Hey, I'm Creatine! Have you heard of me???

Trent Taylor

The health and fitness world have NO shortage of supplements on the market. It seems there’s some new and “better than ever” product out there that will do whatever it says it does on the label. Unfortunately, the claims behind many supplements out there aren’t intensely studied or regulated and often leave the consumer wanting. Now, this is not a bash as supplements in general but I wanted to talk closely about one in particular, Creatine Monohydrate.

This is probably one of the most studied and researched compounds out there and there’s good news….it has positive effects on your health and fitness!! Too good to be true?? Read on…

What is it?

Creatine, believe it or not, is already in your body! This compound is a product of amino acids and is manly made up in your liver. It is also prevalent in most animal products such as various meats and fish, but it also sold as a powdered supplement in most health and fitness stores.

What does it do?

You know how back in the day soldiers would have to light a fuse to fire a cannon? Well, Creatine acts as that fuse when you perform any high intense activity either in exercise or daily life. Through a series of very fast reactions (known as the Creatine Phosphate pathway) in your body, this compound is broken down and used to “fire” that canon again and again. This will usually happen between 4-10 seconds when performing a task.

How can it help you?

As stated above, Creatine ha been researched in many areas on how it can improve your fitness. The bulk of the research has been done on its effect on power output and strength when it’s paired with resistance training exercises. Both of these improvements can help build lean muscle tissue. If you’re someone who’s looking to put on a little more muscle and get stronger, you may consider adding this supplement in your nutrition. Some research has shown to improve cognitive function and performance as well. More research should be done on this area with Creatine but it sure is exciting to know! #nerdalert

Is it Safe?

One of the big myths surrounding Creatine is that it will impair your kidney function. The reason being, high levels of Creatine in the body will increase levels on creatinine. This is a sign of poor kidney function so be sure to tell your doctor you’re taking this the next time you go in for blood work;) More Long-term research should be done to 100% rule out any negative effects, so caution should still be used, however, it’s unlikely anything bad will happen:)

The only noted negative side effects are potential stomach cramping, leading to diarrhea and nausea if not taken with enough water. This can be fixed with simply splitting doses throughout the day to ease the digestion on your stomach.

How should you take it?

Most of the Creatine on the market comes in the form of Creatine Monohydrate (the most researched one). Also noteworthy, It’s cheap! Speaking from personal experience and user of various supplements on the market, making sure they’re costly and fit into your budget are also important. The most popular way to take this is to go through a loading period. This means, you’ll “load” up on it for 5-7 days, taking in about 20—5 grams. This will vary from person to person so be sure to read the label of what your got to see what it recommends. As a rule of thumb, 0.3 grams per kg of body weight per day for the first week is what’s followed by most. After the loading phase, reduce the dosage to 5g per day.

Something worth noting is this may not work for everyone. There is some evidence of non-responders to loading. This may be regimented by increasing the dose to 10g per day.

I hope you found this informative! I want to remind everyone to make sure you consult with your doctor before adding this into your diet. I do feel that there’s any one supplement that people “should” be taking. If you have a well-balanced diet that is nutritious, there’s probably nothing you’ll need extra of unless you have a diagnosed deficiency somewhere. That being said, this supplement is one that I fully back up and advocate for id someone is looking for a little extra push in there strength and muscle gains:)

Douglas Christensen

Can we have a little more detail on "creatine loading" please. I'm no good at references, which I'll blame on my lack of formal college education, but I was under the impression it was debunked as a marketing ploy to sell more quantity of this inexpensive supplement.

Mike Stack

@Douglas Christensen, the research on loading is interesting. I'll summarize much of what the general consensus seems to be right now:

1) Creatine loading does help saturate your creatine stores faster for sure. This mean you'll get to a "fuller" level of intra-muscular creatine faster by loading. So with that said, you'll likely see greater effects of creatine use within the first month or so (just faster saturation and higher levels of it in the system).

2) After about 2-3 months the differences in groups who load and don't load are essentially the same. Basically at the point your muscles get saturated with creatine, there's no more additional benefit that will be conferred (you just need to continue to keep them saturated by continuing to take creatine at the generally recommended 3-5g/day dose).

So with those two findings in mind, when someone gets on creatine the first time loading will help in the first 30-60 days in terms of seeing an ergogenic benefit faster, but after that window there is little to no difference. So the answer to your question specifically is that it's not a "marketing ploy" per se as there is valid research that speaks to a benefit of loading, however that benefit is quickly washed away after long-term use of a smaller dose is achieved and saturation is met.

My opinion on loading for first time creatine users is that it's probably not a bad idea. Creatine is so cheap nowadays (like 1000g for less than $25) that loading is a great way to get your muscles saturated faster to start to reap the benefits of using creatine. That being said, in two or three months you won't be able to tell any difference. Additionally there is no evidence that you'll ever need to "reload" (unless you get off creatine, and if you did my explanation from above in terms of the benefits of loading applies), so it truly is a one time thing.

Douglas Christensen

@Mike Stack Follow up question, thoughts on creatine cycling? I have for years cycled creatine randomly between four and 12 week cycles "loading" for the first week and "skipping" a week or two in between cycles as to not get my body accustom to the elevated creatine levels because it is a naturally occurring in the body, and I have some fear, probably from prior advice, that if i stay regular with it over time and quit my body will stop creating it on its own.

Trent Taylor

@Mike Stack So if one were to load for a week then be consistent for 2-3 months, then go off completely for 2-3, the initial benefit would already be spent on that initial first load?

Mike Stack

@Douglas Christensen, there's no research that suggest creatine needs to be cycled. This comes as a "myth" where some people (namely the media) have compared creatine to steroids (which is like comparing an apple to an airplane - they're two COMPLETELY different things).

Creatine is an energy nutrient (as Trent mentioned above) therefore you never want to it run low. It no different then saying you're going to cycle off carbs or protein or fat so your body doesn't "get used to them." To train at an optimally high level you always want maximal saturation of your creatine stores. Cycling off will only reduce your performance capabilities when you're "off" and you won't derive any additional benefit from cycling off when you go back on (i.e., creatine won't become more effective after you've stopped using it and then start using it again). I've been on creatine literally since I've been 15 years old non-stop (which might make me sound like a massive meat head), but consider that some creatine researchers I know started their kids on creatine before the age of 5 and their kids are now in their teens and still taking it religiously every day.

Mike Stack

@Trent Taylor, the answer is yes if you go off of it for any period greater than 4 weeks you'll likely lose the high level of saturation in that time window. With that said, if you are going to cycle on and off creatine, then loading makes more sense in that use case (basically you're always wanting to get back to full saturation as quickly as possible). That being said, look at my post above to Douglas where I talk about the utility of cycling off and back on. There's little-to-no clinical evidence that suggests this is beneficial and practically speaking (from a physiological mechanism standpoint), it doesn't add up that cycling off confers any real benefit at the end of the day.

Trent Taylor

@Mike Stack awesome. Thank you for the additional insight! I was always a little fuzzy on "loading" and "cycling" so I usually stayed on it daily until I ran out. #NeedtorestockASAP

Sawyer Paull-Baird

Awesome stuff here Trent. Thanks for sharing. Creatine, despite SO much research, still strikes fear in many people. In reality, creatine is probably something that nearly every person on the planet could benefit from (assuming no pre-existing kidney or liver issues). There is even some emerging evidence that it has neurological benefits, could help treat Parkinsons & Huntingtons.

Also, in addition to strength, power, and lean mass improvements, there is some less strong evidence that the benefit carries over to endurance type events to (so runners, swimmer etc.). While the effect may be smaller, it would still be worth taking as there are so many other health and performance benefits to creatine already, that if it might also improve endurance sport performance, then that's just icing on the cake.

Corinne Albrecht

Okay, silly question. What's the stuff that makes you...itchy? I thought it was Creatine but hearing all the good stuff it does I think I'm wrong haha

Sawyer Paull-Baird

That's Beta-alanine Corinne =). The skin tingling sensation is something that some people really like and can act as a placebo-esque effect leading to more effort. Some people don't like it at all. Regardless, it is completely harmless and a side effect of the carnosine that beta-alanine produces in the body. It is a naturally occurring amino acid in the body, and despite the tingling, is harmless.

Corinne Albrecht

@Sawyer Paull-Baird Thank you!!! That helps haha

Mike Stack

@Corinne Albrecht, do you take beta-alanine frequently? It doesn't strike me as something that would be part of your daily nutrition practice...lol.

Corinne Albrecht

@Mike Stack ahahaha no but Clint used to make me his pre-workout, which included beta-alanine, and I took it a few times. Wasn't a fan. He's since tried to convince me to take creatine only, but I thought that was the itchy stuff, so I've always declined 😂

Mike Stack

@Corinne Albrecht, got it! That makes way more sense! Probably a good call you declining. It doesn't seem to be something you'd enjoy...lol.

Tracy Dunton

Hi. I would describe myself as someone new to the “training” world and let’s just say I’m not 40 anymore. I have always tried to be active doing recreational sports and light weight lifting. But again, there was never much of a setious commitment. The bottom line is that I don’t understand supplements nor am I really looking for “performance enhancement” like someone would if they were in “training”. Could Creatine help someone like me (doing circuit fitness 3x week)? I’m willing to try it in a small dose if worth my while. Thank you, Tracy

Mike Stack

@Tracy Dunton, thanks for asking the question. I would say that everyone who exercises is looking for performance enhancement to some degree in the sense that everyone wants to perform better in their workouts (and by way of that get more from exercise). I do believe you can benefit from creatine, as I've said above, I think everyone who exercises can benefit from it.

That being said, I don't know if creatine is the first thing I'd start with if you're currently not taking any supplements. It won't hurt if you incorporated it in right off the bat that's for sure, but you might be better off to start with some more foundational supplementation.

Before I launch into performance supplement recommendations, I will say that I firmly believe everyone should take a good multi-vitamin. If you're not taking that, I'd highly recommend it. Secondly, if you're over 40, I'd also recommend taking calcium, as this is a critical supplement for bone health.

In terms of performance supplements, that first foundational supplement I'll recommend to you is whey protein. Taking a serving of whey protein immediately after exercise (like within 30min of stopping) can really help speed the process of recovery up quite a bit (which will improve performance in future workouts).

The other "supplement" I'd recommend is a small amount of sugar pre-exercise (like about 30min before or so). The reason I put the word supplement in quotation marks is because people don't often consider this a supplement, but used around exercise it absolutely is. In fact, Gatorade has made a fortune that rivals that of most small countries selling this "supplement" since the 1970's. This small amount of sugar can come in the form of a sports beverage, like Gatorade. Ideally somewhere around 15-20 grams of sugar in the 30min prior to exercise is what you'd be looking to consume. This will give you more energy for your workout and can be very beneficial to performance during exercise.

So those are the two things I'd consider starting with: whey protein (post-exercise) and some sugar (pre-exercise). You could most definitely add creatine and it would only help, but if you're looking for some foundational supplementation "test the waters," so to speak, I'd go with those two more basic supplements. Finally, for more information on multi-vitamins and types of protein, check out these links from our knowledge base on the forum:

Should I Take A Multivitamin?

What Are Good Protein Bars and Shakes?