Should You Take Creatine On Rest Days? Let's Break It Down

Creatine first became popular among avid gym-goers—those hitting the weight room nearly every day. But now, this powder is a go-to for folks of all fitness levels. And as long as you're doing some resistance training (whether that's weights or even Pilates), creatine can help you get stronger. 

Yes, it's important to take creatine every single day, even on rest and recovery days. 

Creatine supplements work (think more lean muscle, more strength, better recovery) because they saturate your body's creatine stores. If your stores aren't saturated, you won't be getting the full benefit of the compound. 

Now, creatine stores are spread throughout the body, with the majority (95%) residing in muscle tissue1, while the remaining is in the brain, kidneys, and liver. It's stored as creatine phosphate, which is a readily available energy reserve for the muscles during intense exercise. 

A person who eats an average amount of red meat (the main dietary source of creatine) will only have about 60-80% of their creatine stores filled2. And that's not enough to saturate your creatine stores to begin with, or replenish the amount you spend on workout days. 

Creatine is the most researched supplement on the market, and it deserves all the hype. 

Let's drive it home again: You need to take creatine daily to reap the compound's many research-backed benefits.*

For optimal muscle health, that ideal daily dose is around 5 grams a day (bump that up to 10 grams if you're looking for brain and bone benefits4, but more on that here).

​​With this 5-gram dose, it takes around four weeks to saturate5 your creatine stores. After that, continue with that dose for maintenance. 

Creatine is best taken in its powder form (not gummies), and you want to make sure it's available as creatine monohydrate. Not only is this a pure form of the compound, but it's also the most researched form of the supplement, and the body is able to absorb 100%6 of it. 

There are (literally) hundreds of creatine supplements to choose from. But mindbodygreen's creatine+ is one of the most unique and cleanest options you'll find. It provides the ideal 5-gram dose of creatine monohydrate along with 2 grams of the amino acid taurine. 

While we know creatine to be a multifaceted compound, you can unlock even more benefits by pairing it with taurine. Taurine also supports exercise recovery, muscular fatigue, and strength gains in addition to some pretty impressive heart health benefits.* 

You can only reap the compound's full benefits when your creatine stores are saturated, and that requires consistent daily use of at least 5 grams.*