Creatine: What It Does, What It Does Not, and Why It is in Every Supplement Cabinet
Creatine monohydrate is one of three supplements with serious research behind it. Here is the honest case for taking it, the honest case against, and what you can actually expect.
Fuel Creatine is the most researched, most unglamorous, most widely misunderstood supplement in fitness. It has been on the market since 1993. It is cheap, it is legal everywhere that matters, and it works.
It is also surrounded by more nonsense than any other supplement, largely because it actually does something, which makes it the rare case where marketing has real product to push.
Here is the version of creatine that fits what the research actually says.
What it does
Creatine is a compound your body already makes and stores in your muscles. Its job is to rapidly regenerate ATP, the molecule muscles use to contract. More stored creatine means slightly more ATP available during short, intense effort. That translates into:
- Roughly 5 to 10 per cent more reps on the last set of a heavy lift
- Slightly faster sprint repeats
- Slightly better recovery between max-effort sets
- A small but real increase in lean mass over weeks of training, largely from water pulled into muscle cells and partly from improved training capacity
The effect is consistent, well-studied, and modest. Nobody should expect to add 30 kg to their squat from taking creatine. But a grinding 5-rep set that becomes a clean 6-rep set after three weeks of loading is, in strength-training terms, meaningful.
What it does not do
- It does not build muscle on its own. If you take creatine and do not train, you get water weight and that is it.
- It does not harm kidneys. The decades-old kidney scare was based on case reports and misread studies. Healthy kidneys handle creatine without issue. If you have pre-existing kidney disease, that is a clinical conversation, not an internet one.
- It does not cause hair loss. The famous 2009 rugby-players paper showed a rise in DHT but no actual hair loss. It has been repeatedly extrapolated into a myth. There is no good evidence that creatine causes male-pattern baldness.
- It does not cause cramps, bloating, or "looking puffy." Some people report a small increase in intracellular water, which is the mechanism, not a side-effect.
- It does not matter when you take it. Pre, post, with carbs, without carbs, morning, evening. What matters is total daily intake over time.
How to take it
The honest version:
- Form: creatine monohydrate. That is it. Not creatine HCL, not creatine ethyl ester, not buffered creatine. Every "advanced" form is either the same thing with a mark-up or has no evidence behind it. Creapure is a well-regarded brand of monohydrate, but plain monohydrate from any reputable manufacturer is fine.
- Dose: 3 to 5 grams per day, every day. Do not cycle it. There is no benefit to cycling.
- Loading phase: optional. Taking 20 g per day for a week gets your stores saturated faster, which means effects kick in around day 7 instead of day 28. Some people find this causes mild stomach upset. If you are not in a rush, just take 5 g per day and wait a month.
- With what: water. Juice. Coffee. Your protein shake. It genuinely does not matter.
Who it is for
Anyone training seriously. Men, women, young, old. The research on older adults is particularly promising, showing small improvements in strength and cognitive function in the 60+ cohort, though the effect sizes are modest.
People who should not take it without clinical advice: anyone with a diagnosed kidney condition, anyone on medication that stresses kidneys, anyone pregnant or breastfeeding.
Who it is not for
Nobody, really. If you are a recreational gym-goer and do not care about the 5 per cent edge, you can skip it and you will be fine. It is not a magic pill. But the risk is near zero, the cost is low, and the effect is real. It is, by any reasonable measure, the supplement with the best evidence-to-price ratio in fitness.
One last thing
Creatine got called "natural steroids" for years. It is not a steroid. It is not anywhere close to a steroid. A steroid shifts protein synthesis and recovery by hundreds of per cent. Creatine shifts ATP availability by a few per cent. The two are not in the same conversation.
If a fitness influencer tells you they built their physique on creatine, they did not. They built it on ten years of heavy training, a lot of food, and probably some other things they are not telling you about. Creatine may have helped them recover between sets. That is all.
Nothing on olegsleptsov.com is medical advice. Check with a qualified clinician before starting any supplement, especially if you have an existing condition.