Gym-goer who took 'super dose' of creatine reveals shocking impact it had on him

There's lots of noise around various gym supplements and powders, and often it can be hard to tell which one we should and shouldn't take.

Creatine is one of the most widely used supplements among gym-goers and athletes. Naturally occurring in muscle cells, it helps generate energy during short bursts of intense activity such as sprinting, weightlifting, or HIIT workouts. While the recommended daily amount sits between three to five grams, there are people who push it to more.

For one man, who experimented with a ‘super dose’ of creatine, he's revealed the surprising physical and mental effects it had on him. Men's Health fitness writer Ryan Dabbs decided to push the limits by consuming 25 grams a day for 28 days.

What followed was a mix of enhanced gym performance, quicker recovery, boosted motivation, and some unexpected drawbacks.

A super dose of creatine has had both good and bad benefits (Rmcarvalho/Getty Images)

Physical changes

Dabbs initially noticed a rapid improvement in his workouts, which he admitted could have been partly down to the placebo effect. Even so, he described feeling stronger and more capable in the gym, particularly when it came to regaining his pre-holiday training intensity.

“The dreaded DOMS also had less of an impact, with recovery becoming a whole lot easier,” he wrote. Not only did weightlifting feel smoother, but his body also bounced back quicker from demanding runs. For instance, after one exhausting tempo session, the soreness in his thighs faded much faster than usual.

The numbers backed up his experience, as, over the four weeks, his push-ups increased from 41 to 47 and his pull-ups rose from 19 to 22, which was a 15 percent improvement in bodyweight strength in under a month.

Dabbs credited creatine with accelerating his progress, although he acknowledged similar results might have been achievable with a standard dose.

Mental shift

Interestingly, Dabbs also noticed a change in his mindset. He described feeling more motivated both inside and outside the gym, waking up earlier to train and tackling daily tasks with greater drive.

There was also a perceived boost in his mental sharpness, including small improvements in memory tested through online tools. While creatine is often linked to cognitive benefits, Dabbs said the changes weren’t dramatic but still felt worthwhile.

The negatives

Of course, consuming five times the recommended dose daily didn’t come without problems.

Dabbs revealed that he struggled with the unpleasant texture of mixing 25 grams of powder into shakes. On the very first day, he suffered a severe headache after taking the full dose in one sitting, forcing him to split it into smaller portions throughout the day.

The benefits of creatine in the gym have been widely praised (Getty Images/Oscar Wong)

He also found dehydration to be an issue, needing to drink far more water to counteract the effects.

However he added that he did avoid bloating and gastrointestinal discomfort, which are common complaints with high creatine intake.

Final thoughts

By the end of his experiment, Dabbs concluded that the super dosage was effective but unsustainable.

"From feeling stronger and better rested, to more motivated and sharper, the supplement worked its wonders for the month," he wrote. But powering through scoop after scoop each day wasn’t something he saw as practical long-term.

Instead, he suggested sticking to the recommended dose while occasionally incorporating short bursts of higher intake for a performance boost.

While creatine remains one of the safest and most studied performance enhancers, excessive use isn’t necessary for most gym-goers.

As with any supplement, experts advise seeking professional guidance before making major changes.