Creatine Timing on Resistance Training Adaptations in College Athletes

While the use of creatine monohydrate supplementation and its associated benefits are well researched and supported, the impact of the timing of when creatine is ingested is a highly nuanced topic. The potential for the timing of administration to make an impact on observed outcomes is an established and appreciated factor and limited research to date has examined the impact of creatine timing. Of the literature that has been published, one study was very short in duration (4 weeks) that possessed a study design that undermined its practicality, two other studies used older individuals, and one study utilized a unilateral training model which may not be an adequate exercise protocol to allow for the ergogenic potential of creatine to mediate any enhancement of training adaptations. Therefore, based on the limited number of studies in young and previously trained populations, future studies examining the effects of pre vs post-training creatine monohydrate supplementation on resistance training adaptations are warranted.