If you’ve spent any time in the fitness industry or social media, you’ve heard about creatine. You’ve probably also heard a mix of confidence, confusion, and concern around it. In more recent years, it seems that the general population is beginning to listen to murmurs about Creatine being a "wonder molecule".
At FitFam, we’ve been selling creatine for over six years, to hundreds of customers ranging from first-time gym-goers to competitive athletes. We've seen every shift in the industry, from creatine's introduction to the market, it's widespread effect on fitness culture and more recently, the fallout from some atrocious discoveries about alleged product fraud.
Our focus is and has always been the people. We aim to help any and every person who seeks our guidance in the supplement space. Over time, we’ve noticed something interesting: the same questions regarding creatine come up again and again.
Will I gain weight? Is it bad for my kidneys? Do I need to train hard for it to work? Why does everyone have a different opinion on it?
This article exists to answer those questions properly. Not from hype, or fear, but from our combined years of experience, and backed by actual research from deep within the industry.
Whether you're young and curious, a concerned parent or a dedicated fitness-doer, our goal is to give you everything you need to make an informed choice about the supplements you're taking.
What is creatine and where does it come from?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from amino acids. Your body produces it endogenously, mainly in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Around 95% of your creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, with a small amount found in the brain and other tissues.
You also get creatine through food, primarily red meat and seafood, with smaller amounts from some legumes. The catch is that dietary intake alone provides far less creatine than what’s typically used for performance or health benefits.
This is why supplementation exists: to raise creatine stores to levels that food alone usually can’t.
What does creatine actually do inside the muscle?
Once consumed, creatine is stored in your muscles as phosphocreatine (PCr).
Phosphocreatine plays a key role in energy production during short, high-intensity efforts; Things like lifting weights, sprinting, or repeated bursts of power. These efforts rely on ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which depletes very quickly.
Creatine helps regenerate ATP faster, allowing your muscles to keep producing force. In real-world terms, this often shows up as:
- An extra rep on heavy sets
- Slightly heavier weights at the same effort
- Better repeat performance across a workout
This is why creatine consistently benefits strength and power-based athletes. Powerlifters, weightlifters, sprinters and athletes performing intense anaerobic exercise are likely the ideal use-cases for creatine. Since it's not a steroid, naturally occurring in the body and relatively easy to study, it's why it’s one of the few supplements with genuinely strong evidence behind it.
What happens when someone starts taking creatine?
Creatine doesn’t act like a stimulant, so you wont gain any acute performance increases or subjective feelings of energy from 1 or 2 doses. It works quietly in the background by increasing muscle creatine stores over time. Depending on dosing, noticeable effects usually appear within 2–4 weeks.
Even after 2-4 weeks, most people don’t suddenly feel “amped.” Instead, they notice:
- Less drop-off on hard sets (able to train harder for longer)
- Slightly better endurance late in sessions, especially with tasks demanding high muscular endurance
- Improved training consistency due to multiple factors of improved performance and wellbeing
Why do some people gain weight on creatine?
This is one of the most common concerns we hear, and one of the most misunderstood.
The weight gain associated with creatine is almost always due to intracellular water retention, meaning water is stored inside muscle cells, not outside them.
This matters because:
- It’s not fat gain
- It doesn’t cause bloating in the traditional sense
- It often improves muscle fullness and performance
Some people may see the scale increase by several kilos over 4–6 weeks. That can be uncomfortable if you’re not expecting it, but physiologically, it’s a normal and generally positive response.
Is it safe to take creatine every day long-term?
For healthy individuals, yes.
Creatine is one of the most studied supplements available. Large, long-term studies consistently show it to be safe and effective when taken at recommended doses.
More recent research has also explored benefits beyond muscle, including cognitive performance and potential neuroprotective effects. That said, context matters.
If you have existing kidney disease, impaired renal function, or other medical conditions, you should consult a healthcare professional before starting creatine. Creatine converts into creatinine, a marker used to assess kidney health, which can sometimes cause confusion in blood test results without indicating actual damage.
Can you take creatine if you don’t work out?
You can — and some emerging research suggests creatine may still offer benefits in less active or sedentary populations.
Because creatine supports ATP production at a cellular level, it may improve overall energy availability in the body. However, the most meaningful benefits still come when creatine is paired with resistance training. Creatine enhances effort, but it simply can't replace it.
What are the real downsides or side effects?
For most people, side effects are mild or nonexistent. The most common issues we hear about are digestive discomfort and a feeling of bloating.
These are usually associated with high doses or aggressive loading phases. Keeping intake around 5–10g per day, staying hydrated, and avoiding unnecessary loading protocols significantly reduces this risk.
Concerns about kidney damage largely stem from outdated information or misinterpreted blood markers. Issues are far more likely when creatine is taken in excessive amounts or combined with extreme training practices.
Does creatine cause fat gain or belly fat?
No.
Creatine does not directly increase fat mass. Any perceived changes in appearance are almost always due to water being stored inside muscle cells. In fact, by helping people train harder and maintain strength, creatine often indirectly supports better body composition over time.
Should you stop creatine when trying to lose fat?
Generally, no.
Many athletes continue using creatine during dieting phases specifically to preserve strength and performance as calories drop. While the scale may fluctuate slightly, this does not interfere with fat loss, as weight does NOT necessarily correlate with actual fat lost (or gained).
Fat loss is an energy dependant system. As you've likely heard, calories in vs calories out (CICO) is the foundational principle of fat loss, supported by some pretty robust thermodynamic physics. While we speculate that creatine may have an indirect effect on the calories out portion of this equation by helping users increase lean muscle mass, the presence of creatine supplementation does not seem to have a meaningful impact on fat loss or fat gain.
We'll cover this in another article soon, but breaking the laws of thermodynamics would earn you a Nobel prize and we're yet to meet someone who's done it.
Why do some doctors still warn against creatine?
In many cases, this comes down to outdated education or conservative advice.
Creatine was once less well understood, and older concerns have persisted despite newer, higher-quality research demonstrating its safety in healthy populations. As more data continues to emerge, professional consensus has become increasingly supportive.
Creatine may not be appropriate for individuals with:
- Existing kidney or liver disease
- A history of renal failure
- Significant unmanaged health conditions
When in doubt, speak with your doctor before supplementing.
Final thoughts
After years of conversations with customers, athletes, and everyday gym-goers, one thing is clear: creatine isn’t dangerous, and it isn’t magic.
It’s a simple, well-researched tool that helps people train better, recover more effectively, and get more out of their effort over time. It's also one of the most cost effective supplements out there, and has a wide range of benefits for many different population types.
When used properly, it’s one of the safest supplements available with a very high number of benefits.
If, after reading this, creatine sounds like something that could support your training or overall performance, it’s worth choosing a product that’s simple, transparent, and well-sourced. At FitFam, we stock a small, carefully selected range of creatine products that we’ve sold and stood behind for years. This includes:
- Creatine Monohydrate, the most researched and widely supported form of creatine
- Creatine HCL, a lower-dose option that some people find easier to digest
We don’t believe in overcomplicating supplements or pushing products that don’t serve a clear purpose. Whether you’re new to creatine or have used it before, our goal is simply to help you choose an option that fits your training, tolerance, and preferences.
If you have questions or aren’t sure which form is right for you, feel free to reach out or ask in store. We’re always happy to help.
