Creatine vs. Pre-Workout: Key Differences and Benefits

Creatine is made in our bodies and found in red meat, poultry, and seafood. It helps produce energy during short, intense activities. Pre-workout supplements mix ingredients, like caffeine and creatine, to boost short-term performance. It’s important to check the ingredients before using them, as they may sometimes contain harmful or even banned ingredients.

Both creatine and pre-workout supplements are commonly used. Pre-workout supplements can sometimes also contain creatine, along with other ingredients. There are differences in their best uses, efficiency, safety, and the advantages and disadvantages they offer.

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements for improving sports performance and recovery. It may also increase muscle strength and mass.

You can take creatine at any time of the day, before or after a workout, with or without food. Taking creatine with foods that contain carbohydrates, a main source of energy in the body, or mixing it with carbs and protein may help your body store more creatine. This could benefit you because it can give you more energy overall.

Creatine is generally used for at least four weeks and can be used safely long-term. The most common way people use creatine is by taking three to five grams daily for four weeks to build creatine storage. This method is less likely to cause any potential side effects and is usually more effective in the long run.

Some people choose to start with 20 grams of creatine for one to two weeks and then lower their dose to three to five grams a day. This is called creatine loading, which people may try to increase strength and energy faster. People taking higher doses, such as when creatine loading, may experience mild stomach discomfort.

Disadvantages of Creatine Supplements

Possible disadvantages of creatine supplements include:

• They’re not as well studied in women compared to men.
• They only work best if taken consistently over time. This may be inconvenient for people only looking for short-term or one-time energy boosts.
• They can cause gastrointestinal side effects when taken in larger doses, such as cramping, nausea, and diarrhea.

You can take pre-workout supplements either once or over longer periods. Research suggests that using a pre-workout supplement once may improve reaction time, enhance strength during heavier exercises like bench presses, and increase total reps, the number of times an exercise is repeated.

Pre-workout supplements can contain many different substances. Most ingredients in pre-workout supplements may include, but are not limited to:

• Caffeine
• Creatine
• Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)
• Nitrates
• β-alanine
• Taurine
• L-tyrosine
• L-theanine
• Beet root extract
• Niacin

Disadvantages of Pre-Workout

Disadvantages of pre-workout supplements include:

• Even if pre-workout supplements have safe and effective ingredients, the amounts might be too small to be beneficial.
• You can’t see the exact amounts of ingredients used in proprietary blend products, which have formulas brands may choose not to disclose fully. Manufacturers must still list ingredients from most to least present in the product. This offers only limited information.
• These products contain many ingredients that may interact with each other. This can either boost or reduce their effectiveness.
• One or more of the ingredients found in blends may interact with medications.
• Some ingredients may cause adverse effects. For example, niacin can cause flushing, a temporary skin reaction.
• Two pre-workout supplements can be very different from each other. They may contain different ingredients in different dosages. It is difficult to know how much of each ingredient is present in a proprietary blend. That’s why it’s challenging for researchers to compare them and draw conclusions that could be generalized. 

Banned Ingredients in Pre-Workouts

Some pre-workout supplements can contain banned substances. For example, dimethylamylamine (DMAA) was found in pre-workout supplements, which can be dangerous.

DMAA is a drug that can cause:

• Raised blood pressure
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Changes in heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
• Tightening in the chest
• Heart attacks
• Seizures

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that it’s unsafe and illegal to include DMAA in dietary supplements. Some products on the market may still contain DMAA and other unsafe stimulants or heavy metals. It’s best to choose products that have third-party testing, which makes sure the product doesn’t contain harmful ingredients and contains what is listed on the label.

Choosing between creatine and pre-workout depends on your goals. Creatine might be a better option if you’re aiming to build muscle strength and increase muscle mass. You can take it at any time of the day. However, it isn’t a good option if you only want to use it once or short term, as this can make it less effective overall.

Pre-workout supplements might be a better option if you’re looking for a supplement to improve your exercise sessions and plan to use it only when you’re exercising. If you’re sensitive to stimulants like caffeine, you may want to avoid pre-workout supplements. Pre-workouts can have up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per serving, which is the maximum amount of caffeine a person can have in a day.

It’s hard to know how various ingredients in pre-workouts will interact with creatine. If you use both, it might be better to take pre-workout and creatine separately.

Since pre-workout is intended to be taken before exercise, you can take creatine at other times of the day. Pre-workout can also contain creatine. Be sure to check the ingredients and dosages if you decide to take both.

Caffeine is found in most pre-workouts. Limited evidence suggests that caffeine may interact with creatine, so taking them together may affect creatine’s efficiency.

Creatine supplementation may cause weight gain because it causes muscles to retain water. It may also cause nausea, diarrhea, muscle stiffness and cramps, and heat intolerance. It is generally well tolerated at recommended dosages.

Pre-workout supplements are also generally well tolerated. They may affect your heart rate, blood pressure, and liver. Side effects may vary based on the pre-workout’s ingredients and their dosages.

Both creatine and pre-workout supplements can interact with medications. If you have chronic (long-term) health conditions or are using any medications, speak to your healthcare provider before taking any supplements.

Creatine and pre-workout can be used to support sports performance. Creatine is more suitable for improving muscle strength, mass, and recovery. Pre-workout, on the other hand, may help improve exercise sessions. Both may cause side effects and interact with medications.