Vegan (or at least vegetarian) Creatine Recommendations?

[ginger1108]

Some quick background: 46 year old male, vegetarian, 5'8 between 155-160lbs. Most of my fitness is calisthenics/bodyweight (pushups, pullups, etc) and running, but I do have a set of dumbbells that go from 10-35 that I use 1-2x a week for shoulders/arms etc, for about 90 minutes per workout. My calisthenics routine can be pretty intense, and my runs are anywhere from 5k up to 13 miles, ideally every other day.

I'm currently dealing with a nagging calf injury (likely caused by a sore achilles) so I've started supplementing, magnesium, C, D, E, vegetarian glucosamine and collagen formulas, etc. I've heard that creatine is good not only for performance/strength but also to aid injury recovery, so I'd like to give it a shot. My questions are...

1. Any particular vegetarian brand of creatine you'd recommend?
2. Capsules or powder? I'd prefer capsules if I can get away with them since I'm already using protein powder, so it's just easier for me to pound a capsule with my twice daily vitamin routine. But if there's a significant difference, I'd love to know.
3. Any additional thoughts on creatine's ability to help recover from minor muscle/tendon injuries?
4. Is a "loading phase" necessary if I'm currently mostly looking to use creatine as a way to help speed recovery (assuming that's even a thing)? I'm winding down on my "season" of intense exercise, and start ramping up again in January, with things really kicking into gear around April. Is "maintenance" creatine a thing and THEN I do a loading phase when I'm ready to up the intensity?

Thanks, everyone!

 

[dawn16]

@ginger1108 I might be wrong but I think any (or at least most) creatine monohydrate powders are vegan because they are synthesized in a lab. Capsules would maybe have gelatin to look out for. I take the powder. It’s totally tasteless

 

[rafa83]

@dawn16 I get the capsules and they're tablets that are just basically smooshed powder, not the gelatine capsules

 

[ginger1108]

@dawn16 Thank you!

 

[strivingforgodsglory]

@ginger1108 I'd advise you to buy creapure creatine. It's the supplier to a lot of companies selling the creatine under their own name. It's purity is unmatched in the industry AFAIK.

https://www.creapure.com/en/buy-now/nutrition-partners

 

[songonthewind]

@strivingforgodsglory I have used this one for the last decade: https://true-nutrition.sjv.io/Y99ovr

It is vegan and is also sourced from Creapure

Code: bodybuildingvegan if you want to support

 

[pamcaid]

@ginger1108 This blogpost answers a lot of your questions: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/creatine/

Get plain ole creatine monohydrate (I've never looked for capsules). Take 5g/day. No loading phase needed.

 

[ginger1108]

@pamcaid Thank you so much!

 

[dubschanging]

@ginger1108 Just add the powder to your protein shake along with your protein powder. It doesn't have to be a separate drink.

 

[emily91]

@ginger1108 Naked is my go-to for Creatine as well as brown rice and pea protein powders.

 

[ginger1108]

@emily91 Yes, my next task is getting off the Whey protein and onto something plant-based so I'll be bugging this forum again soon!

 

[anniejey]

@ginger1108 I like this one alot!

NAKED Pea Protein Powder (unflavored):

https://nakednutrition.com/products/pea-protein-powder

 

[emily91]

@anniejey I think pairing with brown rice gives a complex essential protein mix. They even sell them combined.

 

[gloria12]

@ginger1108 If you don't want to deal with rice/pea/etc. powders, there's a product called Whey Forward that's made with whey protein produced by fermentation, totally animal free. AFAIK it's the only vegan whey option atm (RIP California Performance), and it's pricey but so, so, so much better than trying to chug down grainy powder. I've tried a bunch of the other vegan powders and none of them blended anything remotely resembling smooth

 

[zennah]

@ginger1108 No loading phase. 5g every day - not just workout days. I use powder and just mix it with my post workout shake. Some studies say for best effects take right after workout.

If you feel like you get bloating you can try HCL instead of mono. That’s what I’ve been using recently.

Edit: that’s g not mg.