Ingredients7.4
Effectiveness8.3
Value8.6
Taste7.7
Mixability7.9
Pros
  • Quality types of creatine
  • Effective fat burning ingredients
Cons
  • Only available in fruit punch
8Overall Score

GNC is shattering supplement norms with their new Creatine XXX Ripped. Up until now, creatine and fat burners were typically viewed as mutually exclusive.

As someone who’s a huge proponent of taking a creatine supplement to keep up strength when dieting, I was immediately interested in checking the formula out. To save you some time from furious ingredient Googling, here’s everything you need to know about Creatine XXX Ripped.

The Creatine Complex

As you know, creatine is one of the most-researched supplements, and proven to increase strength, body composition, and improve overall exercise performance.[1]
Here’s a breakdown of the four types of creatine featured in Creatine XXX Ripped:

• OT2 Creatine- OT2 stands for Optimal Timing Technology. Exclusive to GNC, this technology has a time release effect, providing 6 hours of creatine delivery.

• Creatine HCL-This is a high quality form of creatine with enhanced solubility and absorption. It doesn’t cause bloating or water retention.

• Creatine Ethyl Ester- By attaching an ester molecule to creatine, absorption and solubility are improved. This reduces gastrointestinal problems associated with creatine such as bloating and cramping.

• Creatine Citrate- Citrate is a Krebs cycle intermediate which naturally increases energy within muscle cells and enhances creatine absorption.

The Ripped Blend

One of the biggest concerns that stops people from supplementing with creatine when dieting is water retention. Even though the types of creatine in Creatine XXX Ripped won’t cause water retention, dandelion root is provided in the formula.

Dandelion root contains a compound called taraxacum, which acts as a diuretic. It works by expelling sodium chloride from the kidneys, increasing the amount of water that leaves the body. This reduces subcutaneous water between the skin and muscle, giving you a drier and harder look.

What’s more, you’ll also find green coffee bean extract in here. This is one of the most popular fat burning ingredients right now thanks to the research behind it.
Green coffee bean extract contains chlorogenic acid, a compound which decreases caloric intake, improves blood sugar levels, and decreases body fat.[2]

Another proven fat burner you’ll find in here is CLA. This is a healthy and naturally occurring trans fat which is shown to help burn fat, reduce risk of heart disease, and enhance muscle growth.[3]

Taste, Cost, and Mixability

As far as taste goes, the fruit punch flavor does have a little bit of a bitter aftertaste, but overall I thought the taste was average, and about what I expected from a fruit punch flavored supplement these days.

If you buy this online, expect to pay between $45-$55. It mixes pretty well for a creatine supplement. There was a little residual powder in my shaker cup, but that’s normal for a creatine supplement or pre-workout like this.

Who Should Use Creatine XXX Ripped?

Everyone is pretty familiar with the old adage that a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle. If you’re worried about losing strength and muscle mass while dieting, I would recommend using Creatine XXX Ripped.

It has quality forms of creatine like creatine HCL and effective fat burning ingredients like green coffee bean extract and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

References:

[1] Kreider RB. Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations Mol Cell Biochem. 2003 Feb;244(1-2):89-94.
[2] Joe A Vinson, Bryan R Burnham, and Mysore V Nagendran, Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2012; 5:21-27. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes
[3] Thom E, Wadstein J, Gudmundsen O. Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat in healthy exercising humans J Int Med Res. 2001 Sep-Oct;29(5):392-6



About The Author

Brian E. is from southern California and has worked for names like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe as a supplement expert and consultant. He currently lives in Utah and is studying marketing.

5 Responses

  1. Andrew Badillo

    Would it be ok to take this 30 mins beforeca workout??

    Reply
      • Doug

        I have been drinking it during my workouts.
        I just mix it in a bottle of cold water, screw
        the cap back on, and shake it up.

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