains “organically altered performance enhancing compounds” and that it enhances “mind-muscle connection.” These are simply buzzwords used to get people to believe this product is somehow better than plain old creatine monohydrate. A mind- muscle connection happens when you use proper form — creatine doesn’t enhance that, it lets you push your strength limits and have more endurance during your sets.
A potential downside to Creatine Freak is that it contains beta- alanine. This amino acid causes many people to have itchy skin, and that’s the last thing you want during an intense workout. Creatine Freak is a concentrates form of creatine just like Purple K. That means it is no better than regular creatine monohydrate. 6/10.
Jon Weinstock
Contributor
I totally agree with this list. My favorite one is creatine.
Nutrindo Ideias
My favorite supplement is creatine. Very nice article
Nutrindo Ideias