Does Creatine Actually Work? We Put it to The Test

If you've spent time in the gym, you've probably heard of creatine and the myriad of incredible benefits that come with it. After a while, it starts to sound like a bottle of snake oil — increased strength! Rippling muscles! Sleep like a baby! Have more energy! Get smarter!

But what's actually true? On the bright side, creatine is one of the most heavily researched and evidence backed supplements in the world. Regardless of what's on paper, we understand if you're inclined to feel a bit skeptical. The supplement industry doesn't have a reputation for being the most reliable, after all.

That's how we came up with a genius, albeit incredibly simple, idea: What if we put Purist® Creatine Plus to the test and let the results speak for themselves?

What Is Creatine Plus?

Before we dive into the good-good about Purist® Creatine Plus, first let's understand what creatine is. Creatine is a compound that your body synthesizes from arginine, glycine, and methionine, then stores it in your skeletal muscles as phosphocreatine. Creatine can also be obtained from red meat and seafood, but you'd have to eat A TON OF IT to get the amount that supplementation provides and studies recommend.

Once your muscles are primed with creatine, which takes a loading phase that typically lasts between two and four weeks, it supports faster ATP regeneration which translates to improved short bursts of high-intensity exercise like weightlifting, jumping, and sprinting.

Benefits of Creatine:

• Improved athletic performance
• Promotes muscle growth when paired with training
• Better muscle recovery
• Enhanced cognitive performance
• Counteracts age-related muscle loss when paired with training
• Early experimental studies suggest potential anticancer effects

Drawbacks of Creatine:

If you search the web, you're sure to come across scare-based articles that warn you about the side effects of creatine — water retention, bloating, weight gain, kidney problems, and so on. However, studies have shown that creatine is typically safe for healthy individuals.

Perhaps the biggest drawback of creatine is that supplements aren't regulated by the FDA like prescription and over-the-counter drugs are. As such, if you're not buying from a brand that provides testing, you may buy a product that has additional ingredients which may be harmful or you're not getting the serving size that's promised on the label.

Creatine Plus Features

• 5 grams of Creapure® creatine monohydrate (the purest creatine on the market) per serving 
• Chromax® chromium picolinate for metabolic health
• Zero artifical ingredients
• NSF Sport Certified and third-party tested, so you know what's on the label matches what's in the container.
• Backed by Clinicians' Choice, a network of doctors and RDs
• Sustainably made and ethically sourced
• Certified Plastic Neutral packaging

The Study!

At a health and wellness company like REP Fitness and Purist® Nutrition, any fun experiment you dream up comes with a ready-made group of lab rats — erm, I mean, employees. 

Ashley Boyer, REP Fitness and Purist Nutrition Editor-In-Chief, ACE-CPT, and master's candidate in Sports Performance and Conditioning at Southern Utah University, recruited employees who had never taken creatine, gave them enough Creatine Plus to last the next few months, set clear parameters, and began tracking their metrics, mood, and lifting performance.

Boyer managed to wrangle 12 volunteers who agreed to the following:

• 1. They would religiously take Creatine Plus for 90 days, and if they missed a dose, they would note it. 
• 2. They would participate in a weekly survey that asked them about their sleep, recovery, side effects, workout, and strength. 
• 3. They would take before and after photos, and use an InBody Scan — on day 1, day 45, and day 90 — to get insights into their body fat percentage, muscle mass, weight change, and visceral fat level. 
• 4. And they wouldn't change their workout routine — if they were currently lifting 3-4 days a week, they wouldn't start loading up on extra sessions.

Day 45 Results

At the 45-day mark, participants taking Purist® Creatine Plus were already showing measurable improvements in strength, conditioning, and body composition. Across the group, performance, work capacity, and overall fitness were trending upward, suggesting that consistent training paired with supplementation was driving meaningful progress. These mid-point results set the stage for the detailed breakdown of strength, body composition, and workout performance in the sections below.

Trap Bar Deadlift 1RM Results Day 1 vs. Day 45

At 45 days in, participants demonstrated strong gains in their trap bar deadlift one-rep max (1RM), averaging a 29.9lb increase (9.6%). Participant DeRonte' W., a Customer Support Supervisor for REP Fitness, showed explosive growth, with an increase from his 1RM of 361lbs on day 1 up to 470lbs on day 45 — a 109lb (~30%) improvement. With Josh T., REP Fitness Customer Support Representative, leaping from 383lbs up to 470lbs — an 87lb (22.7%) improvement.

Body Scan Results Day 1 vs. Day 45

In just 45 days, the group gained an average of 2lbs of muscle. And across the board, whether participants lost, gained, or maintained weight, their body fat percentage dropped — with an average drop of 2% body fat. With virtually no change on the scale, this data shows strong recomposition across the board.

While group averages showed strong recomposition, standout cases like DeRonte' W. highlight the potential of pairing Creatine Plus with training — remember, he increased his deadlift 1RM by 109lbs while adding 7.9lbs of muscle, which drove his overall 8.9lb weight gain.

HIIT Workout Results Day 1 vs. Day 45

Boyer — both the brains behind the experiment and a certified personal trainer — designed a 4-minute As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) workout to test participants on Day 1, Day 45, and Day 90.

The workout: With four minutes on the clock, participants completed as many rounds as possible of the following: 5 box jumps, 10 kettlebell swings, 10 wall balls, 10 ring rows, and 5 sit-ups. Any incomplete round was recorded as additional reps (e.g., "+ reps") and added to the total score. 

Kettlebell and wall ball weights were tracked throughout to account for changes in intensity.

On average, participants completed 2 rounds + 11.5 reps (91.5 reps total) on Day 1, improving to 2 rounds + 23.3 reps (103.3 reps total) by Day 45.

Standout performances:

REP Fitness Product Manager Shaina S. recorded the largest improvement in total reps, adding 21 reps and jumping from 1+30 (70 reps total) to 2+11 (91 reps total). Lauren J., Partnerships and Affiliate Manager at REP Fitness, increased her kettlebell weight from 26lb to 35lb while still improving her performance by 12 reps — demonstrating a clear gain in both strength and endurance. 

Participant Notes

In addition to testing strength, endurance, and body composition, Boyer also had each participant keep a log via weekly entries regarding how they felt, how they slept, the workouts they tackled, and their perceived amount of soreness, performance, and recovery.

Proven Benefits

RECOVERY: 100% of participants marked noticeable improvements to sleep, reduced muscle soreness, and overall exercise recovery. "Recovery and [lower perceived] muscle soreness have been the biggest benefits for me," says Chad W. "I feel as though my recovery has been better — like after HYROX last weekend I wasn't wanting to curl up in a ball and die," says Michelle S., Corporate Legal Specialist for REP Fitness.

FOCUS: ~90% felt increased focus and clarity. "Big mental clarity/sharpness in the mornings... which has helped with not needing my glasses till much later in the day when working on the computer/staring at the screen," says CJ R. "My focus has been through the roof and as someone who hates working on something for more than an hour, I can actually sit and finish things."

BODY COMP: 92% gained at least 1lb of muscle and lost at least 1% of body fat. "Pretty cool to see a 2% body fat percentage drop and almost 3lb muscle gain in such a short time," says Easton A., REP Fitness Customer Support Representative. "It's cool, too, because it is a good example of the scale not really changing but body comp changing."

STRENGTH: 92% lifted more than Day 1, on average around 18lbs heavier (not including two participants who jumped ~100lbs in their 1 RM).

CONDITIONING: 100% of participants outperformed their Day 1 AMRAP. "Workouts have been feeling good overall," says Michelle S. "[I have] more endurance."

Anecdotal Improvements

DECREASED MUSCLE SORENESS: "DOMS is way down. I notice muscle soreness in a couple days after workouts, but not nearly as bad," says DeRonte' W.

PUMP: "For sure better pumps and improved cognitive function. I've felt less of a need for caffeine to get through long workdays," says Ryan H.

SLEEP: "Sleep has been better than before starting which is nice," says Easton A. "[I'm] sleeping more deeply."

Perceived Side Effects

Out of a total of 84 weekly responses from participants to a negative side effects poll, there were 7 reports of negative side effects including bloating, weight gain, water retention, stomach irritation, and increased soreness from workout. However, these negative side effects were no longer reported after weeks 5-6 of supplementation.

How They Supplement

5 GRAMS A DAY: 84% of participants took a 5-gram serving each day, starting on day 1. The other 16% took 10-gram servings throughout the first 45-day period.

DRY SCOOP: "I dry scoop it and take a sip of my monster," says Lauren J. "My insides probably hate me."

WITH COFFEE: "I usually blend it into cream with collagen and maple syrup before adding to my iced coffee," says REP Fitness Director of Global Customer Support Kathryn K.

WITH PROTEIN SHAKE: "I usually add it to my protein shake," says Michelle S.

WITH PURIST® HYDRATION: Two participants mixed Purist® Creatine Plus with Purist® Hydration in the morning each day — their own version of water stacking.

WITH WATER: "Every morning, blended in water," says Josh T.

WITH YOGURT: CJ R. would mix his serving with yogurt if he wasn't in a rush.

WITH HOT COCOA: Lauren J. chose to blend her daily dose mixed in with hot cocoa, blended with a smoothie, or dry scooped.

BLENDED WITH OATMEAL: CJ R. blended his scoop of Creatine Plus in his bowl of oatmeal in the morning.

*WITH DIET SODA: "Just a heads up: Don't put a scoop of creatine into a can of Diet Coke," says Kathryn K.

*We don't advise you pour your Creatine Plus into a carbonated beverage, unless you want a volcanic eruption akin to a science fair project.

Takeaway

After 45 days of consistent training and daily use of Purist® Creatine Plus, participants showed measurable improvements in strength, body composition, and conditioning. Across the group, trap bar deadlift 1RM increased, muscle mass rose, body fat decreased, and performance in high-intensity AMRAP workouts improved, demonstrating improvements in work capacity and endurance.

These mid-point results highlight the potential benefits of pairing a high-quality supplement with regular training, supporting gains in both strength and overall fitness. With another 45 days remaining in the trial, the data suggests continued supplementation and training may drive even greater results by the end of the 90-day period.

Whatever happens to our 12 brave test subjects over the next 45-days, we'll keep you posted, here on Purist.

Rosie Borchert is a NASM-CPT, former Nike Volleyball coach, and writer whose work has appeared on BarBend, Tonal, ABC, Netflix, and Amazon Studios. 

This article was reviewed by Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, for accuracy.