Creatine effects on weight gain and water retention

Along with caffeine, creatine is one of the most researched supplements of all time. When people first hear creatine though they automatically thing of huge muscular individuals. While it can help to build muscle, it isn’t magically going to turn you into the hulk. It has a lot of benefits to improve performance and overall health but some negatives linger surrounding it. The main one is weight gain. While this mostly comes from water retention, it’s still something to be mindful of.

What exactly is creatine

To put it simply, creatine is a very quick source of energy. During physical activity the body uses up a lot of energy, especially at higher intensities. Creatine is able to help replenish those energy stores in a very quick and efficient manner. Unlike some claims out there may try to say creatine is absolutely nothing like steroids. It is one of the most studied supplements out there and has been shown to be incredibly safe. Benefits of creatine surpass what is just discussed here in this article. But for now, let’s dive into the impact on muscle and potential water retention.

Creatine impact on muscle

Just taking creatine by itself doesn’t necessarily guarantee building muscle. As mentioned previously, it’s that increase in energy which is what allows for those gains. With quick energy replenishment it can allow for an extra rep and an extra set during workouts. Over time those extra reps add up resulting in greater adaptations and muscle/strength gains. There are a few studies showing potential of creatine on its own to stimulate some muscle building but as of now there isn’t enough to rely solely on that. If wanting to build strength and muscle, there’s no escaping putting in the work in the gym!

Potential water retention

Water retention and the resulting weight gain has been one of the biggest complaints of creatine. If only looking at the scale the weight gain can be pretty intimidating and off-putting. This is not fat gain though so that concern can be erased. A relatively quick weight gain from water though can be a negative in sports though. Increasing the weight that one now has to carry while performing has potential to result in a little bit earlier fatigue. The added workload can also potentially increase the risk of cramps popping up if training volume remains consistent. Short term cramps and fatigue in certain situations is not a common thing though! Proper dosage strategies can also help reduce, if not eliminate, the risk of this.

Optimal creatine usage strategy

Majority of water retention situations occur when “loading phases” of creatine takes place. This is when larger dosages of creatine is consumed to get the body’s levels up quicker. Like always, patience is a great virtue and can offset these effects. By taking a typically lower dose of just 5 grams per day, this weight gain typically doesn’t occur. The lower dosage dose take a bit longer then for the creatine levels in the body to increase but those levels do get up to the same level. Unless you have a good reason for being in a rush, slow and steady is the way to go.

Key takeaways

Creatine is one supplement that I would recommend to just about everyone. Especially for athletes creatine has too much research behind it to ignore. On the opposite hand the negatives are incredibly minimal. With water retention being the main one, as discussed previously even that can be reduced. In a perfect world creatine would be something to begin taking during the offseason to give the body time to adapt. After that, 5g per day every day moving forward will help maintain those levels in the body. Keep that up and your body as well as your performance will be thanking you.

Study referenced: click here