Can Creatine help me?

That’s a question I’ve been asked a lot lately, and the short answer is yes.
But it depends on the individual.

Background: Creatine has traditionally been used by body builders to bulk up before a competition. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body, and by supplementing with it, we saturate the muscles, enabling more power and better short-term output (more on this later). In other words, it has traditionally been used to increase muscular power and size. It promotes water retention in muscles, so adds bulk.

I first qualified with WABBA (World Amateur Body Building Association) in 2002, where loading with creatine was commonplace. The recommendation was a ‘loading’ phase (taking a daily high dose of creatine) ready for competition, then a ‘maintenance’ phase, with smaller amounts of creatine.

Foods with Creatine: Your body naturally produces creatine, and it can be found in foods with muscle - in meat and fish. Red meat has the highest, with fish (specifically herring, tuna and salmon) next, poultry has some, but not as much as red meat. Finally, dairy and eggs also contains small amounts of creatine.

When I first started teaching in 2005 I needed to cope with the increased demand on my body, so I tried loading creatine. As a predominantly vegetarian athlete, I’m sure I wasn’t eating enough. When I loaded (around 20g a day) in 2005, it was too effective for me. I gained a scary amount of power, felt hyped up and my waistline thickened considerably. As a female PT in my thirties, I really didn’t want a bigger waistline, so abandoned the experiment, and forgot about creatine altogether.

Fast forward two decades and I’m still teaching fitness, but now in my 50’s and post-menopausal. My hormones tested rock bottom last year, and muscle aches and pains started this year. I couldn’t identify why I felt so sore and demotivated. My mood was low, and teaching felt like an effort. My VO2 Max was tested earlier this year, still at elite athlete level, but it took me days to recover from the rigorous test (going at maximum effort level). Even though my VO2 max tested high, I was losing time on my ParkRun PB every month. So frustrating!

I tried physio, osteopathy, new shoes, different massage therapies, taking Magnesium, drinking less coffee / drinking more coffee, and reading everything I could find on menopause. It was then I had lightbulb moment, maybe this was time to try creatine again. And it has worked a treat! I’ve talked to a few female peers who have dabbled in creatine and they’ve not had the results they were looking for, but that might be because they eat meat regularly, and also one of them admitted she wasn’t consistent with taking it. So what do you do?

How to Take It: Your creatine stores can take while to build up in the muscles, general guidance is a fortnight. The usual recommended dose is 3 - 5 grams daily. It’s a suspicious-looking white powder that is quite cheap to buy, online or in health food shops. I prefer pure powdered Creatine Monohydrate, as the sweet gummies vary in quality and dosage.

1. Choose a time of day that you’ll remember. I take mine late afternoon, after I’ve finished with coffee for the day. It can upset delicate tummies, but that’s usually at high doses. By taking creatine in the afternoon it doesn’t mess with my morning routine.

2. Use a measuring device: 5 grams is approximately a teaspoon. I’m pernickity, so I like to weigh mine out (see photo).

3. Stir in cold water: Creatine doens’t actually dissolve in water, but forms a suspension. So give it a good stir, then toss it down your neck. A teaspoon in a small cup of water is about right. It tastes a bit like asprin, but I’ve never had a problem with the slightly bitter taste (you can buy flavoured creatine, I’m yet to try this). If there’s any powder left in the bottom, add some more cold water and finish it off.

4. What to expect: Don’t expect immediate results. It does take a number of doses to build up your muscles reserves.

Having said that, I personally found an effect immediately - that may be because:
a. I’m predominantly vegetarian so do not eat much creatine in my diet.

b. My estrogen levels are very low. Estrogen is a key hormone for building muscle and bone.

c. I have been weight-lifting for over 30 years. Low weights, but regularly, and as part of my job. I therefore have quite a lot of muscle to keep happy.

What happens when you start taking creatine?

Most creatine goes to your skeletal muscles, which convert creatine into a compound of creatine and phosphoric acid (phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate). Phosphocreatine then helps create adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is a source of energy that your cells use when you exercise. So, creatine helps maintain a continuous energy supply to your muscles during intense lifting or exercise.

Here’s an excellent research paper -  Creatine Supplementation in Women’s Health: A Lifespan Perspective that states:
“Although studies using physically active and highly trained females as participants are lacking, both short- and long-term creatine supplementation has been shown to result in significant improvements in muscular strength and power.”

Conclusion: Since starting creatine three weeks ago, I’ve already taken a minute off recent ParkRun times and run a 2025 PB. Back pain has disappeared, my recovery from busy working weeks has improved and I can cycle up big hills easier (improved leg strength). An unexpected bonus is that my mood has improved and I’m finding it easier to concentrate (less brain fog). I’ve put on 2kg but it’s extra water, not fat. So I feel stronger and more defined. Waistline measurements have remained, but my abs are more solid than before.

Creatine has been thoroughly tested and researched, and is quite safe to take, so you don’t need to be afraid of doing yourself damage. If you already have enough creatine in your muscles, your body will simple expel any excess through urine.

There’s a lot more research into the cognitive benefits of creatine, as the brain also uses the ATP energy pathway. Stay tuned for more updates.

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