If you’ve scrolled through social media lately, chances are high that you’ve heard at least one dietitian, doctor, or friend refer to—and perhaps rave about—creatine. Videos and studies about creatine continue to make waves, whether they’re about the benefits of creatine, who it may be right for, and if you should consume it pre- or post-exercise.

We’ll cut to the chase: Yes, creatine offers some legitimate benefits. No, it’s not just for professional athletes or folks training for fitness competitions. And as for whether to take creatine before or after a workout? Keep reading to hear what registered dietitians recommend.

What Is Creatine, Anyway?

But first, in case you missed it, creatine is a compound that’s produced naturally by our liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Creatine is also found in a handful of animal-based foods (such as salmon, chicken breast, and tuna) and is one of the most well-researched supplements on the market. 

Once we make or consume creatine, our body can store it as phosphocreatine in our muscles and brain, where it can be used as “energy for quick, high-intensity bursts of activity in our muscles,” explains board-certified sports dietitian Kelly Jones, RD. Think: jumping, sprinting, or powering through a one rep max strength exercise.

“While creatine is most commonly known to help improve performance in strength and power, recent research has also linked it to so many other potential health benefits, including cognition and memory, mental fatigue, and even symptoms of depression,” adds Rachel Gargano, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and sports nutrition specialist at Live it Up.

The body naturally makes about 1 gram per day of creatine from three amino acids—arginine, glycine, and methionine—and you’ll get another gram through your diet. However, if your goal is to boost workout performance, build strength, or notice other benefits, experts say you’d need to supplement with 3–5 grams of creatine per day—so long as you have the OK from your healthcare provider first, of course.

So with that in mind, should we tack on our extra grams of creatine before or after a workout?

Should You Have Creatine Before or After a Workout?

We know that this is an unsatisfying answer, but the jury is still out. So far, only small and fairly short studies have been performed about this topic, and many are conflicting, Gargano says.

“Evidence suggests that both pre-exercise and post-exercise creatine intake can be helpful during resistance training programs, and either timing appears to offer similar benefits in both younger and older adults,” Jones says. “Research is also lacking when it comes to evidence on creatine timing around aerobic or endurance workouts.”

Jones, Gargano, and registered dietitian nutritionist Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, agree that it’s probably less important whether you’re taking creatine before or after a workout. Rather, what does matter is that you take it regularly—and do so close to the time of your training session.

“Creatine can improve your performance in the gym by providing you with energy by replenishing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which our cells use for energy,” Largeman-Roth says. “Whether you take creatine before or after your workout, it should be consumed within 30–60 minutes of activity.”

With that important note in mind, there are a few factors to consider when deciding to have creatine before or after a workout.

Creatine Before a Workout

Through her years of helping athletes dial in their nutrition, Jones has found that most individuals are more routine with their pre-workout habits than their post-workout plans, as the latter can vary based on schedule, distractions, or time limits. “For this reason, I tend to recommend pre-workout intake of creatine to build consistency with the habit. Building the habit is most important versus stressing over the question of timing, which we don’t yet have enough data about,” Jones says.

Gargano agrees, adding that it’s an easy and seamless solution to tack on your creatine when you have your pre-workout fuel. She recommends that her clients consume carbohydrates before a training session to help fuel muscles, improve performance, and reduce the risk for bonking. Adding creatine to this snack or mini meal could help streamline your pre-workout routine.

“The carb snack or small meal you choose will determine how much time before your workout is needed for digestion and absorption,” Gargano says. “Solid, larger snacks such as oatmeal will need closer to an hour, while easy-to-digest carbs such as pretzels or toast need only about 20 minutes.”

If you do opt to take creatine before a workout, Jones suggests doing so as close as possible to the onset of activity. 

“Once creatine is absorbed into the bloodstream, it can benefit from vasodilation, or the widening of blood vessels, as well as increased blood flow to muscles,” Jones says. Both of these factors may enhance the uptake of creatine.

Creatine After a Workout

Whether you’ve conquered hills on your bike, flowed through a sweaty power yoga class, or moved through a strong dumbbell HIIT session, blood flow to muscles is elevated for about 30 minutes after exercise, according to Jones. Our blood vessels may stay nice and wide for up to 2 hours, depending on the intensity and duration of activity. All of these factors, in tandem with increased sodium-potassium pump activity, may lead to a boost in creatine uptake, she adds. But again, research is currently inconclusive. 

Still, “for all of these reasons, if you find that post-exercise ingestion of creatine is easier to maintain, consume it as close to immediately as possible, until more research shows us otherwise,” Jones says. 

If performance is your goal and you’re not yet in the habit of consuming something post-workout, now is the time to prioritize post-exercise eats, Gargano notes. Intense exercise creates microtears in our muscles, and both protein and creatine can help bolster the healing process, Largeman-Roth adds.

“Should muscle and strength be what you’re striving for, aim for 20–40 grams of protein plus a maintenance dose of creatine within an hour or so of finishing your workout,” Gargano says. “While some studies show that the ‘within the hour’ timing doesn’t matter as much as getting enough protein throughout the day, not refueling during this time is a lost opportunity.”

Should You Have Creatine on Rest Days?

As crucial as rest and recovery days are for our bodies, you need not take a respite from your creatine routine. Besides being a boon for our muscles and bones, creatine appears to deliver brain health benefits too, and those cells certainly don’t take a day off.

“It’s key to keep taking creatine every day, even when you’re not working out,” Gargano confirms.

As far as timing goes on your rest days, you can be more laid back about it. There’s no need to stick to any set timeframe.

“That being said, to help build habits, it may be best to link your creatine intake to a daily habit that you also happen to engage in before or after your workout,” Jones says. “For example, if you always work out after your morning cup of coffee or tea, and that’s something you’d drink regardless of it being a workout day or rest day, you may want to add your creatine to this occasion. Similarly, if you tend to have dinner following your after-work exercise, add creatine each evening instead.”

No need to lose sleep about it if you can’t find any creatine foods on the menu or if you forget to pack your creatine supplements for your annual vacation, Jones adds: “If you miss a day, you’re still enhancing your creatine stores overall when you get back to it.”

The Takeaway

Feel free to take creatine before or after workout. The current scientific evidence suggests that either timing will result in similar body and brain benefits. 

The dietitians we spoke to agree that athletes and non-athletes alike will benefit from consuming creatine any time and recommend a dose of 3–5 grams per day to supplement the creatine our body naturally produces.

Keep in mind that you can score small doses of creatine from foods like herring, beef, salmon, chicken breast, or tuna. If your dietitian or doctor gives you the thumbs-up to take a creatine supplement, look for one that is listed in the NSF Certified for Sport® directory, which means that it’s been tested by an outside party and actually contains what it says on the label (and nothing else).

As with any new wellness-supporting practices, habits like this can take some time to solidify, Jones says. Try “habit stacking” your creatine consumption on top of an activity you already engage in to help make it stick.