what is the best creatine?

[chefkirsch]

im a 17 year old, whos been working out for a little under 2 years. i've been on and off various supplements, ranging from no-explode to muscle milk. anyway, i was just wondering, what is the best creatine to put on some lasting size?

[Frontline]

I would say any type of CEE (creatine ethyl ester) should be preferred over creatine monohydrate. You can buy a brandname type of CEE or you can get bulk powders at places like BulkNutrition.com or TrueProtein.com which are much cheaper. The stuff is really sour so make sure your mixing it in with your shake or something like crystal light to mask the taste.

If your not familiar with CEE you can read a good overview of it here.

[lafittrainer]

i get CEE over at bulknutrition.com it seems to work fairly well and i mix mine with grape juice...

[hrdgain81]

I would hesitate to say any creatine will give you "lasting size" of any significant amount.

[chefkirsch]

is the grape juice added because of flavor, and to increase insulin levels? what other drinks are good for that?

[hrdgain81]

Many peole add grape juice to creatine monohydrate because it needs glucose to transport into the cell. If your taking monohydrate without some form of sugar, your just pissing it out.

CEE, is an esterfied version which needs no glucose to mediate into the cell membrane. This makes it very attractive to those cutting, and watching thier carb intake.

[barbarianway]

Experiment my friend! Use one for six months and measure the results. Use another and do the same. Compare. Let us know what you discover.

On a side note..it's usually the creatine that 'does not work.'

It's usually a misinformed application of the creatine use. Generally most creatines are created equal, IMO. If there was a 'magical' one...everyone would be using it!

[EricT]

I tend to agree. Creatine mono was around for a long time and worked well for a lot of people. If your are a creatine "responder", and you probably are then creatine mono should "work" just as well for you as any other creatine. Once you reach saturation levels (there is only so much creatine you can force into your muscles) that's it. You need a glucose transporter, as hardgain said for mono.

Can something like CEE perhaps get the creatine into your muscles quicker? Maybe. I don't really know. But once you've reached that certain level and you're taking it every day anyway I doubt theres a big difference. So what I'm saying is I think the only real difference in effectiveness is how long it takes before those levels are reached.

To me, the biggest reasons to use CEE (and other designer creatines?) are comfort and convenience. CEE needs a much smaller dose. It doesn't need a transporter, and there is less bloating and stomach upset (although this subsides over time with mono).

CEE can be had pretty cheap. But mono is still much less expensive even given the higher dosage required.

So my take would be if you don't mind a LITTLE extra money and you want the convenience go for CEE. But if you feel moneywise that mono would be better DON'T worry and feel that it's not gonna work as well as something else.

[Kane]

I've had great success with Creatine Mono from Pro-Lab. I don't have much experience with CEE but I don't need to make the switch since Creatine Mono is working well.

[verbatimreturned]

I've used both Creatine Monohydrate and CEE. You can see my review on CEE in the supplement review section.

Personally I liked CEE better much more convient,I don't have to worry about taking it with Dextrose/Maltodextrose, etc.