Creatine: What it does and how to take it

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements in sports nutrition, and one of the few where the evidence genuinely lives up to the reputation it has built. It is also one of the most misunderstood, so here is a plain guide to what it does, how to take it and which of the tubs on our shelves might suit you best.

What creatine actually is

Creatine is a compound your body already makes for itself, and you top your stores up through food, mainly red meat and oily fish. Around 95% of what you carry is stored in your muscles, with the rest spread across other tissues.

That dietary side is worth knowing about. If you eat little or no meat, your baseline stores tend to sit lower than a meat eater's, which is why vegetarians and vegans often notice a bigger difference once they start supplementing.

How it works

Your muscles run on ATP, and every time a muscle contracts a molecule of ATP breaks down to release the energy that makes it happen. Under heavy load you work through the available supply surprisingly quickly, which is the reason the fifth rep of a hard set feels so different from the first.

Creatine is stored in the muscle as phosphocreatine, where it acts as a rapid recharge system, handing back the phosphate that turns spent ATP into usable ATP again so you can keep going. The more you have stored, the quicker that recharging happens.

What that means for your training

The authorised claim in the UK is a specific one: 3g of creatine a day increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise.

In everyday terms, that is the kind of help that shows up when the effort is hard and repeated. Another rep or two on a set that was already close to failure, a little less drop-off between your third sprint and your fourth, and more left in the tank for the last twenty minutes of a match. It applies just as neatly to a spin class, a heavy session at the squat rack or getting the shopping up three flights of stairs.

Because the effect is on those repeated hard efforts, creatine tends to do more for lifting, sprinting and team sport than it does for a long steady run. Over the course of a few months, being able to train that bit harder session after session is what eventually shows up as strength.

Beyond the gym

The small share of your creatine that is not stored in muscle sits in tissues with high energy demands, including the brain, and that has opened up a much wider field of research over the past decade or so, covering everything from cognitive performance through to how well people hold onto muscle as they get older.

It is an area we follow with interest, and new work is being published all the time. For now, the performance benefit above is the one with settled evidence behind it, and for most people it is reason enough on its own.

How to take it

Take 3 to 5g a day, every day, rest days included, since consistency is where the whole benefit comes from.

You do not need a loading phase. Loading brings your stores up to saturation in a matter of days rather than the three or four weeks a standard daily dose takes, so it is entirely optional and most people never bother with it.

Timing makes very little difference either, which means the best time to take it is whichever time you will actually remember. Attaching it to something you already do every day, whether that is your morning coffee or your post-training shake, tends to work far better than aiming for a particular window.

Which form is right for you

Monohydrate is monohydrate, so the active ingredient is identical across every format we stock, and no other version has convincingly outperformed it despite a good many attempts over the years. What really differs is how easily each one fits into your day, and since consistency is the whole game, that matters more than it might sound.

Unflavoured powder is the cheapest per serving and the most flexible of the lot, because it dissolves into whatever you happen to be drinking already, including your protein shake. Flavoured powder costs a little more and turns the daily dose into something you look forward to rather than something you have to remember. Capsules suit anyone who would rather skip the scoop altogether and travel particularly well, though you will need several of them to reach a full 3g. Gummies and sherbet cover much the same ground for people who simply will not mix a powder, and the same advice about checking the serving size applies there too.

There is no wrong answer among them, and the best creatine is whichever one is still in your cupboard three months from now.

What to look for on the label

Creatine is a commodity ingredient produced in a relatively small number of facilities worldwide, so what varies between brands is not usually the raw material itself but what happens to it afterwards.

Micronised on the label means the powder has been milled to a finer grade, so it mixes more easily and tends to sit better.

Creatine FAQs

Do I need to be lifting heavy to benefit from creatine?

Not at all. Creatine helps with short, hard, repeated efforts of any kind, so it suits sprints, five-a-side, CrossFit, hybrid training and classes just as much as it suits the squat rack.

Will creatine make me gain weight?

Some people see a small rise on the scales during the first fortnight. That is water drawn into the muscle rather than fat, and it settles once your stores are full. Pure creatine contains no calories.

Is creatine only for men?

No. Creatine works the same way in everybody and the guidance on dose, timing and format is identical whoever you are.

Can I mix creatine with my protein shake?

Yes, and unflavoured creatine is ideal for exactly that, since it disappears into whatever you are already drinking.

Do I need to cycle creatine?

There is no need to. There is no evidence that your body stops responding or that it needs a break, so daily use is the simplest approach.

How long before I notice anything?

Taking 3 to 5g a day, your stores build up over roughly three to four weeks. Loading shortens that to a matter of days, but it is optional.