Supplements · India

Creatine in India — 5g, Daily, Done

Creatine is the most researched supplement in sports science and the cheapest gram-for-gram. 5 g of monohydrate a day is the entire protocol. This guide covers what to buy in India, what to ignore, and how to spot a fake tub.

Dose: 5 g / day
Form: Monohydrate
Timing: Any time
Cycling: Not needed

What creatine actually does

Creatine phosphate is the currency your muscles use for the first ~10 seconds of any all-out effort — the top set of a squat, the last three reps of a bench press. Supplementing raises intramuscular phosphocreatine by 20–40%, which lets you squeeze out 1–2 extra reps per top set. Over months, that extra volume becomes extra muscle.

Dose — the whole protocol

5 g of creatine monohydrate, once a day, every day.

That's the entire instruction. Not "before workout." Not "with 60 g of dextrose." Not "8 weeks on, 4 weeks off." Just 5 g, daily, mixed in water, milk, or your protein shake.

Loading — usually skip it

With loading
~1 week to saturate
20 g/day split into 4 doses for 5–7 days. More bloating and GI upset.
Without loading
3–4 weeks to saturate
5 g/day from day one. Same end state.

The loading protocol exists in the literature because researchers wanted fast results. Since you're taking it forever, the 3-week delay is meaningless — and skipping the load avoids the bloating and GI upset most people report during it.

Which type — monohydrate, only

Creatine monohydrate is the only form with 40 years of evidence behind it. "HCL," "Kre-Alkalyn," "ethyl ester," "buffered," "liquid" and "nitrate" versions are marketing exercises priced 2–4× higher with no measurable performance advantage. Buy monohydrate.

Brands worth buying in India

MuscleBlaze Creatine Monohydrate

Cheapest reliable option, widely available on Nutrabay and HealthKart.

Nakpro Creatine Monohydrate

Similar price band, D2C direct.

Bigmuscles Nutrition Real CreaCreapure

Creapure-certified.

ON Micronised Creatine

Imported premium, ~30% pricier for no meaningful difference.

If a tub is priced 40%+ under market rate on an unverified seller, treat it as suspect. Creatine raw material has a wholesale floor price — anything sold below it is either diluted or expired.

What creatine won't do

It won't build muscle by itself — it lets you train harder, and the training builds the muscle.
It won't damage your kidneys unless you already have kidney disease.
It won't make you lose your hair (the DHT-conversion study everyone cites has never been replicated).
It won't help endurance running — creatine's benefit is for short, hard efforts.

Whey protein guide Price per gram, what to skip Beginner gym guide Your first 12 weeks

Frequently asked questions

Is creatine safe for Indians?

Yes. 40+ years of studies show no kidney or liver damage in healthy adults at 3–5 g/day. If you have pre-existing kidney disease, check with a doctor first.

Do I need to load creatine?

No. Loading (20 g/day for 5 days) fills muscle stores in a week; skipping the load fills them in 3–4 weeks. End state is identical. Loading also causes more bloating and GI issues.

When should I take creatine?

Any time of day. Consistency matters, timing doesn't. Take it with a meal if it upsets your stomach on an empty stomach.

Which creatine brand is best in India?

Any 100% pure monohydrate is fine. MuscleBlaze, Nakpro, Bigmuscles, GNC, and ON Micronised Creatine are all reliable. Look for 'Creapure' certification if you want the highest-purity German-manufactured raw material.

Will creatine make me fat?

No. It causes 1–2 kg of intramuscular water retention in the first month — that's water inside the muscle, not fat under the skin. You'll look fuller, not softer.

Should I cycle creatine?

No. There is no physiological benefit to cycling. Take it daily, forever.

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