Creatine Before or After a Workout? Here’s What the Research Shows
Reading time: 10 min
There’s plenty of debate around when to take creatine. More specifically, the main question is whether taking it before or after a workout has a greater impact on performance. The distinction here is that creatine, unlike a pre-workout, doesn’t produce an immediate effect within minutes of taking it.
Instead, it builds up in your muscles over days and weeks. That means taking it consistently matters far more than whether you have your scoop before or after training. There may still be a few practical reasons to prefer one over the other, depending on your routine.
So, what does the current research tell us about when to take creatine?
In this article we’ll go through how creatine works, what researchers have found, and the benefits of taking it before or after training.
Comparison of Creatine Before vs. After a Workout
| Before your workout | After your workout | |
|---|---|---|
| Direct evidence | Works. In one head-to-head study it was slightly behind post-workout | Slight edge in one small study (Antonio & Ciccone, 2013) |
| Pairing with food | Fine with a light, carb-containing snack | Easy to pair with a recovery meal or shake (carbs + protein improve retention) (Steenge et al., 2000) |
| Stomach comfort | Some people feel bloated taking it right before training (Antonio et al., 2021) | Usually no issue, since you're eating anyway |
| Easy to remember | Good if you already take a pre-workout | Good if you always have a post-workout shake |
| Best for | People who train fed and use a pre-workout drink | People who train early or fasted and eat afterward |
How Creatine Works and What That Means for Timing
Creatine plays an important role in how your muscles produce energy during high-intensity exercise. Most of the body's creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, where approximately two-thirds exists as phosphocreatine (Kreider et al., 2017).
Phosphocreatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy source your muscles use during exercise. This process is particularly important during short bursts of intense activity, such as sprinting, weightlifting, and repeated high-intensity efforts (Kreider et al., 2017).
Creatine supplementation increases the amount of creatine available in your muscles, supporting their ability to regenerate ATP during exercise. And these changes develop progressively with consistent supplementation, according to “The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand” from 2017 (Kreider et al., 2017).
This review also references a study called “Muscle Creatine Loading in Men”, which found that taking 3 grams of creatine daily for 28 days increased muscle creatine content by approximately 20% (Hultman et al., 1996).
That’s very different from the stimulant, caffeine, which can have an acute effect after you take it. Creatine has no comparable immediate kick. What matters much more is your total daily intake and how consistently you take it (Kreider et al., 2017; Antonio et al., 2021).
And with this in mind, it's worth further exploring whether taking creatine at a specific time around your exercise actually offers you any additional benefits.
What the Research Says About Taking Creatine Before or After a Workout
Researchers have tested creatine timing directly, although the evidence is still limited.
In the review “Common Questions and Misconceptions About Creatine Supplementation”, the two approaches are compared. They gave recreational bodybuilders 5 g of creatine either before or after training. The post-workout group showed slightly greater gains in lean mass and strength (Antonio & Ciccone, 2013).
Although workout timing remains an area of interest, a daily intake of around 3-5 g is well established for gradually increasing and maintaining muscle creatine stores (Kreider et al., 2017; Antonio et al., 2021).
Another interesting part of that review concerns the nutrients consumed alongside creatine. It also reported increased creatine retention when creatine was combined with substantial amounts of carbohydrates and protein (Steenge et al., 2000; Kreider et al., 2017).
Those findings give us a perspective on post-workout nutrition. Recovery meals and shakes frequently contain carbohydrates and protein, which makes them a convenient opportunity to consume creatine alongside these nutrients.
So, both approaches, before and after, can fit into a regular creatine supplementation routine. And practical considerations, such as nutrition and exercise habits can help determine which works best for you. The most important factor to remember is just consistency.
Let's explore the more practical benefits and considerations of taking creatine before and after your workout further.
Before Your Workout: Pros and Practical Tips
- Easy to combine with your pre-workout nutrition. Creatine can be mixed into your usual pre-workout shake or taken alongside a light carbohydrate-containing snack. This makes it easy to incorporate into something you're already having before exercise. For inspiration, try our high-intensity creatine shake recipe.
- Make it part of your preparation. Some people prefer taking creatine before training because it feels like a natural part of preparing for their workout. Incorporating creatine into your existing pre-workout habits can make it easier to build and maintain a consistent routine.
- Consistency. Creatine works differently from stimulants like caffeine, so taking it immediately before exercise won't provide an instant performance boost. Its established benefits develop through regular supplementation as muscle creatine stores gradually increase over time (Kreider et al., 2017; Antonio et al., 2021).
- Digestive comfort. If you experience digestive discomfort when taking creatine before your workout, try consuming it with food to see whether that works better for you (Antonio et al., 2021).
After Your Workout: Pros and Practical Tips
- Combine creatine with your post-workout nutrition. Research has found that consuming creatine alongside substantial amounts of carbohydrates, or carbohydrates and protein, can increase creatine retention. If your recovery routine already includes these nutrients, creatine intake afterward can be a convenient option (Kreider et al., 2017; Steenge et al., 2000).
- Make it part of your recovery routine. Many people already have a meal or protein shake after exercise. Adding creatine at this time allows you to combine it with your existing post-workout nutrition, making it easier to remember your daily serving.
- No need to rush to take creatine after training. You can take creatine with your recovery meal or shake in your own time. Current research hasn't established a specific post-workout window that you need to follow.
So, the best time to take creatine is actually whenever it fits naturally into your workout schedule, eating habits, and daily routine. The timing doesn’t matter as much as consistently keeping up with your daily intake (Kreider et al., 2017; Antonio et al., 2021).
Our Puori Creatine+ powder can easily be mixed into water or your usual workout shake, which makes it a convenient addition to your routine, whether you prefer taking creatine before or after training. On rest days, the same daily serving can be taken at another convenient time to keep the consistency going.
Can You Take Creatine Both Before and After a Workout?
In short, yes. You can split your daily creatine intake between before and after your workout, if that suits your routine. This means you can potentially take 2.5 g before and then 2.5 g after. Research has however not established any additional benefits from splitting your dose compared with taking the same amount once daily, so choose whichever approach works best for you and your routine (Kreider et al., 2017).
What Is More Important Than Timing Your Creatine Intake?
Current research points to a few factors that are more important than the exact time you take creatine. We’ve gathered them below.
- Daily consistency. Muscle creatine stores increase gradually with regular supplementation. Missing an occasional day is unlikely to meaningfully change your creatine stores, but consistent intake is the approach used across the research (Kreider et al., 2017).
- Daily intake of creatine. A daily intake of around 3-5 grams is proven to increase and maintain muscle creatine stores over time (Kreider et al., 2017; Antonio et al., 2021).
- Rest days still matter. Creatine works through repeated daily intake rather than an immediate effect from a single serving. Continuing your usual intake on non-training days helps maintain the same routine and muscle creatine availability (Kreider et al., 2017; Antonio et al., 2021).
So, When Should You Take Creatine?
As we've explored, both before and after your workout are reasonable options, each with its own practical benefits. Based on the research, we recommend choosing a time that fits your training and nutrition habits, making it easier to maintain your daily intake and experience the benefits of creatine supplementation over time (Antonio & Ciccone, 2013).
If you're looking to incorporate creatine into your routine, Puori Creatine+ combines 5 grams of creatine monohydrate, the most extensively studied form of creatine, with 400 mg of taurine per serving. Every single one of our batches is independently tested and certified by The Clean Label Project® against more than 200 contaminants, including heavy metals. Our batch-specific test results are publicly available, allowing you to verify what's in your supplement.
Learn more about the ingredients and testing process behind Puori Creatine+.
FAQ
Is It Better to Take Creatine Before or After a Workout?
Both are good options. Current research hasn't established a clear advantage for either approach, so choose a time that fits your training schedule. Taking creatine consistently each day is the most established approach to increasing and maintaining muscle creatine stores (Antonio & Ciccone, 2013; Kreider et al., 2017).
Should I Take Creatine on Rest Days?
Yes. Your muscles maintain elevated creatine stores through regular supplementation, including on days when you aren't exercising. Continue taking your usual daily serving to support your creatine stores over time (Kreider et al., 2017).
How Long Does it Take for Creatine to Start Working?
Creatine starts increasing muscle creatine stores as you supplement, with the effects building gradually. Research shows that taking 3-5 grams daily for approximately four weeks can substantially increase muscle creatine stores. The time it takes to notice improvements in exercise performance may vary (Hultman et al., 1996; Antonio et al., 2021).
Can I Mix Creatine with My Pre-workout or Protein Shake?
Absolutely. Creatine can be mixed into your usual pre-workout or protein shake. Research suggests that consuming creatine with substantial amounts of carbohydrates, or carbohydrates and protein, can increase creatine retention (Steenge et al., 2000; Kreider et al., 2017).
What's The Difference Between Creatine and Creatine with Taurine?
Creatine monohydrate is extensively researched for its benefits in high-intensity exercise and muscle performance. Taurine has also been studied independently, which includes its potential role in exercise recovery and muscle soreness (Kurtz et al., 2021).
Our Puori Creatine+ combines creatine monohydrate with taurine in one formula.
References
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