The 60-Day Creatine Experiment

What really happened when I took 20 grams a day

You know the standard creatine dose: 5 grams a day.
I’ve taken that for years. Very consistently. Very boring.

So naturally I wondered:

What if I crank that up fourfold for 60 days?
What if I take 20 grams a day and see what happens to my body, brain and performance?

Not scientific. Not controlled.
Just honest curiosity, daily logging, and a willingness to accept whatever this white powder does to me.

Along with this blogpost I’m sharing before and after photos. Same light, same posture. Subtle changes, but real ones. They help tell the story.

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The Early Days: 20 Grams in One Go (aka: Terrible Decisions 101)

I started strong:
20 grams at once.

Within 30 minutes I felt like my stomach tried to resign from my body.

Not painful, just… chaos.
Nausea, slowness, a bit of a “why am I doing this to myself?” vibe.

And yet, weird contrast, multiple people told me I looked fresh, glowing, even “shiny.” My eczema around the eyes calmed down. My brother, on the other hand, thought I looked pale. So we’re off to a very objective start.

The gym?
Even in those first messy days I already sensed more push. Could be placebo. Could be the creatine. Could be the power of commitment. Hard to tell.

But the seed was planted.

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The Switch: Splitting the Dose and Suddenly Feeling Like a Machine

After a few days of nausea I did the smart thing:
10 grams in the morning, 10 grams in the evening.

Instantly:

• No stomach issues
• Energy felt steadier
• Training sessions became interesting

Not “Superman interesting”, but the kind where you suddenly hit reps you weren’t expecting, mid-set you think:
Huh… that feels easier than last week.

My muscles felt fuller, tighter and pumped even when resting.
Especially in the first three weeks. That “fullness” later faded even though the actual strength kept going up.

My skin also looked better. No idea why.
Creatine isn’t a skincare product, but apparently my body missed the memo.

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Training With Rocket Fuel (No, Not Literally)

Here’s what stood out in the gym. And remember, I’ll keep the cold hard numbers for later.

• Walking lunges skyrocketed
• Pull-ups multiplied
• Deadlift climbed fast early on
• Between-set recovery became freakishly quick
• Progressive overload steps were larger than usual

One of the strangest experiences was that feeling of recovering almost fully within 20–30 seconds. I’d go close to failure, stand there, and suddenly feel ready to go again. That has never happened to me this strongly on 5 grams per day.

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The Cognitive Side (A Subtle One)

Creatine is often praised for mental benefits, especially when sleep is bad.

My verdict:

• A little extra sharpness
• A bit more productivity
• Slightly better energy during sleep-deprived days

But nothing dramatic.
Not “my brain is a Ferrari now.”
More like: “my brain is a slightly better Toyota.”

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Sleep, Libido, Skin, and All the Fun Extras

• Sleep: only influenced by my habits, not the creatine
• Libido: high on weekends, low on busy weekdays (so… life as usual)
• Skin: genuinely better, less eczema, more glow
• Mood: stable
• Digestion: totally fine once I split the dose

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The Annoying Twist: The Osteopath Plot Point

Halfway through the experiment my old hamstring/back issue returned.
I visited an osteopath, who fixed it, but told me to skip all heavy lifting for two full weeks.

Great for my body.
Terrible for this experiment.

Some of my final strength numbers dipped because of that break.
But the peak performances before the rest period are the ones that count.

I still extended the experiment with a few extra weigh-ins at the end so the body-comp data stayed fair.

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So… Was It Worth It?

Yes, 100%.
This experiment taught me a lot about my body, my recovery, my training and my mental energy.

The highlights:

• Training felt noticeably stronger
• Recovery was on another level
• Muscle mass went up
• Skin improved
• No major downsides once I split the dose

The before/after photos are honestly a bit underwhelming.
The after photo was taken after more than two weeks without lifting, so I look flatter rather than bigger.
No pump, no glycogen, no cinematic transformation. Just reality.

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Will I Keep Going Above 5 Grams?

Yes, but not 20.

My sweet spot will probably be somewhere around 8–12 grams per day.
Still higher than standard, but without the intense nausea and early-day stomach drama.

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DATA SECTION (Short, Clear and to the Point)

(Everything above was experience. Everything below is measured.)

Body Composition

Start → End (best readings)

• Body weight: 82.0 kg → 84.3 kg (peak 85)
• Muscle mass: 68.4 kg → 69.5 kg (peak 70.15)
• Body fat: 12.3% → ~13.2%
• Muscle quality score: 81 → 84

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Strength Benchmarks

• Pull-ups:
  • Start: 8 bodyweight
  • End: 9 reps with +10 kg
• Walking lunges:
  • Start: ~18 kg dumbbells for 12 reps
  • End: 26 kg dumbbells for 12 reps
• Deadlift:
  • Start: 6×160 kg
  • Peak: 8×160 kg
  • Last measurement (after back-off): 4×155 kg

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Additional Notes

• Before/after photos show visible (but realistic) improvements
• Most strength jumps happened in the first 3 weeks
• Faster between-set recovery was one of the strongest subjective effects