Creatine Monohydrate

Sustained physical capacity when effort is repeated

Creatine improves physical capacities during successive series of very intense, short-duration exercises. This is the effort profile for weight training in sets, repeated sprints, intermittent intensity sports like football, rugby, or racket sports, and training formats that chain together short, high-intensity blocks.

The recognized dose, achieved in one serving

Each serving provides 3 g of creatine, which is exactly the daily amount for which the beneficial effect is recognized. Regular intake is sufficient: no loading phase is necessary.

What is creatine?

A nitrogenous compound naturally present in the body, with approximately 95% concentrated in skeletal muscle. The body synthesizes some of it from three amino acids—arginine, glycine, methionine—and the diet provides the rest, mainly through meat and fish. The body's store in a 70 kg adult is around 120 g. Creatine monohydrate is the form used for supplementation.

How does it work?

In muscle, creatine coexists in free form and as phosphocreatine. The latter constitutes an immediately mobilizable energy reserve: it participates in the rapid regeneration of ATP, the molecule that directly powers muscle contraction. This system is the main energy provider for high-intensity efforts lasting a few seconds, and it is also the first to deplete when these efforts are repeated. The availability of phosphocreatine therefore conditions the ability to repeat these efforts.

Who is it for?

Adults performing high-intensity physical exercises: weight training, sprinting, intermittent-intensity team sports, and structured short-block training. Dietary intake of creatine comes almost exclusively from meat and seafood products, so vegetarian and vegan diets provide little—this formula is suitable for these diets. Not recommended for children, adolescents, and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Dosage

1 level scoop, or approximately 3.4 g of powder — equivalent to 3 g of creatine.

Preparation

Pour one dose into 200 ml of water or a drink of your choice. Stir, then drink immediately: creatine monohydrate disperses but does not fully dissolve at this concentration, and a slight residue may form at the bottom of the glass. Rinse the glass with a little water to ensure no residue is left.

Frequency

1 serving per day. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place away from light. Close the container after each use: the powder is sensitive to moisture.

Consistency over timing

Take your serving every day, including non-training days. Creatine works through consistent daily intake of 3g, not by being timed with your workout. The timing of intake is therefore secondary: choose a time you won't forget.

Find your anchor point

The difficulty with a daily supplement isn't taking it, it's not forgetting it after three weeks. Associate taking it with an already automatic action: your morning coffee, your post-workout shake, your glass of water with dinner. The container placed next to this action is better than the container stored in a cupboard.

Integrates with what you already drink

Flavorless and with no distinct taste, the powder mixes with water, juice, a protein shake, or an energy drink. No dedicated preparation is necessary.

Over the long term

Creatine is taken continuously, without any particular cycles or windows. The question isn't when to start or when to stop, but whether you'll stick with it over time.

Creatine, phosphocreatine, and energy production

In muscle, creatine is present in free form and as phosphocreatine. Harris et al. observed an elevation of muscle creatine in subjects supplemented with creatine monohydrate [1]. Phosphocreatine constitutes a rapidly mobilizable reserve that participates in the regeneration of ATP—the immediate energy source for contraction—particularly stressed during short, high-intensity efforts [3].

Creatine monohydrate, the reference form

Creatine monohydrate is the most studied form of creatine. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position considers it the form with the highest level of evidence regarding increased muscle creatine stores and the ability to perform high-intensity exercises [3]. Recent scientific reviews continue to present it as the reference form in supplementation [4].

Performance during short and repeated efforts

A meta-analysis of around one hundred controlled studies highlighted a positive effect of creatine supplementation on performance. The effects were particularly significant for exercises of 30 seconds or less, which are highly dependent on the ATP-phosphocreatine system, and more pronounced during repeated efforts than during a single effort [2].

3 g per day, no mandatory loading phase

A loading phase allows for a rapid increase in muscle stores, but it is not essential. Hultman et al. observed a gradual increase of approximately 20% in total muscle creatine concentration after 28 days at 3 g/day; a similar magnitude of increase was obtained more quickly with 20 g/day for 6 days [5]. Consolidated data confirm that regular daily intake can be used without a loading phase, with the increase in stores simply being more gradual [4,5].

A dosage corresponding to the authorized European claim

European regulations authorize the claim that "Creatine enhances physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise." The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine, in adults performing highly intensive physical exercise [6].

References

[1] Harris RC, Söderlund K, Hultman E. Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clinical Science. 1992;83(3):367–374. doi:10.1042/cs0830367.

[2] Branch JD. Effect of creatine supplementation on body composition and performance: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2003;13(2):198–226. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.13.2.198.

[3] Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z.

[4] Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2021;18:13. doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w.

[5] Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederblad G, Greenhaff PL. Muscle creatine loading in men. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1996;81(1):232–237. doi:10.1152/jappl.1996.81.1.232.

[6] European Commission. Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods — claim concerning creatine.