Does creatine make you stronger and bigger?
Creatine supplementation and resistance training: a comparison between novice and experienced lifters - a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Taking creatine while lifting weights helps you gain muscle and get heavier, but it doesn’t make you lose fat.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 580 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Taking creatine while lifting weights helps you gain muscle and get heavier, but it doesn’t make you lose fat.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 580 / 100
Evidence Score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Publication
Authors
Ashtary-Larky D, Mohammadi S, Hajizadeh L, Mousavi SAH, Forbes SC, Candow DG, Antonio J
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who have not previously trained may experience different muscle growth patterns from those who have been training regularly, when exposed to the same exercise routines.
Taking creatine supplements while doing resistance training does not lead to a meaningful reduction in body fat or fat percentage in adults.
Taking creatine while doing strength training leads to a small increase in overall body weight in adults, but this weight gain is not from fat—it comes from an increase in lean tissue like muscle.
Taking creatine supplements while doing strength training leads to an average gain of 1.39 kilograms of lean body mass in adults, whether or not they have trained before.
In people who lift weights, whether they are beginners or experienced, creatine supplementation leads to similar increases in lean muscle mass, and the level of training experience does not consistently affect how much muscle is gained.