Supplementing your diet with creatine, in addition to lifting weights and optimal protein intake, is one of the best ways to boost muscle growth, provided it’s used correctly. To get the maximum benefit from creatine powder, avoid these five common mistakes from the start.
| Beginner Mistake | Fast Fix |
|---|---|
| Low water and electrolytes | Take 3-5 g daily with steady hydration |
| Too much caffeine | Keep caffeine moderate and drink more fluids |
| Relying on pre-workout alone | Most blends only provide 1-2 g - add a standalone dose |
| Inconsistent dosing | Use daily, not only on workout days |
| Expecting creatine to do the work | Pair with progressive training and adequate sleep |
You can also check out Evan’s article about the substances you need to avoid mixing with creatine powder.
Mistake #1: Not Drinking Enough Water and Electrolytes
Creatine helps muscles hold more water, but to maintain this benefit, your body needs a surplus of water to continue fuelling muscles during workouts.
Creatine powder should be mixed with a lot of water—ideally 300-500ml for a 5g creatine serving. In addition, aim to drink enough water—around three or four liters throughout the day—to replenish your body’s supplies.
Of course, when it comes to hydration, electrolytes go hand in hand with water, so try to use a creatine powder that contains electrolytes in it.
Mistake #2: Mixing Creatine With Too Much Caffeine
Caffeine can counteract the additional water component of the water in a glass of creatine. Because caffeine is a natural diuretic that can lead to dehydration, it can counteract optimal creatine absorption.
Although the caffeine levels in an average cup of coffee aren’t likely to dehydrate you because of the water in the cup, taking caffeine in other forms, such as caffeine supplements, can interfere with creatine’s efficiency.
Caffeine tells the pituitary gland to inhibit the secretion of vasopressin (aka antidiuretic hormone or ADH), but as the production of ADH slows, the kidneys absorb less water, and more water is expelled through urination.
Mistake #3: Thinking A Pre-Workout Provides Enough Creatine
If you rely on creatine taken pre-workout to deliver your daily dose, you will still have a deficit. Most pre-workouts contain creatine, but they contain low levels. 1-2 grams of creatine in a pre-workout won’t deliver much benefit, as the recommended dose is 5 grams.
Creatine should also be taken daily. Buying a tub of creatine is generally the best value for money, and it comes unflavored so that it can be added to any drink.
Cells must be saturated using a loading protocol to extract the most benefits from creatine. A daily dose of 20g of creatine can be divided into four equal doses over 5-7 days, followed by a lower-dose maintenance phase of 5g daily.
While some people complain that this leaves them feeling a bit bloated because of the increased water intake, a loading protocol is the quickest way to saturate creatine stores within about a week.
To avoid GI discomfort or short-term weight gain, the protocol could include a lower-dose protocol of 5 grams daily, but it will take about four weeks to maximize creatine stores.
Mistake #4: Not Taking The Right Doses Of Creatine
Too much or too little creatine can have a negative impact—too little means you lose out on the benefits, while too much can lead to bloating or gastrointestinal distress. The key is to find the sweet spot.
The body produces a gram or two of creatine a day naturally, and it is found in small doses in foods like tuna, chicken, beef, and pork.
However, there are no dietary sources of creatine that fit into a vegan diet. Eating the right foods is a good start, but adding a creatine supplement helps avoid getting stuck in a muscle mass gaining plateau for weeks on end.
The ideal dose of creatine is 20-25g per day during the loading phase to rapidly build up creatine stores in the muscles (for a week) or 3-5g to maintain creatine levels or build them up at a steady rate.
Mistake #5: Putting Less Time And Intensity Into Workouts
Because creatine often feels like a big step up, people frequently think that because they are taking a muscle-building supplement, it will do all of the work for them.
This isn’t true. Workouts must match the intensity that creatine offers—just downing 5g of creatine every day and sitting around waiting for something to happen won’t help build muscle mass.
While creatine gives muscles what they need to grow, it works hand-in-hand with gym sessions.
Simon Turner is a former Obstacle Workout features writer and writes regularly on sports, fitness and adventure for Probody.
