Powerlifting Bench Press

Effects of Varying Dosages of Oral Creatine Relative to Fat Free Body Mass on Strength and Body Composition

In a double-blind study, Noonan et al (1)  examined the effects of different dosages of creatine  monohydrate relative to lean body mass.  39 male  college football players received either 5 g of creatine  monohydrate or a placebo 4 times a day for 5 days, then  for 8 weeks players received a placebo, 100 mg/kg lean  body mass, or 300 mg/kg lean body mass of creatine  monohydrate.  They measured effects on strength,  body fat %, body mass, lean body mass, 40-yd dash, and  vertical jump.

FINDINGS:  Both groups taking  creatine had significant improvements in 1 RM bench press;   the 300 mg/kg group had significantly greater  improvements over the placebo group.  However, only  12% of the variance in bench press strength across the 3  different groups could be attributed to creatine  supplementation.  Subjects ingesting 100 mg/kg  decreased their 40 yd dash times significantly more than  the placebo, although only 10.4% of group variance could  be attributed to creatine supplementation.  No  significant differences were found between groups in  changes in body mass, lean body mass, body fat %, or  vertical jump, although the changes in body mass and lean  body mass were nearly significant in the groups ingesting  creatine.

IMPLICATIONS:  Creatine  supplementation at 300 mg/kg lean body mass can possibly  enhance bench press performance over training alone.   Creatine supplementation at 100 mg/kg lean body  mass can possibly enhance sprint performance over  training alone.  Creatine supplementation may  enhance lean body mass.  Possible benefits can be  seen at dosages as low as 100 mg/kg lean body mass, which  is much lower than what is often recommended by  commercial creatine distributors.

1.  Noonan, D., K. Berg, R.W. Latin,  J.C. Wagner, and K. Reimers.  Effects of varying  dosages of oral creatine relative to fat free body mass  on strength and body composition.   J. Strength  and Cond. Res.  12(2):104-108.  1998.