Tip Creatine and Water Weight Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness EatingSupplements Tip Creatine and Water Weight Is the weight gain from creatine mostly water or muscle Here are the facts by TC Luoma September 30, 2016April 5, 2021 Tags Creatine, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Are My Creatine Gains Just Water Most people gain weight so rapidly after starting to take creatine that logic tells you that the weight gain is almost all water. That may be largely true after you first begin taking it, but even then, the increase in weight appears to be proportional to the total weight gained. Muscle is 73% water, so if you gain ten pounds from using creatine, about 7.3 pounds of that is water. That being said, creatine does indeed cause cellular volumization and that's an important determinant of protein breakdown and protein synthesis in skeletal muscle (and other cell types, too). Working out turns on protein synthesis while simultaneously breaking down protein, but creatine shifts the balance towards protein synthesis. Yes, creatine supplies an extra phosphate group to help regenerate ATP during high-intensity contractions, but cell volumization is an even more important cause of creatine's muscle-building effect. Long-term use is a slightly different scenario because that's when creatine increases fat-free mass without a concomitant increase in total body water. Muscle fiber diameter goes up, along with strength, so long-term effects appear to be caused largely by increased muscle mass. What Should I Look For in a Creatine Product Make sure it's from a reputable company. Don't buy the stuff in giant oil drum containers from drug stores or any warehouse clubs. Their stuff is likely adulterated or just plain low quality. If possible, look for something micronized. And good ol' creatine monohydrate is really all you need. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss The Dave Tate Project - Part 2 Powerlifter Dave Tate goes from junk food lover to nutrition nut... and gets ripped in the process. Here's how he did it. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Powerlifting & Strength John Berardi, PhD May 8 Supplements Tip Try the Ultimate Chill Pill This natural adaptogen has been shown to reduce excess cortisol caused by mental stress and hard training. Take a look. Calm Down & Sleep, Nutrition & Supplements, Rhodiola Rosea, Tips TC Luoma June 28 Eating Tip How to Not Be Chubby It takes a lot of work to get ripped, but going from flabby to average? Not too tough. Here's your plan. No calorie counting required. Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements Paul Carter March 11 Supplements The Best Damn Supplement for Natural Lifters Plazma helps you train harder, handle more volume, recover faster, and come back stronger. Here's how. Nutrition & Supplements, Workout Nutrition Christian Thibaudeau March 19