Research
Energy balance
Creatine monohydrate (3–5 g/day) increases muscle thickness and cross-sectional area in resistance training interventions lasting 8–12 weeks or more, primarily by enabling higher training volume and quality rather than direct anabolic signaling.
Take 3-5g of creatine monohydrate daily. It won't magically build muscle overnight, but it will help you lift more volume over 8-12 weeks, which leads to actual muscle growth. Don't expect results in the first few weeks.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Creatine monohydrate (3–5 g·day−1, with or without loading) produced measurable increases in muscle thickness or cross-sectional area in interventions lasting ≥8–12 weeks, mediated by enhanced training volume and quality.
Why this rating
Based on narrative synthesis of trials using morphology-direct endpoints.
Source
Nutritional Supplements for Muscle Hypertrophy: Mechanisms and Morphology—Focused Evidence
Andreea Maria Mănescu et al. · Nutrients · 2025
DOI 10.3390/nu17223603
narrative_review
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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