Timing of Creatine Supplementation around Exercise: A Real Concern?

Abstract

Creatine has been considered an effective ergogenic aid for several decades; it can help athletes engaged in a variety of sports and obtain performance gains. Creatine supplementation increases muscle creatine stores; several factors have been identified that may modify the intramuscular increase and subsequent performance benefits, including baseline muscle Cr content, type II muscle fibre content and size, habitual dietary intake of Cr, aging, and exercise. Timing of creatine supplementation in relation to exercise has recently been proposed as an important consideration to optimise muscle loading and performance gains, although current consensus is lacking regarding the ideal ingestion time. Research has shifted towards comparing creatine supplementation strategies pre-, during-, or post-exercise. Emerging evidence suggests greater benefits when creatine is consumed after exercise compared to pre-exercise, although methodological limitations currently preclude solid conclusions. Furthermore, physiological and mechanistic data are lacking, in regard to claims that the timing of creatine supplementation around exercise moderates gains in muscle creatine and exercise performance. This review discusses novel scientific evidence on the timing of creatine intake, the possible mechanisms that may be involved, and whether the timing of creatine supplementation around exercise is truly a real concern.

Keywords: dietary supplements; ergogenic aid; hypertrophy; resistance training; sports nutrition; strength; supplementation.

Figure 1

The hypothetical mechanisms behind an exercise-mediated increase in total creatine content with creatine supplementation. (Panel A): exercise hyperaemia increases tissue perfusion, enhancing creatine delivery. Additionally, increased Na+/K+ pump activity during exercise supports the [Na⁺] gradient favouring creatine uptake by CreaT. Together, these effects may acutely potentiate the uptake and increase in total muscle creatine content. (Panel B): theoretical overlap of events according to the timing of creatine supplementation, in relation to exercise and its potential benefits regarding the delivery and uptake of creatine to the muscle. Created with BioRender.com.

Figure 2

Overview of what is known about the timing of creatine (Cr) supplementation and what is yet to be determined. TCr = total creatine. Created with BioRender.com.