Should I Take Creatine While Cutting? Pros & Cons

Variables like nutrition, sleep, and exercise play a crucial role when cutting body fat. However, supplementing with creatine for weight loss can make a positive impact as well.

Are you wondering, should I take creatine while cutting? Taking creatine while cutting enhances your body’s ability to train harder and recover faster, making it helpful in cutting body fat and losing weight.

You’ll want to understand how to use creatine while cutting correctly and the concerns since it may not be for everyone.

I’ve been personally taking (and recommending) creatine for the last eight years, and the benefits during a cut far outweigh the downsides (which are few and rare.)

Here’s everything we’ll cover on creatine throughout this article:

• Benefits of creatine on a cut
• Concerns about taking creatine for cutting
• How to take creatine during a cut
• Tips for best performance of creatine while cutting
• Is creatine good for weight loss?

Let’s dive in!

Benefits of Creatine During Cutting

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements in the industry, and for a reason. It’s a nitrogenous compound derived from three amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine.

The pancreas and liver produce creatine endogenously (within the body). Still, it also can be consumed exogenously (outside of the body) from meat, fish, and oral supplementation, with creatine monohydrate being the most common type of creatine.

Multiple studies have shown benefits while cutting, such as the following:

• Increases strength, energy, and endurance.
• Helps preserve muscle mass.
• Improve recovery time.
• Greater training tolerance.

Now, let’s review them in depth!

1. Increases Strength

Creatine supplementation has increased muscular strength in trained and untrained athletes (1). This benefit is attributable to increases in intramuscular phosphocreatine (PCr) concentrations which allow for increased volumes of work and work output during resistance training (2).

In other words, creatine makes you work harder and longer, eventually strengthening you. The best part is that you don’t have to wait much to feel the difference.

Del Favero et al. (3) conducted a study that showed a 5-15% strength increase (bench press and squat) within ten days of creatine supplementation (20gr per day) in untrained males.

There are studies showing increases in strength and performance with only three days of creatine supplementation, according to Ziegenfuss et al. (4). Despite the extensive evidence, it is worth mentioning that the best results are experienced by both untrained and vegetarian (none to low meat consumption) individuals.

This is logical, considering the primary sources of creatine are found in red meat, and untrained individuals will always be more responsive to training and supplementation at the beginning of their fitness journey.

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2. Increases Energy and Endurance

Although creatine supplementation has been effective in increasing strength and power output, the evidence suggesting a benefit in endurance performance is still unclear.

The reason might be due to creatine’s limitation in aiding longer-duration exercises. Activities greater than 2-3 minutes will automatically default to another energy system, such as the oxidative system, where creatine doesn’t play a significant role. (5)

Another reason might be that creatine supplementation has no effects on maximal oxygen consumption, submaximal oxygen consumption, or time trial performance (6). However, some evidence suggests reducing blood lactate concentration and increasing lactate threshold in elite male rowers after consuming 20gr of creatine or a placebo for five days (7).

It is essential to notice that most of the creatine’s effects on energy and endurance have been tested in indoor rower ergometers and cycle ergometers (8), making the results crave more testing.

Want to understand how long creatine takes to work? Read our full article covering this question.

3. It Helps Preserve Muscle Mass

Creatine is not only good at building muscle mass but also at preserving it. Preserving muscle mass means your body is excelling at using fat and carbs as the primary energy source, which keeps your muscles fed with protein. This is particularly important during a cutting phase where muscle loss is expected.

Short-term oral creatine supplementation has been found to minimize the loss in muscle mass and strength after a period of upper limb immobilization (9) which is promising for those who are coming off an injury or rehab process.

Creatine has also shown promising results in age-related sarcopenia, which is the natural and progressive loss of skeletal muscle and strength (10). Although resistance training is the cornerstone of the treatment, creatine has been demonstrated to facilitate the anabolic effects of weight training.

4. Improves Recovery Time

One crucial aspect of increased strength and performance is the quality of your recovery. In this respect, creatine has been shown to positively influence recovery following bouts of intense and intermittent activity, as much as sustaining performance across multiple episodes of exercise (1).

On top of that, creatine may also reduce the post-exercise inflammatory response, which helps the body feel more rested after intense training bouts. Not only the body feels rested, but there has been a subsequent improvement in physical performance.

Taking creatine while cutting is vital because it’ll help your muscles (which are experiencing a calorie deficit) attenuate the strain of intense workouts.

Here’s a video of Jeremy Either, explaining the best ways to use creatine for muscle growth:

Concerns About Taking Creatine While Cutting

Although creatine is beneficial for many reasons and to a wide range of the population, there are still some concerns regarding cutting. Some people claim that it leads to water retention, while others have noticed weight gain. So, can you take creatine while cutting?

Let’s dig into each claim and clear any concerns about taking creatine while cutting.

1. Water Retention

Water retention is one of the most common concerns regarding creatine consumption and cutting fat. According to the evidence, creatine does increase water retention (intracellular) over the short term (20gr during six days). Still, it doesn’t alter total body water (intra or extracellular) over extended periods (11).

Multiple studies have proved this over the years. For example, according to Jagim et al., resistance-trained males who consumed creatine at 20g/day for seven days, followed by 5g/day for 21 days, had no significant increase in intra, extra, or total body water (12).

Another study by Andre and colleagues (13) had resistance-trained males consuming 20gr/day for seven days followed by 5g/day for four weeks with no significant change in total body water.

Simply put, creatine does increase water retention but only at an intracellular level and for a short term (3-5 days) with no significant consequence on your total body weight.

Here’s Layne Norton, Ph.D., explaining in detail the myth of water retention in creatine and more.

2. Possible Weight Gain

Creatine and losing weight are two topics often mixed in the same conversations. But how does creatine help you lose weight?

Some studies have shown a slight weight gain during the loading phase (20-25gr/5-7 days) of creatine supplementation. After only one week, a 1.4kg weight gain has been demonstrated (14), while another research combined creatine and resistance training, showing a 6.3% increase in body weight and fat-free mass after a 12-week protocol (15)

It is essential to highlight that these results have been found in individuals with low levels of intramuscular creatine (i.e., vegetarians) consuming high doses (20+ grams/ 5-7 days). There’s no evidence suggesting a significant weight gain in trained individuals with a regular dosage (3-5g/day).

So, if you’re not taking creatine while cutting because of the fear of gaining weight, I’d recommend keeping the dosage at a daily maintenance level (3-5g/day) and monitoring your weight weekly. That should give you enough room to wiggle and adjust if you see the scale going up.

Also, disciplines like powerlifting require special attention to weight, especially as they get closer. If you want to dial your nutrition during that period, take a look at these two articles:

• What To Eat During a Powerlifting Meet
• Female Powerlifting Diet

3. Interference with Fat Loss

Currently, no scientific evidence suggests that creatine supplementation interferes with fat loss. On the contrary, loading phases and maintenance doses have increased fat-free mass during 12-week protocols in trained individuals (15).

Creatine has no direct effect on fat metabolism, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take it while looking to cut and get shredded!

Now that we’ve covered the factors to consider when answering, should I take creatine while cutting? Let’s dive into how you can do it.

How to Take Creatine During Cutting

Many people ask me, “should I take creatine while trying to lose weight?” And my answer is always yes. There are two known ways of supplementing with creatine:

• Loading phase
• Maintenance

Both have pros and cons for each individual, so let’s guide you through them.

1. Dosage Recommendations

If your main interest is losing body fat, I suggest you stay at a maintenance dosage to avoid acute water retention and weight gain (which go away after 2-3 weeks).

During a daily maintenance dosage, consume 3-5 grams daily until cessation. The evidence suggests that creatine levels in your muscles will be complete after 28 days with the same benefits (strength increases, enhanced muscle performance, and recovery).

This way, you won’t be exposed to the risk of gaining unnecessary weight or retaining water, which is even more critical if you’re close to competing.

A loading phase can also work if you’re not in a hurry and not interested in competing. After 5-7 days of consuming 20-25 grams daily, your muscles will be fueled with enough creatine to get you through your workouts. However, expect slight weight gain and water retention within the first days, although they’ll go back to baseline after 2-3 weeks.

Source

2. Timing of Dosage

When it comes to enjoying the benefits of creatine supplementation, timing is the less critical factor. The reason is that creatine effects are better in the long term than short.

There isn’t a wrong time to take your creatine dose, but if you have to pick a time, it appears that consuming creatine immediately post-workout is superior to pre-workout concerning body composition and strength (16)

And if you’re not working out one day, you can take it any time!

In this article, we cover how to take creatine on your rest days. Make sure to give it a look!

3. Best Forms of Creatine

Creatine can be consumed as a powder (easy to mix and drink) or as a pill (easy to swallow with water or any beverage). Creatine monohydrate (power or pill) is the most researched and cheapest form of creatine. However, the fitness market has many options, such as:

• Creatine citrate
• Creatine ethyl ester
• Alkaline creatine
• Creatine nitrate

Even though there are more, these are the main alternatives that have claimed a lower degradation or greater intramuscular retention, with little evidence to support it (16).

So, I’d suggest you stick with what it’s known to be effective (creatine monohydrate). Make sure you also drink enough water when taking creatine.

Tips for Best Performance of Creatine While Cutting

If you want to take full advantage of creatine while cutting, aim for the maintenance dosage of 5gr/day and take it as a post-workout.

This will give you all creatine’s benefits while keeping the possible side effects (water retention and weight gain) of a loading phase (20gr/5-7 days) to a minimum. When doing the maintenance dosage, side effects are virtually non-existent.

Another tip from two scientists is mixing creatine with a protein and carbohydrate beverage and taking it pre- and post-workout to increase lean body mass, muscle fiber size, and muscular strength (17).

And if you’re currently prepping for a powerlifting meet, I’d recommend giving this article a quick look to guide you through a water cut and kill it!

Should I Take Creatine While Cutting? FAQ

I'll also answer a few common questions about using creatine when you cut weight. And there's a video associated with the same topic.

Can Creatine Help Me Lose Weight?

Yes, creatine can help you lose weight and fat. Supplementing with creatine will increase your training volume and intensity (more sets with heavier weights) while helping you recover faster. This combination will push your body to burn more calories per session, making losing weight easier.

Final Thoughts

Now you know the answer to the question: Should I take creatine while cutting?

According to scientific research, creatine’s benefits outweigh the concerns by a landslide. Supplementing with 5g/day has been demonstrated to help you with the following:

• Increasing strength and power output
• Enhancing recovery
• Preserving muscle mass
• Building muscle mass

All this while keeping water retention and weight gain to an insignificant minimum. It is also important to highlight that there’s no evidence linking creatine with fat progress or fat-loss impediments, for that matter.

So, if you’re looking to lose weight and cut fat, creatine should be considered an ally instead of an enemy. And if you’re interested in starting a loading phase (which you don’t have to), be aware of how your body feels and looks weekly so you’re ready to make any adjustments if needed.

About The Author

Mauro Castillo is a General Medicine doctor with a master's degree in Sports Training and Business. He's been working in the fitness industry for the last seven years. He practiced CrossFit for 4 years before owning his own CrossFit and personal training gym. He's currently working at a sports facility, helping athletes become better mentally and physically. You can connect with Mauro on LinkedIn, IG, or X.

References:

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2. Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
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