Creatine Before and After: What Changes and How Fast

Creatine before and after photos usually show a fuller, more muscular look and a higher number on the scale. Some of that is real muscle and strength gained from training, and some is water drawn into the muscles. This guide walks through what the studies show changes with creatine monohydrate, roughly when, why results differ from person to person, and what happens when you stop.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• Week 1: a loading phase of 20 g a day for about 6 days raises muscle creatine by roughly 20 percent, and body weight often rises by 1 to 3 kg, mostly water in muscle.
• Without loading: 3 g a day reaches the same 20 percent rise more gradually, over about 4 weeks.
• With training: across 22 studies, strength rose about 20 percent with creatine plus resistance training versus 12 percent with training alone.
• Not everyone responds the same: people who start with lower muscle creatine tend to gain the most.
• After stopping: muscle creatine drifts back to its starting level over about 4 weeks.

Creatine Before and After: A Timeline

When	What the studies show
Days 1 to 7 (with loading)	Muscle creatine up about 20 percent after 6 days at 20 g a day; body weight often up 1 to 3 kg, mostly water
Weeks 1 to 4 (no loading)	At 3 g a day, the same 20 percent rise builds up over about 28 days
Weeks 4 to 12 (with training)	Greater gains in strength, repetitions and fat-free mass than training alone in many trials
About 4 weeks after stopping	Muscle creatine back to where it started

How Long Does Creatine Take to Work?

Creatine takes about 1 week to work with a loading phase and about 3 to 4 weeks without one, because that is how long it takes to fill the creatine stores in your muscles. In the 1996 study, 20 g a day raised muscle creatine by about 20 percent in 6 days, while 3 g a day reached the same level in about 28 days (Hultman, 1996).

Changes in the gym take longer than that. Creatine helps you do a little more work in each session, so the strength and muscle differences in studies built up over weeks of resistance training (Rawson, 2003), such as the 10-week trial in women described below (Vandenberghe, 1997).

What you are waiting for	Typical time in studies
Muscle stores full, with loading	About 1 week (20 g a day for about 6 days)
Muscle stores full, without loading	About 4 weeks at 3 g a day
Scale weight up from water in muscle	Within the first week of loading, often 1 to 3 kg
More strength and repetitions with training	Builds over weeks of resistance training
Back to your starting level after stopping	About 4 weeks

Two things decide how fast you notice it: whether you load and whether you train. Skipping the loading phase only means reaching full stores a few weeks later. For daily amounts by body weight and goal, see how much creatine per day, and for the water weight in the first week, see creatine water retention. The time of day you take it matters less than taking it every day; see when to take creatine.

The First Week: Muscle Creatine and Water Weight

In a classic study of 31 men, taking 20 g of creatine a day for 6 days raised the total creatine stored in muscle by about 20 percent. Taking 2 g a day afterwards kept it there, and taking 3 g a day from the start produced the same 20 percent rise more slowly, over 28 days (Hultman, 1996).

That extra creatine pulls water into the muscle, which is why the scale often moves by 1 to 3 kg in the first week of loading. It is water held in muscle, not fat (Kreider, 2017). Our guide to creatine side effects and weight gain explains this in more detail, including bloating and how to avoid it.

If you are deciding whether to load at all, see our guide to the creatine loading phase.

Weeks 4 to 12: Strength and Muscle

Creatine works best as a training aid. A review of 22 studies found that people who took creatine during resistance training increased their strength by an average of 20 percent, compared with 12 percent for those who took a placebo. The number of repetitions they could lift at a given weight rose by 26 percent versus 12 percent. Bench press gains ranged widely, from 3 to 45 percent (Rawson, 2003).

A meta-analysis of 100 placebo-controlled studies found the clearest effects on lean body mass after short-term creatine use and on short, repeated bouts of hard effort of 30 seconds or less, such as resistance exercise (Branch, 2003).

In other words, the "after" depends on the training. Creatine helps you do a little more work in each session, and those extra repetitions add up over weeks.

Creatine Before and After for Women

In a 10-week trial of 19 young women who were new to resistance training, those taking creatine (20 g a day for 4 days, then 5 g a day) gained 20 to 25 percent more strength and 60 percent more fat-free mass than the placebo group (Vandenberghe, 1997). In a 10-week trial of experienced women lifters, both groups improved, and creatine did not add to strength or lean mass beyond training alone (Ferguson, 2006).

So results for women vary with training experience and individual response. For more, see our guide to creatine for women.

Why Some People See More Change Than Others

In a study of 11 healthy young men who loaded creatine for 5 days, three clear groups emerged. Responders, whose muscle creatine rose the most, started with the lowest muscle creatine levels, had more fast-twitch fibers and more muscle, and improved their leg press. Non-responders started with higher creatine levels (Syrotuik, 2004).

Diet plays a part too. Meat and fish provide creatine, so people who eat little of them often start lower. Our guide to vegan creatine covers this.

What Happens When You Stop Taking Creatine

Muscle creatine falls back gradually. In the 1996 study, it was no different from the starting level 30 days after supplements stopped (Hultman, 1996), and in the 10-week trial in women, muscle phosphocreatine returned to normal within 4 weeks of stopping (Vandenberghe, 1997). As muscle creatine falls, the extra water it held goes with it, so the scale may drop a little.

Beyond Muscle

Creatine is also stored in the brain and used for energy there. For what the research shows on memory and mental performance, see creatine for brain health, and for how cells make energy, cellular energy and mitochondrial health.

A common worry, hair loss, is covered in does creatine cause hair loss?

How to Get the Most From Creatine

• Take 3 to 5 g a day, the amount experts recommend (Antonio, 2021). Loading at 20 g a day for about a week is optional; it gets you to full stores faster.
• Take it every day, including rest days. Muscle stores build up over time.
• Train consistently. The biggest before and after changes in the studies came with resistance training.
• Expect the scale to move by a kilogram or two in the first weeks, mostly water.
• Choose plain creatine monohydrate in a form you will take every day. See creatine powder vs pills vs gummies.

We are launching our own Creatine Monohydrate powder, with 5 g of creatine monohydrate in every scoop. Join the list on the product page to hear first when it launches.

Safety note: people with kidney disease, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and anyone taking prescription medicine should check with a clinician before starting creatine.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to see results from creatine?

Muscle creatine fills up in about a week with a loading phase, or about 4 weeks at 3 to 5 g a day. Strength and muscle differences in studies showed up over weeks of training, such as the 10-week trials above.

What happens after 1 month of creatine?

By one month, muscle creatine stores are usually full, body weight may be 1 to 3 kg higher from water in muscle, and in training studies, people taking creatine went on to lift more repetitions than those taking a placebo.

Is creatine weight gain fat?

No. The early gain is mostly water held in muscle. Over longer periods with training, some of the extra weight is muscle.

Do I need to load creatine?

No. Loading gets you to full stores in about a week, but 3 g a day reaches the same level in about 4 weeks.

Will I lose my gains if I stop creatine?

Muscle creatine returns to its starting level over about 4 weeks, and the extra water in muscle goes with it, so the scale may drop a little. Keep training to hold on to the strength you built.

How long does creatine take to work without loading?

About 3 to 4 weeks. At 3 g a day, muscle creatine rose by the same 20 percent that loading produced, but over about 28 days instead of 6 (Hultman, 1996).

Can you feel creatine working after one day?

Usually not. Creatine works by building up in muscle over days to weeks, so a single dose does not fill your stores. Early changes on the scale during loading are mostly water held in muscle.

Does creatine work faster if you take more?

Loading at about 20 g a day fills your stores in about a week instead of about 4 weeks, but it does not raise them higher than a steady daily dose eventually does. Once your muscles are full, 3 to 5 g a day keeps them there.

Why is creatine not working for me?

Some people already have high muscle creatine and see less change. Results also depend on taking it every day and training consistently.

Does creatine work for women?

In some studies, yes. In one 10-week trial, women new to strength training gained more strength and fat-free mass with creatine than with placebo; in experienced women lifters, another trial found no extra gain.

Sources

• Hultman E, et al. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol. 1996. PubMed 8828669
• Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017. PubMed 28615996
• Rawson ES, Volek JS. Effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training on muscle strength and weightlifting performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2003. PubMed 14636102
• Branch JD. Effect of creatine supplementation on body composition and performance: a meta-analysis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003. PubMed 12945830
• Vandenberghe K, et al. Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle performance during resistance training. J Appl Physiol. 1997. PubMed 9390981
• Ferguson TB, Syrotuik DG. Effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and strength indices in experienced resistance trained women. J Strength Cond Res. 2006. PubMed 17194243
• Syrotuik DG, Bell GJ. Acute creatine monohydrate supplementation: a descriptive physiological profile of responders vs. nonresponders. J Strength Cond Res. 2004. PubMed 15320650
• Antonio J, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021. PubMed 33557850

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.