WHAT?
When we talk about supplements for endurance performance, creatine isn’t usually the first thing that comes up. It’s long been associated with gym junkies, big muscles, and explosive power. But for endurance athletes, especially those chasing consistent, high-quality training, creatine has a lot more to offer than most think.
At Endure IQ, we’re all about practical, evidence-based solutions. Creatine ticks every box: safe, well-researched, low-cost, and effective.
SO WHAT?
Why Creatine Makes Sense for Endurance Athletes
No, creatine won’t suddenly lift your FTP or drop your Ironman run pace overnight. But it will help you train more consistently, recover faster, and potentially sleep better — all of which add up to improved performance over time.
Here’s how:
Recovery: The Real Advantage for Endurance Athletes
One of the most useful effects of creatine for endurance athletes is its role in recovery. Why?
Creatine + Sleep = Recovery! A Surprising Bonus
If you’re training early in the morning, juggling work and family life, or burning the candle at both ends, sleep becomes a limiter.
Emerging research suggests creatine may support, cognitive performance during sleep deprivation (Gordjiā€‘Nejad et al. 2024) and deeper sleep and less perceived fatigue in sleep-restricted states (Dworak et al. 2017) While creatine isn’t a sleep aid, it may help buffer the consequences of suboptimal sleep — something nearly every triathlete experiences now and then.
Sleep: Still Your #1 Recovery Tool
Let’s not forget, sleep is one of the most important pillars of recovery in athletes. During deep sleep, growth hormone is released, playing a crucial role in muscle repair and adaptation (Dattilo et al., 2011). Sleep also supports the replenishment of muscle and liver glycogen, ensuring energy stores are restored for the next training session (Charest et al., 2020). On the flip side, poor sleep increases inflammation, compromises immune function, and reduces motivation — all of which can hinder performance and consistency. If creatine helps you sleep deeper, or perform better despite imperfect sleep, that’s a significant win.
What About Weight Gain?
Yes, creatine can cause a small increase in body mass — but it’s important to understand what’s actually happening. The weight gain is mostly due to water being drawn into the muscle cells, not fat or bloating. For most athletes, this increase is minimal — typically around 0.5 to 1.0 kg — and is often offset by improved training quality, recovery, and overall performance.
Tips to Minimise or Eliminate Weight Gain:
Here’s how to manage creatine supplementation if you're concerned about weight gain — especially in the lead-up to key races. These strategies were some of the excellent tips shared on the Pillar Performance Podcast, where I had the pleasure of interviewing the creatine G.O.A.T, Dr. Darren Candow:
Skip the loading phase and go straight to 5–10 g/day and be consistent.
Split the dose, e.g. 2.5 g in the morning and 2.5–5 g in the evening to reduce water shifts.
Take with Creatine with food, this improves absorption and reduces transient fluid retention.
If you're really concerned, simply stop supplementation 7–10 days before your A-race to allow any slight weight gain to settle.
Takeaways on how to Use Creatine
To summarise, here’s how to supplement with creatine effectively as an endurance athlete:
Form: Creatine monohydrate — cheap, proven, effective.
Dose: 5–10 g per day.
Timing: Pre and/or post-training(if splitting doses for example) with food is ideal, but consistency is key.
No need to load.
Split dose if preferred, and follow the suggested steps above to minimize and avoid weight gain.
#ENDUREON
References
- Buford, T. W., et al. (2007). ISSN position stand: creatine supplementation. JISSN, 4(1), 6.
- Dattilo, M., Antunes, H. K. M., Medeiros, A., Mônico Neto, M., Souza, H. S., Tufik, S., & de Mello, M. T. (2011). Sleep and muscle recovery: Endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 77(2), 220–222.
- Charest, J., & Grandner, M. A. (2020). Sleep and athletic performance: Impacts on physical performance, mental performance, injury risk and recovery, and mental health. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 15(1), 41–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsmc.2019.11.005
- Gordjiā€‘Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Kleedörfer, S., Patel, H. J., Drzezga, A., Elmenhorst, D., Binkofski, F., & Bauer, A. (2024). Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 4937.
- Dworak, M., Kim, T., McCarley, R. W., & Basheer, R. (2017). Creatine supplementation reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats. Journal of Sleep Research, 26(3), 377–385.
- Kerksick, C. M., Wilborn, C. D., Roberts, M. D., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Kleiner, S. M., Jäger, R., Collins, R., Cooke, M. B., Davis, J. K., Galvan, E., Greenwood, M., Lowery, R. P., Wildman, R., Antonio, J., & Stout, J. R. (2021). Creatine for exercise and sports performance, with recovery and clinical supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), Article 20.
- Kreider, R. B., et al. (2017). Creatine in exercise, sport, and medicine. JISSN, 14(1), 18..
- van Loon, L. J. C., Murphy, R., Oosterlaar, A. M., Cameron-Smith, D., Hargreaves, M., Wagenmakers, A. J. M., & Snow, R. J. (2004). Creatine supplementation increases glycogen storage but not GLUTā€‘4 expression in human skeletal muscle. Clinical Science, 106(1), 99–106.-
- Volek, J. S., et al. (1997). Creatine and resistance performance. J Am Diet Assoc, 97(7), 765–770.
Take charge of your performance with proven training programs and workouts, adjustable to your needs, in the Endure IQ Training Squad.
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Take charge of your performance with proven training programs and workouts, adjustable to your needs, in the Endure IQ Training Squad.
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