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Study Shows This Is How Much Muscle You Gain From Taking Creatine

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

September 06, 2024

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Image by Julia-Volk / Stocksy

September 06, 2024

If you participate in any type of resistance training (think lifting weights and even some Pilates classes), then listen up: Creatine supplements can help you build more muscle than exercise alone.*

Results of a new systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research recently revealed how much muscle you can expect to gain 1 and how much body fat you can expect to lose with creatine. Here's what you need to know.

What to expect from strength training & creatine

The goal of this analysis was to comb through all the scientific literature on creatine (and there's a lot) to specifically see how creatine supplementation impacts changes in body composition (i.e., muscle mass and fat mass) when paired with strength training in adults under 50.

A total of 12 high-quality studies met all the researchers' criteria. Overall, creatine supplementation, along with resistance training, came with a lot of added benefits:

People taking creatine gained an average of 2.5 pounds of muscle, around 4-5% more muscle mass than those who just exercised.*
People taking creatine supplements lost an average of 1.6 pounds of fat mass (losing 1-2% more fat mass than their peers who didn't supplement).*

What's also exciting is that these benefits are consistent regardless of whether you're new to resistance training or a seasoned pro or the total amount of exercise completed (aka creatine can help you gain muscle whether you work out every day for an hour plus or do shorter sessions say twice a week).*

How much creatine do you need to take?

creatine+ drink mixes

This review concluded that taking 7 grams a day is the amount linked to these body composition changes.*

That falls right within the generally accepted 5- to 10-gram-a-day recommendations. (Many times, 5 grams is recommended for muscle health, whereas a larger 10 grams does support brain health 2.)*

Creatine has a strong safety profile 3, but it's still best to give your body time to adjust to a new supplement. Consider starting with a 5-gram dose and then working your way up to 10 (if desired) after the first few weeks.

What to look for in a creatine supplement

Always look for a creatine powder that contains a minimum 5-gram serving of creatine monohydrate (the most researched form of the compound).

mindbodygreen's creatine+ fits the bill, and then some, with the addition of taurine—an amino acid that further supports muscle health, exercise recovery, heart health, cognition, and longevity.*

Women, in particular, have been loving creatine+ to energize their workouts, tone their muscles, and recover more efficiently.*

The takeaway

Creatine is the most studied supplement on the market, and time and time again, studies show that it really does enhance your muscle mass and strength when used with a strength training program—no matter what your starting level is.*

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.