Creatine And Your Training: When To Take It, How To Use It, And What To Expect

What Is Creatine | How Does It Work | Results | How To Take | Creatine Monohydrate | For Training Goals | For Women | With Protein | Water Retention | Medical Advice | FAQs

Creatine has been one of the most researched sports supplements for decades, but it’s definitely having a moment. If you’re new to creatine, you’ll want to know how to take it, whether timing matters, and whether you need a loading phase.

Let’s get into what to expect from creatine and how it fits different types of training from high-intensity performance to strength and muscle gain.

Quick summary

• Creatine helps replenish energy during short, high-intensity efforts
• Creatine monohydrate is the best-supported form of creatine
• Creatine loading is optional, a consistent daily dose works fine
• Taking creatine consistently matters more than the time of day
• Creatine can support strength and muscle gain when combined with resistance training

What is creatine and what does it do?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that’s stored primarily in muscle tissue as phosphocreatine. It helps to regenerate ATP, the body’s main source of energy, to support repeated, intense efforts like sprinting or weightlifting.

Research has also found creatine can help with cognitive function, with studies showing creatine supplementation improving areas like memory and reasoning.

How does creatine work in the body?

Creatine doesn’t directly give you energy, for example like caffeine or carbohydrates might. It helps your muscles regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is the body’s primary fuel source for short high-intensity bursts of exercise. More ATP means quicker recovery and more energy during intense workouts, allowing you to push harder.

Taking creatine doesn’t have an immediate effect on the body. It works by increasing the amount of phosphocreatine stored in muscle tissue, which is why taking it consistently (rather than a few times a week or just before a workout) is important.

Does creatine actually work? What the research shows

The short answer to does creatine work is yes, particularly for strength, power, and lean mass. Creatine can’t build muscle without training, and it doesn’t guarantee muscle growth, but it is robustly studied and tested. Creatine can help you to go that little bit extra in your workouts, which can lead to bigger gains.

This 2024 meta-analysis found that creatine combined with resistance training increased lean body mass by about 1.14kg more than resistance training alone in adults under 50. This 2025 meta-analysis covering almost 2,000 participants found improvements in strength and power measures when creatine was combined with resistance training.

What results can you expect, and how long does creatine take to work?

Creatine is the kind of supplement that needs to be taken consistently. It’s not like a pre-workout, where you’ll feel the effects quickly - it works by topping up stores in your body.

The practical benefits of taking creatine are likely to show as improvements in training performance, strength progression, and the ability to do repeated bouts of high-intensity efforts.

How to take creatine: dose, loading, timing, and rest days

How much creatine to take daily

3-5g creatine monohydrate per day is enough for most adults to maintain creatine stores while exercising.

What time of day to take creatine

It doesn’t matter what time of day you take it, or whether you take it with or without food. The best approach is to take it at a time that is convenient, so you can take it consistently.

Creatine is available in both powder and capsule form. You could try adding powder to your water bottle first thing, or taking capsules after a meal.

Do you need a creatine loading phase?

A loading phase refers to taking a higher amount of creatine for a short period of time to build up your creatine stores quickly. This is usually around 20-25g for 5-7 days. A creatine loading phase may saturate muscle stores faster, but it isn’t necessary for long-term benefits.

Should you take creatine on rest days?

Yes, it’s important to take creatine on rest days as you’re aiming to maintain muscle creatine stores. There’s no need to cycle creatine around training days or workouts.

What is the best time to take creatine: before or after a workout

Research doesn’t show any strong reason to take creatine before or after a workout. In fact, you can take it completely separately from training – and you should, as you will need to take it on rest days too.

Creatine works by increasing muscle stores over time, so the best time to take creatine is whenever you will remember it - on weekdays, weekends, training days, and rest days.

Creatine monohydrate vs other forms: what to look for

You’ll see various forms of creatine on supplement websites, but basic creatine monohydrate has the strongest evidence base. This is good news, because it’s also widely available, generally cost-effective, and usually well-tolerated.

Creatine for different training goals

Not sure whether it’s worth taking creatine? Here are some of the different training goals it can help with.

Creatine for strength and muscle building

Creatine is well loved and well researched when it comes to building strength and muscle. Taking creatine can support repeated high-intensity efforts like weightlifting, and promote strength and muscle building alongside a good training plan.

Creatine for HIIT and Hyrox

Creatine is relevant to training that involves repeated bouts of intense effort, and may be useful for the strength, power, and repeated intervals in Hyrox and HIIT training.

Creatine for endurance

Creatine isn’t an endurance supplement, but it can support repeat-effort performance (like interval work).

Creatine for women: is there anything different to know?

Women can use creatine. It’s safe, straightforward, and works through the same basic mechanism in women and men.

The research into creatine for women has historically been much smaller than research for men, but a 2025 systematic review found positive results across strength, power, and anaerobic outcomes in active females.

How creatine fits alongside protein and pre-workout

Protein provides the amino acids needed for muscle repair, and creatine supports the energy system involved in high-intensity exercise.

Pre-workout isn’t the same thing as creatine (although some pre-workout powders may contain added creatine). You can take creatine with protein powder, or with pre-workout if you like, but you don’t need to.

Does creatine cause weight gain? water retention explained

Creatine can lead to an increase in weight in some people, however this weight gain is caused by because creatine pulls water into the muscles. This excess water can lead to a higher weight, however it is simply water weight rather than an increase in body fat. Creatine does not make you gain fat.

When to speak to a doctor before taking creatine 

Speak to your GP or medical professional before taking creatine if you have a medical condition, especially kidney disease or any condition affecting kidney function, if you are taking medication that may interact with creatine, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have any health concerns about creatine.

If you are a competitive athlete subject to drug testing, make sure all of your supplements are from brands that batch-test to eradicate risk of contamination.

Creatine FAQs

Does creatine break a fast, and can you take it during Ramadan?

Creatine contains no meaningful calories, but whether you can take it during fasting hours depends on your fasting practice.

Is creatine worth taking if you're over 50?

Yes, creatine is worth taking if you’re over 50. It can help support muscle retention, and there’s emerging research into creatine for cognition in older adults.

Should teenagers take creatine?

Young people don’t automatically need creatine for gym workouts. Speak to your GP and involve parents/guardians before deciding.

What happens if you stop taking creatine?

If you stop taking creatine, your muscle stores will gradually return towards baseline but you won’t suddenly lose all your muscle.

Why does creatine upset some people's stomachs?

Large doses of creatine can cause minor stomach upset. Splitting your daily dose and making sure the powder is properly dissolved can help.

Does creatine still work if your training is mostly classes, running, or Hyrox?

Creatine still has benefits if your training is mostly classes or cardio, although the biggest area of research is into creatine for strength and muscle.

Is creatine allowed in competitive sport?

Creatine is not a banned substance, but check with your NGB or competition rules, and make sure your supplements are batch tested using strict safety and testing standards.

Expert training advice at PureGym

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