What is Creatine Monohydrate and When is the Best Time to Take It?

Creatine monohydrate is one of the few supplements that live up to the claims and is backed by science. It not only helps make your muscles look fuller and improve recovery, but creatine can also increase your strength and endurance.

This amino acid has been put through extensive research. Current evidence confirms that creatine monohydrate — the most popular type of creatine on the market — is safe and effective.

Even if you’re not an athlete, you can still benefit from creatine monohydrate. In clinical trials, creatine has been shown to lower blood sugar levels, improve glucose tolerance, and support brain function. 

The Scoop on Creatine

Most gym-goers think of creatine monohydrate as a muscle-building supplement. But your body can actually produce creatine. 

Creatine occurs naturally in your brain, muscles, liver, and other tissues. The human body converts it to phosphocreatine and stores it in muscles for energy.

You can find creatine in red meat, fish, seafood, eggs, poultry, and other animal products. However, it’s difficult for most people, especially athletes, to get enough creatine from food alone. 

It’s recommended to consume around 5 grams of creatine per day. Beef filet, for example, provides 2g per 16 ounces. This means you’d have to eat more than two pounds of beef daily to get 5g of creatine. 

Luckily, creatine monohydrate is available in supplement form. Old School Labs’ Classic Creatine offers just the right amount for mass and strength gains. Each scoop boasts 5g of pure creatine monohydrate, with no GMOs or chemicals. 

Build Stronger, Bigger Muscles 

Creatine monohydrate is required for ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production, the primary source of fuel for cells. Some of the creatine in your system helps replenish ATP stores during training. 

Short-term creatine supplementation may increase maximal power and strength by 5 to 15%. Furthermore, it may improve sprint performance by 1 to 5%, speed up muscle growth, and boost physical performance during training. 

Creatine monohydrate helps promote hypertrophy and reduce age-related muscle loss.

Besides its role in energy production, creatine monohydrate increases the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that supports muscle growth. On top of that, creatine holds water in your muscles, making them appear fuller. 

Creatine may also affect myostatin levels. Myostatin is a molecule associated with muscle loss. When combined with resistance training, creatine monohydrate may decrease serum myostatin and amplify your gains. 

Creatine Monohydrate Isn’t Just for Bodybuilders

Whether you’re a swimmer, powerlifter, a football player, or simply live an active lifestyle, you can benefit from creatine. Creatine monohydrate helps increase lean mass and strength and improves power, endurance, speed, and force. 

Current evidence supports the benefits of creatine on sports performance, especially during short-duration, maximal-intensity strength training. 

Elevated intramuscular creatine helps improve muscle glycogen levels. This results in higher energy, reduced fatigue, and faster post-workout recovery. Combining carbs and creatine appears to be even more beneficial. 

The human brain requires ATP to function optimally. This may explain why creatine monohydrate has been shown beneficial in the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and ischemic stroke.

Researchers believe that creatine’s neuroprotective effects are due to its ability to reduce protein aggregation. 

When to Take Creatine for Optimal Results?

Nutrient timing is a hot topic, especially in the fitness and bodybuilding community. Most people know that protein and carbohydrate timing can influence hypertrophy, muscle repair, and performance. 

So, what’s the best time to take creatine monohydrate for optimal results? The results are conflicting.

The JISSN compared the effects of pre-workout vs. post-workout creatine monohydrate supplementation and found that at the end of the study, subjects who took creatine post-workout experienced more significant improvements in lean muscle mass and strength. 

Another study found no difference between taking creatine before or after exercise. All subjects reported improvements in lean mass and muscle strength along with a decrease in fat mass.

Do You Need to Load Creatine?

The recommended dosage of creatine monohydrate is 5 grams per day. Yet, some take 15 to 25g per day for one week to saturate the muscle in 7 days. This process is known as creatine loading. 

Is creatine loading necessary? No, but it can speed up the saturation process in the muscles.

Taking a daily dose of 3 to 6g of creatine monohydrate will fully saturate the muscles in 28 days. 

Maximize Your Workouts

From increased strength and endurance to massive gains, there are plenty of reasons to use creatine monohydrate.

Use creatine monohydrate before or after workouts — just remember to take it around your workout. Although it’s not necessary to take it on your off-training days, do so to keep your muscle creatine stores elevated. 

We recommend taking Classic Creatine before or after exercise (according to your personal preference). Ideally, use our formula immediately after eating a carbohydrate-containing snack or meal.