Creatine is one of the best supplements to increase power, strength, and peak performance for athletes at any level. But finding the best type of creatine can be challenging with so many choices these days. Creatine products such as Creapure, Creatine Malate, Kre-Alkalyn, and Creatine Monohydrate line supplement and vitamin store shelves, making it confusing to know which one will give you the best results. So how do you know what the best form of creatine is? We're going to talk about the differences between Kre-Alkalyn Vs. Creatine Monohydrate, so that you can decide what type of creatine is right for you. 

What Is Creatine and What Does It Do?

Creatine is a non-essential dietary protein-like compound that can be found in foods such as lean meats and fish. Once ingested and inside the muscle cells, an energy phosphate attaches itself thus turning into phosphocreatine (PCr) or Creatine phosphate. Through this phosphorylation Creatine then donates the PCr molecule to create ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) which is then utilized by the muscle cells for rapid energy use and muscle contraction. Therefore, having more creatine phosphate in muscle cells means more ATP can be rapidly produced during intense bouts of exercise, which can lead to gains in strength, power, speed, and muscle growth [R]

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What Is Creatine Monohydrate?

First introduced in 1993, Creatine Monohydrate (CrM) has proven to be one of the most widely studied and effective sports supplements shown to enhance exercise performance, promote muscle strength, and increase lean muscle mass.¹ Studies have consistently indicated that CrM supplementation increases muscle creatine and phosphocreatine levels approximately 15-40%, enhances anaerobic training capacity and increases training volume [R].

However, despite the impressive clinical evidence in support of Creatine Monohydrates use for enhancing exercise performance, CrM does come with few drawbacks. 

• Creatine Monohydrate can cause gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, stomach aches or cramping from converting creatine into creatinine (a toxic by-product of creatine conversion) 
• Creatine Monohydrate requires a loading phase of 4-5 doses (typically 5 grams per dose) per day for up to 5 days and once a day thereafter.
• Creatine Monohydrate requires cycles, specifically 1 week of loading, 5 weeks of 4-5 weeks of maintenance, and 1-2 weeks off. 

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What Is Kre-Alkalyn?

Kre-Alkalyn is a patented pH-corrected form of creatine. Kre-Alkalyn was created to address the negative side effects associated with Creatine Monohydrate, namely the toxic conversion to creatinine. This was accomplished through adding an alkaline powder such as (soda ash, magnesium glycerol phosphate, bicarbonate) to ordinary creatine (i.e. Creatine Monohydrate, creatine citrate, creatine pyruvate, creatine phosphate) in order to adjust the pH balance between 7-14. Kre-Alklayn, therefore, solves the problem with all existing creatine supplements; the inability to deliver concentrated amounts of creatine without toxic conversion to creatinine. Therefore as compared to creatine monohydrate;

• Kre-Alkalyn is not degraded to creatinine which subsequently leads to greater bioavailability
• Kre-Alkalyn solves for side effects such as bloating and cramping. 
• 1.5 grams of Kre-Alkalyn is equivalent to about 10–15 grams of ordinary Creatine Monohydrate
• Kre-Alkalyn does not require a loading phase or de-loading phase

Kre-Alkalyn Improves VO₂ Max

VO₂ Max is the maximum volume of oxygen the body can consume during intense, whole body exercise such as CrossFit and endurance sports alike. Because oxygen consumption is linearly related to energy expenditure, when we measure oxygen consumption, we are indirectly measuring an individual's maximum capacity to do work aerobically. Therefore, with an improvement in VO₂ Max, comes a significant improvement in endurance and exercise performance.

In a clinical trial comparing Kre-Alkalyn to Creatine Monohydrate by a group of physicians, at Greenberg Medical Center, 24 Male Olympic Level athletes were divided into two test groups. Group one ingested 750 mg of Kre-Alkalyn, while group two ingested 750 mg of Creatine Monohydrate for a test period of 4 months.

The results indicated that despite a negligible difference between the two groups in lean muscle mass and muscle strength, there was a significant increase in VO₂ Max within the Kre-Alkalyn group.

CrossFit and other high-intensity training programs require the body to go under strenuous aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Therefore, with an improvement in VO₂ Max and oxygen consumption comes a significant improvement in exercise performance, resulting in better workouts, faster recovery, and improved results.

Is Kre-Alkalyn The Same As Creatine?

Yes and no. Kre-Alklayn is derived from creatine, however as we've outlined thus far, there are some significant differences, between Kre-Alkalyn vs creatine monohydrate, namely the toxic conversion to creatinine. By balancing the pH level, Kre-Alkalyn delivers more bioavailable doses of creatine and solves for negative side effects such as bloating and cramping. 

In a study published in the International Journal Of Pharmacology real-time and accelerated time testing was done to determine the stability of Kre-Alkalyn vs Creatine, in its ability to uphold pH integrity and deliver concentrated amounts of creatine.

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The results determined that the shelf stability of Kre-Alkalyn is conserved during both real-time and accelerated testing of creatine to creatinine conversion. Only during the accelerated stability test was there a small indication of creatine to creatinine conversion at 0.055 after 150 days, the equivalent to 5 years of real time, and 0.1% after 180 days, the equivalent to 6 years of real-time. When put into an environment replicating the human stomach, it was shown that Kre-Alkalyn maintained a significantly higher pH than traditional creatine, in three separate reagents tested [R].

Kre-Alkalyn Vs. Creatine Monohydrate: Is Kre-Alkalyn Better Than Creatine Monohydrate?

Creatine Monohydrate and Kre-Alkalyn both are proven to help exercise performance. However, unlike Creatine Monohydrate, Kre-Alkalyn has the added benefit of significantly increasing VO₂ Max, in addition to solving for the problem and side effects associated with Creatine Monohydrate. Improving exercise performance, as well as increasing lean muscle mass and strength can be captured through much smaller doses with Kre-Alklayn vs. Creatine Monohydrate, making Kre-Alkalyn the best form of creatine. 

1.5 grams of Kre-Alkalyn is equivalent to about 10–15 grams of ordinary Creatine Monohydrate

So what is the best form of creatine? Kre-Alkalyn. Kre-Alkalyn helps enhance athletic performance through its ability to support short bouts of intense training, by producing higher muscle force and power. The greatest improvements in exercise performance are found during a series of repetitive high-power reps. Therefore, Kre-Alkalyn is the perfect addition to your supplement arsenal and a better choice of Creatine, to crush your workouts.

 Thinking about supplementing your fitness with Kre-Alkalyn? 

Swolverine's Kre-Alkalyn® is a patented pH correct form of creatine phosphate. With the addition of creatine phosphate (PCr) into the muscle cells, the body increases its immediate energy supply, by facilitating the production of ATP which increases power output and strength. High-intensity training programs require the body to go under strenuous aerobic and anaerobic conditions. By supplementing the body with creatine, you will induce a greater improvement in exercise endurance and athletic performance, resulting in improved times, more peak power, and stronger lifts.