Creatine

Buy our creatine products in capsules or powder. Creatine monohydrate, kre-Alkalyn or under the Creapure® label:

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Creatine Supplements - Why take them?

What is Creatine

Creatine is an interesting food supplement interesting for any athlete. It is an organic acid produced in the liver from 3 amino acids called L-arginine, glycine and L-methionine.

It is then stored in the muscle fibres. We are, of course, talking about an organic substance in the body.

Having said that, if you are a regular gym goer, you will agree with us that creatine is the most popular and widely used food supplement, along with whey protein.

what is creatine

How can you remedy this? By using creatine supplements as part of your daily dietary routine.

In the case of vegans or vegetarians, this aspect takes on particular importance, as they have to cover the deficiencies inherent in a diet that does not include animal protein sources. It has been observed that vegetarians have lower intramuscular creatine reserves, which is why greater benefits can be observed in this population group when they supplement their diet with this food supplement.

Table of contents

How creatine works?

It serves as the structural basis for phosphocreatine, a molecule that is stored in our muscle tissue and is used as a reservoir of fast-recovery energy for those times when we exercise more intensely, experience fatigue and need to recover quickly.

Creatine enters the muscle cell (fibres) via specific transporters, where it is phosphorylated to form phosphocreatine by the enzyme creatine phosphokinase (CPK or CK).

How creatine works 1

1. When muscle tissue contracts, it breaks phosphate bonds from ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) which provide a large amount of energy that allows the fibres to contract.

Como funciona la creatina 2

2. The degraded ATP is transformed into ADP (adenosine di-phosphate), we could say that it is "losing its potential to provide energy".

Como funciona la creatina 3

3. CPK is able to remove the phosphate it added to creatine from the cells and donate it to ADP, which is no longer di-phosphate, but tri-phosphate (again ATP)..

Increasing the availability of creatine in the cells increases the ability to resynthesise, or recover energy quickly, without the need for prolonged breaks.

Who can take creatine

Who can take creatine?

  • It can be used by any healthy adult of legal age.
  • Any athlete, male or female, young or old, can benefit from the positive effects of creatine on athletic performance. The effects are most noticeable in older people, adults over 55 years of age.
  • Nowadays it is difficult to find a regular gym user or high-performance athlete who is not using creatine monohydrate as a supplement to their diet with sport nutrition products.

Benefits of Creatine

A trendy food supplement among sportsmen and women, and it is no coincidence: many are already using it to improve their training sessions and perform at their best.

creatine improves performance

IMPROVES TRAINING PERFORMANCE

creatine increases strength

INCREASES STRENGTH

helps to gain muscle mass

HELPS TO GAIN MUSCLE MASS

improves muscle recovery

IMPROVES MUSCLE RECOVERY

Creatine intake is able to increase performance in sessions where efforts are short (in duration) and intense; as in:

  • HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) practice. Team sports training on court (Basketball, Handball, Indoor Football, Volleyball, etc). CrossFit® and other high intensity sports disciplines, such as combat sports.

By decreasing the recovery time required between sets to re-express maximum muscle contractile capacity.

It has been shown that, at doses of at least 3 grams per day, taken over the long term, without rest, it is able to amplify the effects of weight training in adults over 55 years of age who are exposed to a specific training regime.

These effects include increased strength, an adaptation of weight training, which creatine is able to enhance.

The positive effects on muscle gain seem to be due to the increase in lean mass, another of the adaptations of weight training, which seems to have a direct relationship with the ability to express strength.

Much research points to the positive potential of creatine to increase lean mass in older adults as an adaptation to weight training (Chiliback et al., 2017), which, in essence, would enhance strength gains.

Creatine is your best ally in weight training for muscle development!

It has not been unequivocally associated with improved post-training recovery. Creatine can increase the speed of recovery between high intensity, short duration efforts by increasing the availability of energy donors, hence improving performance in this type of training.

Creatine: Supplement suitable for vegetarians

It is developed from the high-pressure mixing of sarcosine and cyanamide, two chemical compounds that result in the synthesis of creatine monohydrate.

It is not made with any ingredients of animal origin, making it a food supplement that is completely suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

It is important to note that the company where it is purchased has HACCP/ HACCP certification that guarantees that during the whole development process, the ingredients are not in contact with other ingredients of animal origin that could "contaminate" the product, making it unsuitable for vegans.

At HSN we have the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points certificate, by means of which we can guarantee the complete integrity of the developed product, without animal ingredients of any kind by contact.

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine types

Monohydrate

Creatine monohydrate is the most studied form of creatine, the one that belongs to the exclusive group with the highest level of evidence for efficacy and safety.

The base content is approximately 88% of its total composition, and its bioavailability in the body is very high, making it the best value for money for most users of this food supplement.

You can find various products at HSN:

Creapure®

No Creapure®

Both are of the highest purity.

Kre-Alkalyn®

Kre-Alkalyn is a registered trademark of All American Pharmaceutical and Natural Foods Corporation, which develops a buffered, or alkaline pH corrected, creatine monohydrate corrected to 12.

This pH-corrected modification is associated with a higher bioavailability of creatine in the body, higher absorption and better uptake by cells, so the recommended daily dose is usually lower than other forms of creatine monohydrate.

You can find Kre-Alkalyn® Creatine in Evokalyn food supplement by SportSeries.

Kre-Alkalyn

How to take creatine?

There are 3 ways:

 

  1. On a continuous basis over time, at an overall dose of 3g.

  2. Continuously over time, at an individualised dose of 1g/10kg body weight.

  3. In a loading phase that goes from high to low. Start with a dose of 10-20g for one week, followed by a phase with doses of 5-10g for 3-4 weeks and finally a two-week break.

 

It has long been recommended for use alongside a high glycaemic carbohydrate source such as sugar or honey, as the release of insulin appears to maximise uptake into muscle cells.

However, the relevance of this possible effect is negligible, as due to the mechanisms of action of the compound, long-term consumption maximises its effects, simply by consuming it mixed in water.

Below you will find a table with more visual information on how to dose it:

ProtocolDaily QuantityDuration
General Dose (Recommended)3 gramsContinued
Dose Individualised (Not recommended)1 grams x 10 kg body weightContinued
With load phase (Not recommended)

10-20 grams

5-10 grams

0 grams

1 week

3-4 weeks

2 weeks

Bcaa and creatine together in your shake or you can also combine it with glutamine or taurine, without any problems, as it does not interfere with their absorption or their action in the body.

It is not necessary to discontinue the use of creatine, although for a long time it has been recommended to have periods where its consumption is stopped in order to increase its effectiveness, currently this has not been demonstrated and would be counterproductive, since in order to maintain the effects of creatine, the intracellular concentration reached must be maintained, which in essence is achieved by using quantities of 3 grams of creatine.

How much creatine to take?

It will depend on the strategy used, according to the conditions set out above. At HSN, we recommend that you follow the recommended instructions for use of the food supplements you purchase. The recommended use of our creatine monohydrate (except Evokalyn) is 3g per day. It is not recommended to exceed the dosage expressly recommended on the product.

Creatine performance increase

Specialist opinion on creatine

Creatine monohydrate is undoubtedly the most promising food supplement for increasing athletic performance today.

Its cost-benefit ratio is excellent, due to the almost total absence of reports of adverse effects, good magnitude of the positive effects, and the low selling price of the food supplement.

Creatine is a product that should not be missing in your daily routine.

Best time (best time) to take creatine

There is no one time of day that is better than another for using creatine. Its effects are identical whether it is taken in the morning, afternoon or evening.

Although many people associate creatine with an "energy" food supplement and therefore should not be used at night, creatine has no stimulant compounds and therefore has no contraindications for its use at night, in fact many people use it before going to sleep, as it is a simple practice to avoid forgetting to take it.

best time to take creatine

Precautions and side effects when taking creatine

  • Creatine is a very safe food supplement, which has been tested even on children and sick people with various conditions. Nevertheless, the food supplements are intended for use by adults of legal age and should be kept out of the reach of children.

If you suffer from any medical condition, or are receiving any pharmacological treatment, you should contact your doctor before using creatine as a food supplement.

  • There are no reports of toxicity associated with creatine when it is purchased from licensed production and distribution sites.

However, in the medical literature, there are thousands of case studies exposing situations of toxicity or unexpected adverse effects due to the purchase of food supplements from producers who do not have properly certified safety and quality control measures in place.

  • At HSN, we develop the food supplements we sell in our own factory, which has certifications attesting to good production practices.

The only precaution, if you are a healthy person, that you should take when buying a creatine-based food supplement is to ensure the quality of the manufacturer that markets it.

How can the effects of creatine be accelerated?

The effects of creatine can be accelerated by a pre-loading phase of up to 20 grams per day for 5-7 days and by consuming it together with a source of sugars.

At HSN we strongly advise against this practice, and recommend using creatine according to the recommended method of use in the food supplement.

In approximately 3-4 weeks the point achieved is the same whether or not the loading phase is performed, so it should be avoided.

Accelerating creatine effects

Where to buy creatine?

You can find Creatine monohydrate at HSN, of the highest quality, your best food supplement.

All HSN food supplements are developed in our own factory, located in Spain and governed under the framework of the decisions established by the European Commission and the national implementing body: AESAN.

Our laboratory is accredited with internationally recognised certifications that audit the factory on a regular basis, guaranteeing the total and complete traceability of the process of each product that arrives at the home of each of our customers.

We have:

GMP

GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE

Ensuring the lawful practice of product development and its content.

HACCP

HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS

Ensuring the follow-up after analysis of possible "hazards" in the development process, throughout the whole production chain.

ISO8

ISO8

It guarantees the treatment of products in clean rooms, with a particle filtration system that guarantees the absence of environmental contamination of any kind.

Top quality creatine at HSN at the lowest price. No middleman!

At HSN we are once again committed to quality, insisting on our commitment to the most internationally recognised raw materials.

You can find creatine with Creapure® raw material and its alternative used with a raw material of the highest quality, but without an associated registered trademark.

The entire development process is internalised in our own factory, unlike other brands that distribute food supplements. In our case, there are no intermediaries that make the process more expensive:

The raw material arrives directly from the supplier. The food supplement or food preparation is developed in our plant, where quality control tests are carried out, stored in our warehouses and distributed directly from there.

That is why HSN's prices are so competitive, because as a consumer, you are buying directly from the manufacturer, which is the same distributor.

Find the highest quality Creatine Monohydrate at the right price at HSN.

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE POWDER

CREATINE MONOHYDRATE POWDER

(3070)
From
6.75 €
10.90 €
-38%
4.15 €!

What to combine creatine with?

Creatine can be combined with many food supplements, as it does not interact negatively with them and athletes use it for the benefit of both compounds.

L-Glutamine

WITH L-GLUTAMINE

Read more

Beta Alanine

WITH BETA ALANINE

Read more

HMB

WITH HMB

Read More

Citruline

WITH NITRIC OXIDE

Read more

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid, which is particularly important for athletes undergoing high-intensity and long-duration training, as it is the main amino acid present in muscle tissue.

Many experts are in favour of including its combined use as a post-workout drink.

The intake of Creatine Stack with Glutamine is recommended for any sportsperson and/or athlete who performs moderately intense training. An example would be weight training.

Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid, which is used especially by athletes in anaerobic disciplines.

Its combination with creatine is a highly recommended and widespread practice.

You can find it in products such as Evordx 2.0

Between 2019 and 2020, a series of studies on athletes were published which showed that the combination of Creatine with HMB, a metabolite of the amino acid L-Leucine, was superior to the separate use of the compounds.

The research group of Fernández-Landa, a member of the department of nursing and physiotherapy at the University of León (Spain), is responsible for these findings.

The combination of creatine with nitric oxide precursors is widely used by athletes seeking maximum performance as a pre-workout.

You can combine creatine monohydrate with:

To achieve this desired combination.

You can also find it, already formulated, in the pre-workout Evobomb.

Natural sources of creatine

Creatine is a compound that occurs naturally in the mammalian body, from guanidinoacetate in the kidney.

Meat and certain fish are therefore particularly rich in this organic acid.

Here is a short list of foods with creatine:

FoodAmount of creatine
Pork meat5g/1000g
Veal meat4,5g/1000g
Salmon4,5g/1000g
Tuna4g/1000g
Cod3g/1000g
Sole2g/1000g
Milk0,1g/1000g
ShrimpTraces
FruitsTraces
VegetablesTraces
CerealsTraces

Getting effective amounts of creatine from the usual dietary foods is very inefficient, as to obtain an ergogenic dose of creatine (3g) from pork (the richest source of creatine), we would need to eat more than half a kilogram per day.

For this reason, dietary supplementation with this compound is highly recommended.

Creatine excell creapure

What is the best brand of creatine?

Many companies manufacture creatine, but of all of them, AlzChem stands out with its patented Creapure®.

Creapure® is micronised creatine monohydrate of the highest purity >98%.

It is known worldwide for the quality control that the company that manufactures it applies in its development processes.

This makes it possible to obtain a creatine monohydrate with very low levels of dicyandiamide (DCD) and Dihydro-1,3,5-triazine (DHT), undesirable compounds that are created undesirably during the creatine development process, and whose control is a determining factor in the quality of the creatine.

At HSN we market 100% Creapure® Creatine in our Creatine Excell, both in powder and capsules, entirely Creapure®, with no other raw materials in its composition.

In 2020, HSN has been certified as the company with the highest sales volume of Creapure® creatine in Spain, well above the second company with the highest sales.

Athletes taking creatine

  •  Bodybuilding and fitness and bodybuilding practitioners.
  •  Powerlifting, weightlifting and other strength disciplines.
  •  CrossFit® and military training systems.
  •  Obstacle racing.
  •  Team sports (football, basketball, handball, volleyball).
  •  Contact sports (boxing, kick-boxing, Muay-Thai).

And any sport that involves high intensity and short duration efforts.

Athletes taking creatine

Is creatine really effective?

This is one of the biggest questions for all creatine users: what is creatine. Good for and what is it not good for?

Effective and efficient for:

Improve performance during high intensity intervallic exercise.

To increase the effect of weight training in people over 55 years of age.

Possibly useless for:

Increase fat loss.

Improve neurological functioning and provide cognitive support.

No scientific evidence to claim that it is effective for:

Treatment of any pathological condition.

Improve rest and increase the quality of sleep.

Myths about creatine

Creatine is shrouded in a great aura of myths surrounding the compound, so don't be fooled!

We explain why many of the negative things said about creatine are untrue, simply hoaxes, or lack scientific evidence:

There are many people who think that creatine is fattening.

This means that especially women are reluctant to try this supplement. This means that they do not benefit from all its advantages.

The reality is that creatine is NOT fattening, but it can make us gain body weight. But it should be made clear that gaining or losing weight does not mean gaining or losing fat. Body weight is the sum of lean mass, bone mass, muscle mass, fat mass and water.

The latter can be highly variable depending on our diet. And it is determined by our level of hydration and fluid retention.

What happens with creatine is that it increases the level of cellular hydration due to its ability to bind water.

Therefore, dietary supplementation with creatine can increase weight due to an increased volume of intracellular water.

Nowadays many questions or doubts have arisen about the protocols of taking creatine. If you have to do loads and then rests, etc. And there are many theories about this.

There are theories that claim that, in order to fill the phosphocreatine reserves quickly, it is necessary to do a loading.

This is not true because, as we have indicated above, although loading can increase the effect of creatine during the first few days, after 3 weeks of continuous consumption at a dose of 3g per day, the effect achieved is the same, with less product expenditure and less risk of experiencing digestive discomfort and other unwanted side effects.

There are also hypotheses or theories that claim that creatine should only be consumed continuously for about a month, as after that time tolerance is built up and there is a lower rate of absorption.

This is why it is said that creatine has to be cycled. In other words, alternate periods of intake with periods of rest to ensure sensitivity to creatine.

Creatine does not have to be cycled.

Once optimal levels of muscle creatine are reached, it is recommended that they continue to be used so that these levels are sustained over time.

This proves that creatine absorption rates are not reduced again due to tolerance.

Therefore, it is not necessary to perform this cycling or intake cycles alternating with creatine rest cycles.

It is easy to think that if creatine is eliminated via the urinary tract, the kidneys may be affected. 

In studies of humans taking creatine, no markers of kidney damage have been found. No alterations in glomerular filtration rate, blood proteins or urinary proteins have been found, which leads to the conclusion that creatine is not bad for the kidneys.

Several studies have also been carried out in people with previous kidney damage, such as type II diabetes patients and haemodialysis patients, and none of them showed any worsening of kidney function.

In summary, it can be concluded that creatine does not cause kidney damage in healthy people, nor does it have any negative effects in people with impaired kidney function. In any case, it is strongly recommended that people suffering from such conditions should contact a medical professional before using creatine.

If you are one of those who are not easily satisfied and wish to further enhance the effects of creatine in combination with other products, check out the following recommended sections: