Creatine monohydrate is ever-available, but some brands make unforgettable blends.

Optimum Nutrition, often called ON by many, has been in the supplement game for over 30 years. Widely considered to be a gold-standard provider, ON has procured professional-grade supplements for athletes and fitness lovers of all experience levels. Since 1986, they’ve brought us protein powders, amino acid compounds, nutrient stacks and more.

Their micronized creatine is no different, redefining yet another must-have supplement cornerstone in innovative ways. Creatine has several iterations, as its ability to help sustain high-intensity workouts is worthwhile enough to be adapted into such.

We’re here to give you the heads up about Optimum Nutrition’s take on creatine, if you’ve yet to try it out. In any regard, it’s definitely a winning blend.

Here’s our product review: micronized creatine – creatine monohydrate from Optimum Nutrition. Let’s get to it.

For Starters: What’s Micronized Creatine?

A lot of us have heard about creatine—but what’s all of this “micronized” business about? In basic terms, it’s creatine that’s much more digestible than regular creatine. Creatine, itself, is incredibly popular due to its ability to help our muscles recover from strenuous exercise. As a healthy combination of three amino acids—-arginine, l-methionine and glycine—creatine already constitutes about one percent of human blood.

Roughly 95 percent of creatine is stored in our muscles, and five percent is stored in the brain. Converted every day by the liver, our primary source of creatine is found in meats. It’s a pretty essential ingredient of any healthy diet—muscle-growth-centric or otherwise. This said, our ability to digest it determines just how much use we get out of it.

Here’s where the “micronized” part comes in.

Smaller Particles for Bigger Gains

Micronized creatine particles are up to 20 times smaller than regular creatine particles. The purpose of micronized creatine is to be much more absorbable when mixed in a liquid.

If you’ve ever had a creatine drink before, you’ve probably faced one of the fitness world’s biggest woes that many supplement-lovers share: Your creatine powder won’t stop clumping up. Talk about gross.

Manufacturers constantly chip away at the technologies responsible for micronized creatine for this very reason: Making creatine particles smaller, by and large, makes them more digestible. Proper creatine supplementation aside workouts, as it stands, is a great way to not only stay healthy—but get healthier.

Optimum Nutrition’s Micronized Creatine

Creatine monohydrate itself is studied extensively, but providers like Optimum Nutrition have implemented it in incomparable ways. The brand’s focus on muscle-building supplements makes it one of the best providers of creatine in general, prioritizing muscle strength, recovery and size in tandem.

Its micronized creatine blend has no frills, first and foremost: It’s 100-percent pure creatine monohydrate. One scoop nets you five grams of pure monohydrate, and one scoop is all you’ll need per day.

It supports ATM recycling, so as to keep your muscles primed for not only your day’s workout—but tomorrow’s as well. This is done with zero caffeine—green tea extracted or otherwise—and no other pre-workout stimulants.

The One-Ingredient Approach

Even though creatine is relatively easy to shop for, it’s become a supplement hampered by its own adaptability: A lot of today’s leading brands have combined up to six types of creatine into singular blends, making some seriously dizzying product versions to choose from.

So, how exactly does Optimum Nutrition’s Micronized Creatine stack up?

We’ll say this ahead of time: There’s always a spot for amino acids, carbohydrate blends, mass gainers and protein powders on our shelves—no doubt about it. But there’s something to be said for managing our supplement stacks ourselves, and Optimum Nutrition has contained the “micro” management for us.

Its Micronized Creatine is an Amazon bestseller for this reason: It’s a serious supplement that doesn’t spare simplicity—sparing the details for folks who don’t want to measure out their vitamins and minerals in gray-area product labels.

Optimum Nutrition’s one-ingredient approach to a product capably adapted into six-ingredient spreads is worthy of a gold medal.

Pricing

You won’t need to spend stacks of gold on Optimum Nutrition’s Micronized Creatine, either: It’s available for as little as $0.10 per serving, offered in canister sizes packing between 150 to 2,000 grams per each.

The low price might be a little startling at first, but it’s important to note that creatine is famously overcharged due to its effectiveness.

A single, five-gram scoop really is all you need—and too much creatine in your diet is simply expelled, either way. So, make no mistake, Optimum Nutrition has kept its creatine supplement reasonably priced while also eliminating extra ingredients.

Quality and Consistency

Returning to the often-promoted, multi-creatine-iteration stacks: ON’s decision to provide a clean-cut, modestly priced powder is telling of its dedication to the fitness community.

Its creatine solution has been micronized to stay effective in your chosen workout drink for as long as possible. See, creatine can sometimes be rendered ineffective if it’s left in water for too long—becoming a substance called creatinine when distributed within.

This said, not all versions of creatine monohydrate transform into creatinine as quickly. Micronized creatine tends to last a lot longer due to its particle size—making any product consisting of micronized creatine, and only micronized creatine, well worth looking at.

You won’t need to worry about dosage and timing with Optimum Nutrition’s product, that’s for sure.

What you see is what you get, and what you get won’t transform into useless sludge if it’s mixed well before your workout.

Speaking of Your Creatine Mix

Optimum Nutrition also prioritizes the creatine-taker’s workout mix customization. We all like to make our own pre-workout and post-exercise drinks tasty, after all. Rather than creating an exhaustive array of fruit-flavored creatine powders, ON’s Micronized Creatine is flavorless.

As such, you can simply add it to any pre-existing exercise drink. Indeed, this also means you can use it to enhance your protein shake as well.

Optimum is one of the few companies to operate its own, state-of-the-art supplement manufacturing facilities, too. NSF-certified and fully GMP-compliant, the company’s facilities have historically provided other industry-favorite products in the past.

Its powdered products popped up back in 2000, overhauling the world of fitness drinks as we knew it. If you’ve ever tried ON’s Gold Standard 100% Casein blend, you’ve already dabbled in its awesome selection.

Supplementation Timing

Technically speaking, you can take creatine monohydrate at any time of the day without sacrificing your fitness results. This said, your supplement is more effective when taken during certain hours. In the case of Optimum Nutrition’s Micronized Creatine Powder, post-workout supplementation is your best bet.

This means aiming for around one hour after your workout, as the creatine can quickly replenish your taxed muscles. This will promote recovery, making your muscles less sore during your next workout. It’ll also help them retain water, helping you achieve the fuller muscle size creatine is well-known to supply.

Regardless of your timing, your serving size can stay consistent: The same, five-gram scoop is all you need—no front-loading required. Even so, some gym-goers will opt for front-loading nonetheless.

If you’re part of this group, simply take an additional, five-gram scoop before bedtime for the first five days. This can be particularly useful if you’ve never taken creatine before—helping your body adjust to higher degrees of amino acid absorption in general.

At the same time, those serious about gaining male muscle mass, female muscle mass or a plateau-busting routine can also benefit from the front-loading phase.

The Verdict, and the Verdict’s Pricing

It’s no secret that Optimum Nutrition products are always winners, and ON’s Micronized Creatine is no different. It’s bypassed the industry’s constant struggle to provide clear-cut creatine solutions, eliminating the need for bulky blends that imbalance our supplement scheduling—and our diets.

When it comes to creatine, pricing is a factor capable of determining our canister sizes. ON’s creatine powder isn’t immune, here, either—but this isn’t unreasonable. Every gym-goer has different fitness needs, and every person’s body has different tolerance levels for vitamins, diets and supplements in general.

This is why Optimum Nutrition’s 2,000-gram Micronized Creatine product is a clear-cut choice for those who’ve taken creatine in the past—but maybe not for those who’re new to supplementation.

This is because the 2,000-gram canister is incredibly priced for the amount of powder provided—reaching the above-mentioned $0.10 per scoop mark. 2,000 grams is a lot of creatine for the uninitiated, however, making ON’s 150-gram cannister much more feasible.

At this size, each scoop will cost approximately $0.20—which may not be a good bet for seasoned creatine-consumers looking for a short supply on their next supplement store shopping spree.

Making the Most of Your Stack

When it comes to browsing supplements, Amazon is always a great place to shop. You can find Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder here, and you’ll have every canister size to pick from. To make the most of your stack, definitely consider the front-loading phase if you’re new to creatine in general.

Even though ON’s creatine canisters can easily cost under ten dollars per, why not get the most out of your powder?

As for other supplements, you’ll be happy to know that ON’s products carry the same high-quality ingredients across every lineup. Our product review: micronized creatine – creatine monohydrate edition is definitely for Optimum Nutrition’s high-quality standard, and it’s likely we’ll be seeing the brand’s awesome products for years to come. Throughout the health and wellness industry, ON has earned its household name status.

Conclusion

Micronized creatine is a great addition to any supplement stack, regardless of its complexity. For male muscle growth, female muscle growth, bodybuilding maintenance or mere conditioning—it’s a winner’s choice.

And, whether you’re overcoming a plateau, seek to accomplish new goals or need a recovery aid, Optimum Nutrition has you covered.

-Terry Asher