Creatine has been one of the most popular supplements almost since the day it was released. It’s been heavily researched and proven effective time and time again. One of the primary questions lifters ask is if they Need To Drink More Water When Using Creatine so let's find out.

The Benefits Of Creatine

Creatine is manufactured from the amino acids methionine, arginine, and glycine and stored in the muscles as creatine phosphate. It’s used by the body to rapidly restore ATP, the immediate energy source for muscle cells during high-intensity exercise. The thing about ATP is that it can take less than a second to burn the body's reserve. That's where creatine phosphate enters the picture. It’s quickly converted to ATP and will power intense workouts for 3 to 15 seconds. This conversion process depends on water. That statement alone makes it clear that proper hydration is necessary when using creatine.^(1,2)

Other Benefits

Enhanced Muscle Cell Volume

Also, creatine (monohydrate) is the original cell volumizer. That means it pulls water into the muscle cells, causing them to expand. This is commonly called water-based pumps. 

Supports Protein Synthesis

In addition, this effect has been shown to have an impact on protein synthesis. This is yet another reason to keep hydrated when using creatine. 

So we can clearly see that creatine and water are a great combination for your intense workouts.^(3,4)

So How Much Water Should I Drink?

Staying hydrated is crucial to peak in-the-gym performance. With that in mind, the average amount of water for most lifters is about a gallon a day. If you’re using a 5% pre-workout with caffeine, or drink a lot of caffeine during the day, you may want to up that intake a little. The reason is caffeine acts as a diuretic.  

What Happens When Creatine Is Added

Generally, many lifters might add several pounds of weight in their first few days of creatine use. This is primarily because of water being pulled from the bloodstream and transported to the muscles. With more water pulled into the muscles, less water is available for the rest of the body. Therefore, proper hydration is essential.

So How Much Water Should I Drink When Using Creatine?

As noted, the question among many creatine users is: how much water should they drink with creatine? No matter which 5% Nutrition creatine you’re using (Crea-TEN, Core Creatine Monohydrate, or Code Red Creatine), consider drinking an additional 8-10 cups of water per day. For maximum absorption, every serving of creatine should be taken with 12 ounces of water. If you’re loading creatine, that’s a lot of water, but it will temper off when you start your once-a-day maintenance dose. 

Recap

With the question of how much water to drink with creatine answered, here’s some tips to help you keep your water intake where it should be. First, add fruits that have a high water content to your diet. Second, don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water. Next, you might consider adding an electrolyte supplement like Hydrate Sticks to help keep you hydrated. Finally, make sure you have easy access to water during the day. Of course, 5% Nutrition has what you need to help make this happen - our 64 oz Sports Jug! It’s easy to carry with you all day, so you are never without water again!

References:

1. https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/creatine
2. https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/sports-physiology3.htm
3. Avgerinos, K. I., Spyrou, N., Bougioukas, K. I., & Kapogiannis, D. (2018). Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Experimental gerontology, 108, 166–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013
4. Cordingley, D. M., Cornish, S. M., & Candow, D. G. (2022). Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Catabolic Effects of Creatine Supplementation: A Brief Review. Nutrients, 14(3), 544. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030544