Creatine for beginners: the 5-minute, no-hype guide

Creatine is the most researched supplement in sports nutrition and one of the few with a genuinely strong evidence base. It's also drowning in marketing noise. Here's the honest version, in five minutes.

What it actually does

Your muscles store creatine as phosphocreatine and use it to regenerate energy for short, intense efforts — a heavy set, a sprint, a jump, the last round. Supplementing keeps those stores topped up, so those efforts stay repeatable and recovery between them improves. The authorised health claim is precise: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, at a daily intake of 3g.

What form to buy

Creatine monohydrate. Full stop. It's the form behind virtually all the research. “Advanced” versions — HCL, buffered, nitrate — cost more and have no meaningful evidence advantage. Micronised (200-mesh) monohydrate just means a finer powder that mixes without grit.

How much, and when

5g a day, every day. Timing barely matters — creatine works by keeping your stores saturated, which is a function of daily consistency, not clock-watching. Take it whenever you'll remember.

Do you need to “load”?

No. Loading (20g/day for a week) saturates your stores a few days faster, with a higher chance of stomach upset. 5g daily gets you to the same place by week three or four. Skip it.

The myths

“It'll make me bulky.” No — it's not a hormone or a mass gainer. “It's bad for your kidneys.” Not supported in healthy people across decades of study. “The water weight is fat.” It's water drawn into muscle — intended, and a good sign.

How to spot good creatine

One ingredient on the label. Micronised. Batch paperwork you can actually see. Honest dosing. If a brand hides its documentation or sells you a loading protocol and a mega-tub, that tells you what you need to know.

Anima creatine is single-ingredient micronised creatine monohydrate, made in the UK, with batch paperwork published. See the product »»

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.