How to Use Creatine: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started

Creatine has surged in popularity, but the amount of information out there can make it difficult for beginners to know if it is worth adding to their routine.

Here's the good news: Creatine, and creatine monohydrate, in particular, is one of the most researched sports supplements available, with decades of scientific evidence supporting both its effectiveness and safety for healthy adults.

Once you know how to take creatine properly, the process is far simpler than it looks. This guide explains what creatine is, its benefits, dosage, and the loading phase, when to take it, and which Nutritional Performance Labs creatine product best suits your routine.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from amino acids. Your body produces small amounts primarily in the liver, kidneys and pancreas, and even in the brain. You can get creatine from foods such as red meat and fish, although dietary intake alone isn't enough to fully maximise your muscle creatine stores.

Around 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in skeletal muscle as phosphocreatine. Your muscles rely on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for immediate energy, and phosphocreatine helps regenerate ATP more quickly, allowing you to maintain power output during short, high-intensity efforts like heavy lifts, sprinting and explosive movements.

Creatine Benefits Worth Knowing

In practical training terms, the main creatine benefits include:

• More reps before fatigue sets in 
• Improved power output during high-intensity exercise 
• Faster recovery between sets and training sessions 
• Support for lean muscle growth over time 
• Better muscle hydration 
• A potential role in supporting cognitive performance during periods of sleep deprivation or mental fatigue 

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis in Nutrients confirmed creatine's effect on both upper- and lower-body strength and power, backing up why these benefits show up so consistently in training. These effects help explain why creatine monohydrate has become a staple in strength and progressive overload programmes.

How to Use Creatine: Dosage for Beginners

The recommended creatine dosage for beginners is 3 to 5 grams a day, taken consistently. If you weigh more than 90kg, you may benefit from a higher dose, closer to 10 grams a day.

You'll often see two approaches recommended when starting creatine: 

1. Creatine Loading Phase

The creatine loading phase involves taking around 20 grams per day, often split into four smaller servings, for five to seven days before dropping to a maintenance dose. This rapidly saturates your muscles with creatine, sometimes within just one week.

2. Daily Maintenance Dose

The alternative is skipping the creatine loading phase and simply taking 3 to 5 grams daily from day one. Although muscle saturation takes around three to four weeks instead of one, you'll ultimately achieve the same result. Neither approach is wrong. The best option is whichever you'll stick to consistently.

Is Creatine Right for Your Training Style?

Creatine isn't just for bodybuilders or high-performing athletes. It can support performance and recovery across different training styles, including regular gym training and endurance or hybrid programmes.

Traditional Gym Training

For gym-based training, creatine can support muscle and strength goals by helping you sustain training volume and power, with better recovery between sessions.

Endurance Sports

If you're a runner, cyclist or triathlete, creatine can still have a place in your routine. While endurance events rely primarily on aerobic energy, creatine may help improve performance during hill climbs, interval sessions and finishing sprints. It can also support your strength work and recovery, while helping maintain lean muscle during periods of high training volume.

Hybrid Training 

Sports like CrossFit and HYROX combine strength, endurance and repeated high-intensity efforts. Creatine can help with repeated power efforts and recovery, making it a popular supplement for these training styles.

Tips for Taking Creatine Consistently

1. Take it around the same time every day, whether that's with breakfast, post-workout or before bed. Consistency matters more than exact timing.
   
   
2. Stay on top of your water intake, since creatine draws water into your muscle cells, so proper hydration helps you feel your best while using it.
   
   
3. Keep using it on rest days. Skipping days off only slows down how long it takes to reach full saturation.
   
   
4. Give it a full month before deciding whether it's working. Strength and recovery gains build gradually, so short trials rarely tell you much.
   
   
5. If you'd rather take it before training, add it to your favourite pre-workout, or choose a pre-formulated creatine supplement with added performance ingredients.
   
   
6. For a post-workout option, mix unflavoured creatine monohydrate into your protein shake.

Choosing Your First Creatine Supplement

For your first creatine, the best option is one you'll enjoy taking consistently. While all creatine products help increase your muscle creatine stores, different formats and added ingredients may better suit your training goals and personal preferences.

Pure Creatine Monohydrate

If you're looking for the simplest, most versatile option, pure Creatine Monohydrate is the ideal place to start. It's 100% micronised and unflavoured, so it mixes easily into water, pre-workout, or your favourite protein shake.

Flavoured and Advanced Creatine Options

1. Creatine Hydra combines creatine with added electrolytes to support hydration, useful for longer training sessions or if you tend to sweat heavily.
   
   
2. Creatine + BCAA & Electrolytes supports hydration and recovery in one serving, a great option if you want to simplify your supplement routine or ease in with a lower 3 gram serving.
   
   
3. Creatine Nitrate is one of the first creatine nitrate formulas available in South Africa, an innovative formula combining creatine monohydrate with creatine nitrate to support strength, performance, muscle pumps and vasodilation during training.

Get started and explore the full NPL creatine range.

Ready to Start Your Creatine Routine?

Using creatine effectively starts with the right dosage and daily consistency, supported by good hydration.

With the basics covered, the next step is to choose the product that best suits your training and give it a few weeks to work.

Full label transparency matters just as much as your dosage. Every NPL creatine product is made under our Open Label Policy, so every ingredient and dose is disclosed on the label − no proprietary blends, nothing hidden. For South African gym-goers, that means you can fuel your training with confidence, knowing exactly what's in every scoop without ever having to question the quality. Read more on NPL quality standards.

 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is creatine safe to take?

Yes. Creatine monohydrate is one of the most extensively researched sports supplements available, with decades of scientific evidence supporting its safety and effectiveness for healthy adults when taken as directed. If you have an existing medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have concerns about kidney health, speak to your healthcare professional before taking creatine.

How long does creatine take to work?

If you complete a creatine loading phase, you may notice benefits within five to seven days. Without loading, taking 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily typically saturates your muscles within three to four weeks, with strength and recovery benefits becoming more noticeable over time.

Do I need to take creatine every day?

Yes. Creatine works by gradually saturating your muscles, so it should be taken every day, including rest days. Consistency is more important than taking it at a specific time of day.

Will creatine make me gain weight?

Some people notice a small increase in body weight during the first few weeks of taking creatine. This is caused by water being drawn into your muscle cells, not an increase in body fat. This is a normal effect of creatine monohydrate and can make your muscles appear fuller.

Does creatine damage your kidneys?

For healthy individuals, creatine has not been shown to harm kidney function, even with long-term use. A 2025 meta-analysis of controlled trials confirmed this, finding no significant change in kidney filtration among healthy adults. It can raise a lab marker called creatinine, which sometimes gets confused with kidney damage, but the two aren't the same. Anyone with existing kidney concerns should check with a doctor first before starting to use creatine.

Ready to start? Shop the NPL creatine range.