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For this Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 Review, we had GGR Senior Director of Content Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, try it out and report back. A creatine supplement that has five different types of creatine might sound like a pipe dream for bodybuilders, however CRN-5 makes it a reality.
With added electrolytes and a diverse group of creatine types, CRN-5 promises to be the best workout supplement you’ll take if you’re trying to boost performance during high-intensity exercise or stimulate muscle growth. But is this too good to be true? We added this creatine to our list of best creatine supplements and we’re back to take a closer look.
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. GGR also recommends choosing a product that has been third-party tested for quality.
No Games, Just Gains
We provide you with a comprehensive picture of what to expect from a nutritional supplement because our team of fitness professionals, dietitians, and personal trainers test them personally. Our rating system follows our GGR supplement testing methodology. We rate products a scale of 1 to 5 based on:
- Quality of the Formulation
- Taste/Solubility
- Side Effects
- Third-Party Testing
- Price/Value
- Customer Reviews/Service
Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5
Crazy Nutrition Creatine
Product Highlights
- Contains 5 types of creatine
- Added electrolytes
- Has recommended 5-gram dose of creatine
- 2 flavor options
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Contains 5 types of creatines
- Has electrolytes including sodium and potassium
- Comes in 2 flavors
- 60-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- More expensive than other types of creatine supplements
- Contains artificial ingredients
- Not third-party tested
Bottom Line
Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 is a decent option for people looking for a flavored creatine with added electrolytes. It provides the recommended dose of creatine.
A Quick Look at Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 Creatine
Crazy Nutrition is based in the UK and has the mission “to clean up this notoriously confusing [supplement] industry.” Along with Ultimate CRN-5, Crazy Nutrition also carries a pre-workout, mass gainer, and tri-protein powder that contains whey, milk, and casein proteins.
Before You Buy
- Note that products opened cannot be returned for a refund.
- Depending on your needs and preferences, compare this product to a more affordable creatine monohydrate supplement with electrolytes.
RELATED: The Best Creatine Alternatives
Is Ultimate CRN-5 Worth It?
At $1.50 per serving, the price is pretty steep compared to the market average, which Crazy Nutrition likely justifies with the multiple forms of creatine. That said, if you’re just starting to add creatine to your supplement stack and are trying to find a reasonably priced creatine, there are more affordable options out there.
Great for:
- People who want a supplement that may help them avoid bloating
- Individuals who want to take the maximum recommended dose of creatine
- Those who need help maintaining hydration
Not recommended for:
- People who avoid artificial flavors and sweeteners
- Those with a tight supplement budget
- Athletes who are restricted to taking only third-party tested supplements
Ultimate CRN-5 Specs
| Price per serving | $1.50 |
| Serving size | 1 scoop (10 g) |
| Flavors | Lemon & Lime, Orange & Mango |
| Total creatine dosage | 5 g |
| Creatine types | Creatine Monohydrate, Creatine Malate, Creatine Pyruvate |
| Other notable ingredients | Sodium, Calcium, Potassium, Aquamin Mg |
| Sweetener | Sucralose |
| Third-party tested? | No |
Experience Using Ultimate CRN-5
Kate Meier, senior director of content at GGR, certified personal trainer, CrossFit Level 1 trainer, and competitive weightlifter, tested the creatine for this Ultimate CRN-5 review. “Not bad for a flavored creatine!” Kate says.
RELATED: Best Creatine for Women
Price Per Serving
We had to give it a 1 out of 5 rating here as it’s “very expensive for a creatine supplement,” Kate comments. She’s not wrong. The average price per serving for creatine supplements is around $1. So, $1.50 is pretty steep for a creatine supplement that doesn’t have other synergistic ingredients like HMB or amino acids.
Formulation
We gave the workout supplement a rating of 4 out of 5 for formulation. Our tester liked the inclusion of added electrolytes and a total of 5 grams of creatine. “3.75 grams of creatine monohydrate, 500 milligrams of di-creatine malate, 500 milligrams of tri-creatine malate, 250 milligrams of tri-creatine pyruvate,” Kate observes. “Also has calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Just dinging it for ‘juice powder blend,’ ‘flavoring,’ and sucralose.”
Now you may be wondering: Why the different types of creatine? According to Crazy Nutrition, the multiple forms prevent you from “building a tolerance” and even remove the need for a cycling or creatine loading phase, unlike other creatine formulas. Let’s talk about that, starting with the formulation.
Electrolytes
Sodium (1.25 grams), Calcium (300 milligrams), Potassium (128 milligrams): Responsible for helping maintain hydration, some added electrolytes1 are always welcome to a sports nutrition supplement when intense workouts are involved. Aquamin Mg (56 milligrams) is also included as a more bioavailable form of magnesium than can be found in other nutritional supplements.
Creatine Types
Before we go into each form of creatine, let’s go over the di-creatine and tri-creatine. These names simply distinguish the number of creatine molecules. So, tri-creatine malate indicates there are three creatine molecules attached to a malic acid molecule.
The claim is that it reduces recovery time, helps with muscle soreness, and can almost eliminate that pesky bloating due to better absorption. These compounds are not proven to be more effective at providing these benefits than creatine monohydrate, however.
RELATED: Types Of Creatine
Creatine Monohydrate (3.75 grams): The most commonly used and heavily researched sports nutrition supplement, creatine monohydrate, according to research2, is just as effective as every other form of creatine available. Studies have affirmed its effectiveness in boosting athletic performance, assisting with faster recovery, and helping with more ATP production.
Di-Creatine Malate (500 milligrams), Tri-Creatine Malate (500 milligrams): Studies have shown that creatine malate in any form isn’t superior to creatine monohydrate in terms of effectiveness3. Furthermore, although malic acid (malate) may help with athletic performance in mice4, these results have not been reproducible in humans.
Tri-Creatine Pyruvate (250 milligrams): There is some evidence that creatine pyruvate is more effective at increasing creatine levels3 in the blood than monohydrate. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you get more muscle strength or lean muscle mass as a result.
RELATED: Can You Take Too Much Creatine?
The good news is that the International Society of Sports Nutrition5 recommends taking 3 to 5 grams of creatine daily. Even if tri-creatine malate and tri-creatine pyruvate did absolutely nothing, there are still over 3 grams of creatine monohydrate, so you shouldn’t miss out on too many muscle-building benefits.
Taste and Solubility
We gave a rating of 4 out of 5 for taste, based on Kate’s feedback. “I got Lemon-Lime. Pretty good!” Kate notes. “A little tangy, but not too sweet/sour. I like lemon-lime things, so this is something I would drink for sure.”
Although she had some slight issues with the solubility, she still awarded a 4 out of 5 rating. That said, it probably won’t hurt to grab your shaker. Kate says, “Doesn’t fully dissolve—you can see little grains of it in the drink, but you can’t detect it while you drink.”
Side Effects
We gave it a 5 out of 5 here as Kate did not note any creatine side effects. If it’s your first time using creatine, you may experience mild stomach discomfort with the multiple types of creatine.
Third-Party Testing
Gotta give it a 3 out of 5 for this one. Kate says, “I cannot find it anywhere on the site that this is third-party tested, but if you Google it, other reviews sites say it’s tested. Where do they get this information???”
The “other reviews” sites likely say this due to the label on Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 that says “professional athlete approved.”
However, this is far from an indication of third-party testing. Independent labs like NSF for Sport and Informed Choice are the bodies that are recognized by entities like the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the MLB, NBA, and NFL. Without labels to indicate who did the testing, we cannot say that Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 is third-party tested.
Ultimate CRN-5 vs BPI Sports Best Creatine
BPI Sports Best Creatine
BPI Sports Best Creatine
Product Highlights
- Powdered creatine supplement
- Available in 4 flavors
- Claimed to improve energy, endurance, power, pump, and muscle growth
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 4 flavors available
- 100% money-back guarantee
- Manufactured in a cGMP-compliant facility
Cons
- Uses proprietary creatine blend
- Only 4 g of creatine per serving
- No subscribe-and-save option
- Customers purchasing from Amazon received unsealed and damaged product
- Contains sucralose, which may cause stomach upset
- No unflavored option
Bottom Line
BPI Sports Best Creatine is available in four flavors and provides 4 grams of creatine per single serving scoop. BPI Sports shares that this supplement supports muscle building, faster recovery, and improved performance and endurance. Customer reviews for this product are generally positive. Although, some customers did receive unsealed and damaged products from Amazon.
In our mission to test and find the best creatine supplements out there, we’ve also given BPI Sports Best Creatine a whirl and wanted to do a comparison based on the two products’ similarities. Both have multiple forms of creatine amounting to a total of 4 to 5 grams, neither are third-party tested, both are sweetened with sucralose, and both have electrolytes to help with muscle hydration.
The biggest difference is the price as the creatine supplement from BPI costs less than half per serving. However, BPI has a proprietary blend of their creatines. This is a bummer because you don’t know the dosages of each creatine type, especially monohydrate, the most effective form. Our tester for BPI Sports Best Creatine also found it to be overly sweet, although some people may prefer this.
| Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 | BPI Sports Best Creatine | |
| Price per serving | $1.50 | $0.70 |
| Serving size | 1 scoop (10 g) | 1 scoop (6 g) |
| Flavors | Lemon & Lime, Orange and Mango | Snow Cone, Fruit Punch, Watermelon Cooler, Icy Blue Raz |
| Total creatine dosage | 5 g | 4 g |
| Creatine types | Creatine Monohydrate, Creatine Malate, Creatine Pyruvate | Creatine monohydrate, Creatine anhydrous, Creatine MagnaPower® (as magnesium creatine chelate), Creatine phosphate, Creatine AKG, pH buffered Creatine alkaline™ |
| Other notable ingredients | Sodium, Calcium, Potassium, Aquamin Mg | Betaine anhydrous (TMG) buffered, Himalayan Pink Salt, Potassium |
| Sweetener | Sucralose | Sucralose |
| Third-party tested? | No | No |
Customer Experience
We gave it a 5 out of 5 here as Crazy Nutrition offers a variety of options to receive customer service. You can utilize the live chat, call 1 (626) 706-3706, or email support@crazynutrition.com, which is the email you’ll use if you need to make a return.
There’s no money-back guarantee and you can only get a refund if you return your product within 30 days of purchase if it is unopened and unused.
RELATED: Creatine Myths
Ordering Ultimate CRN-5
Orders go through Shopify, which should streamline the process for those with accounts. Free shipping is available for orders over $60 and subscribe and save orders. Subscribe and save also discounts a whopping 30% more than a one-time purchase, which is a bigger discount than the market average.
Customer Reviews
We gave a 4 out of 5 rating here based on customer reviews. Reviews on the official website are mixed with some raving that it is a high-quality supplement that works, while most negative reviews pertain to customer service and slow shipping times.
Final Verdict of Our Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 Review
Though the multiple forms of creatine are likely what makes this supplement so expensive, it’s likely not worth the value, according to current research. As for Crazy Nutrition’s claim that their creatine supplement removes the need for creatine cycling, it turns out most people don’t need to do that anyway.
That said, the electrolytes are nice and there’s at least a high enough dose of creatine monohydrate to make the supplement somewhat effective, but there are definitely cheaper options out there that can give as much, if not more, value for the price.
Full Rating
Ultimate CRN-5
Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5 is a decent option for people looking for a flavored creatine with added electrolytes. It provides the recommended dose of creatine.
Product Brand: Crazy Nutrition
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 44.99
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.75
Crazy Nutrition Ultimate CRN-5: FAQs
Is CRN-5 good?
With 5 grams of creatine total and over 3 grams of creatine monohydrate, CRN-5 is likely effective at boosting muscle protein synthesis and muscle recovery,
What is CRN-5?
CRN-5 is a creatine supplement that includes five different types of creatine and added electrolytes to help change body composition, boost performance during resistance training, and support muscle hydration.
How much creatine is safe for kidneys?
Despite the myth that creatine causes kidney damage, there is no evidence that this is a side effect of creatine in healthy individuals with normal renal function.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
References
- Ayotte D Jr, Corcoran MP. Individualized hydration plans improve performance outcomes for collegiate athletes engaging in in-season training. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018;15(1):27. Published 2018 Jun 4. doi:10.1186/s12970-018-0230-2
- Wax B, Kerksick CM, Jagim AR, Mayo JJ, Lyons BC, Kreider RB. Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations for Healthy Populations. Nutrients. 2021;13(6):1915. Published 2021 Jun 2. doi:10.3390/nu13061915
- Jäger R, Harris RC, Purpura M, Francaux M. Comparison of new forms of creatine in raising plasma creatine levels. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2007;4:17. Published 2007 Nov 12. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-4-17
- Wu JL, Wu QP, Huang JM, Chen R, Cai M, Tan JB. Effects of L-malate on physical stamina and activities of enzymes related to the malate-aspartate shuttle in liver of mice. Physiol Res. 2007;56(2):213-220. doi:10.33549/physiolres.930937
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. Published 2017 Jun 13. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
Further reading
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