Creatine: how to take it and what it does
Creatine is one of the few supplements that actually works: a few more reps at the same weight and a bit more strength over time. 3–5 g of monohydrate a day, and that's it.
What creatine does
Your muscles already hold creatine: as phosphocreatine it quickly restores energy for short, hard efforts — a set of 5–10 reps, a sprint, a jump. A supplement fills those stores more than meat and fish do.
In practice, that means a rep or two more at the same weight, and over weeks of training it adds up to slightly bigger gains in strength and muscle. The ISSN position stand (Kreider et al., 2017) calls creatine monohydrate the most effective over-the-counter supplement for lifters and one of the most studied.
How much and when
The working dose is 3–5 g of monohydrate a day, every day, rest days included. Timing barely matters: morning, after training, with a meal — whatever makes it easy to remember. Mix it into water, juice or your protein shake.
It doesn't kick in after one serving like caffeine does. Creatine builds up in the muscle, so consistency matters, not timing. Missed a day? Just carry on — no need to double up.
Do you need to load?
A loading phase is about 0.3 g per kg of bodyweight a day — roughly 20 g split into four servings — for 5–7 days. Then the usual 3–5 g. That fills your muscles in a week.
Without loading, on 3–5 g a day, your muscles fill up in about 3–4 weeks, and after that there's no difference. Load if you want the effect sooner, say before a meet. The one downside: big servings more often cause stomach upset. If you're not in a hurry, start straight on the maintenance dose.
Water and bodyweight
In the first weeks your bodyweight often goes up by 1–2 kg. That's water creatine pulls inside your muscle cells — not fat and not puffiness under the skin. Your muscles look a bit fuller and the scale jumps.
If you're cutting and tracking your weight trend, account for that jump: it happens once, at the start. After that, watch the trend, not the first week. If you stop taking creatine, that water leaves again over a few weeks.
There's no need to force down extra water — drink to thirst, same as without creatine.
Safety
In healthy people creatine has been studied more than most supplements: research lasting up to several years found no harm to the kidneys or liver — that's the conclusion of the ISSN position stand. Your blood creatinine may read higher than usual while you take it: that reflects more creatine in your body, not necessarily a kidney problem. Tell your doctor you take it if you're getting blood work done.
The link to hair loss rests on one small study that measured a hormone, not hair itself; it hasn't been confirmed.
Kidney disease, pregnancy, breastfeeding, regular medication — talk to a doctor first. I'm a coach: this is what's known about healthy adults.
Which creatine to buy
Monohydrate. It's what nearly every study used, and it's the cheapest. Creatine HCl, "buffered" creatine, ethyl ester and fancy blends cost more and haven't done better than monohydrate.
Check the label: the tub should contain creatine monohydrate, without "proprietary matrices". Third-party lab testing is a plus — it matters if you compete and get drug tested.
Who gets less out of it
Responses vary. People who eat lots of meat and fish already walk around with fuller stores, so they gain less. Vegetarians and vegans, on the other hand, usually notice it more.
Creatine doesn't replace training or food. Without progressive overload and enough protein it does almost nothing: its job is to let you get one more rep, and the sets are what make you grow. The order of priorities is in the guide on supplements that work.
How to tell it's working
Not by feel — creatine doesn't give you a buzz. By your log: after a month, compare how many reps you get at the same weight on your main lifts, and check your estimated max. If your reps went up and your bodyweight jumped a kilo or two at the start, it's doing its job.
I log your sets for you and work out your estimated max after every workout. How to keep a log so these things show up is in the guide on keeping a workout log.
Log your sets — I'll show whether your reps at the same weight and your estimated max go up while you're on creatine.
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