Many amateur and professional athletes take creatine supplements to aid their workout routines and improve their recovery. Creatine creates “quick burst” energy and increased strength, which improves your performance without affecting your ability to exercise for longer periods (aerobic endurance).
Summary: Creatine is effective for enhancing both strength and muscle mass. It improves performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities and may contribute to muscle growth through various physiological mechanisms. Its benefits make it a popular supplement among athletes and bodybuilders alike.
In most but not all studies, creatine supplementation has been demonstrated to be an effective ergogenic aid for increasing muscular strength and/or power, and these findings have included trained and untrained men and women, including athletes and non-athletes.
Creatine is the most effective supplement for increasing muscle mass and strength. It is a fundamental supplement in the bodybuilding and fitness communities. Research shows supplementing with creatine can double your strength and lean muscle gains when compared to training alone.
People with kidney disease, high blood pressure, or liver disease should not take creatine. Taking creatine supplements may stop the body from making its own natural stores, although researchers don't know what the long-term effects are.
Creatine is possibly safe when taken long-term. Doses up to 10 grams daily for up to 5 years have been safely used. Side effects might include dehydration, upset stomach, and muscle cramps. When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if creatine is safe.
As you recover, the micro-tears in your muscle fibers heal, and your muscles get stronger. Creatine helps activate satellite cells in your muscles, which help the micro-tears heal. Increase anabolic hormones. Anabolic hormones contribute to growth and tissue repair.
While creatine can help to increase muscle mass and strength, the gains may not be permanent. his will depend heavily on your training regimen and nutrition after stopping creatine supplementation. When you stop taking creatine, your muscle mass and strength may gradually decrease.
Drink 12-16 cups if you're working out and using creatine
The amount of water you need can vary based on things like your size, activity level, and gender. But generally, shooting for at least 3 to 4 liters of water, or 12 to 16 cups, per day is a good idea, especially if you're working out and using creatine.
Bottom Line on How Long it Takes Creatine to Work
Taking a modest dose of around 3-5 grams daily can produce increased strength and endurance in around 2-4 weeks. While creatine loading, taking 20-25 grams daily for 7 days followed by a lower maintenance dose, can produce results in 5-7 days.
The muscle gains you experience from taking creatine are permanent, but only if you keep up with your diet and exercise routine and remain consistent. If not, these gains will quickly fade away.
Creatine is not an anabolic steroid, nor does it increase testosterone levels. Some people will retain a couple of pounds of fluid during the first week they start creatine supplementation. But this is temporary, and studies of long-term use do not show a persistent problem with holding onto extra water.
Increased exercise intensity and duration may help promote fat loss and increase muscle mass. Other research suggests creatine may aid weight loss. A 2019 meta-analysis found creatine supplementation with resistance training may reduce body fat in people aged 50 years or older.
Some studies have found that using a creatine supplement can help build muscle mass and improve strength. For most people, these gains tend to be modest. Unless you're an elite athlete in search of a microsecond advantage, creatine supplements alone are unlikely to deliver significant athletic gains.
That said, it's only helpful if you plan to exercise. "Creatine's benefits come from what it helps you accomplish in the gym, whether that's lifting heavier weights, completing more reps or finding explosive speed," explains Dr. Jotwani. "Your body then responds to this by building more muscle.
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.
When you stop using creatine, this water retention will decrease, which may lead to a reduction in muscle size and a slight weight loss. However, this does not mean you will lose true muscle mass, strength, or long-term gains, provided you continue with resistance training and proper nutrition.
While taking creatine might not help all athletes, evidence suggests that it generally won't hurt if taken as directed. Although an older case study suggested that creatine might worsen kidney dysfunction in people with kidney disorders, creatine doesn't appear to affect kidney function in healthy people.
Creatine supplementation in the healthy heart is safe. Some harmful effects that were reported in preclinical experiments on transgenic animals were consequent to very high increases in creatine content, so high that they are not possible with creatine supplementation alone.
Liver and kidney dysfunction have also been suggested on the basis of small changes in markers of organ function and of occasional case reports, but well controlled studies on the adverse effects of exogenous creatine supplementation are almost nonexistent.
If you are someone who experiences facial puffiness from creatine, remember that effects are typically temporary and will reside when the body adjusts to the supplement. It's important to stay well hydrated, monitor sodium intake, and ensure proper dosage of creatine to reduce the potential for puffiness.
Acute creatine loading increases fat-free mass, but does not affect blood pressure, plasma creatinine, or CK activity in men and women.