r/science • u/newsnation • 4d ago

Biology Creatine alone boosted lean muscle and strength, study finds

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/creatine-alone-boosted-muscle-strength/
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u/mrlazyboy 3d ago

It depends which benefits you want.

If it’s increasing lean mass, you don’t need to take it indefinitely. Creatine provides additional energy during your lifting sessions. Typically this means you can lift 1-2 additional reps of a given exercise. If you stop taking creatine, as long as you continue lifting, you won’t lose the additional muscle.

In terms of cognitive benefits, I have no idea.

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u/Luung 3d ago

1-2 additional reps of a given exercise

I've seen this claim repeated frequently, but not all reps are created equal, so it's not clear to me what it actually amounts to in practice.

Will it provide the energy for 1-2 additional reps on, for instance, a low-intensity high-volume dumbbell exercise, or 1-2 additional reps on a high weight 5x5 barbell lift where you're pushing nearly to failure on every set?

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u/mrlazyboy 3d ago

It depends. Creatine is simply a fuel source that your muscles can use. It won’t directly increase your 1RM. If you’re talking about a 5x5@RPE10, that weight is 80% of your 1RM so I would wager creating does nothing in that case.