Creatine and pre-workouts are arguably the two most bought supplements among lifters. 

But you're wondering... can they be mixed?

You can mix creatine with pre-workout and neither supplement would have adverse effects or interference issues when combined.

And is one better than the other?

No they both serve similar but different purposes.

Creatine has hundreds of studies proving its efficiency for strength and muscle building. 

While pre-workouts can contain any number and type of ingredients that can range in efficiency and research.  

For example, there are pre-workouts that already contain creatine, but it's a cheap enough ingredient to buy on its own that you wouldn't need to look for it in a pre-workout. 

And no creatine doesn't contain caffeine. 

We can dig deeper into this topic below...

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements to date. 

It's a combination of three amino acids, methionine, arginine, and glycine. 

While it can be naturally made in the body, it can also come from food and diet. 

But the amount of red meat we'd need to consume to get the benefits of creatine would not be sustainable as you'd need to consume 1 to 2 pounds of beef or fish for around 1 to 2 grams of creatine on a daily basis.  

And we recommend taking at least 5 grams per day to get the most out of it. 

So you can see where supplementation comes into use. 

Using creatine will ensure you're filling up the creatine stores in your body, allowing you to benefit from increased strength and lean body mass. 

Creatine can be used in either water, mixed with pre-workout, in a protein shake, or smoothie. 

Water retention can happen and how much water you should drink depends on your activity level but generally around 3-4 liters per day. 

There's a reason why pre-workouts are one of the most popular categories today. 

It's because it works. 

Generally, anything you get with caffeine will give you a little boost to your performance. 

But choosing something with the most useful ingredients can make the biggest difference to your workouts. 

Pre-workouts can range widely when it comes to ingredients but the most useful ones will have big scoops with useful ingredients like citrulline, betaine, beta-alanine, tyrosine, and stimulants as well.

If it uses proper clinical dosages, they'll help with nitric oxide, and strength and can even increase lean muscle mass. 

While caffeine and stimulants aren't completely necessary to have in a pre-workout, they can help increase focus and energy. 

A pre-workout will have a mix of ingredients while creatine supplements are just one ingredient.

Pre-workout can also have creatine like the ones here.

It's a good idea also to mix your creatine with your pre-workout since it may have bioavailability-enhancing ingredients like AstraGin or BioPerine.

You'll also be ensuring you're topping off your creatine stores just before your workouts, and you'll also benefit from the ingredients in your pre-workout.  

The main difference between a pre-workout and creatine is that pre-workout will enhance energy, focus, pumps, and strength by using several different ingredients while creatine has one primary purpose and that's for ATP production. 

You can take your creatine anytime during the day while a pre-workout should only be consumed 30-60 minutes before your workout for maximum benefits.

And a pre-workout with stimulants shouldn't be taken too late in the day, not after 4-6 pm or it may interfere with your sleep. 

Creatine also takes time to build up in your body for it to work and this can take a week or more. 

So while creatine can be used pre-workout, the effects won't be immediate whereas pre-workouts have effects on the same day.

Yes, you can mix creatine with pre-workout, as long as the pre-workout doesn't already have creatine. 

If there's at least 3g of creatine in your pre-workout, then you'll be set for maximizing its benefits. 

While creatine can help with strength and muscle gains, it won't completely replace your pre-workout. 

The reason for this is that a pre-workout can contain multiple ingredients, including creatine.

So if you want to make the most out of your focus and energy, then consider using both, creatine and pre-workout. 

Both creatine and pre-workouts are very useful to have in your supplement stack. 

Creatine is clearly the winner when it comes to research and safety, but a pre-workout can really put you in the zone with its benefits for mental and physical energy. 

Use both if you want to make the most out of your workouts. 

Check out the list here for the strongest pre-workout or if you want the safest pre-workouts then click here.