Tip The Very Best Time to Take Creatine 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 The Very Best Time to Take Creatine While there' s really no bad time to take it there is a best time Check out this new research by Chris Shugart October 14, 2018February 3, 2022 Tags Creatine, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips, Workout Nutrition Creatine works for size and strength gains. It works when you load it, it works when you don't load it but take it consistently, and it works for just about everyone who lifts weights. It may even boost longevity and help with heart function. And thousands of studies have shown that it's perfectly safe, despite all those ninnies in the 1990's who told us we were going to blow out our kidneys and get all roid rage-y on the waitress at IHOP. Yeah, didn't happen. You'd think science would be "done" with creatine by now, but the studies keep pouring in. For example, we're still looking at dosing protocols. Is there a best time to take it? Well, for years we assumed the best time was before training. Makes intuitive sense. Take the magical muscle powder before you apply resistance to said muscles, right? Sure, that works fine, but it turns out that taking creatine AFTER training is even better. The Meta-Analysis In You're Taking Creatine at the Wrong Time, TC Luoma summarized a 2013 study that showed that taking creatine monohydrate lead to twice the lean muscle mass gains in those using it right after training compared to those using creatine pre-training. The same group of lifters who took their creatine post-workout also lost more fat than the pre-workout group doing the same workout. Now, researchers Forbes and Candow have looked at two more newer studies. In a nutshell, both show that post-workout creatine ingestion is slightly more effective than pre when it comes to size gains. Why? As TC noted, it could be because the workout itself somehow sensitized the cells to creatine uptake. Based on the meta-analysis, it could be because you have a pump going after lifting (increased blood flow, better delivery). How to Use This Info It's really hard to take creatine "wrong." But for best results, take it after training. You can also take it before and after training if you'd like. Five grams is the standard dose, but try 3 grams before and 3 grams after. If you're using a pre-workout nutritional supplement like Plazma, just toss your creatine into that. Likewise, if you're using Surge Recovery or Mag-10 post-workout, just add creatine to the mix. For best results, use micronized creatine monohydrate. Reference Forbes SC et al. Timing of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training: A Brief Review. Journal of Exercise and Nutrition, 2018. 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 MATADOR Intermittent Diet Lose the fat and keep the strength with this two-weeks on, two-weeks off plan. It's actually pretty easy. Check it out. Diet Plan, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Eric Bach August 24 Eating Tip Do This During Meals to Improve Body Comp Make this simple change to the way you approach meals and start to gain more muscle and whittle away fat. Diet Strategy, Losing Fat, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma March 21 Diet & Fat Loss How To End Your Diet Dieting is easy. Not morphing into a bloated sow afterward is hard. Here's how to end your diet right! Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Shelby Starnes June 20 Supplements CLA Poison or Gift 2001 International CLA Conference Report CLA, Good Fats, Nutrition & Supplements Lonnie Lowery, PhD July 20