What is creatine and what does it do?
Creatine is a substance your body makes itself. Your muscles use it for short, hard efforts, like a heavy lift, a sprint or a few fast reps. As a supplement, it helps you put out a little more power. Combined with strength training, it also helps you build more muscle. It's well researched and easy to use: one scoop of creatine monohydrate in water, every day.
But it's not a miracle powder. It only works if you actually train. Below I'll explain what creatine does in your body, how much to take, which stories aren't true and who it's useful for.
Updated: 2026-11-05
What creatine is and where you find it
Creatine isn't a medicine and it isn't a hormone. Your body makes it in your liver and kidneys, from three building blocks of protein called amino acids. You also get creatine from meat and fish.
Most of it is stored in your muscles. A small amount sits in your brain and heart. Every day your body breaks a bit down and you pee it out. So you keep topping it up, partly from food and partly by making it yourself.
Don't eat meat or fish? Then you get almost no creatine from your food. Your body still makes some, but vegetarians tend to have less stored in their muscles. That's exactly when a supplement can make a difference.
As a supplement, creatine is just a white powder. The type you'll see everywhere is creatine monohydrate. It's also the type with the most research behind it. Pricier versions with fancy names don't work better, and often they work worse. My advice: just get plain monohydrate, no extras.
What does creatine do in your body?
Your muscles run on ATP. That's the fuel they can use straight away. During a heavy lift or a sprint, that supply runs out really fast. Creatine helps refill it on the spot. This is called the phosphagen system: the energy system for short, very hard work.
When your muscles hold more creatine, you've got a bit more in the tank for that short, hard work. You might get one more rep, or lift slightly heavier. That sounds small, but over weeks and months it adds up.
- Strength: a bit more power during short, heavy efforts like lifting and sprinting.
- Muscle: combined with strength training, you build more muscle than with training alone. That goes for older people who train too.
- Repeated short efforts: you hold up a little better when hard bits follow each other quickly.
- Brain: researchers are looking into it and it looks promising. But it isn't solid yet. I wouldn't take it for that.
In a CrossFit class you often switch between short, hard pieces and a moment to catch your breath. Creatine fits that well, because it mainly helps with short, heavy work.
One thing to get clear: creatine doesn't build muscle by itself. Training does. Creatine helps you train a little harder, and that work is what builds the muscle. Without training it does very little. Want to know why strength matters so much? Read what strength training is and why everyone needs it.
How much creatine per day, and when?
CrossFit's own advice is really simple: take 5 grams of creatine monohydrate every day. That's honestly most of what you need to know. Here it is at a glance.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much? | 5 grams a day |
| When? | Doesn't matter. Taking it every day matters more than the time. |
| With what? | Plain water is fine. You don't need sugar or juice. |
| On rest days too? | Yes. That keeps your muscles topped up. |
| Which type? | Creatine monohydrate |
| Do I need to load? | No. Loading just gets you there faster. |
You may have heard of loading. That means taking a higher dose for the first few days, split over the day. Your muscles fill up faster that way. But you don't have to. With your daily scoop you'll get there too, it just takes about a month.
Don't take a big amount in one go. That can upset your stomach. Want to load anyway? Then spread it over the day.
There's no need to cycle it, stopping and starting in phases. Just take it every day, that's the whole trick. And if it doesn't sit well with you? Simply stop.
Side effects and myths about creatine
There are loads of stories about creatine. Most of them aren't true. Here's what's really going on.
| What you hear | What's actually true |
|---|---|
| "It's a kind of steroid." | No. Creatine is a completely different substance and not a hormone. Your body makes it and it's in normal food. |
| "It makes you bloated." | In the first days your muscles hold on to a bit of extra water. That's inside the muscle, not under your skin. You might weigh a little more on the scale because of it. |
| "It makes you fat." | No. What you gain is water in your muscles and, if you train, muscle. |
| "It gives you cramps or dehydration." | There's no good evidence for that. |
| "It makes your hair fall out." | A recent, well-designed study found no difference in hair or in the hormone linked to hair loss. |
| "Expensive is better." | No. Plain monohydrate is the standard. |
So the real downsides are small. A bit of extra water at the start. An upset stomach if you take a lot at once. And one blood value that can come out higher.
Having a blood test? Tell your doctor you take creatine. It can raise your creatinine, a value doctors use to check your kidneys. It can then look like something's wrong when it isn't. Do you have a kidney condition or other health issues, are you pregnant or do you take medication? Talk to your doctor first before you start.
Who is creatine useful for?
Creatine makes sense if you train regularly and want to get stronger. So if you lift, sprint or do CrossFit a few times a week. Then you'll get a little more out of it.
But it's not at the top of the list. CrossFit puts it nicely: nutrition first, then training, then recovery, and only then supplements. Sleeping badly, eating whatever and training once every two weeks? Then a scoop of powder will do almost nothing for you. Start with the basics. Food is a big part of that, so have a look at how much protein per day you need when you train.
For women, creatine works the same way. It helps with strength and building muscle when you train. You won't suddenly get bulky from it, that takes a lot more than a daily scoop. More on that in strength training for women.
Creatine can help older people who train too, together with strength training. It supports your muscles and bones. We also run CrossFit 60+ classes, with exercises that match where you are right now.
Common mistakes with creatine
- Starting with powder instead of training. Without regular training, creatine does very little.
- Buying an expensive product. Plain monohydrate is enough.
- Only taking it on training days. Take it every day, so your muscles stay topped up.
- Expecting results after a week. Without loading, it takes about a month for your muscles to fill up.
- Downing it all at once. Too much in one go can upset your stomach.
My honest advice: sort out your training first. With us, the workout is ready when you walk in and there's a coach in every class. Want to feel what that's like first? Come and do two weeks of unlimited training. Or read how we approach strength training in Amsterdam East.
Want to get stronger? Start with training, not powder.
Creatine only helps if you actually train. With Your Strong Start you build exactly that base: you show up, the workout is ready and a coach watches and helps you pick the right weight. Get your training sorted first, then everything else starts to make sense.
- 12 coached CrossFit sessions in 4 weeks, around 3 a week
- A personal starting assessment plus scalable Fit Test as your baseline
- A midway check, so one busy week doesn't break your rhythm
- Final assessment and repeat Fit Test: you see what changed
4.9 out of 5 on Google · 153 reviews
Short excerpts from public Google reviews.
€99 one-off · 12 sessions · personal guidance · no membership
No experience needed. No programmes to figure out. No subscription quietly running on.
Frequently asked questions
Where is creatine found naturally?
Mainly in meat and fish. Your body also makes it in your liver and kidneys. Plant foods contain almost no creatine.
From what age can you take creatine?
There's little research on people under 18. So don't do it on your own. It's only an option if you train seriously with a coach, eat a varied diet, know how to use it and stick to the normal dose. Talk it over with your parents and a doctor.
What shouldn't you combine with creatine?
You don't need anything with it, plain water is enough. Taking medication? Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it's fine to combine.
How long until creatine works?
Without loading, it takes about a month for your muscles to fill up. With loading it's quicker. After that you'll mainly notice it in training: an extra rep or a bit more weight. Do keep taking it every day.
Should you take creatine when you start CrossFit?
No. Start by training, eat well and get enough sleep. Once you've trained regularly for a while and want to get a bit more out of it, you can consider it.