When to take creatine: before or after training?

Does it matter when you take creatine?

Much less than people think. Creatine is not a pre-workout stimulant that kicks in within the hour. It works by filling the phosphocreatine stores in your muscles over several weeks, and keeping them full. What counts is getting 3 g of creatine every day – the intake the authorised claim is based on.

Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. One 3.4 g scoop of our creatine monohydrate gives exactly that.

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Should I take creatine before or after a workout?

Either is fine. A few studies have found slightly better results when creatine was taken close to a session – some favouring just after – but others found no difference, and the studies are small. Taking it around training is a handy habit if you train regularly, because the session reminds you. If it suits you better at breakfast, that works just as well.

Should you take creatine with food?

You don’t have to, but it can help in two ways. Research suggests taking creatine with a meal containing carbohydrate or protein may slightly increase how much reaches the muscles, as insulin helps move it in. And if plain creatine on an empty stomach ever gives you mild stomach discomfort, taking it with food usually stops that.

Is it better to take creatine in the morning or evening?

Neither is better for the stores in your muscles. Choose a time you already do every day – your morning coffee, breakfast or evening meal – and attach creatine to it. A routine you never break beats the theoretically perfect time.

Can you take creatine before bed?

Yes. Creatine is not a stimulant and contains no caffeine, so there is no reason to expect it to keep you awake. If you train in the evening, taking it with your evening meal or before bed is perfectly fine. If you find you need to get up for the loo, take it earlier in the day with a drink.

Should you take creatine on off days?

Yes. Your body breaks down a little creatine every day, training or not, so taking it on rest days keeps your stores full for the next session. On rest days, any time of day is fine.

Can you mix creatine with coffee, protein shakes or juice?

• Water: the simplest option. Micronised creatine dissolves better than coarse powder, but some may settle – give it a stir and drink it up.
• Juice or a smoothie: fine, and the carbohydrate may slightly help uptake.
• Protein shake: fine, and an easy way to make it part of your routine.
• Coffee or tea: fine, and creatine dissolves more easily in warm drinks. An older study suggested caffeine might blunt creatine’s effect, but later research has not shown a consistent problem.

Does creatine break a fast?

Plain creatine in water has no meaningful calories and contains no sugar, so for most intermittent-fasting approaches it does not break a fast. If you add it to juice, milk or a shake, that drink will. You can also simply take it in your eating window – timing is not what matters.

How do you take creatine powder?

• Use the scoop: one level scoop of our creatine gives 3.4 g of creatine monohydrate, or 3 g of creatine.
• Stir it into a glass of cold or warm water, juice or a smoothie, or add it to a shake.
• Drink it soon after mixing rather than leaving it made up for days.
• Keep the pouch sealed, dry and away from light.
• Pick a fixed point in your day and stick to it, rest days included.

For how much to take and whether to load, see How much creatine per day.

Can creatine go out of date?

Creatine monohydrate is very stable as a dry powder, and research has found it breaks down very little over years when stored cool and dry. Still use it by the best-before date on the pack. Once mixed into liquid, it slowly turns into creatinine, which is why it is best drunk soon after mixing. Clumps usually mean the powder has picked up moisture – keep the pouch sealed.