Creatine Before or After Workout: When Is Best?

Creatine occurs naturally in the body in muscle cells. Some natural sources of creatine include red meat and seafood. It primarily aids in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which fuels muscle contractions and supplies energy to the body. Creatine is synthesised mainly in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas using the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. The body stores approximately 95% of its creatine in skeletal muscles, with the remaining 5% distributed across the brain, cardiac muscle, and testicles.

Since creatine is proven to enhance athletic performance, support muscle recovery, and increase strength, creatine is also available as a dietary supplement. Creatine monohydrate powder supplement is available and widely used by athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts across different sports.

The Role of ATP in Exercise

ATP is the body's primary energy currency, enabling intense activity such as weightlifting, sprinting, and other explosive movements. Creatine monohydrate supplements improve strength, power, and endurance. Gym freaks and athletes swear by creatine to increase muscle size, enhance endurance, and improve performance in the field.

The thing is that ATP depletes rapidly during intense activity, thereby needing replenishment. Creatine helps regenerate ATP in the body, thus prolonging muscular performance.

While creatine has been well-established as one of the best supplements for enhancing muscle mass and improving strength, debates regarding consuming creatine before or after a workout are ongoing.

One of the most frequently debated topics regarding supplementation is before and after workout creatine benefits. Proponents on each side of the coin argue for and against the benefits of taking creatine pre- or post-workout.

It’s been established that creatine taken in tandem with resistance training increases strength and builds muscle mass. But is creatine just about saturating the muscles, or does timing play a role? Launching into the debate.

Arguments for Taking Creatine Before Workouts

1. Increased Immediate Energy – Taking creatine pre-workout may increase ATP availability, boosting energy, power, and performance. This can kickstart your workout and benefit short, high-intensity exercises such as weightlifting, sprinting, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

2. Enhanced Blood Flow– Creatine enhances muscle hydration, and when consumed before a workout, creatine boosts intracellular hydration, thus maintaining optimal muscle function throughout a workout.

3. Better Muscle Endurance – Pre-workout powder supplements that include creatine delay muscle fatigue. Hence, they kickstart your workout and allow longer, more intense training sessions. Athletes doing multiple sprints or engaging in repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise experience improved stamina and can perform better over time.

Arguments for Taking Creatine After Workout

1. Better Muscle Recovery – Post-workout creatine intake replenishes ATP stores more efficiently. Post-exercise, muscles hasten the glycogen and nutrient uptake rate, making post-workout an optimal time for creatine absorption.

2. Increased Muscle Growth – Anabolic processes that build muscle tissue occur after exercise. Any supplement taken post-workout is immediately absorbed into the muscle, enhancing muscle repair and growth. This is because resistance training increases skeletal muscle blood flow. Added to it is the loss of glycogen and other nutrients, resulting in more creatine being absorbed by the muscles.

3. Added to your Post-workout Protein – Creatine is used with post-workout protein shakes to optimise muscle repair and growth. Consuming creatine with protein makes energy more readily available for muscle repair and growth.

While a section of the fitness community argues that before and after workout creatine benefits are no different, and only the correct dosage matters, a slight advantage post-workout over pre-workout is noticeable.

Timing (before or after a workout) influences absorption rates; overall, studies suggest that creatine after training increases blood flow and has a better effect on building muscle mass strength, performance enhancement, and muscle repair. The loss of essential nutrients makes the body hungry for hydration, energy, and nutrient recovery.

Hence, when deciding between creatine pre-or post-workout, consumption after a workout is proven to have relatively more benefits.

Creatine, when taken in the proper dosages and at the right time, benefits athletes and fitness enthusiasts in several ways:

• Increased Strength and Power – Creatine generates high energy, producing more explosive, high-intensity movements. This is particularly beneficial for resistance training, powerlifting, and sprinting.

• Improved High-Intensity Performance – Weight lifters, sprinters, and people indulging in high-intensity training benefit significantly from creatine. This supplementation enhances peak power output and training performance over time.

• Enhanced Muscle Recovery – Creatine allows faster recovery and reduced soreness, allowing more frequent training sessions.

• Increased Muscle Volume– Creatine pulls water into the muscle, promoting cell volumisation and giving muscles a fuller appearance. This improves muscle aesthetics and contributes to long-term muscle hypertrophy.

• Cognitive Benefits – The brain stores some of the creatine the body produces. As such, creatine supplementation improves cognitive function, particularly in individuals under stress or sleep deprivation. Hence, creatine's role in the body extends beyond muscle function.

• Dosage – The recommended daily dose is 3-5 grams for maintenance. However, it may differ depending on individual body composition. As such, individuals with higher muscle mass may require slightly larger doses.

• Loading Phase (Optional) – For those engaged in higher physical activity or professional sports, 20 grams per day (split into four doses) for the first 5-7 days is required to saturate muscles quickly. This approach accelerates the onset of performance benefits in the short term.

• Mixing with Carbohydrates – Consuming creatine with a carbohydrate source may enhance absorption and uptake due to improved insulin levels in circulation.

• Hydration – Adequate water intake is essential to prevent dehydration and maximise creatine’s effectiveness.

A creatine cycle involves periods of supplementation followed by breaks to maintain the body's natural creatine production and avoid tolerance build-up. Standard cycling protocols include:

• Continuous Use – Use 3-5 grams daily without cycling. This approach is safe and effective for long-term use and maintenance.

• Loading and Maintenance – 20 grams daily for one week, then 3-5 grams daily for 4-6 weeks before a short break. Some athletes prefer this method to amp up their creatine stores quickly.

• Periodic Cycling – Using creatine for 8-12 weeks, followed by a month’s break. This strategy may help individuals who quickly build tolerance or experience diminishing returns from continuous supplementation.

1. Creatine Causes Kidney Damage – While creatine may worsen kidney dysfunction in individuals with kidney disorders, it’s safe for healthy individuals if taken as directed.

2. Creatine Leads to Excessive Water Retention – While creatine pulls water into the muscle and promotes intracellular hydration, it does not cause excessive bloating or water retention.

3. Creatine is Only for Bodybuilders – The most prominent myth! Non-athletes and non-gym-goers can also benefit from creatine supplementation for cognitive and energy-related benefits.

4. Creatine Needs to Be Cycled – While cycling is recommended, continuous low-dose use is safe and effective.

Although there are clear benefits of taking creatine pre-workout, post-workout has a slight upper hand. However, irrespective of whether you consume creatine before or after the workout, consistent daily intake is key. Creatine provides numerous benefits for strength, endurance, recovery, and cognitive function. Personal preference and individual body response should guide supplementation.

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3. OstroVit. (n.d.). Creatine before or after training? Is there a difference? Retrieved from https://ostrovit.com/en/blog/creatine-before-or-after-training-is-there-a-difference-1653914817.html

4. Edge Hill University. (2022, March 25). Pre-workout supplements: Why five of the six most common ingredients probably aren’t helping you. Retrieved from https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/news/2022/03/pre-workout-supplements-why-five-of-the-six-most-common-ingredients-probably-arent-helping-you/