Pre-workout supplements you take pre-working out, and post-workout supplements you take post-working out.
But when is the right time to take creatine and protein?
Unlike acute fast-acting ergogenic aids, such as nitric oxide (N.O.) boosters and beta-alanine and caffeine, etc., etc., creatine and protein deliver their benefits gradually, meaning that you have to continually supplement them until their benefits accumulate over time.
Many athletes and exercisers believe that what primarily matters when supplementing creatine or protein is that you simply “get enough” daily, so it doesn’t really matter when you supplement either—only that you are getting enough of each on a daily basis.
Others, by default, believe the best time to supplement creatine is before exercise to enjoy any potential acute energy-boosting effects of the compound. The same people might argue that supplementing protein immediately after exercise mitigates post-workout muscle soreness and kickstarts anabolic muscle recovery and growth.
Which all makes intuitive sense …but is this really the best way to supplement creatine and protein? What does the clinical research have to say about all this?
In this guide on the “correct whey” (haha) to timing your creatine and protein supplementation, we cover all the best practices on how to take creatine and protein, as well as a breakdown on the best creatine and protein supplements to stack together.
But before diving into all of that, let’s first address the basics: what are creatine and protein and what can they do for you?
What are Creatine and Protein?
Typically, when someone is new to exercising and taking workout supplements, the first go-to supplements they buy include a pre-workout, a protein powder, and some source of creatine—whether it’s already present in the pre-workout formula or bought separately.
Newcomers are attracted to these three types of workout supplements because it’s what all the gym veterans seem to be using. And whatever the gym veterans seem to be using seems like a good place to start!
However, as with any supplement, it’s good to know exactly what you’re putting in your body, why you’re putting it in your body, and what exactly it does. While pre-workout formulas may drastically vary from one formula to another, creatine and protein refer to specific nutrients that simultaneously nourish and enhance our muscular performance.
Creatine
An organic compound highly concentrated in muscle tissue, creatine is stored and used in muscle to fuel the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy, the basic energy-carrying unit that powers muscle contractions. 1
Under heightened conditions of muscle activity, such as during exercise, the body rapidly burns through its natural creatine reserves to fuel ATP production, making creatine one of the limiting factors of exercise endurance.
In other words, once your creatine reserves deplete, muscle fatigue and exhaustion kick in, noted by a familiar “burning” sensation in your muscles associated with lactic acid accumulation.
By supplementing creatine and saturating their muscle tissues with excess ATP-fueling creatine, both aerobic and anaerobic exercisers may help enhance the intensity and duration of their workouts for a greater overall boost on one’s muscle mass and strength gains. 2 , 3
Protein
Amino acids make proteins. Proteins make muscle fibers. And muscle fibers make us …well, they make us muscly, which is what a lot of us are seeking to be when we hit the gym.
Of course, as everyone knows, simply “hitting the gym” isn’t enough to increase one’s muscle mass and strength. In addition to strength-training, we need to consume additional protein (ideally, containing a comprehensive essential amino acid profile) to fulfill our body’s heightened muscle-building demands.
Whereas creatine concentrates within muscle tissue to fuel ATP production during exercise and competition, protein comprises our muscle tissues, assisting with the post-workout repair and recovery of exercise-damaged muscles to create bigger, stronger muscle mass. 4
For the most part, this means that consuming adequate daily protein, via diet and/or supplementation, is what matters the most. However, research does suggest that the timing of protein ingestion may also matter with regard to muscle protein synthesis. 5
Creatine vs. Protein: Which is Better?
Creatine and protein are, without a doubt, two of the best natural supplements you can take to enhance your exercise performance and results. In fact, they may be the best natural supplements you can take, except for perhaps a few close runners-up (e.g., L-citrulline, beta-alanine) that are also worth considering.
Yet, while both creatine and protein assist with your muscle mass and strength gains, essentially targeting the same training benefits, their differences in structure and function make it so you don’t have to choose between the two.
Neither creatine nor protein is “better” than the other, though certainly there’s a fun conversation to be had on which is more essential to one’s workout supplement regimen. (You’ll have to have that conversation on your own time, though!)
With that in mind, if you’d like to stack both creatine and protein, there’s no reason not to—unless you have some special conditions that preclude you from supplementing either. Research has found both creatine and protein to be clinically effective at enhancing muscle mass, strength, and some measures of endurance, 6,7 with plenty of evidence to back the safety of combining the two.
Is It Safe to Stack Creatine and Protein?
Yes, it is safe to stack creatine and protein, to put it simply. Because both increase muscle mass via separate natural mechanisms, taking both at the same time may help comprehensively elevate your anabolic muscle metabolism much further than if you were just to take either creatine or protein.
Research has found that not only is the combination safe but ingesting creatine in combination with protein (and carbohydrates) may help enhance creatine retention, 8 potentially enabling you to efficiently store more of the creatine you supplement.
When Is the Best Time to Take Creatine and Protein?
In one study from 2013 focusing strictly on the effects of pre- versus post-workout creatine supplementation, a group of researchers observed that “consuming creatine immediately post-workout is superior to pre-workout vis a vis body composition and strength.” 9 Based on these findings alone, it’d seem that it’s best to take (at least) creatine immediately after working out.
However, in a separate study observing the combined effects of creatine + protein + carbohydrate supplementation, it was found that taking this stack simply closer to exercise (whether immediately before or immediately after) is superior to taking this stack long before (e.g., in the morning) or long after (e.g., in the evening) exercise in terms of increasing one’s lean body mass and 1-RM strength. 10
At the least, the best time to take creatine and protein is close to working out. However, because you're likely to take your protein shake immediately after exercise, which for many is the ideal time to supplement protein, post-workout creatine + protein may be the best way to go.
Dosage Notes
While the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight, it’s typically expected for you to consume more while strength-training, especially if you’re looking to increase your muscle mass. Yet, even so, it’s not recommended to take too much all at once, as this may disrupt the proper digestion of your protein serving.
With that in mind, here are the typical serving size amounts recommended for protein and creatine:
- 20g Protein per Serving
- 3-5g Creatine per Serving
Of course, it’s possible to distribute those dosage amounts into multiple sub-servings, to be taken at different times of the day for maximum nutrient absorption. However, if you’re looking to time your creatine and protein intake appropriately, taking 20g protein and 3-5g creatine together may work best for maximizing these supplements’ anabolic benefits.
What Are the Best Creatine and Protein Supplements?
Not all supplements that go by the name “creatine” are equal, and, likewise, not all types of “protein” are equally good for your anabolic muscle and strength gains. However, rather than take up too much space here listing through all of the different types of creatine and protein supplements, let’s just focus on the best supplement types of each:
- Creapure® pH10 Creatine Monohydrate – a pure, premium creatine monohydrate supplement pH-balanced for heightened bioavailability without the typical bloating and gastric distress side effects associated with inferior creatine forms; the purity of this creatine type also allows you to take less to achieve adequate results.
- Oryzatein® Certified Organic Brown Rice Protein – the world’s only certified organic brown rice protein clinically demonstrated to be as effective as whey for building muscle, Oryzatein® is an all-natural plant-based protein powder safe for athletes and exercisers of all dietary lifestyles.
Both clean, green, and clinically backed, Creapure® pH10 and Oryzatein® respectively deliver the maximum benefits that creatine and protein supplements have to offer.
If you’re looking to combine the two in a comprehensive post-workout supplement stack, the two best formulas that respectively carry Creapure® pH10 and Oryzatein® are Performance Lab® Post and Performance Lab® Protein. Let’s take a look at them:
Performance Lab® Post
The world’s cleanest muscle-restoring post-workout formula, Performance Lab® Post is a unique “sports drink in a capsule” post-exercise recovery stack designed to protect muscles against catabolism (breakdown) and promote robust growth and a speedier recovery. The idea here is to foster a healthy muscle metabolism that combats muscle soreness for a stronger return to action.
Powered by a combination of creatine, as Creapure® pH10, slow-releasing beta-alanine, as CarnoSyn®, pomegranate extract, as P40p™, and more, Performance Lab® Post naturally enhances post-exercise recovery without relying on any synthetics, artificial additives, or low-quality ingredients.
With pure, fast-absorbing Creapure® pH10, Post supplies the best creatine supplement for post-workout muscle replenishment and repair.
Supplement Facts: Creapure® pH10 (contains 94% Creatine Monohydrate [83% Creatine]), SR CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine, Ajipure® L-Glutamine, P40p™ Pomegranate Extract ( Punica granatum) (fruit) (40% punicosides, 50% total polyphenols), Himalayan Pink Salt, Sodium (from Himalayan Pink Salt), NutriGenesis® Potassium+
Performance Lab® Protein
Supplying the only clinically backed brown rice protein comparable to whey, Performance Lab® Protein is a clean, green upgrade over the standard whey protein affair, which, though effective at enhancing muscle and strength gains, lacks the cleanliness and effectiveness of Oryzatein®’s certified organic brown rice protein concentrate.
With leucine that absorbs 30% faster than whey leucine, Performance Lab®’s Oryzatein® brown rice protein also outperforms many other plant-based proteins that tend to come laden with neurotoxic, eco-unfriendly synthetics.
Removing all the artificial sweeteners and additives expected of the standard protein supplement, Performance Lab® Protein instead naturally flavors and naturally sweetens its formula with tasty organic cocoa, vanilla bean, cinnamon, yacon root, monk fruit, and stevia.
The result is the cleanest, most effective, and tastiest protein powder available.
Supplement Facts: Oryzatein® Certified Organic Brown Rice ( Oryza sativa) Protein Concentrate, Himalayan Pink Salt, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Manganese
Conclusion
Arguably, the two best natural performance-enhancing supplements for anabolic muscle gains and strength performance, creatine and protein should be at the top of the list of every athlete—whether aerobic or anaerobic, bodybuilder or long-distance runner.
Few workout supplements work quite as effectively or reliably as both creatine and protein, which you may stack together for a more comprehensive boost on your muscle metabolism and exercise performance.
Taken immediately after working out, Performance Lab® Post and Performance Lab® Protein deliver a timely supply of muscle-recharging creatine and muscle-building protein, as the premium Creapure® pH10 and Oryzatein®—the two best creatine and protein supplements for athletes and exercisers of all dietary lifestyles.
References
- Walsh B et al. The role of phosphorylcreatine and creatine in the regulation of mitochondrial respiration in human skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 2001 Dec 15; 537(Pt 3): 971-978.
- Wang CC et al. Effects of 4-Week Creatine Supplementation Combined with Complex Training on Muscle Damage and Sport Performance. Nutrients. 2018 Nov; 10(11): 1640.
- Kurosawa Y et al. Creatine supplementation enhances anaerobic ATP synthesis during a single 10 sec maximal handgrip exercise. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003 Feb; 244(1-2): 105-12.
- Carbone JW, Pasiakos SM. Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit. Nutrients. 2019 May; 11(5): 1136.
- Weinert DJ. Nutrition and muscle protein synthesis: a descriptive review. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2009 Aug; 53(3): 186-193.
- Mills S et al. Effects of Creatine Supplementation during Resistance Training Sessions in Physically Active Young Adults. Nutrients. 2020 Jun; 12(6): 1880.
- Pasiakos SM et al. The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2015 Jan; 45(1): 111-31.
- Steenge GR et al. Protein- and carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in humans. J Appl PHysiol (1985). 2000 Sep; 89(3): 1165-71.
- Antonio J, Ciccone V. The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Aug 6; 10: 36.
- Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov; 38(11): 1918-25.
