Creatine Monohydrate

Quick Facts

Form: Creatine Monohydrate

Dosage: 5000 mg

Evidence Strength: Extensively researched in relation to energy production, muscle performance, and recovery.

Time to Effect: Benefits accumulate over days to weeks of consistent daily use.

Creatine is one of the most researched nutrients for supporting muscular power and energy availability. At Spyr, we include creatine monohydrate to provide a daily foundation for strength, performance, and recovery.

Benefits

Benefit Evidence Level Typical Dosage Notes
Supports muscular power during short, high-intensity exercise and improves capacity for repeated efforts. Strong 3–5 g per day Creatine increases phosphocreatine stores in muscle, which enhances the ability to rapidly regenerate ATP. This underpins improvements in short-duration, high-intensity exercise performance.
Contributes to the regeneration of ATP, the body’s main energy currency. Strong 3–5 g per day Creatine functions as a phosphate donor in muscle cells, replenishing ATP during intense activity. This role is fundamental to its performance and recovery benefits.
Contributes to faster recovery between bouts of high-intensity activity. Strong 3–5 g per day By restoring ATP more quickly, creatine supplementation reduces the time required for muscles to recover between sets or sprints. This effect has been consistently observed in resistance and sprint training studies.
Supports increases in lean muscle mass when combined with resistance training. Strong 3–5 g per day Long-term studies show creatine supplementation enhances adaptations to resistance training. This includes increases in muscle mass, strength, and training volume compared to placebo.
Plays a role in brain energy metabolism and may help maintain mental performance under fatigue. Moderate 3–5 g per day Creatine contributes to ATP availability in the brain, which can support cognitive performance when energy demand is high. Evidence is strongest under conditions such as sleep deprivation or mental fatigue.
Evidence Level Strong
Notes Creatine increases phosphocreatine stores in muscle, which enhances the ability to rapidly regenerate ATP. This underpins improvements in short-duration, high-intensity exercise performance.
Evidence Level Strong
Notes Creatine functions as a phosphate donor in muscle cells, replenishing ATP during intense activity. This role is fundamental to its performance and recovery benefits.
Evidence Level Strong
Notes By restoring ATP more quickly, creatine supplementation reduces the time required for muscles to recover between sets or sprints. This effect has been consistently observed in resistance and sprint training studies.
Evidence Level Strong
Notes Long-term studies show creatine supplementation enhances adaptations to resistance training. This includes increases in muscle mass, strength, and training volume compared to placebo.
Evidence Level Moderate
Notes Creatine contributes to ATP availability in the brain, which can support cognitive performance when energy demand is high. Evidence is strongest under conditions such as sleep deprivation or mental fatigue.

Mechanism

Creatine is stored in muscle as phosphocreatine, where it helps regenerate ATP — the body’s main energy currency. This supports short bursts of high-intensity activity and aids recovery between efforts. Over time, consistent intake contributes to improved muscular energy availability and performance.

Forms & Timing

Spyr Rise delivers creatine each morning in the monohydrate form, the most researched and reliable type for absorption and effectiveness. Daily use ensures steady muscle creatine levels to support both training and recovery.

Safety

Consult a healthcare professional before use if you are pregnant, nursing, under 18, or have a medical condition.

Creatine is naturally present in foods such as meat and fish and is one of the most widely used sports nutrients. It is well tolerated at recommended daily intakes.

Studies

Study Title Outcome Year Design Population Dosage Duration Study Type Takeaway
Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Body Composition and Performance: A Meta-analysis Across short-duration, high-intensity tasks, creatine increased total work, number of repetitions and power versus placebo. 2003 Meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials Healthy adults engaged in resistance/sprint-type exercise Most included trials used ~20 g/day for 5–7 days (loading) followed by 2–5 g/day (maintenance). Meta-analysis High-quality synthesis shows consistent benefits for repeated high-intensity efforts — aligns with Spyr’s focus on output you can feel.
Muscle creatine loading in men ~20% increase in muscle total creatine after 6 days of supplementation, supporting faster phosphocreatine/ATP resynthesis. 1996 Controlled clinical study with graded dosing Healthy adult men (n=31) ~20 g/day for 6 days (loading); various dosing schedules compared Clinical trial Direct muscle measurements confirm creatine loading — the biochemical foundation for performance/recovery benefits.
Creatine supplementation enhances muscle force recovery after eccentrically-induced muscle damage Creatine reduced markers of damage and improved recovery of muscle function vs placebo after eccentric exercise. 2009 Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Healthy adults Loading followed by short maintenance around the damage protocol (per paper protocol) Randomized controlled trial Evidence that creatine aids recovery between hard sessions — practical for athletes stacking high-output days.
International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance Summary of RCTs shows greater gains in strength, power, and fat-free mass with creatine plus training vs training alone. 2017 Position stand (systematic narrative review of clinical trials) Athletes and trained/healthy adults across many trials Common protocols: 0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days then 3–5 g/day; or 3–5 g/day without loading. Evidence-based position stand Consensus review from a leading society underlines creatine’s reliability for strength and body-composition outcomes.
Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation on cognitive and psychomotor performance After 7-day creatine loading, sleep-deprived participants showed improvements on demanding cognitive tasks vs placebo. 2006 Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Healthy adults undergoing 24-h sleep deprivation with intermittent exercise 5 g four times daily for 7 days prior to testing Randomized controlled trial Suggests creatine supports brain energy and preserves performance when pressure and fatigue are high.
Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Body Composition and Performance: A Meta-analysis
Outcome Across short-duration, high-intensity tasks, creatine increased total work, number of repetitions and power versus placebo.
Year 2003
Design Meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials
Population Healthy adults engaged in resistance/sprint-type exercise
Dosage Duration Most included trials used ~20 g/day for 5–7 days (loading) followed by 2–5 g/day (maintenance).
Study Type Meta-analysis
Takeaway High-quality synthesis shows consistent benefits for repeated high-intensity efforts — aligns with Spyr’s focus on output you can feel.
Muscle creatine loading in men
Outcome ~20% increase in muscle total creatine after 6 days of supplementation, supporting faster phosphocreatine/ATP resynthesis.
Year 1996
Design Controlled clinical study with graded dosing
Population Healthy adult men (n=31)
Dosage Duration ~20 g/day for 6 days (loading); various dosing schedules compared
Study Type Clinical trial
Takeaway Direct muscle measurements confirm creatine loading — the biochemical foundation for performance/recovery benefits.
Creatine supplementation enhances muscle force recovery after eccentrically-induced muscle damage
Outcome Creatine reduced markers of damage and improved recovery of muscle function vs placebo after eccentric exercise.
Year 2009
Design Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Population Healthy adults
Dosage Duration Loading followed by short maintenance around the damage protocol (per paper protocol)
Study Type Randomized controlled trial
Takeaway Evidence that creatine aids recovery between hard sessions — practical for athletes stacking high-output days.
International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance
Outcome Summary of RCTs shows greater gains in strength, power, and fat-free mass with creatine plus training vs training alone.
Year 2017
Design Position stand (systematic narrative review of clinical trials)
Population Athletes and trained/healthy adults across many trials
Dosage Duration Common protocols: 0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days then 3–5 g/day; or 3–5 g/day without loading.
Study Type Evidence-based position stand
Takeaway Consensus review from a leading society underlines creatine’s reliability for strength and body-composition outcomes.
Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation on cognitive and psychomotor performance
Outcome After 7-day creatine loading, sleep-deprived participants showed improvements on demanding cognitive tasks vs placebo.
Year 2006
Design Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Population Healthy adults undergoing 24-h sleep deprivation with intermittent exercise
Dosage Duration 5 g four times daily for 7 days prior to testing
Study Type Randomized controlled trial
Takeaway Suggests creatine supports brain energy and preserves performance when pressure and fatigue are high.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Question Answer
Why include creatine in Spyr Rise? Creatine is one of the most researched performance nutrients, supporting repeated high-intensity efforts and recovery between them.
How does creatine work in the body? Creatine helps recycle ATP, the body’s primary energy molecule, to support repeated high-intensity efforts.
Do I need to load or cycle creatine? Loading and cycling are optional; a consistent daily dose of 3-5 g is sufficient to build and maintain levels.
Is creatine safe for daily use? Yes. Creatine is one of the most widely studied supplements and is recognised as safe at recommended doses. It’s also naturally present in foods like red meat and fish.
Do vegetarians or vegans benefit more from creatine? Yes. Because creatine is mainly found in animal products, vegetarians and vegans typically have lower baseline levels. Supplementation can help bring their muscle stores up to similar levels as omnivores.
Answer Creatine is one of the most researched performance nutrients, supporting repeated high-intensity efforts and recovery between them.
Answer Creatine helps recycle ATP, the body’s primary energy molecule, to support repeated high-intensity efforts.
Answer Loading and cycling are optional; a consistent daily dose of 3-5 g is sufficient to build and maintain levels.
Answer Yes. Creatine is one of the most widely studied supplements and is recognised as safe at recommended doses. It’s also naturally present in foods like red meat and fish.
Answer Yes. Because creatine is mainly found in animal products, vegetarians and vegans typically have lower baseline levels. Supplementation can help bring their muscle stores up to similar levels as omnivores.

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