Research

Hormonal

Twelve weeks of creatine supplementation (6g/day) combined with heavy resistance training increases myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNA and protein expression, leading to greater gains in muscle strength, fat-free mass, and myofibrillar protein compared to resistance training alone.

If you are new to resistance training, adding 6 grams of creatine monohydrate daily to your routine can help you build more muscle and strength than training alone. You do not need a loading phase; just take 6g every day for at least 12 weeks while training hard (85-90% of your max) 3 times a week.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Long-term Cr supplementation increases muscle strength and size, possibly as a result of increased MHC synthesis.
Darryn S. Willoughby et al. · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2001

Why this rating

Double-blind, randomized controlled trial with objective molecular endpoints (mRNA/protein) and clinical outcomes (strength/FFM).

Source

Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myosin heavy chain expression

Darryn S. Willoughby et al. · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2001

DOI 10.1097/00005768-200110000-00010

rct · n=22Cited 210×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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