Your mom thinks it’s steroids, your gym bros think it’s a magic powder that gets you jacked overnight: Unfortunately, the best creatine supplements are decidedly neither of those things. That being said, creatine is one of the most thoroughly studied supplements on the market—a veritable beacon of hope in an otherwise largely unregulated industry—that actually does help boost strength, athletic performance, and muscle mass to a small (but not insignificant!) degree. “I recommend [creatine] to anyone who wants to improve strength, power, and lean muscle mass growth,” Mike Dewar, strength coach and founder of J2FIT, says. “Some newer studies show that creatine can also improve brain health.”
I’ve personally been taking five grams of creatine every day for years, and pretty much every serious gym rat I know swears by the stuff. (Of course, you should consult with your healthcare provider before taking any dietary supplement.) Will creatine magically make you a vascular, engorged freakbeast overnight? No. Will it—when coupled with hard training and good recovery—help with your gains? For sure. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our top picks for the best creatine supplements below.
The Best Creatine Supplements, According to GQ:
In This Guide
Best Creatine Overall: Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Nutricost
Creatine Monohydrate Powder
If you’ve read anything I’ve written about protein powder or supplements, you know that I’ve got a soft spot for Nutricost. The value here is really solid, and if you’re just looking for a big tub of creatine monohydrate—the only kind of creatine you should be buying, by the way—you can’t go wrong with Nutricost. (It also has the standard dose of five grams per scoop, which is key.) I’m partial to the unflavored version, since I don’t really mind the taste, but the brand offers a bunch of different option. If you’re looking for something to whack into a protein shake or slug down with some water, this is your best bet.
Best Flavored Creatine: RAW Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate
RAW Nutrition
Creatine Monohydrate
It’s pretty well-known that unflavored creatine can be… challenging to suck down at times, to say the least. (Pro Tip: Don’t try to dry-scoop this stuff.) Even though many brands offer flavored versions, the bitter, chalky taste can be a lot—especially if you’re not used to it. Luckily, the folks over at RAW Nutrition came out with a very solid, and surprisingly tasty, slate of creatine monohydrate flavors. The range includes Blue Raspberry (classic), Cherry Limeade, and Fruit Punch. It also dissolves pretty well, which is rare for most creatine formulas on the market.
Best Creatine Bundle: Momentous The Momentous Three
Momentous
The Momentous Three
If you’re new to creatine—and the supplement game in general—and want a one-stop shop for your supplement essentials, The Momentous Three is the way to go. It’s got everything you need to stock your supplement cabinet (everyone has one of those, right?) with the brand’s top-shelf Whey Protein Isolate, Omega-3 pills, and—of course—Creatine Monohydrate. I especially like the inclusion of Omega-3 here, since it’s an often-overlooked supplement that can help with inflammation, muscle recovery, and protection of brain health and function. If you’re not eating a ton of fatty fish in your diet, it’s definitely worth considering, IMO.
Best Pre-Workout With Creatine: Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode Pre-Workout
It’s easy to get bogged down in the supplement aisle—I myself am certainly guilty of having a few cabinets in my kitchen that look more like a GNC than I’d care to admit. For those trying to streamline their supplementation regimen, taking a pre-workout that has your daily dose of creatine built into the formula is a great way to get two birds stoned at once. With a grip of decent flavors and both stim and stim-free options, this is a solid choice for gym rats everywhere. (This also happens to be our top pick for the best pre-workout for resistance training on the market.) One thing to note, though: Creatine only works if you take it every day, so on rest days, it’s best to use a regular creatine supplement instead.
Best Creatine Pills: BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate Capsules
BulkSupplements
Creatine Monohydrate Capsules
Don’t mess with powders and potions? We feel you. For on-the-go meatheaderry, I like to pack these creatine pills instead of making a mess trying to funnel a bunch of powder into, say, an airport water bottle using a rolled-up magazine. (Though if you’re going to go that route, make sure you use an issue of GQ.) A word of warning, though: The serving size for these is seven pills, which is (obviously) a lot of pills. It never bothers me, but it’s good to keep in mind.
Best Intra-Workout With Creatine: Huge Supplements
Formula XII
Intra Workout Carbs & Post Workout Recovery Powder
For anyone who’s ever gone so hard in the gym (or in any athletic endeavor for a long duration), there’s a certain horrible, lightheaded, drained feeling that comes from burning out all of your carbs after prolonged strenuous effort. (That’s an oversimplification, but I’m not a scientist.) An easy way to fix that is by using an intra-workout supplement. Huge Supplements’ intra- and post-workout powder has aminos, electrolytes, dextrose, and cluster dextrin—all of which, combined with the 5mg of creatine per two-scoop serving, helps keep you in the game longer and promotes faster recovery.
Best Creatine Gummies: Legion Creatine Monohydrate Gummies
Legion
Creatine Monohydrate Gummies
More of a Flintstones vitamin dude? You’re in luck: Legion makes some delicious creatine gummies that are truly a joy to eat. “I’ve been dying to get on the creatine bandwagon, but mixing powders into water has never been my thing,” GQ‘s associate commerce editor Tyler Chin says. “This makes it so much easier to get my daily five grams of the stuff without having to deal with a plume of white powder at my office desk.” Is hammering five gummies the most efficient way to get your creatine in? Probably not—but it make every morning a little more fun, which is always worth it in our book. Jury’s out on whether or not these gummies have actually made Chin any stronger, but he says his shirts are starting to feel a little tighter of late.
Best Creatine for Traveling: Create Single Serve Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Create
Single Serve Creatine Monohydrate Powder
The thing about creatine is that it only works if you take it every day—and that means on days when you’re traveling, too. For on-the-go supplementation, it’s hard to beat these stick packs of creatine from Create—especially if you’re not a fan of knocking back a handful of horse pills. These mix really well, and have your tried-and-true five grams of creatine monohydrate in each stick. By no means are they as cheap as bulk powder, but you’re paying for convenience.
Best Creatine Tablets: Animal Creatine Chews Tablets
Animal
Creatine Chews Tablets
While these chewable creatine tablets from Animal are marginally less fun than the gummies we listed above, they’re marginally more fun than an unflavored powder or a handful of gel-caps. Animal is an OG in the supplement game, and if you’ve been in the iron game for a while, you might remember their old school black-and-white print ads or the Animal Cage at the Arnold.
More Creatine Supplements We Love
What to Look for in Creatine Supplements
Dose: For most people, five grams (often listed as 5,000mg on nutrition labels to… make it seem like more?) is going to be the sweet spot. There’s anecdotal evidence that bigger guys see bigger gains with bigger doses of creatine—and some studies suggest doses up to 20 grams a day help with cognitive function—but five grams is where it’s at, IMO. Plus, going above five grams is tough on the ol’ stomach, anecdotally.
Type: Stick with creatine monohydrate. This is the gold standard and the most researched kind of creatine on the market with no additives. Every other type of creatine is pretty much just marketing.
Creatine FAQ
Why Should People Take Creatine? What Are the Benefits of Creatine?
“Creatine is one of the most researched and scientifically proven legal supplements on the market to increase strength, power, sprint performance, and muscle size,” Dewar says. “Creatine works to improve ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production, which is the main energy source the body uses for forceful and rapid muscle contractions. This energy source, however, also depletes quickly… so having ample amounts in the system just helps you always keep your ‘gas tank’ full. This can also aid in recovery, as creatine is part of all skeletal muscle tissue, and is constantly being used and replenished during hard training.”
Who Should Take Creatine?
TL;DR: It’s not just for bodybuilders. “Creatine is used by all ages, abilities, and body types, as physiologically our bodies require it as one of the earliest forms of energy to promote muscle function,” Dewar explains. “That said, I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve strength, power, and lean muscle mass growth. Additionally, there are some newer studies showing that creatine can also improve brain health. All in all, it’s something that has no downsides, in all the literature. I recommend people shoot for at least three grams a day, however five grams is the standard dose. While these aren’t usually standardized for body size, I find that five to eight grams is a solid option for larger individuals who train very hard and are more advanced.”
Do I Need to “Load” Creatine?
No, Dewar says. Since creatine can take weeks to produce any noticeable effects, some folks opt to “load” it—a.k.a. take around 20 grams a day for the first week, in an effort to expedite the process with a loading phase. “Just taking [five grams] daily with some carbs is best,” he explains. Anecdotally, I notice some gastrointestinal side effects at doses higher than five grams.
What Is the Best Creatine to Take?
Creatine monohydrate is the gold standard when it comes to the best form of creatine to build muscle and help with exercise performance.
How Do I Supplement With Creatine?
Take five grams a day, every day, and pray for muscle growth.
How We Tested
In my 15 years of strength training, I’ve taken a ton of creatine, from no-name Wal-Mart brands to high-end, probably-too-expensive tubs from the newest, most hyped-up DTC brands in the game. Plus, I also consulted with my network of meatheads testers, which includes my fellow gym rats office, former NCAA athletes, NASM– and ACE-certified trainers, and competitive BJJ grapplers.
Meet the Expert
Mike Dewar is the founder and strength coach at J2FIT. With 13+ years of experience as a personal trainer, five years as a NCAA Strength Coach at New York University, and over 550+ published fitness and nutrition articles, he knows a thing or two about fitness. He also holds a masters in Exercise Physiology from Columbia University and a bachelors in Exercise Science from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. You can check him out on Instagram and YouTube.
