Short-term creatine supplementation enhances strength, reduces fatigue, and accelerates recovery in resistance-trained athletes: a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial.

CrM supplementation significantly increased repetitions completed at 60-80% 1RM in both bench press and back squat compared to placebo.

• Statistically significant differences were observed at p ≤ 0.041 with effect sizes d = 0.72–1.6
• Ten resistance-trained male participants (age: 21.3 ± 1.9 years) were analyzed in a double-blind, randomized crossover design
• CrM dose was 0.3 g·kg-1·d-1 for three days, with the first dose consumed 2 h pre-test and subsequent doses divided into three daily doses
• Improvements were observed during both test sessions across all intensities tested (60%, 70%, and 80% of 1RM)

CrM supplementation produced higher movement velocity compared to placebo at all intensities (60–80% 1RM) for both exercises and both sessions.

• Statistically significant differences at p ≤ 0.035 with effect sizes d = 0.78–4.09, indicating small to very large effects
• Velocity improvements were observed for both bench press and back squat
• Effects were present across all three intensity levels tested and in both test sessions
• The largest effect sizes (up to d = 4.09) suggest particularly pronounced velocity benefits at certain intensities

CrM reduced cardiovascular strain compared to placebo at 60% 1RM during back squat, with a lower peak heart rate at that intensity.

• Significantly lower peak HR at 60% 1RM in CrM condition (p = 0.017, d = 1.05)
• Peak HR increased with intensity for both conditions (d = 1.1–4.28)
• CrM showed higher peak HR at 80% 1RM compared to placebo (p = 0.047, d = 0.82), suggesting athletes were able to work harder at higher intensities
• The pattern suggests CrM allowed more efficient cardiovascular responses across the intensity spectrum

CrM enhanced post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation following the first session, as measured by HRV indices RMSSD and HF power.

• RMSSD was significantly higher in the CrM condition compared to placebo (p = 0.015, d = 2.99), indicating a very large effect
• HF power was also significantly higher with CrM (p = 0.022, d = 2.76), indicating a very large effect
• These effects were observed in the 1st session specifically
• Higher RMSSD and HF power reflect greater parasympathetic nervous system reactivation after exercise, suggesting faster autonomic recovery

CMJ performance was significantly higher in the CrM condition at 24 hours post-first session and immediately before and after the second session.

• Significant differences at p ≤ 0.019 with effect sizes d = 1.10–1.93
• CMJ was assessed as a measure of lower limb neuromuscular recovery
• Improvements at 24 h post-session and pre/post second session suggest sustained recovery benefits across the supplementation period
• Squat jump (SJ) was also assessed alongside CMJ as a jump performance measure

CrM supplementation reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in both upper and lower limbs immediately before the second session.

• Significantly reduced DOMS compared to placebo (p ≤ 0.012, d = 1.15–1.04), indicating large effects
• Reductions were observed in both upper and lower limbs
• DOMS was assessed immediately before the 2nd session, approximately 48 hours after the first exercise session
• The second session was separated from the first by the continuation of the 3-day supplementation protocol with a seven-day washout between the two crossover conditions

The study used a double-blind, randomized crossover design with a seven-day washout period between conditions.

• Eleven participants were recruited but one was excluded due to incomplete data, leaving n = 10 for analysis
• Participants were resistance-trained males aged 21.3 ± 1.9 years
• CrM dose was 0.3 g·kg-1·d-1 for three days; placebo condition was used for comparison
• Each session included bench press and back squat tests at 60%, 70%, and 80% of 1RM
• Outcome measures included repetitions, velocity, power, HRV, peak HR, CMJ, SJ, and DOMS