{"id":35425,"date":"2025-07-03T13:45:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/35425\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T13:45:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:45:09","slug":"i-took-a-25g-super-dose-of-creatine-every-day-for-28-days-heres-what-changed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/35425\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I Took a 25g Super-Dose of Creatine Every Day for 28 Days \u2013 Here\u2019s What Changed’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creatine<\/a> is one of the most-heavily researched supplements out there. From improved strength<\/a> and athletic performance<\/a> to boosted cognitive function<\/a>, there are plenty of proven benefits, with common advice suggesting you need just 3-5g of creatine per day to reap the rewards. But what happens when you super-load<\/a> it over the course of 28 days? <\/p>\n

As someone who regularly takes a scoop of 5g with their protein shake<\/a> every day, I expected two, max three, scoops were needed to properly load so aggressively over the course of a month. So, I must admit, it came as a shock when I was initially told how many grams I\u2019d be consuming. 28 days later and I had been guzzling down 25g every 24 hours. It wasn\u2019t pretty at times, with the gritty texture difficult to stomach, but I just about managed to scrape my way through. <\/p>\n

Despite my shock, super-dosing creatine was certainly intriguing \u2013 how would I feel after a month? And, more narcissistically, how would I look? (Fortunately, studies debunking the substance\u2019s tendency<\/a> to accelerate male pattern baldness<\/a> allayed my fears on that particular subject years ago). Well, I put the supplement to the test to see what effects \u2013 if any \u2013 there really were. <\/p>\n

How Creatine Affected My Strength<\/p>\n

Whether placebo or not, my performance in the gym<\/a> improved almost immediately. It\u2019s not like I suddenly became Arnold<\/a> overnight, but it certainly felt as if my muscles<\/a> had a lot more oomph behind them, with the saturation helping me to push<\/a> and pull<\/a> with more force than I had experienced in the days before. Then, after a week, things really started to ramp up. <\/p>\n

Having just come off the back of a two-week holiday and an intense training block getting ready for a marathon<\/a>, training generally, but weightlifting specifically, had spent a bit of time on the back burner as I rested, recovered<\/a> and reset. I expected it to take time before returning to previous intensities, weights, and rep ranges<\/a>, but the creatine accelerated that process, bringing back lost strength after just a few sessions. The dreaded DOMS<\/a> (delayed onset muscle soreness) also had less of an impact, with recovery becoming a whole lot easier. And not just from the gym: one tempo run<\/a> had my legs feeling shot by the end, but a few hours later the deep burn of fatigue that had gripped my thighs had made itself scarce. <\/p>\n

It must be noted that, especially when it came to leg days<\/a> in the gym, I arguably didn\u2019t hit them with the right intensity at the start of the load, for fear of falling foul to the scary DOMS beast \u2013 I\u2019m just a timid man who values walking up stairs normally. <\/p>\n

What About the Brain? <\/p>\n

Not to overstate this aspect \u2013 though, as previously stated, I was coming off the back of a period of limited training \u2013 when I am feeling weaker than I like to be, my motivation<\/a> to train wanes. It then gradually returns as soon as I notice the clear improvements happening. Again, creatine managed to accelerate this process, helping improve my drive to wake up early and get to the gym. <\/p>\n

I also had a lot more motivation to do things generally. A Sunday morning around the start of the load began rather sluggishly (it couldn\u2019t have anything to do with the beers, could it?), but the creatine seemed to provide a noticeable boost in my mental capacity, helping me to think clearly and coax myself into action. Prior to this load, whenever I was hungover<\/a>, I would rot on the sofa and barely move all day; but a week in to this experiment I felt such a shift that I easily managed to touch grass, complete a food shop and meal-prep for the week. Now, that could all be placebo, but I\u2019m willing to trust the creatine. <\/p>\n

Cognitively, I didn\u2019t notice much of a difference. Sometimes I operated slightly sharper, but it\u2019s tough to conclude if that\u2019s just a day-to-day thing rather than a benefit of creatine. <\/p>\n

There Were Some Issues\u2026<\/p>\n

One thing that immediately became apparent during this process was that taking all 25g of creatine in one go was not only disgusting, but messed with how I felt. On the first day I developed a pretty debilitating headache that became difficult to get through for a few hours. I learned my lesson, though, splitting the dosage into smaller, more manageable hits so that I didn\u2019t suffer in the same way. Spreading the dosage out in five separate 5g scoops worked the best, but for ease of consumption I largely stuck to a 10g\/10g\/5g structure, which still helped with normal functionality. <\/p>\n

Dehydration<\/a> also proved a bit of an issue. Despite drinking as much, if not more, water than usual, I still found I needed to consume increasing amounts of liquid. That proved easily rectifiable, but something that I became acutely aware of across the 28 days. <\/p>\n

Bloating \u2013 What Bloating? <\/p>\n

Not to spoil things too much, but I didn\u2019t suffer from any GI (gastrointestinal issues) over the course of the super-dose. And while creatine can cause bloating<\/a> due to increased water retention in muscle cells, I can rather smugly say that I experienced no such problem \u2013 if anything, my stomach felt better.<\/p>\n

My Key Performance Indicators<\/p>\n

Three key performance indicators formed the basis of the load, helping to track and view any noticeable progress, including: max-rep push-ups<\/a>, max-rep pull-ups<\/a>, and a general memory test. In all three areas there were clear improvements, giving reason to suggest that creatine loading has been a rip-roaring success.<\/p>\n

In week one, I could manage 41 push-ups unbroken before needing a break \u2013 just a few weeks later and I had repped out 47 on the sweaty gym floor. A similar story happened on the pull-up bar: having achieved 19 in the first week, that number rose to 22 in the fourth. A 15% increase in that time frame for the difficult bodyweight exercise is staggering, but that\u2019s not to say the same results wouldn\u2019t have happened with just a regular 5g dose of creatine. <\/p>\n

My memory, notoriously average according to my girlfriend, fared better through supplementation as well. Attempting a basic memory online memory test<\/a>, whereby I had to recall which word completes a pair in a sequence previously provided, my first-week score of 20\/36 correct answers rose to 24 after four weeks. <\/p>\n

I also tracked other movements more broadly, having included them consistently in my workouts. In terms of the weights I could manage in week one to week four, my squats<\/a> increased from 80kg for 10 reps of 3 sets to 100kg for 6 reps of 3 sets; bench press<\/a> from 77.5kg for 8 reps of 3 sets to 80kg of 10 reps of 3 sets; Romanian deadlifts<\/a> from 60kg for 8 reps of 3 sets to 70kg for 8 reps of 3 sets; shoulder press<\/a> from 40kg for 10 reps of 3 sets to 45kg for 8 reps of 3 sets; and bent over rows<\/a> from 60kg of 8 reps for 3 sets to 65kg for 8 reps of 3 sets. Running faster and at lower heart rates<\/a> also became easier, through both a mixture of natural improvements and creatine aiding in recovery.<\/p>\n

Is a Creatine Super Dose Worth It?<\/p>\n

It’s fair to assume that super-dosing creatine had an overall positive benefit. From feeling stronger and better rested, to more motivated and sharper, the supplement worked its wonders for the month. Regardless, I personally believe such an aggressive load isn’t quite worth the tradeoff of having to power through scoop after scoop on a daily basis. Instead, I think intensifying the recommended 3-5g daily dose with intermittent periods of three or seven-day super dose could provide incredible benefits while being much more sustainable. But that’s just me. <\/p>\n

What Does The Science Say?<\/p>\n

Dr. Sinead Roberts<\/a>, a performance nutritionist had this to say on the subject of creatine dosing ‘Although historic research used 3g or 5g per day doses, more recent work recommends a body size dependent dose of 0.1g\/kg bodyweight per day. This appears sufficient for maximising the effects of creatine on muscle, potentially also bone, and to get at least some creatine into the brain. There are certain situations where a short-term higher dose may benefit the brain \u2013 such as after acute sleep deprivation, or traumatic brain injury \u2013 but day to day in a healthy functioning brain, it isn\u2019t yet clear whether the optimal doses is more \/ less \/ the same as for muscle. More research is needed!’<\/p>\n

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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men\u2019s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.<\/p>\n

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.<\/p>\n

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running \u2013 he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark\u2026<\/p>\n

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs<\/a> or on X @ryandabbs_<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n