Which Creatine is Best?
When it comes to making gains, diet and training are only half the battle, finding the proper supplements to build muscle mass, strength and recovery is absolutely essential. In addition to products like pre-workout or protein powder, a supplement that stands out for muscle building is creatine. It is one of the most researched supplements on the market, and has been found to be safe for anyone looking to build muscle, strength and help recover from intense workouts. Now there are several different types of creatine, and two of them that we are going to directly compare are monohydrate, and kre-alkalyn.
In this post we detail what are these two types of creatine are and debate the effectiveness of monohydrate vs kre-alkalyn.
(If you want the best rated creatine supplement, here is a quick answer!)
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a substance that consists of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. It is produced naturally in the body and found in red meat and fish, but the problem is that consuming it through those sources is not always enough.
Anyway, once ingested, the creatine is transported into the muscle cell and combines with other compounds to form phosphocreatine, a source of stored energy used during short periods of intense activity. The phosphocreatine (Pcr) molecule is then donated to create ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which helps supply energy to your muscle cells quickly and efficiently. This helps to reduce recovery time between workouts. The more creatine you have stored in your muscles, the more energy you’ll have available during exercise, which is what can cause an increase in strength, muscle growth, and enhanced performance during short-burst, high-intensity activities such as resistance training.
Many people think that creatine is some sort of steroid, and while it can increase size and strength, it is just a regular over the counter supplement that you already have in your body.
Types of Creatine
There are many types of creatine, but we will discuss two of the main ones, which are Kre-Alkalyn and Monohydrate. So let’s compare monohydrate vs. Kre-Alkalyn.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine Monohydrate is the most popular and widely researched type of creatine that has ever been produced. It was introduced back in 1993, many gym goers and athletes have turned to creatine as a supplement to include in their routines for improving muscle mass, strength, and endurance.
Creatine monohydrate has been shown time and time again to effectively increase lean muscle mass, improving overall performance when it comes to training and functioning throughout the day. Monohydrate also reduces muscle fatigue, allowing you to perform more repetitions with weight.
Monohydrate is considered the purest form of creatine and offers the best results. There also has been evidence that creatine increases body water content, aiding in fat loss. However, if you do not stay hydrated while using creatine, you run the risk of having some discomforting side effects. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Monohydrate is a less soluble form of creatine, which can lead to you experiencing gastrointestinal distress when consumed in large quantities (the recommended dose is 5 grams per day)
- A loading phase is often recommended, which involves taking 20 grams of creatine per day for the first week, which is then followed by a maintenance dose of 2-5 grams per day afterward, which is a larger dose.
Kre-Alkalyn Creatine
Kre-Alkalyn creatine might be something you have not heard of, as it is not as common in the supplement aisle in your local grocery store. Kre-Alkalyn creatine is also known as buffered creatine, and is a patented form of creatine that does not convert to creatinine. This makes it the most potent form of creatine available, with a pH balanced (pH between 7 -14) and great dissolvability.
- Kre-Alkalyn reduces the chance of side effects associated with other forms of creatine, such as stomach cramps, bloating, and water retention, as it does not convert into creatinine.
- Kre-Alkalyn adjusts the pH of monohydrate creatine with alkaline powder, like magnesium, soda ash, or bicarbonate. That being said, Kre-Alkalyn can supply concentrated creatine levels without converting it to creatinine, which is the main cause of those sides.
Difference Between Monohydrate and Kre-alkalyn Creatine
Let’s take a look at these two creatine types based on the side effects, solubility, absorption, creating loading, and price.
Side Effects
Side effects are a big thing to consider when looking at monohydrate vs. Kre-Alkalyn creatine. Kre-Alkalyn creatine is made using an alkaline buffering process instead of the traditional acidification.
- Alkaline buffering prevents the formation of creatinine, which can cause those nasty side effects such as stomach distress and reduce absorption during your workouts.
- On the other hand, creatine monohydrate is made using traditional acidification. This can cause the formation of creatinine that may result in those rather unwanted side effects, such as bloating, stomach distress, and cramps.
Absorption
Kre-Alkalyn gets absorbed more quickly than creatine monohydrate, which can be more beneficial for you. Kre-alkalyn has been said to have a 90% absorption rate into the muscles compared to monohydrate version creatine, which only has 2 to 18% absorption.
The Loading Phase
Kre-Alkalyn does not require a loading phase for effectiveness, meaning you can just take it and expect some great effects to kick in soon after. Now, creatine monohydrate would benefit from a creatine loading phase that can take up to a week with 20 grams a day, followed by a lower dose of creatine, ranging from 2 to 10 grams, to be administered for the body to use the product.
Price
Buffered creatine is slightly more expensive than monohydrate, and you do not see it as widely available when it comes to supplement shopping. Creatine monohydrate costs around 3-4 times less than creatine Kre-Alkalyn, making it much more appealing for the consumer wallet.
Solubility
Creatine monohydrate does not dissolve well in water, even when you vigorously shake it in your shaker cup. The difficult solubility causes stomach discomfort when taken in high doses. On the flip side, Kre-Alkalyn dissolves perfectly in the water, making it superior to creatine monohydrate supplements.
Performance
Kre-Alkalyn has been shown to produce a greater impact on power output than monohydrate, as well as a greater impact on anaerobic endurance when compared to monohydrate.
The Verdict on Kre Alkalyn vs. Monohydrate
When it comes to gaining mass and bulking up, then monohydrate is a better option, as it will deliver more creatine to your muscles than Kre-Alkalyn. The increased amount of creatine can lead to increased growth hormone levels in your body, leading to more strength output and muscle mass gained.
Now if your goal is to increase performance, Kre-Alkalyn is the way to go. With Kre-Alkalyn, you will have less of a negative effect on your stomach, meaning you can perform at your best.
Not only that, but it also helps athletic performance by allowing for quick bursts of intense exercise while increasing muscle force and power, making it the best creatine option for crushing workouts and gaining fitness.
However, creatine monohydrate is the purest form of creatine, and also is the cheapest price point, and most widely available and researched, so in the debate of monohydrate vs. Kre-Alkalyn, we have to give the crown to monohydrate. It is effective, safe, and can be found just about anywhere without breaking the bank.
The Best Creatine Supplement
Get all of the benefits of micronized creatine without breaking the bank and activate muscle building quickly.
We have to recommend Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate as our favorite creatine supplement. Nutricost Creatine is a creatine monohydrate supplement that aims to provide users with a convenient and high-quality source of this essential compound for a great price. Nutricost Creatine boasts a simple and effective ingredient list, with 100% creatine monohydrate as the sole active component. This simplicity ensures that users are getting a high-quality and unadulterated form of creatine, free from unnecessary additives and artificial ingredients that could have nasty effects on you. Nutricost also emphasizes the purity of its creatine supplement by subjecting it to rigorous third-party testing, so you know exactly what you are getting and what it does.
Check out our full review for Nutricost Creatine Monohydrate!
Wrap Up
Overall, creatine is one of if not the most important supplement to add to your stack when it comes to putting on muscle and strength. When comparing monohydrate vs. Kre-Alkalyn versions of the supplement, we have recommend monohydrate for your muscle-building goals.
Will you be adding it to your stack?
