No, you won't lose the actual muscle mass you've built, but you will likely lose some water weight, leading to smaller-looking muscles and potentially a slight dip in performance during intense workouts as your body adjusts. The gains from creatine come from enhanced training, not the supplement itself, so maintaining your consistent lifting and diet is key to preserving that muscle, though you'll have less energy for those extra reps.
Are creatine gains permanent? If you continue to take creatine, exercise and eat the best foods to fuel your workout, you should be able to maintain the strength you gain from taking creatine.
The study found stopping creatine had no effect on the rate of strength, endurance, and loss of lean tissue mass with 12 weeks of reduced-volume training. Gallagher argues that there's also no good reason to stop taking creatine or cycle on and off.
To answer your question: Yes, you can absolutely gain muscle without creatine. Creatine is a popular supplement because it can help improve performance, strength, and recovery, but it's not essential for muscle growth.
Creatine is water soluble, it is filtered through the kidneys. Unless you have kidney function issues, creatine can be used long-term without issue.
While taking creatine might not help all athletes, evidence suggests that it generally won't hurt if taken as directed. Although an older case study suggested that creatine might worsen kidney dysfunction in people with kidney disorders, creatine doesn't appear to affect kidney function in healthy people.
Gaining 10 pounds on creatine is common and usually due to water retention in muscles and increased muscle mass, not fat; creatine pulls water into your cells, causing temporary fullness, while also boosting performance for real muscle growth. This initial weight gain (often 3-8 lbs) is normal, doesn't mean fat gain, and typically stabilizes, though the increased muscle and water contribute to the number on the scale.
You Might Lose a Few Pounds of Water Weight
“When you stop supplementing, this water is gradually lost. It's not fat loss or muscle loss, just a normal shift in water balance, which can make you feel or look a bit flatter.” This change is temporary and cosmetic, and some people may not notice a difference.
Rory McIlroy takes 20g of creatine daily (split into 10g before workouts and 10g later) to boost power, enhance performance in high-intensity bursts, improve recovery, and sharpen mental focus, translating to longer drives, faster swings, and greater consistency on the course, according to his own comments and sports science research. While 3-5g is a common maintenance dose, the higher amount helps saturate muscles, maximizing benefits for explosive movements in golf and supporting brain energy.
Top Natural Alternatives for Creatine
The maintenance phase involves taking about 5-10 grams of creatine daily for about 4-6 weeks. Finally, the last phase involves taking a break from creatine for about 2 weeks. In total, your entire creatine cycle should last about nine weeks, with the last two weeks of that cycle being rest weeks.
👉 Bottom line: Current evidence shows creatine does not cause hair loss in healthy people without genetic predisposition.
Should You Take It on Rest Days? Short answer: Yes. “Creatine should be taken every day, even on rest days, to keep muscle creatine stores high,” explained Alsing. With high muscle stores of creatine, you'll be better prepared for your next workout.
Any water gained from taking creatine is intramuscular, so it won't make you look less lean, in fact it can make your muscles look more full.
As evidence of this point, a follow-up 12-week study found that individuals who stopped creatine supplementation—after taking creatine monohydrate daily for 12 weeks—did not lose significantly more lean tissue mass or strength than those who weren't taking creatine during those 12 weeks [3].
Muscle Fullness and Increased Size
Creatine is a molecule that draws water into muscle cells, which therefore makes them look larger. In just a few weeks of supplementing with creatine, many athletes notice their muscles looking more full. This is a good sign that your muscle's creatine stores are being saturated.
Creatine has long been used by athletes and fitness fanatics looking to boost their performance. Brad Pitt is also reportedly a proponent, crediting it for his age-defying physique, while fellow A-lister Mark Wahlberg is a fan, too.
Should I adjust my water intake during creatine loading versus maintenance phases? Yes, during loading phases (20g daily), increase water intake to 4-5 liters daily. During maintenance (3-5g daily), 3.5-4.5 liters is typically sufficient for most individuals, adjusted for activity level and climate.
Professional footballers generally favor creatine monohydrate, with an intake of 3 to 5 g per day, to boost their power and sprinting abilities. They often supplement this with 6 to 10 g of BCAAs before or during the match to reduce fatigue and limit muscle breakdown.
Your muscles are 70% water, and creatine helps store more water inside the muscle. The result? You look bigger, more defined, and perform better in the gym.
While it doesn't directly burn belly fat, creatine helps you push harder in the gym, leading to more calories burned and greater overall fat loss. When combined with a well-structured diet and consistent exercise routine, creatine can be a valuable tool in achieving your fat-loss and fitness goals.
Stopping creatine supplementation is safe and can be done at any time. You may experience a slight decrease in strength, performance, and body weight, but the impact should not be significant. There is no set timeline for how long you can or should take creatine supplements.
In summary, our meta-analyses show that creatine supplementation during resistance training is effective for increasing lean tissue mass and upper and lower body strength in older adults.
Creatine bloating usually goes away after a few weeks or if you stop taking the supplement. To feel more comfortable with creatine bloating, you can reduce salt in your diet and drink more water.