Creatine made simple.
Suggestions
Take: creatine monohydrate
Dose: 5 g daily, every day
Timing: whenever you’ll remember (consistency > timing)
Expect: slightly more reps/sets, better recovery, fuller muscles
Safety: excellent at normal doses; water goes into muscle, not under skin
What creatine is (and isn’t)
Creatine is a compound your body already makes and stores in muscle as phosphocreatine. In hard efforts (heavy sets, sprints), phosphocreatine recycles ATP (your short burst energy). Which means you fatigue later, squeeze an extra rep or two and accumulate more quality training volume over weeks and months.
It DOES NOT build muscle for you. It helps you train harder and recover better, which in turn helps to build muscle.
What you can realistically expect
Strength/Power: 5-15% long-term boost in maximal strength/power and repeat performance (i.e. turning 10 reps into 11-12 over time).
Muscle Size: small but reliable increase via more training volume and cell volumising (muscle looks fuller, not puffy).
Recovery: modest improvement between sets and sessions.
No, it doesn’t directly burn fat. It can support fat loss by helping you maintain output and preserve muscle while dieting.
Safety, bloat and other myths
“Creatine is bad for your kidneys.” = Creatinine is a lab marker of kidney function, different thing. In healthy people, 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day has an excellent safety profile in long term studies.
“It makes you bloated.” = Creatine draws water into the muscle (intramuscular), which increases fullness and can add a few lbs of good water weight.
Stomach issues? = Very uncommon. If you get them: take with food, split the dose, switch to another reputable brand. Make sure it’s the creatine, not another product causing it.
Caffeine conflict? = No consistent evidence of any issues. Many lifters use both effectively.
Non-responders? = 20-30% see little effect (often high meat eaters or some older trainees). Given the low cost and safety, a 4-8 week trial is still very much worth it.
When to use it (and when to pause)
Great times: muscle growth phases and fat loss phases where you want to keep performance up.
Optional pauses: maintenance/active rest, travel or if you need to test how you look/feel without it (e.g. physique competitors assessing stage dryness).
Creatine & fat loss: quick reality check
Creatine won’t melt fat. A sustained calorie deficit does. The best deficit is the one that:
Keeps training energy high (so you can still lift well)
Doesn’t wreck sleep (sleep loss = worse fat loss, more muscle loss)
Keeps hunger manageable (so you can actually stick to it)
Push the deficit as far as you can while those three boxes stay ticked. Any further and you’re trading muscle, sleep, sanity or ALL three!!
Simple starter plan (copy/paste)
Buy creatine monohydrate
Take 5 grams daily with any meal you never skip
Track training volume (sets × reps × load) for key lifts
Reassess in 4-6 weeks: stronger sets? extra reps? improved look? keep going.
FAQs (speed round)
Do I need to cycle? No. There’s no tolerance like with caffeine.
Vegans/vegetarians? Often respond very well (lower baseline stores).
Teen athletes? Evidence supports safety at normal doses with parental/coach oversight.
Pre vs post? Minuscule differences. Consistency wins.
Final take
If you lift, creatine is the cheapest, most proven supplement for nudging performance and muscle in the right direction. It won’t do the work for you, but it makes your hard work go further! C’MON!
