The #1 Legal Supplement Fighters Overlook
Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood, underutilized, and flat out powerful supplements in the game: creatine.
If you're a fighter serious about performance, whether you're smashing through multiple sessions a day, cutting weight for a comp, or chasing that edge in reaction time, power output, or mental clarity, then creatine isn't just nice to have. It's damn essential.
This isn’t just another hype supplement. This is one of the most researched, proven, and performance backed tools available to any combat athlete. Period. And it goes way beyond just building muscle.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a compound naturally found in your muscles and brain. You get it from red meat and fish, and your body also makes it from amino acids (arginine, glycine, and methionine). But here's the thing, what your body produces isn’t enough for the demands of a fighter’s training volume.
When you supplement with creatine, you're essentially saturating your muscle and brain stores with a fuel source called phosphocreatine, which helps rapidly regenerate ATP, your body’s main energy currency during short, explosive efforts.
In other words, creatine helps you go harder, recover faster, and sustain intensity longer.
What Creatine Actually Does for Fighters
Let’s make this crystal clear. Creatine is not just for bodybuilders. Here’s how it plays out for you, a fighter:
Explosive Power & Strength
Whether you’re driving off your back leg to throw an insane punch, shooting for a takedown, or working explosive doubles on pads, those efforts live in the phosphagen energy system. Creatine powers that system.
By increasing phosphocreatine stores, creatine allows for:
- Faster ATP regeneration
- More force output per rep, per round
- Delayed muscular fatigue
Simply put, you’ll hit harder, lift heavier, and last longer at high intensities.
Faster Recovery
Between rounds, between takedowns, between circuit stations, creatine helps you bounce back way quicker. Studies have shown reduced muscle cell damage and inflammation in athletes supplementing with creatine, which can help reduce soreness and keep you training at high output across multiple daily sessions.
Brain & Neurological Function
This is the part most fighters (and coaches) still don’t know about.
Your brain uses ATP just like your muscles. And creatine helps the brain recycle ATP, especially during high-stress, cognitively demanding situations - like sparring, reacting to feints, managing nerves before a fight, or processing visual and spatial cues in real time.
Newer studies (2021–2024) have highlighted creatine’s benefits in:
Improving short-term memory and cognitive function under fatigue
Protecting against neurodegeneration
Reducing mental fatigue and improving task accuracy under stress
Imagine being able to stay super sharp in the third round while your opponent starts making mistakes. That’s not just physical conditioning, that’s neurological resilience. And creatine helps.
Misconceptions: Let’s Debunk the Bullsh*t
❌ “Creatine causes water retention.”
Yes - but intramuscular water retention, not subcutaneous bloating. That means your muscles store more water inside the muscle cell, not under your skin. This is actually a good thing for cellular hydration, nutrient delivery, and performance.
You’re not going to get “puffy” unless your nutrition is trash and your training is inconsistent.
❌ “It’ll make me too heavy for weigh-ins.”
Creatine can increase total body weight by 1-2kg during the loading or saturation phase - but that’s largely due to increased water in muscle tissue and lean mass, not fat gain. With smart planning, this is completely manageable during weight cuts (more on that below).
❌ “You need to load it.”
Nope. The old-school 20g per day loading for a week isn’t necessary. It works faster, but you’ll still saturate your stores over 2-3 weeks with a consistent 3-5g daily dose. No need to overcomplicate it.
New Research: Creatine & Concussion/Brain Health
Here’s where it gets real interesting.
Recent studies (2020–2024) have shown creatine supplementation may help protect against traumatic brain injury (TBI) and support recovery in contact sport athletes. Animal and early human trials suggest:
Lower levels of brain damage post-concussion
Improved mitochondrial function in brain cells
Reduced oxidative stress and inflammation
Faster cognitive recovery post-impact
Let that sink in for a second.
You’re in a sport where repeated impact is part of the game. If there’s a tool that helps mitigate brain trauma and support your neurological health over the long game-you’d be crazy not to use it.
How to Use Creatine as a Fighter
Here’s what I recommend to fighters across all levels:
🧪 Dosage:
Daily: 3–5g of creatine monohydrate
Type: Stick with Creatine Monohydrate (it’s the most researched and reliable)
Timing: Doesn’t matter much - just be consistent. Post-training or with a meal works best.
⏱️ When to Stop Before Making Weight:
If you’re cutting weight and water manipulation is part of the strategy:
Cut creatine 5-7 days before weigh-in to reduce total body water and help with scale weight.
Resume it post-weigh-in with carbs and electrolytes to help rehydrate, volumise muscles, and support ATP regeneration before the fight.
This strategy works. I've used it with my fighters during multiple fight camps - and the results show up not just on the scale, but in fight night performance.
Bonus Pro Tip: Stack It Smart
If you’re already on top of your nutrition and hydration, creatine becomes even more effective.
Stack with:
Sodium + Electrolytes (Wilder Hydration, LMNT, etc.) for fluid retention where you need it most
Carbs post-training to help shuttle creatine into the cells
Betaine HCl + digestive enzymes if you’re prone to bloating or digestion issues
Final Word: Why Every Fighter Should Be on Creatine
You want to:
✅ Be explosive
✅ Recover faster
✅ Think clearer under fatigue
✅ Protect your brain
✅ Maximize strength-to-weight ratio
Creatine checks all those boxes.
It’s cheap. It’s backed by decades of science. It works. And yet so many fighters skip it - either out of fear, misunderstanding, or outdated ideas about weight gain and bloating.
If you’re not taking creatine, you’re leaving performance on the table. Full stop.
And if you’re a coach? Please educate your athletes. Don’t just follow trends - follow the science, follow the data, and use what actually works.
Creatine is not just for bodybuilders.
It’s for the modern fighter who trains smart, trains hard, and wants to stay at the top of their game physically and mentally - now and for the long haul.
