The Study
Effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation during combined strength and high intensity rowing training on performance.
This study looked at rowers who took creatine and others who didn’t, and saw that both groups got stronger and faster in about the same way. But we don’t know if the creatine group was picked fairly, so we can’t say creatine made the difference — it might just be that both groups trained hard.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Rowers trained hard for 6 weeks with weights and rowing. Some took creatine, some took sugar pills. Both groups got stronger and faster, but creatine didn't help them get any better than the sugar pills.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 532 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — the training itself made rowers significantly better, but adding creatine made no extra difference.
- 2After 6 weeks, both groups improved: body composition got better, 2,000m rowing time got faster, power during intervals went up, and strength increased.
- 3Creatine group did not do more reps or produce more power than placebo group.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Canadian journal of applied physiology = Revue canadienne de physiologie appliquee
Year
2001
Authors
D. Syrotuik, A. Game, E. Gillies, G. Bell
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking 3 to 5 grams of creatine every day can help your muscles store more energy, making you stronger, more powerful, and better at building muscle when you lift weights—without making you gain fat.
Taking creatine powder while doing intense rowing and weight training won’t make you stronger, faster, or change your body composition any more than taking a sugar pill instead.
Taking creatine monohydrate won’t help trained rowers do more reps during weight training or maintain higher power during repeated rowing sprints.
If trained rowers do six weeks of intense rowing and weight training, they’ll get stronger, row faster, and lose fat or gain muscle—even if they don’t take creatine supplements.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.