In the world of athletic supplements and aids, there are hundreds of options and thousands of brands. At first, I found this personally overwhelming. However, one supplement far surpasses others in popularity, creatine. Creatine is a naturally produced substance in the body by the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. Taken orally, as a supplement, creatine is widely perceived to improve performance and result in leaner muscle mass. This is exactly what I was missing from my workout and diet regimen.
At first, I thought my problem could be solved simply by hitting up the gym and regulating my diet. But no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t feel like I was getting the results I deserved. So, I took a leap of faith and dived into the world of creatine with this optimum nutrition creatine review.
Things to Consider Before Buying
Before taking creatine, I had heard all kinds of mixed reviews. I knew some nutritional supplements weren’t healthy for your body, and in fact, could be harmful to your body. With this in mind, I knew I really wanted to research if creatine was a good fit for my lifestyle.
If you’re not willing to change your diet or exercise regime, then any kind of creatine is not going to prove to be helpful. For someone in this situation, it will be pretty hard to get in shape, no matter how you look at it.
If you are taking a variety of medications for underlying health issues, it would be wise to make sure creatine (and even rigorous exercise) is good for your health. One last, general, drawback to creatine is that it can lead to dehydration. But honestly, the risk of dehydration can be eliminated by drinking more water! So I personally didn’t consider that a huge negative when conducting my research. All in all, it is a serious decision to begin taking nutritional supplements; but, after a little research, I felt comfortable going with creatine to boost my muscle strength and overall fitness.
Optimum Nutrition Creatine Review
There are plenty of creatine powders on the market, but after a lot of consideration, I landed on trying Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder. Optimum Nutrition’s parent company is Glanbia, a reputable nutritional ingredients and international cheese group.
According to Optimum Nutrition, their product promotes muscle building, is tested for banned substances, and includes 5 grams of pure creatine per serving. The only true negatives I could find for the product seemed small due to it just being pure creatine. It comes with a whopping 400 servings, which made me a tad nervous, in case I didn’t like the product. I also found that I wasn’t too fond of the powder’s consistency. But, I decided if the product worked (which, it did) that I wouldn’t let the overall consistency be a huge hurdle for me.
All in all, my experience with Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder has been a positive one. But, as with all negatives, there are pros and cons.
Pros:
- Affordable compared to competitors
- Effective when paired with exercise
- Easy to measure portions
- Banned substance free
Cons:
- Grainy texture if not thoroughly mixed
- Comes in a large container (just make sure you’re dedicated before purchasing)
- Only ships within the United States
- Does not provide a measuring scoop
Features & Benefits
You could literally spend days, if not weeks, researching fitness supplements. But, for me, trying the supplement for myself and comparing the product against its features is the best strategy. The Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder has the following features:
Assists During and After Workouts
This creatine powder is meant to help you build more muscle, recover quickly after workouts, and increase performance. I felt these results right away. This supplement helped me feel more energized instead of complete exhaustion after a workout, build the muscle mass I was lacking, and I simply felt better while exercising.
Now it is also fair to say, that I don’t think I would have not gotten results without effective exercising. So if you’re looking for some kind of miracle powder to transform your body, this definitely isn’t going to be it. BUT, if you’re willing to put in the work then, this product from Optimum Nutrition is capable of giving you the extra boost you need.
Healthy and Safe for Your Body
What good are exercise and a healthy diet if you fuel your body with toxins or junk? That always seemed counterintuitive to me. For this reason, I was happy to see that this product is tested for banned substances. So what is considered a banned substance? Banned substances include things such as stimulants, anabolic agents, harmful hormones, narcotics, and more. Essentially, ingredients that would be considered sketchy, if not downright harmful. Creatine itself is such a trusted type of supplement, that Olympic athletes are allowed to take it during training or while performing in the Olympics.
5 Grams of Creatine Per Serving
I have found that some supposed creatine powders simply don’t have that much actual creatine per serving. What this means for me is that I have to take more servings (buy more product) to reach any kind of noticeable results. With Optimum Nutrition’s creatine powder, on the other hand, each serving contains 5 grams of creatine. I have found that this is just the right amount per serving for me and my needs. Some gym fanatics may play around with that number, but for me, I’ve found it to work out just right.
On top of that, the powder comes in a container with 400 servings. 400 servings are enough to last me for countless mornings or workouts, making this supplement both effective and affordable. I also like the fact that you measure one serving as one rounded teaspoon. I was not a fan of how it did not come with a scoop. Knowing that one serving is a teaspoon was nice, but the convenience of a provided scoop was missed.
Flavorless
It doesn’t matter what drink you use to take your creatine, your options are endless when the supplement is flavorless. It may sound bland to buy a flavorless supplement; but, trust me, the flexibility it gives users is priceless. Another added benefit to flavorless creatine is that it contains no harmful artificial sweeteners, a definite “no-no” for my diet.
What Are Others Saying
I searched high and low on the internet for other real users’ optimum nutrition creatine review. It seems reasonable that if it had enough positive reviews that it would be worth trying. I checked with fitness sites, retailers, and more just to make sure I knew what others had experienced with the product. Overall, Optimum Nutrition has a solid reputation and pretty stellar reviews.
On Amazon, Mineyourbiz said, it’s the best supplement he’s tried and that no other supplement comes close to it.
Justin raved that it has definitely helped with his endurance after about a week of taking it.
And finally…
Derek R is loving the results and said that it will work after about a month, but only if accompanied by a good workout routine and diet.
Alternative Options
Of course, there are other creatine powder options to consider aside from Optimum Nutrition’s lineup. Some even seem pleasantly surprising in their reviews. But, like any other product, there are pros and cons to each creatine brand.
Bulksupplements Creatine Monohydrate (Micronized)
This creatine powder from Bulksupplements is definitely as advertised and offered in large quantities at an affordable price. Bulksupplements is known for supplying nutritional supplements to gyms by the barrel. If you are an avid fitness buff, bodybuilder, or serious athlete, this might be the right product for you.
Pros:
- Affordable price
- Offered in large quantities
- Manufactured in an FDA registered facility for extra safety
Cons:
- Packaging is a bag instead of container making storage difficult
- A large amount of creatine may just be unnecessary for the average person
Bulksupplements Creatine is definitely another alternative worth checking out for those who need large quantities.
Kaged Muscle Creatine HCl
For some people, monohydrate Creatine is simply not an option due to adverse side-effects upon consumption (upset stomach is perhaps the most common). So for these people, a better option might be hydrochloride creatine which is designed to be more soluble. For such people, the switch is more than worth it, but for the price tag, it might not be as beneficial for people who do well with monohydrate forms of creatine. Kaged Muscle does a good job providing this alternative with their patented creatine HCl in Lemon Lime flavor.
Pros:
- Solid choice for people who can’t take monohydrate creatine
- Increased solubility for digestion
- Trusted brand
Cons:
- More expensive than other forms of creatine
- Flavoring may restrict what you can mix the product with
- More acidic than other products on the market (this may not necessarily be a drawback for some users; but, it is definitely worth keeping in mind!)
For those who don’t mind paying the extra price or who need an alternative, Kaged Creatine HCl is worth a look.
EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn PH-Correct Creatine
So maybe you are tired of mixing the pre or post-workout shakes. If you are, then, EFX sports provides a solution with their Kre-Alkalyn PH-Correct Creatine Monohydrate that comes in the forms of capsules. Each container comes with 240 purple capsules (120 servings) and seems to offer comparable results.
Pros:
- Offered in capsules! No mess!
- Reasonably and affordably priced
- Formulated with a higher pH level to stabilize creatine
Cons:
- Contains artificial food coloring to have a “purple” appearance
- The alkaline nature of the product can cause a stronger odor
- May have to adjust the number of capsules until you find the desired results
Overall EFX Sports Creatine offers a solid alternative. It’s definitely a product worth checking out, especially for those who are burnt out.
Take-Away
Choosing a supplement can feel overwhelming in the beginning. There are so many options on the market and you want to make sure you are fueling your body in a healthy way. Before beginning my journey I felt out-of-shape, sluggish, and simply needed a boost to accompany my hard work at the gym. If I hadn’t solved my problem, I’m not sure I would have stuck it out and continued my workout regime anyway. As a matter of fact, I might have abandoned it altogether for some unhealthy habits.
But, Optimum Nutrition’s Creatine helped solve my dilemma. From the high proportion of creatine per serving to the lack of additives and unwanted ingredients, Optimum Nutrition definitely checked every need off my list. I hope I helped make up your mind with this optimum nutrition creatine review.
Check out Optimum Nutrition’s product for yourself here.
