Can You Take Creatine And CLA Together? (Is It Safe?)

Current research suggests that it’s safe to take creatine and CLA together. Also, many pre workout supplements contain both creatine and CLA, so lots of people are safely mixing creatine and CLA without even realising.

Benefits Of Taking Creatine And CLA Together

Now that we’ve established that you can take creatine and CLA together, let’s look at some of the benefits of mixing these 2 compounds.

Taking Creatine And CLA Together Increases Muscle Mass

Although studies on mixing creatine and CLA are limited, there’s one study which stands out.

In the study, 69 adults were randomized to taking a CLA combination*, creatine and whey protein, or a placebo.

(The CLA combination was comprised of creatine, CLA, and whey protein.)

Interestingly, the adults who took the CLA combination (containing creatine) gained significantly more muscle mass and strength in bench press and leg press compared to the others

There are, however, a few limitations to the study.

For example, we can’t say the increase in muscle mass was purely down to the mix of CLA and creatine as whey protein was also consumed.

You Can Control The Ratio of Creatine And CLA

Many people will benefit from the combination of creatine and CLA in pre workout supplements.

While this is a convenient way of taking these 2 compounds together, the limitation is that you have no control of the ratio of creatine to CLA.

Whereas if you mix creatine and CLA as individual compounds, you can choose the ratio of creatine and CLA.

Why is this important?

Well, creatine and CLA offer different benefits and work in different ways.

Creatine is mainly used for gaining muscle mass and strength, whereas CLA is mainly used for more energy and fat loss.

So, let’s say you wanted to focus on fat loss for the next couple of months, you could increase the amount CLA while taking slightly less creatine.

Whereas if you were going through a bulking phase and wanted to gain as much muscle as possible, you could increase the amount of creatine and ease off the CLA.

When Is The Best Time To Take Creatine And CLA?

Since creatine and CLA are often included together in pre workout supplements, it would make sense that it’s best to take these 2 before working out.

This isn’t always the case though because it depends on your fitness goals.

If your goal is to gain as much muscle as possible, you should probably take them after working out as research suggests that creatine is best taken after exercise for muscle gain.

Whereas if you simply want a boost of energy, then it would make sense taking them before your gym session.

Closing Thoughts

To recap:

• Current research suggests that you can safely take creatine and CLA together.
• Mixing creatine and CLA can help you gain muscle.
• A popular way of taking creatine and CLA together is through pre workout supplements.

That’s all for this article, but can you take creatine and C4 at the same time? Or can you take creatine and taurine together?

Hope this helped!

Sources

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19403955/