A woman in her sixties came into the shop a while back for her usual vitamin D and asked, half joking, what I would take if I could only afford one performance supplement. She expected me to say protein. I said creatine monohydrate, and her face said it all: "Isn't that for bodybuilders?" That reaction is exactly why I am writing this. Creatine monohydrate is the most researched supplement in sports nutrition, hundreds of human trials over more than three decades, it costs pennies a day, and the people who could benefit most, older adults, women, vegetarians, are precisely the people who never touch it.
- Creatine is not a steroid, not a stimulant, and not remotely exotic.
- No supplement I have sold in thirty years comes close to creatine's evidence base.
View in the shop
What creatine actually is
Creatine is not a steroid, not a stimulant, and not remotely exotic. It is a compound your own body makes and stores mostly in muscle, where it regenerates ATP, the immediate energy currency your cells spend during short, hard efforts: lifting something heavy, climbing stairs, getting out of a chair, sprinting for a bus. You also get some from meat and fish, which is why vegetarians and vegans typically have lower stores. Supplementing tops the tank up beyond what diet manages, meaning a little more fuel for every hard effort, which over months of training compounds into measurable strength.
Why creatine monohydrate has the research crown
No supplement I have sold in thirty years comes close to creatine's evidence base. The consistent findings across decades of trials: improved performance in repeated high-intensity efforts, and greater gains in strength and lean mass when combined with resistance training. Not instead of training, with it. The effect sizes are modest and honest, a few percent, but a few percent on every set, every week, adds up to a genuinely meaningful difference over a year.
One thing worth being straight about: the newer research areas, such as cognition and brain energy metabolism, are interesting but early. Some studies suggest benefits for mental fatigue, particularly in people with low baseline stores, but I would call that a promising bonus rather than a reason to buy. The reason to buy is the strength and muscle evidence, which is about as settled as sports nutrition gets.
Who should consider it (hint: not just bodybuilders)
Gym-goers know about creatine already. The groups I actually want to reach are these. Older adults, because muscle loss with age, sarcopenia, is one of the biggest threats to independent living, and research shows creatine combined with resistance exercise supports the muscle and strength gains older people get from training. Women, who have been scared off by the word "bulky" for decades; creatine does not make anyone bulky, it helps you get stronger from the training you do, and bone and muscle strength matter enormously through and after menopause. And vegetarians and vegans, who start with lower muscle creatine stores and often notice the most from supplementing.
If you train at all, walk, lift, play five-a-side, chase grandchildren, and you want more from that effort, creatine is worth a look. You will find our range in the Creatine and Performance collection, including trusted sports brands like CNP Professional.
How to take creatine monohydrate
This could not be simpler, which is another thing I like about it. Take 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate once a day, every day, mixed into water, juice or a shake. That is it. You do not need a loading phase; loading just fills your stores faster, while a steady 3 to 5 grams gets you to the same place in three to four weeks. You do not need to cycle it. You do not need it timed around workouts; daily consistency is what fills the tank. And you do not need the expensive "advanced" versions. Buffered creatine, ethyl ester, fancy blends: none has outperformed plain monohydrate in head-to-head research, and monohydrate is the form the entire evidence base is built on. When the cheapest version is also the best-proven one, take the win. Drink normally, take it with or without food, and be patient for the first few weeks while stores rise.
The myths that will not die
Three I still hear weekly at the counter. "It wrecks your kidneys." In healthy adults, long-term studies at standard doses have not shown harm to kidney function; if you have existing kidney disease, speak to your GP first, which is standard sense for any supplement. "It is just water weight." There is a small initial rise, a pound or two, as your muscles store more creatine and water alongside it, and that is intracellular water in the muscle, part of how it works, not puffiness. The strength and lean mass gains beyond that are real tissue, earned through training. "It causes hair loss." This grew from one small 2009 study measuring a hormone marker, not hair loss itself, and it has never been replicated. The current evidence does not support the claim.
Frequently asked questions
How much creatine should I take per day?
3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily, taken any time, every day including rest days. Larger people towards 5g, smaller towards 3g.
Do I need to load creatine?
No. Loading (around 20g a day for a week) fills stores faster but is not required. A daily 3 to 5 grams reaches full saturation within about a month.
Is creatine safe for teenagers or older adults?
For healthy adults, including older adults, it is one of the most studied and well-tolerated supplements there is. For under-18s and anyone with a medical condition or on medication, I would involve a GP first.
Will creatine make me gain weight?
Expect a small early increase from water stored in muscle. Beyond that, any weight gained is muscle built through training. It does not add body fat.
From the shop
Most supplements aren't worth the tub they come in. Creatine monohydrate is the loudest exception on my shelves: decades of evidence, pennies per day, and useful to far more people than the gym crowd it got typecast with. If you are over fifty and doing any resistance exercise, it might be more relevant to you than to the twenty-five-year-old it is marketed at. Come and see us on Hyde Road in Paignton if you want a hand choosing, and ignore anything with a fancier name than monohydrate. Boring and proven beats shiny and new, every time.