How Long Does Creatine Take To Work?

Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most well-known bodybuilding supplements. It has been proven effective in many studies in building muscle size, increasing strength, and improving athletic stamina when taken regularly.

While the known benefits of creatine are abundant, many may ask, “How Long Does It Take For Creatine To Work??

In this article, I want to answer that question and talk about Creatine products I use and recommend for serious strength and muscle gains.

How Long Does Creatine Take To Work?

Generally speaking, Creatine Monohydrate supplementation can take 1-4 weeks to start seeing the benefits of the supplement. However, some users notice results within a few days, while others don’t see any benefit. Also, diet and exercise are much more important than Creatine supplementation.

Without a healthy higher protein diet and intense weight training stimulation, there’s very little benefit to taking creatine for athletic performance. Check your nutrition and diet before considering any bodybuilding or athletic performance supplements.

If you need help getting started, check out my old-school bodybuilding diet and nutrition article here 

RELATED ARTICLE: Old School Bodybuilding Diet and Exercise – Build Muscle Naturally

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells, as well as high protein foods like beef. According to Healthline’s article Creatine 101, it is similar to amino acids chemically. Most of the creatine in the body is stored as phosphocreatine which converts into something called ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

ATP is the body’s form of energy; the more ATP you have in the body, the better you can perform during exercise. As a result, this is why supplementing with creatine helps produce better athletic performance.

More Creatine=More ATP=More Power and Strength

Benefits of Creatine Supplementation

According to Healthline’s 10 benefits of Creatine article, the benefits of Creatine Supplementation are abundant. In addition to athletic performance, several other health benefits may also come from Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation. 

Here is the list of benefits from that article:

• Improves athletic performance
• Improves muscle growth
• It helps muscles produce more energy
• Can help brain function
• It May help against diabetes
• May reduce fatigue
• It May help fight neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, ischemic stroke, and epilepsy
• Extremely safe
• Inexpensive

Check out the Creatine Product I use below

Loading Creatine

When Creatine started to become popular on the market, many experts stated that you needed a loading period to get the most benefit. This means that instead of taking a recommended serving size of 2-10 grams daily, you take 20 grams into four five-gram servings throughout the day. 

This helps saturate your muscles faster, but it does not necessarily produce better results in strength and performance than taking the supplement normally.

Different Types of Creatine

Although the most popular and well-known Creatine is Creatine Monohydrate, there are other forms of this substance.

Here is a list of the known forms of Creatine

• Creatine Monohydrate
• Creatine Ethyl Ester
• Creatine Hydrochloride
• Buffered Creatine
• Liquid Creatine
• Creatine Magnesium Chelate

While many supplement companies will have you believe these different types of Creatines are superior to monohydrates, they are also trying to sell you a more expensive product. There is no additional benefit to taking these other types of Creatine. Stick with Creatine Monohydrate is the most studied, effective, and cheapest form of Creatine.

Final Thoughts About Creatine

Whether you want to build muscle mass naturally or reduce body fat on a cut, I think Creatine supplementation is a great tool to assist as long as your diet and exercise are checked first. Remember to drink enough water because creatine helps pull more water into the muscles. 

Check out prices for the best Creatine Monohydrate Supplement by Optimum Nutrition I use below.