MET-Rx (pronounced “met-rex”) is a sports nutrition company based in Boca Raton in Florida, and compared to other supplement companies they seem to focus a little more on football than bodybuilding.
Their product line emphasizes protein more than anything else and they sell an impressive variety of whey protein powders, protein bars, protein pancake mix, and more. Creatine 4200 is the name they’ve given to their creatine capsules — let’s take a closer look.
Shop MET-Rx Creatine 4200 HERE.
Met-Rx Creatine 4200 Ingredients
The main ingredient is HPLC creatine monohydrate, which stands for high pressure liquid chromatography — I’ll discuss what this means in the next section.
Less than two percent of the pills include silica and magnesium stearate, and the pills themselves are made from gelatin.
Shopping around? Check out our picks for best creatine.
Met-Rx Creatine 4200 Benefits & Effectiveness
Creatine is a hugely popular supplement and there’s a lot of research supporting its beneficial effects on power output, muscle size, and possibly cognition. The benefits of taking capsules are that they’re portable and can be thrown in your pocket before heading to the gym or on a trip. The standard dose is 5 grams, and you’d need to consume about 7 capsules to reach 4.9 grams. That could be a potential downside for folks who don’t like the idea of consuming so many pills.
High pressure liquid chromatography means the creatine is run through high pressure liquid that breaks it down into the smallest possible particles. The theory is that this means the creatine will absorb faster than your standard creatine, though I was unable to find much research to support (or discredit) this idea.
Silica has a lot of uses and it’s probably in this product as an anti-caking agent. It’s not bad for you, and it appears that it’s actually an important nutrient for joint health. The magnesium stearate is what’s called a flow agent and it’s just there to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the machinery in the facility in which it’s made.
Gelatin is made from the connective tissues of animals, so it’s not vegetarian or vegan. I called MET-Rx and confirmed that the gelatin is made from beef but while it is pork-free, the beef isn’t halal or kosher. This may make this product off limits for certain consumers.
MET-Rx Creatine 4200 Price
It costs $9 for 240 capsules, which makes it 22 cents per serving — MET-Rx puts their servings at six pills, or 4.2 grams of creatine. (Each pill contains 0.7 grams of creatine.) That makes it 5.23 cents per gram of creatine.
That’s cheap, but not that cheap. Branched chain amino acid capsules are typically cheaper than the powdered stuff and I was expecting the same with creatine, but there are some cheaper options on a per-gram basis.
The Takeaway
There are plenty of upsides to this product: it’s cheaper than some other capsules, it’s portable, there are no artificial sweeteners, and there may be a benefit to the HPLC creatine. The downsides are that it’s not vegetarian, there are no extra ingredients (like carbs or BCAAs), it hasn’t been tested by a third party for banned substances, it isn’t as cheap as a lot of creatine powders, and seven pills is quite a mouthful.
But if your heart is set on taking pills over powder, this seems to be one of the better options.
Met-Rx Creatine 4200
Per Serving: $0.22
Pros
- HPLC creatine may absorb more quickly
- Portable, easy to take to the gym
- No artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners
Cons
- Not vegetarian-friendly, halal, or kosher
- Not as cheap as some creatine powders
- No extra ingredients, eg. BCAAs, carbs, etc.
