Creatine explained: what it does and how to take it

How much to take and when

The standard dose is 3 to 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day. Most people use a level teaspoon of powder or the scoop that comes with the tub. Take it every day, including rest days, because the aim is to keep your muscles topped up rather than to get a hit before training.

There are two ways to start:

• No loading: 3 to 5 g a day from day one. Your stores fill up over about three to four weeks.
• Loading: around 20 g a day split into four doses of 5 g for five to seven days, then 3 to 5 g a day after that. Stores fill in about a week, but some people get an upset stomach.

Unless you have an event soon, the slower route is simpler and kinder to your gut. Mix it into water, a shake, yoghurt or porridge. Taking it with a meal may help absorption slightly, but the difference is small.

Which type to buy

Plain creatine monohydrate is the form used in the vast majority of research, and it is also the cheapest. Micronised monohydrate simply mixes more easily. Other forms, such as creatine hydrochloride, ethyl ester or 'buffered' versions, cost more without good evidence that they work better.

Supplements in the UK are regulated as food, not medicine, so quality varies. If you are tested in competition, look for products batch-tested under a scheme such as Informed Sport. Avoid blends that hide creatine inside a pre-workout at an unknown dose. For a wider look at what is worth your money, see which supplements are worth it.

Water weight and other side effects

Creatine pulls water into the muscle cells, so many people put on around 1 to 2 kg on the scales in the first few weeks. This is not fat and it is not puffiness under the skin. If you are tracking weight during fat loss, expect the jump and read our guide to water retention before you panic.

Other common worries are mostly not borne out by the research:

• Kidney damage: long-term studies in healthy adults have not shown harm at normal doses.
• Cramping and dehydration: not supported by the evidence, and some studies suggest the opposite.
• Hair loss: one small study found a rise in a hormone linked to hair loss, but no research has shown creatine actually causes it.
• Stomach upset: can happen with big loading doses. Smaller doses usually solve it.

Creatine can raise creatinine in blood tests, which is a marker used to check kidney function. If you are having bloods done, tell your GP you take it so the result is read correctly.

Who benefits most, and who should check first

Creatine is most useful for training built on repeated short, hard efforts: heavy lifting, power work, sprints and the strength-heavy stations in HYROX such as sled pushes and wall balls. The Full Body, Upper and Lower classes at Lycan Strength are exactly that kind of work. For long, steady running the benefit is smaller, although it does not seem to hurt.

Vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower natural stores, because creatine is found mainly in meat and fish, so they often see a bigger effect. You would need to eat roughly a kilo of raw beef or fish a day to match a 5 g supplement, which is why food alone rarely saturates your muscles.

Speak to your GP before taking creatine if you have kidney or liver disease, diabetes, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take regular medication. Under-18s should get advice from a GP or registered dietitian before using any sports supplement.

A simple way to start

If you have decided creatine is worth trying, keep the first month as boring as possible so you can tell whether it is working.

1. Buy plain creatine monohydrate, ideally micronised, from a reputable UK retailer.
2. Take 3 g a day if you weigh under about 70 kg, or 5 g a day if you are heavier.
3. Take it at the same point every day, for example stirred into your breakfast yoghurt.
4. Weigh yourself once a week and expect a small rise in the first month.
5. Keep a basic training log so you can see whether your reps and loads move up over eight to twelve weeks.

Keep everything else the same during that period, especially your training and protein intake. If you change five things at once, you will never know which one made the difference.

What creatine will not do

Creatine is a small edge, not a shortcut. It will not make up for missed sessions, poor sleep or too little protein. People who respond well usually notice a slightly better training week rather than a dramatic change.

Some people barely respond at all, often because their stores were already high from a diet rich in meat and fish. If you have taken it consistently for two or three months and seen nothing, it is reasonable to stop. There is no need to 'cycle' it on and off, and stopping simply lets your stores drift back to normal over a few weeks.