Is creatine worth taking?
Short answer
Yes, if you lift. In studies, creatine monohydrate increases fat-free mass and strength more than training alone. The usual dose is 3–5 g a day; timing hardly matters.
Figures
- 3–5 g · creatine monohydrate per day
- ~4 weeks · until stores are full without loading (3 g/day)
- +1.1 kg · lean mass versus training alone (Desai 2024)
What it does
Creatine fills phosphocreatine stores in muscle. That lets you do slightly more reps in hard sets. Over weeks, this adds up to more training volume and more gains.
Loading phase
The ISSN position stand gives 4 × 5 g a day (about 0.3 g/kg) for 5–7 days as a loading phase, then 3–5 g daily. With 3 g a day and no loading, stores are full after about 28 days. Loading is faster but not necessary.
Safety and limits
In healthy people, creatine at usual doses is considered safe. Part of the mass gain is water: measured directly by imaging, Burke and colleagues found only a very small extra effect on muscle thickness. If you have kidney disease, talk to your doctor first.
Sources
- The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Resistance Training-Based Changes to Body Composition: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis · Desai · 2024 · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research PubMed DOI Study note
- The Effects of Creatine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Regional Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. · Burke · 2023 · Nutrients PubMed DOI Study note
- Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training on Muscle Strength Gains in Adults <50 Years of Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis · Wang · 2024 · Nutrients PubMed DOI
- Influence of age, sex, and type of exercise on the efficacy of creatine supplementation on lean body mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials · Delpino FM; Figueiredo LM; Forbes SC; Candow DG; Santos HO · 2022 · Nutrition PubMed DOI
- Timing of creatine supplementation does not influence gains in unilateral muscle hypertrophy or strength from resistance training in young adults: a within-subject design · Forbes SC; Krentz JR; Candow DG · 2021 · J Sports Med Phys Fitness PubMed DOI
- Kreider et al. · 2017 · J Int Soc Sports Nutr DOI
ISSN position on dosing, loading and safety.
Summaries by SetCtl, not medical advice.