'My wife took creatine for 30 days, here are her honest results'
If you’ve read our guide to creatine, you’ll hopefully have a solid understanding of how it works and its benefits. It’s one of the most-researched supplements, but I'm also a big believer in the power of a personal story, which is why I decided to scout out the women who have shared their experience with creatine.
Enter Sarah Morsia, wife to fitness influencer Matt Morsia (a.k.a. the Gladiator, Legend, or @mattdoesfitness). On YouTube, Matt documented Sarah’s experience with taking 5g of creatine monohydrate daily for 30 days, and her results were, genuinely, astounding.
‘Sairs has been training on and off for a few years now and has pretty good genetics for building muscle, but has never really used supplements in her life,’ Matt explains as he introduces Sarah.
The video has since had 339k views, and it’s so compelling I’m now strongly considering implementing creatine into my routine. Here’s everything Sarah learned, and her specific results in numbers, including her squat, deadlift and bench press 1RM (One Rep Max), and her bodyweight before and after.
1.Creatine supplementation requires consistency
Speaking of Sarah’s battle with making creatine supplementation a habit, Matt said: ‘One of the biggest problems with filming this video is that Sairs is quite possibly one of the most forgetful people I’ve ever met. But after a week of reminders, she got into the routine of taking it every day and the results started to follow.’
Pretty much all existing research on creatine supplementation has seen participants taking creatine daily, so it’s hard to say what would happen otherwise. What we can tell you, though, is that a vast roster of research supports the notion that creatine aids muscle recovery, suggesting it would be wise to take creatine on both rest days and training days.
Use the code MATT to save on MyProtein's creatine monohydrate
For example, a meta-analysis in the journal Nutrients proved that ‘increases in intramuscular levels of creatine phosphate secondary to creatine supplementation increase the supply of a robust, energetic substrate that can be used to resynthesize ATP. In this capacity, creatine supplementation can help increase and maintain the delivery of ATP to working muscles, allowing for an increased ability to perform work’. ATP is, essentially, a form of energy that helps your muscles work when training, and bounce back afterwards.
The study goes on: ‘In addition, creatine supplementation may also reduce the post-exercise inflammatory response, thereby attenuating markers of muscle damage and soreness in the hours and days following bouts of exercise-induced muscle damage.’
As for the best time of day to consume creatine, there’s no right or wrong. Some studies suggest you’ll breed bigger benefits if you do so before a workout, to optimise strength and performance, while others show no difference between taking creatine before or after a sweat sesh. Sarah took her daily dose as and when she remembered, and her results are testament that you needn’t stick to a certain time bracket.
2. Creatine is best mixed with water
At the start of the video, Sarah is seen necking dry scoops of creatine. Unsurprisingly, she’s not a fan: ‘I’m amazed I’ve got this far,’ she says. ‘Why does it take like sand? Surely there’s a better way. Matt insists I take it this way.’
Matt’s not the only dry scoop stan. In January 2023, a study was published showing that nearly 17% of adolescents surveyed reported dry scooping supplements. Why? The theory goes that dry scooping (i.e., not mixing your supps with any liquid), enables faster absorption into your bloodstream, but to date, there’s no existing research corroborating such claims.
In fact, other experts advise that taking creatine in dry form could hinder proper dissolution in your stomach, which could cause digestive discomfort as your body struggles to process a concentrated dose of undiluted powder. Add H20, always.
3. Your bodyweight may go up, but it’s likely water weight
Matt reflects at the halfway point: ‘Sairs’ bodyweight had increased by over a kilo which is actually pretty normal for someone taking creatine for the first time. And although her physique didn’t seem to have changed too much, we were starting to see serious strength gains.’
Caveat: creatine is proven to increase muscle growth which will cause weight gain. But chances are, you’re also experiencing an increase in water weight.
As strength and conditioning coach Andy Vincent tells us, ‘Weight gain could be aligned with increased muscle tissue, which is one of the best reasons to take creatine. Water retention may also occur since creatine draws water into the muscles as it increases the levels of a hormone called IGF-1 to increase muscle growth.
'But this water retention is all intracellular, meaning that it occurs within your cells, and you won’t visibly notice it.’ Hence, Sarah’s weight went up, while her physique stayed the same.
Vincent adds that water weight is often a short-lived side effect as your body adjusts to the increase in creatine stores, and studies concur that long-term weight gain is unfounded in women who supplement with creatine.
Use sites such as examine.com or labdoor.com to check whether the creatine supplement you’re considering taking has been tested and cleared for consumption.
4. Your strength gains will be huge
‘We’re approaching the final part of the challenge and Sairs is absolutely on fire,’ Matt says. ‘Hitting PBs in the gym, pretty much every single day. With the final 1RM test day looming, I decided to give her a few rest days so that we could get a true reflection of her strength gains.’
Then came testing day. ‘Today is the day of reckoning,’ Matt quips.
On day one, Matt measured three metrics:
A weigh in
A physique check-in
A strength test
For the latter, he tested Sarah’s 1RM in the following three exercises:
Squat 1rm: 62.5kg
Bench press 1rm: 40kg
Deadlift 1rm: 80kg
By day 30, Sarah was able to lift a huge 57.5kg heavier (totalled across all lifts):
Squat 1rm: 80kg
Bench press 1rm: 50kg
Deadlift 1rm: 110kg
Hard to believe, we know, but watch the video and you’ll see it all there in black and white. Matt was almost as surprised as us. Speaking of Sarah’s squat results, he says: ‘This is uncharted territory. That’s a 17.5kg PB in 30 days. It would take me three years to train for that.’
Sarah’s bodyweight, meanwhile, increased from 56.6kg to 58.1kg, but as Matt affirms: ‘I think this was mainly water weight, as there weren’t any obvious changes in her physique.’
Studies show that this kind of ergogenic effect (i.e., a progress in performance) can be attributed to an increase in intramuscular stores of a molecule known as phosphocreatine (PCr). PCr is what your body needs to replenish ATP (energy) levels, so the more you have through creatine supplementation, the more intensely you can train, and the better your recovery between bouts of training.
Something to keep in mind: Sarah was training hard with the help of PT-turned-husband Matt, and research shows it’s this kind of high training stimulus that will garner greater physiological adaptations, including strength and hypertrophy (a.k.a, muscle growth).
If you want results like Sarah’s, you’ll want to ramp up the amount of resistance training you’re doing. But don’t overdo it. If you haven’t taken creatine before, try taking one dose and giving yourself a few days to see how your body reacts. Providing all is well, go get those gains.
Read now: How to practise self-compassion and become more confident
More fitness stories:
What is Pilates? 34 exercises, benefits + 15 best online classes
Weight training for beginners: Benefits, tips, lingo + workouts
20 best HIIT workouts for all levels, from 5 to 45 minutes long
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
You Might Also Like
