Product Review

Product Name: Prolab Creatine Monohydrate Powder

Price: 5/5

Mixability: 2/5

Taste: 3/5

Effectiveness: 7/10

Overall: 17/25

Description: 'Flavourless' and 'easy to dissolve' promises the front of the packet, unfortunately this particular product can't live up to that promise and the reality is more like 'gross like solpadine' and 'will never dissolve'. Unfortunately this seems to be where prolab have saved their cash and the stuff is actually quite unpleasant to drink. You can stir and stir but if you leave it for more than 10 seconds standing all the powder will settle in the bottom of the glass. So you have to stir it while you drink like that episode of Friends 'drink and stir, drink and stir!'. Then when you do manage to gulp it down you get a bitter and nasty taste on your tongue and in the back of your throat.

That said, considering I paid £19.99 for two 300g tubs I can't really complain about the taste, although I'd have more respect for Prolab if they hadn't so blatantly lied on the front. Still, that aside, their creatine certainly isn't bad. I've been taking it now for two weeks and can honetly say I've noticed an improvement in my performance. Both my energy levels and the amount I'm lifting. I've had two of my best ever workouts this week and that's despite a lot of tiredness. I've been feeling pretty tired from some partying during the weekend too so who knows how well it will work when I'm back to 100%.

That said, the change in performance isn't quite massive enough to completely rule out a placeabo effect. Sure there's change, but I'm not talking a miracle or anything. Also creatine has been known to affect different individuals very differently. Regardless of the reason for the improvement though I'm happy with the results. I also think I've noticed some water-retention adding that extra bit of bulk, and I haven't lost any of my cuts as a result. So bonus!

To ease the minds of the nervous among you the product was verified by my doctor. See two days after I started taking it I began to feel a pain in my side. I thought this was probably a coincidence, but when I rang my hypercondriac mother I was convinced to check it out at the doctor. I told him about the creatine and he immediately assured me it wasn't that. After assesing the ingredients and looking it up online he actually encouraged me to continue taking it. Not exactly normal behaviour from a doctor but hey I'm not complaining!

As an added aside, you can save money by skipping the loading phase. I read somewhere else it wasn't necesary and have found very much the same thing.