Creatine for Strength

“Very small effect on strength, in that you'll have a bit more gas in the tank for the last rep or two of a hard set. No effect on recovery. It's not a steroid. Don't expect steroid-like results. That said, stuff is dirt cheap to buy in bulk and doesn't have a bunch of side effects, so there's not a lot of reason not to get that 2-3% boost. It adds up over time if you're taking lifting seriously.”

“I saw no improvements because it is a daily supplement that takes a long time to reach saturation levels. I can't tell the difference it makes, but the studies on it are quite thorough so I know it does something. The way it helps is it increases muscle endurance in I something like the 3-8 rep range (if someone knows exact number feel free to correct). That means if you would normally have barely failed on your 4th rep, you might get manage 5 reps with creatine. 5 successful reps hits the muscle better than 3 and a failed 4th, leading to additional stimulus and growth.”

“Yeah I’ve definitely noticed a difference. I’ve run out of it a few times when I was very broke and couldn’t budget for it for a few weeks/month, and my conditioning dropped. I just couldn’t do the same # of reps and got tired more quickly across sets. It happened once on a cut and was an even bigger impact. If you’ve never tried it before, you’re in for a treat. It does make a small difference, but that multiplied over a year or your lifting career is a big difference. It *will* help you build more mass bc you’ll be able to lift harder, and that boost will only compound over time.”