Can You Take Creatine Without Working Out? (Is It Safe?)

• You can take creatine without working out, although you won’t get the full benefits of creatine.
• To get the full benefits of creatine, you should take it alongside a resistance training program.
• Creatine is a safe and effective supplement that provides many benefits.

What Happens If You Take Creatine Without Working Out?

You Will Gain Water Weight

Many people gain a lot of water weight when taking creatine.

This is because creatine increases the amount of water stored in your muscle cells, giving your muscles a more ‘fuller’ appearance.

So, regardless of whether you work out or not, you’ll still experience this effect of taking creatine.

You Likely Won’t Gain Muscle

Unless you’re a genetic freak, you’re very unlikely to build muscle without working out.

Even if you take mass gainer.

Why?

Well, to build muscle, you need to give your muscles a reason to grow. And the only way to do this is to exercise your muscles to the point of fatigue.

So regardless of whether you take creatine, your muscles simply won’t grow if they’re not being exercised.

(Muscles are metabolically inefficient as they require a lot of calories. Since calories were scarce ‘back in the day’, your body will do everything it can to avoid gaining muscle.)

You May Feel More Focused

Although creatine is a supplement that’s mainly used by gym bros who are trying to gain muscle and strength, it actually offers other benefits which are unrelated to physical performance.

For example, some studies suggest that creatine can improve cognitive function.

So, if you take creatine without working out, you may find that you can focus better.

You May Pee More

Since creatine increases water weight in your muscles, it’s sensible to drink more water when taking creatine to ensure your body has enough water for normal everyday functions.

This is why creatine makes you pee more (regardless of whether you work out or not).

You Won’t Get Fat

Some people are concerned that taking creatine will make them fat.

This is nonsense though – there’s no research at all to suggest that creatine can make you fat.

Fat gain boils down to whether or not you’re in a calorie surplus.

In other words, whether you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning.

Creatine has negligible calories so it’s virtually impossible to get fat only from taking creatine.

Does Creatine Work Without Working Out?

Well, this depends on what your goals are.

If you’re wanting to gain muscle and size and strength, creatine likely won’t help if you don’t work out as you need to exercise your muscles to get bigger and stronger.

Whereas if you take creatine for other benefits, for example, improving your mental function, then creatine will work regardless of whether you work out.

Should You Take Creatine Without Working Out?

Again, the answer to this one depends on your goals.

If you only take creatine to put on muscle, it’s probably not worth taking as you likely won’t see any significant results.

Whereas if you take creatine for its other benefits, it’s a good idea to take it as these are independent of whether or not you go to gym.

When To Take Creatine Without Working Out

Most people who take creatine do so after working out as this is the optimal time to take it for muscle gain.

But if you don’t work out, then it doesn’t really matter when you take it.

I’d probably take it in the morning myself to help me focus throughout the days.

Closing Thoughts

In summary:

• You won’t gain muscle or get stronger by taking creatine without working out.
• Regardless of whether you work out or not, creatine can help improve your mental performance.
• Creatine is a tried and tested supplement that’s safe for most people, and it’s still safe to take whether you train or not.

That’s all for this article, but can you take creatine on accutane? Or what about taking creatine and mass gainer together?

Hope this has helped!

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7916590/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155510/