Creatine Basics: What It Is, How It Works, and Who Should Take It

Creatine as a natural energy helper in your body

Creatine is a compound made from three amino acids (arginine, glycine, methionine). Your liver, kidneys, and pancreas make about 1–2 g per day, and you also get some from animal-based foods like red meat and fish. It’s stored mostly in skeletal muscle as free creatine and phosphocreatine. Its main job: help cells rapidly regenerate ATP, the immediate energy currency your muscles use during short, intense efforts like heavy lifts and sprints.

Dietary sources vs. supplementation

Creatine occurs naturally in foods, especially beef, pork, and fish. A typical omnivorous diet might provide ~1 g per day, but much less if you eat little meat or are vegetarian or vegan. To reach the levels used in research for performance and strength benefits, you would need several hundred grams of meat daily, which is impractical. That’s why creatine is commonly taken as a concentrated supplement powder, usually creatine monohydrate.

The phosphocreatine energy system

When you perform an explosive move like a heavy squat or short sprint, your muscles rely on stored ATP for immediate energy. ATP is used up in seconds and must be regenerated rapidly. Phosphocreatine (PCr) donates a phosphate group to ADP to replenish ATP quickly. By increasing your muscle’s creatine and phosphocreatine stores, supplementation improves your capacity to resynthesize ATP, especially in efforts lasting about 5–20 seconds.

More total work, not magic strength

Creatine does not instantly make you stronger; it helps you do a bit more high-quality work. For example, instead of 8 reps at a given weight, you may manage 9 or 10 with the same effort. Over weeks and months, that extra volume can translate into greater strength and muscle gains. Think of creatine as a small performance boost that compounds over time when paired with smart training and adequate nutrition.

Increased strength and power

Decades of studies show that creatine supplementation improves maximal strength and power output, especially in compound movements like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts. Typical improvements are modest but meaningful: a few extra reps or a small increase in load that accumulates into better progress over training cycles. Benefits are strongest in activities that rely on short bursts of high-intensity effort.

Greater muscle mass over time

By enabling more volume and better performance in the gym, creatine supports greater muscle hypertrophy when combined with resistance training and adequate protein. You may also see a quick 1–2 kg bodyweight increase early on due to increased muscle water and glycogen. The longer-term gains reflect true muscle tissue changes driven by consistent training and nutrition, with creatine acting as an amplifier.

People most likely to benefit

You’re a prime candidate if you: regularly lift weights or do resistance training; play sports requiring short, intense efforts (sprints, jumps, changes of direction); want to maximize strength, power, or muscle mass; or eat little or no meat (vegetarians/vegans often see larger benefits because of lower baseline creatine stores). If you’re consistent with training and nutrition, creatine can be a meaningful edge.

People who probably don’t need creatine

If you mainly do low-intensity steady-state exercise (like easy walking or casual cycling), are not focused on performance or body composition, or struggle to maintain basic nutrition and training consistency, creatine may add little. It won’t compensate for poor sleep, sporadic workouts, or insufficient protein. For very casual exercisers, it’s optional, not essential.

Standard daily dose

For most healthy adults, 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate per day is sufficient to saturate muscle stores over several weeks and maintain them. Larger individuals or those with very high muscle mass may lean toward the higher end (5 g). You don’t need complex formulas; consistency matters more than precision.

Loading phase: optional, not required

A common loading protocol is ~20 g per day split into 4 doses for 5–7 days, followed by 3–5 g per day. This saturates muscles faster but can cause more stomach upset in some people. Skipping the loading phase and simply taking 3–5 g daily will reach similar muscle levels over about 3–4 weeks. If you prefer simplicity and fewer GI issues, you can skip loading.

Timing: whenever you remember

Kidney health and creatine

In healthy people with normal kidney function, recommended creatine doses (3–5 g/day) have not been shown to damage kidneys in long-term studies. However, creatine can slightly increase serum creatinine, a lab marker that can be misinterpreted as reduced kidney function even when kidneys are fine. If you have kidney disease or risk factors, consult your healthcare provider before starting.

Water retention and ‘bloating’

Creatine increases water content inside muscle cells, which may add 1–2 kg to the scale and make muscles look slightly fuller. This is not the same as subcutaneous bloating or puffiness under the skin. If you notice an abrupt jump on the scale after starting creatine, this is expected and not fat gain.

Stomach issues and how to reduce them

Some people experience mild gastrointestinal discomfort, especially during loading or with large single doses. To minimize this, use 3–5 g per day without loading, ensure the powder is dissolved well, take it with food, or divide your daily amount into 2–3 smaller servings. If symptoms persist, consider stopping and discussing with a healthcare professional.