Creatine supplements have spent way, way too long in the gym and in the shaker bottles of the bro’s pumping iron. In reality, creatine is a compound that your body naturally makes and uses. It is quite the powerhouse of goodness for all ages, genders and fitness inclinations! It is well past the time for creatine to get out of the gym, and into everybody’s lives. 

Let’s get out of the gym bro.

Creatine powders are well known in huge, plastic supplement tubs, taken by gym buffs to specifically target training, strength and exercise performance. But the basic science of understanding the different forms of creatine is relevant to everyone, and everybody. It turns out that creatine is a key player in wellbeing in more ways than just a gym pre-workout creatine supplementation regime. 

What is creatine, exactly?

Let’s dive straight into the essential definition of creatine and its different forms, without going so far as textbook science. The key definitions of creatine are quite succinct and easy to understand:

• Creatine is a natural product, made in every single animal body.
• The body works with the liver and kidneys to form creatine from amino acids.
• Creatine is mostly stored in skeletal muscle, ready to provide energy as needed.
• The body converts creatine stores into creatine phosphate (or phosphocreatine).
• We can consume creatine directly from animal proteins (meat and seafood).
• People who eat less animal protein will start with lower muscle stores than others.

Creatine supplements can be useful to anyone who wants to increase the energy available to their muscle cells – including women, men and them, young and elders, vegans and omnivores.

Because the liver and kidneys are involved, there are some additional cautious considerations for anyone with existing kidney issues, liver disease, pregnancy or breastfeeding. In these cases, it is always a great idea to seek individual medical advice from your doctor before using a creatine supplement.

How does creatine help produce energy?

Let’s use an analogy to keep it simple. 

Think of using solar power to run your outdoor fairy lights for the next family BBQ. Sunshine activates the solar panel, energy is stored in a battery, and when the sun sets – demand kicks in to bring those fairy lights to life. Solar batteries for garden patios are usually too small to provide power for a long time. Creatine is the magical substance that means that a small solar battery can power fairy lights for a longer period.

Let’s take this analogy to real life and into how creatine works to produce energy in our bodies. There is one very specific molecule that all bodies create that is essential for energy – adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The energy that is stored inside our muscles (the solar battery) is in the form of ATP molecules. And this specific creatine-phosphate system helps to replenish ATP in muscles quickly when energy demand rises sharply.

But muscles only have a very small amount of ATP that is ready to be used immediately – during high intensity exercise the ATP levels are used up quickly. The ATP inside our muscles (the solar battery) is minimal, and when it is turned on, it can only provide full power for a few minutes. The constituents of ATP are available in the muscles but are not combined and ready to provide energy at a moment’s notice.

Enter creatine! Creatine phosphate is a magical substance that helps ATP to regenerate much more quickly and is a well-studied support for rapid energy supply to a short burst of intense activity. Creatine is the solar battery extender – it means that our muscles (the solar battery) will keep going for longer. The fairy lights are going to last longer. 

Creatine isn’t a magic bullet however; it is useful for shorter efforts needing muscular movement or high intensity exercise. Creatine performance in short, doesn’t replace the necessary benefits of healthy food, fitness activities, good quality sleep and recovery time.

Why do people take creatine supplements?

Creatine supplementation is good for lots of reasons, and not just for repeated high-intensity exercise. All kinds of people are now supplementing with creatine to help their overall wellness – to be able to train well and recover well. 

The key reasons why adults of all fitness levels take creatine supplements include:

• Improved strength outcomes over time
• Better training consistency
• Improved exercise performance
• More capacity to train at higher levels over time
• Contributes to lean muscle mass increases
• Good indications that creatine supports brain health and cognition improvements

One dose of creatine every now and then isn’t going to be enough. Taking creatine supplements regularly is important to gain the muscle levels of creatine increases that stack up to the outcomes desired. Creatine supplementation works best as part of a regular dietary routine, building up the stores in your body muscle cells so that the ATP can be accessed more efficiently and regularly when needed. 

Creatine doesn’t work like caffeine, and it won’t give you a quick hit of energy after eating or drinking it. Over time though, with a routine supplementation, you’ll feel stronger and you might feel more confident to get through those training workouts. The gains from creatine supplementation are not enough to replace resistance training and nutrition. Rather, adding creatine to your diet is a good choice for supporting training and nutrition outcomes, and gaining the best possible results. 

Is creatine only for athletes?

Although the current bulk of clinical evidence strongly connects creatine supplementation with improved physical performance in repeated high-intensity activity – this isn’t the be all and end all for creatine. 

There are several recent clinical studies (the strongest type of scientific research evidence-based claims) that connect daily creatine monohydrate consumption with health improvements for adults of all ages, and all fitness types. Promising indications are that creatine monohydrate can be particularly useful for middle-aged and older adults. This is because all cells (not just muscle cells) require ATP to produce energy! 

The benefits to adults of daily consumption of creatine monohydrate

There are benefits to daily consumption of creatine for everyone - check out our compilation list of evidence-based research results. And more research is being published on this every month – we’ll be looking at the new learnings as they come.

Table 1: The benefits of daily consumption of creatine monohydrate.

What are the main forms of creatine?

There are several different forms of creatine that you might encounter on shelves and product labels. Navigating those labels can be a bit of an artform, and this is where knowledge from evidence-based sources is essential to making the right decisions on what you’re going to choose to buy.

We encourage you to take the time to read about the supplements you are interested in, and to read the ingredient panels to check that you’re going to get exactly what you are looking for. Pay attention to the supplement form, the serving size, and how much of the key ingredient is provided in a serving size. Make sure you know whether the product states the final quantity of actual creatine that is available from the product.

Let’s take a deeper look at the different forms of creatine powders, what they are, and what they do in the body:

Table 2: The common forms of creatine and what it does in the body.

It’s clear to see that all the common forms of creatine provide the same basic creatine energy outcomes. Although, there are differences in the structure of the creatine molecules, and how those molecules might move through your digestive system and into your cells. 

Without a doubt, as of 2026, creatine monohydrate is the most extensively studied form of creatine and has the most in-depth research. This simply means that creatine monohydrate is the form that has been researched the most often, and this doesn’t mean that other forms of creatine are not the best choice for you.

Do I need a creatine loading phase?

A creatine loading phase might be something that pops up a lot in online searches. It refers to a method of taking a larger amount of creatine every day for a defined period, before settling into a more common daily amount. 

The “creatine loading phase” is a term commonly used by athletes or people beginning a training block who want to raise their creatine stores very quickly, rather than waiting for them to build gradually over time. This is usually an option for people who are preparing for a competition or a specific high-intensity event.

There are common side effects of completing a creatine loading phase, and not everyone will be keen to sign up. Side effects that are most often felt are headaches, water-weight gain, stomach bloating, and digestive discomfort.

And the loading phase doesn’t make creatine any more effective in the long run – it simply accelerates the process of reaching fuller muscle stores. A steady daily dose of creatine will achieve the same end point for your muscle stores gradually (and more gently on your digestive system).

More isn’t always better. A creatine loading phase is only useful if you’re planning on completing a triathlon or throwing yourself into the next mud run challenge at the last minute!

When should I take creatine: pre workout or post workout?

Great news – perfect timing doesn’t apply when it comes to adding creatine supplementation to your diet. The research is clear that the daily consumption of creatine at any time will gradually increase and maintain muscle stores of creatine. It’s not dependent on taking it before or after a workout. 

You can happily take creatine anytime that suits you best, breakfast, lunch, dinner, before a workout or after a workout. What matters the most is that you’re consistently taking the correct daily dose. This is where it’s great to pair creatine every day with an existing habit – add to your morning coffee, workout smoothie, or into your daily water bottle. 

Are there side effects to worry about with taking creatine?

All bodies are different and may react to foods and supplements differently for a very wide range of reasons. There is no one supplement that suits every person. There are side effects that have been well documented in people sensitive to creatine, including:

• Stomach upsets
• Bloating
• Increased water retention/water weight
• Diarrhoea
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Often associated with large doses or using a loading phase

If you are concerned that you might experience side effects, the best approach is to start with small doses, to take with food, and drink normally to meet your thirst needs. Experiencing side effects is an individual aspect – if you are at all concerned, consult a doctor, pharmacist or dietitian before use. This is particularly good advice if you have any history of kidney disease, liver disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a chronic medical condition that requires regular prescription medication.

Creatine really is a great supplement choice – for everybody.

Although creatine has been stuck in the gym for the last few years, it’s now becoming increasingly clear that creatine is a great supplement choice for many adults. 

Creatine monohydrate has a clear role in the rapid use of cellular energy, and while this has obvious benefits to exercise performance, there is growing evidence that creatine is effective for adults of all ages, genders, and fitness types. It shows promise for older adults in combination with fitness activities, and for brain function and improved cognition. As more research is published, these results will become clearer and more directed to individual outcomes. 

Choosing the type of creatine supplementation that is best for you is directly tied to a good understanding of your own goals, diet, exercise habits and health circumstances. The best routine is probably the simplest one – choose a creatine every day that is easy, tasty, and one that you know you’ll use consistently.