Creatine Benefits: What It Is, How It Works and Why You Should Take It

Creatine is one of the most researched and trusted supplements available today. Best known for improving strength, power and recovery, it is widely used by athletes and gymgoers, but its benefits extend far beyond the weight room. Research has also shown that it may support brain function, mood and overall cellular health.

In this guide, we explain what creatine is, how it works, the benefits of taking it and how to use it effectively to support both performance and general wellness.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is an amino acid compound made up of three other amino acids and plays a key role in energy production and athletic performance. Outside of fitness, it has been used extensively in medicine to help treat muscle-wasting disease, aid mood regulation, and assist with cognitive functioning.

Creatine itself is found abundantly in the body, with the average person having a pool of anywhere from 110g to 160g, making it an essential part of our daily diet. Each day, roughly 1 to 2% of our bodies’ total creatine decays, meaning you need 1 to 3g to maintain a healthy, unsupplemented store. This pool is the driving force behind short bursts of high-intensity exercise. Ever seen a sprinter shoot off the starting block into a full sprint or an Olympic powerlifter throwing twice their body weight over their heads? It’s all thanks to creatine.  

This is not to say these athletes supplement with creatine. Instead, sprinting, lifting heavy weights, and short bursts of energy are all powered by your body’s creatine stores.

Should You Take Creatine?

The short answer is, yes. Creatine supplementation is known to boost muscle strength and performance, and it has also shown positive effects in terms of overall health. When we eat red meat, fish, or chicken, we are consuming small amounts of creatine. One kilogramme of raw steak contains roughly 4.5g to 5g. If this is your only intake, you would need to consume a kilogramme of steak daily to reach the recommended dosage. Additionally, cooking significantly reduces this amount.

Instead of seeing it as an aspect of fitness, creatine is a useful and necessary part of everyone’s daily life, and the vast majority of the population would benefit from both the physical and mental gains associated with this supplement.

The daily recommended dose is 5g per day. However, this number applies to avid gymgoers and fitness enthusiasts. In reality, a lower dosage of roughly 3g is more than enough to reap the health benefits while also avoiding some of the discomfort that can be experienced when taking it in high doses. Your body uses 1 to 3g of creatine per day, while it can only produce about 1g per day. So, the rest needs to come from your diet.

Whether this supplement is right for you is quite subjective. If you train and exercise more than twice a week, supplementing with creatine will aid in your gym performance and help with recovery. Alternatively, if you don’t train but are still looking for a well-researched and safe product that can support cognitive functioning, mood, and cellular wellness, it may be the answer for you. As with any supplement, if you suffer from a pre-existing medical condition, it is always best to check with your doctor or healthcare professional first before taking it.

How and When to Take Creatine

This supplement is simple to use, and consistency matters more than timing. The goal is to keep your muscle creatine stores topped up, rather than relying on a once-off dose before training.

A daily intake of 3 to 5g is standard, and it can be taken at any time of day, whether that is before training, after your workout or even on rest days. Many people prefer taking it post-workout alongside a protein shake or meal, as this encourages routine use and consistency.

A loading phase is not needed when you start taking creatine. While some protocols suggest taking higher doses for a short period to saturate muscle stores faster, this is not necessary for most people. A consistent daily dose of 5g will achieve the same result over time without the potential for digestive discomfort.

The supplement can be mixed with water, juice, or added to your shake. Micronised creatine tends to dissolve more easily, making it more convenient for everyday use. It is also important to stay well hydrated, as creatine draws water into muscle cells to support performance and recovery. On your rest days, you need to continue taking your usual dose as it works by building up in your system. So, maintaining your daily intake is key to seeing long-term benefits.

Benefits and Effects

At its core, creatine supports the body’s ability to produce energy. This directly influences how you train, recover and perform under stress. Over time, consistent use supports both athletic performance and overall health and wellness.

A few of the proven benefits are: 

• Increased strength and power
• Improved training performance, letting you train for longer
• Enhanced recovery and muscle repair
• Lean muscle maintenance and preservation
• Cognitive support
• Cellular hydration and wellness
  
  

What does cognitive function mean? Your brain burns calories similar to your body. In fact, it burns 20% of the calories you consume every day just to keep functioning. Creatine acts as a buffer for this process. When you are experiencing heavy mental loads, such as high stress levels or mental fatigue, it provides the energy your brain needs. As such, it has been shown to improve processing speed and memory while the brain is under stress. It doesn’t mean creatine will help your brain function better or at a higher capacity; instead, it directly supports mental processes by giving your brain the energy to keep going.

How Long Does Creatine Take to Work?

This depends on how you are using it, what type you are using and whether you are using a loading phase.

The two primary forms on the market are: Creatine Monohydrate or Creatine HCL. In terms of effects and results, no evidence suggests either HCL or Monohydrate offer more benefits to athletic performance, but they differ in how your body absorbs and uses them.

Creatine Monohydrate will show noticeable differences in mental well-being and athletic performance within 4 to 8 weeks. Some studies have shown that if you use a loading phase, this number drops to 1 to 2 weeks. However, a loading phase can cause bloating and discomfort due to the high dosage. Instead, a more sustainable option is to take 5g per day, every day. The benefits will be the same, but the time it takes to experience them will just be shortened by loading.

On the other hand, HCL does not require a loading phase, because it is more readily available and is absorbed at a higher ratio than Monohydrate. It is a good alternative for those who suffer from bloating or gastrointestinal discomfort. A downside to HCL is the cost. While it offers some additional benefits over Monohydrate, it is often far more expensive since the process to make it is more time-consuming and labour-intensive.

What Happens If You Stop Taking Creatine?

For starters, you won’t lose your lean muscle mass if you stop taking the supplement. The muscle you’ve built stays. What you may notice is a gradual change in performance.

Within a few weeks, as your muscle creatine stores return to their natural baseline, those last one or two reps may feel slightly tougher. You might notice a small drop in strength, power or overall training output.

This is simply your body adjusting to lower stored creatine levels. It does not mean you are losing progress, just that your ability to produce rapid energy is slightly reduced.

Over time, your body continues to function normally using the creatine it produces naturally and what you get from your diet. However, without supplementation, performance benefits, like improved power output, faster recovery and training capacity, may not be as pronounced.

Creatine is not something your body becomes dependent on. It simply supports a system that already exists. When you stop taking it, you return to your natural baseline. Browse NPL’s creatine supplements now to get the best out of your performance and boost your health.