Overall, creatine is an efficient form of supplementation for muscle growth in the healthy young population with adequate training in a variety of dosage strategies and athletic activities.
Creatine is the world's most effective supplement for adding muscle mass ( 1 , 27 ). Taking it for as few as 5–7 days has been shown to significantly increase lean body weight and muscle size.
Creatine is the most effective supplement for increasing muscle mass and strength ( 1 ). It is a fundamental supplement in the bodybuilding and fitness communities ( 2 ). Research shows supplementing with creatine can double your strength and lean muscle gains when compared to training alone ( 3 ).
How much creatine do you need? Your body naturally creates about 1 to 2 g of creatine every day. To build muscle, take 20 g of creatine per day for a limited time, followed by a 3- to 5-g daily dose after that.
It will take seven to 28 days to see energy effects depending on how much creatine you already have in your body. It may be dangerous to take creatine supplements when you are actually dehydrated or trying to lose weight.
Along with increasing muscle size, however, creatine can also cause unwanted weight gain, which some people mistake as fat. Before taking creatine supplements, it's important understand the type of weight gain you may experience, as well as what you can do to reverse unwanted weight.
If you are striving for a strength goal, such as lifting a certain amount of weight, then creatine will give you the energy boost you are looking for. For long-term results, protein will be helpful in rebuilding muscle that will continue to increase your strength over time.
In order to build muscle, we need to apply stress to our muscles through progressive resistance or strength training. This process requires energy, and creatine supplies a primary source of energy for this process. Therefore, ensuring we are consuming an adequate amount of creatine is essential if we want to progress.
Creatine makes your muscles look bigger, while actually making them bigger as well. First, creatine causes your muscle cells to store more water which causes your muscles to appear fuller and larger. You may notice the size increase a few days or weeks after starting creatine supplementation.
Taking creatine supplements can help your body build lean muscle mass. Muscle tissue naturally burns more calories than fatty tissue, and taking creatine helps build muscle, so in this round-about way, that's how creatine can help with weight loss.
Creatine doesn't necessarily help you grow muscles. Rather, it increases the amount of fuel your body produces, allowing your muscles to do more work and so generating a stronger response to exercise.
Creatine supplementation is safe and effective. Scientific evidence supports the use of creatine monohydrate supplements to increase sports performance and increase lean body mass. It can also promote overall muscle health, aid in ATP production, and even support healthy brain function.
Is creatine safe to take every day? Research has shown that it is safe to consume creatine supplements daily, even over several years. There is no evidence to support any significantly detrimental side effects in people who consume high doses of creatine (30 grams/day) for up to 5 years ( 2 ).
Creatine can be effective for both bulking and cutting, depending on how you use it and what your goals are. Creatine creates a water retention surrounding the muscle that not only preserves the muscle during a cutting phase but also provides immediate muscle recovery in order to continue intense workouts.
Research suggests that taking creatine after a workout is most optimal. It's better for increasing lean muscle mass when combined with a resistance training program. It may even have more benefits when taking it with a high-carb or high-carb/high-protein post-workout meal.
Taking the two together does not appear to offer additional benefits for muscle and strength gains. However, if you'd like to try both and are looking to increase muscle mass and performance in the gym or on the field, taking whey protein and creatine together is safe and effective.
The short answer is: yes, creatine can make you gain weight. Studies demonstrate that you can gain weight rapidly when you take creatine, especially if you use a loading phase. For example, a 2003 study found that after 30 days of high-dose creatine supplementation, the participants gained an average of 3.75 pounds[*].
In summary, the current body of evidence does not indicate that creatine supplementation increases total testosterone, free testosterone, DHT or causes hair loss/baldness.
You can take it shortly before you exercise, shortly after you exercise, or at some time that isn't close to when you exercise. Another option is to split your daily dose and take it throughout the day.
If you've started taking creatine, you should know if it works for you in about a week. If your training volume increases, it's working for you. If not, you're probably a non-responder, and taking the powder isn't going to help you. Diet is important.
Creatine and Water
Therefore, proper hydration is essential. As previously mentioned, 6-8 cups of water are the average drinking amount when out of training. However, when supplementing with creatine, you should drink an additional 8-10 cups of water daily, or slightly more, depending on your exercise regimen.
One common approach is to take 20–25 g of creatine daily for 5–7 days. This dose is typically divided into four or five 5-g servings throughout the day ( 1 , 2 , 3). Research shows that this regimen can effectively boost muscle stores of creatine by 10%–40% ( 2 , 4 ).
There is however a very good reason to stop. Taking creatine for prolonged periods of time, in this case for more than 8 weeks at a time, diminishes the positive effects that creatine has on you. Effectively your body gets used to it and will no longer see any benefits from it.