Current research suggests that it’s safe to take creatine and l-carnitine together. Also, many pre workout supplements contain both creatine and l-carnitine, so lots of people are safely mixing creatine and l-carnitine without even realising.
Benefits Of Taking L-Carnitine And Creatine Together
Now that we’ve established that you can take creatine and l-carnitine together, let’s look at some of the benefits of mixing these 2 compounds.
Taking Creatine And L-Carnitine Together Increases Muscle Mass
Although studies on mixing creatine and l-carnitine are limited, there’s one study which stands out.
In the study, 42 adults aged 55-70 were randomized to taking a l-carnitine combination*, l-carnitine on its own, or a placebo.
(The l-carnitine combination was comprised of creatine, l-carnitine, l-leucine and vitamin D.)
Interestingly, the adults who took the l-carnitine combination (containing creatine) gained significantly more muscle mass than the others.
There are, however, a few limitations to the study.
Firstly, we can’t say that the increase in muscle mass was purely down to the mix of l-carnitine and creatine as l-leucine and vitamin D were also consumed.
Secondly, there were no groups who only took creatine.
(It would’ve been interesting to compare the muscle gains in those taking the l-carnitine combination with those taking only creatine.)
You Can Control The Ratio of Creatine And L-Carnitine
Many people will benefit from the combination of creatine and l-carnitine 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 l-carnitine.
Whereas if you mix creatine and l-carnitine as individual compounds, you can choose the ratio of creatine and l-carnitine.
Why is this important?
Well, creatine and l-carnitine offer different benefits and work in different ways.
Creatine is mainly used for gaining muscle mass and strength, whereas l-carnitine 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 l-carnitine 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 l-carnitine.
When Is The Best Time To Take Creatine And L-Carnitine?
Since creatine and l-carnitine 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 l-carnitine together.
- Mixing creatine and l-carnitine can help you gain muscle.
- A popular way of taking creatine and l-carnitine together is through pre workout supplements.
That’s all for this article, but you may be wondering how to know if creatine is working? Or you may be thinking why is your creatine not dissolving?
Hope this helped!
Sources
https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-016-0158-y
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-36
I’ve been in the fitness and strength training industry for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds of muscle, written hundreds of articles, and reviewed dozens of fitness supplements. As for my educational background, I’m a currently studying for my Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.