It has been sufficiently demonstrated that creatine works for most people . But is it true that creatine supplementation can also make you gain weight? A frequently asked question about the most popular strength sports supplement.

FLUID INCREASE

Yes, if you use a creatine supplement, your body will retain more fluid and therefore your weight will increase. A study in adult men showed that they gained 1-2 kilos in body weight after a two-week creatine loading phase. Because every body reacts differently to creatine, weight gain can differ per person.

Yet creatine supplementation will not make you fatter. The weight gain is entirely due to more body fluid. An increase in fat mass due to creatine supplementation is a completely unfounded fear, as several studies show (1, 2). And no, the handful of calories in a scoop of creatine will not make you fat either.

INTRACELLULAIR

There is even more good news: the fluid retention resulting from creatine supplementation is mainly intracellular. This means that the fluid is retained in the muscle. This causes your muscles to swell slightly, which basically makes you look fuller, that is, ‘fuller’ as in more muscular! You may have noticed this before when you just started a creatine treatment. That is why many coaches insist that fluid retention due to creatine supplementation does not detract from how ‘toned’ you look, perhaps even the opposite.

Some nuance though: it is not completely excluded that creatine supplementation also leads to some extracellular water retention. Research in this area contradicts each other. Some users report that taking creatine makes them look a bit fuller (or ‘puffy’), whether or not only in the face, which is why people sometimes speak of ‘hydrocephalus’. However, we and many others do not have that experience.

If you suspect that this is the case with you and you are working towards an important goal (for example a competition or photo shoot), stop taking creatine a few weeks before that goal.

CUT

The foregoing also means that you can use creatine in the cut. Creatine supplementation helps you maintain your training performance and recovery, which is important for maintaining your muscle mass. In addition, it may help prevent muscle breakdown due to endurance exercise, which is useful if you do a lot of cardio during your cut.

From the foregoing, you now know that if you start with creatine supplementation at the start of your cut, you should not be surprised if you initially gain some weight.

CONCLUSION

Creatine causes temporary weight gain because your muscles retain more fluid. This increase has nothing to do with an increase in fat and/or muscle mass. Some people experience this effect positively, because their muscles look fuller. Other people think they look a bit puffy.

Either way, there is no fat gain and you benefit from the benefits of creatine, such as being able to do more reps and recover better.

Creatine is by far the most researched strength training supplement and its use is conclusively proven to be safe.