The Study
Timing of creatine supplementation does not influence gains in unilateral muscle hypertrophy or strength from resistance training in young adults: a within-subject design.
This study tried to see if taking creatine before or after your workout makes you stronger or bigger — and it found no difference. But because only 10 people were tested, we can't be super sure it’s true for everyone — it’s like testing two types of cereal on your little brother and saying it’s the best for all kids.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
People took creatine either before or after working out one arm or leg, and placebo on the other side, switching each time. After 8 weeks, both sides got stronger and bigger the same amount.
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 552 / 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 — taking creatine before or after doesn't change results, so people can choose timing based on convenience.
- 2Muscle thickness and strength went up a lot (P<0.01), but it didn't matter if creatine was taken before or after workout.
- 3Total work done was the same in both groups.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness
Year
2021
Authors
Scott C. Forbes, J. Krentz, D. Candow
Related Content
Claims (5)
For small muscle groups, unilateral and bilateral resistance training produce equivalent hypertrophic adaptations when volume and effort are matched.
Taking creatine supplements leads to higher levels of creatine in muscles, improves the ability to regenerate energy during intense workouts, and over 8 to 12 weeks, allows for more total training and measurable muscle growth.
Doing strength training with heavy weights for two months makes your muscles bigger and stronger, no matter when you take creatine.
Taking creatine before or after your workout doesn’t make a difference in how much muscle you build or how much stronger you get, as long as you take it regularly for about two months.
People didn’t lift more or less depending on whether they took creatine before or after their workout — they did the same amount of work in both cases.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.