Acute Creatine Ingestion Before Resistance Training Enhances Strength Performance More than Ingestion During or After Training: A Randomized Crossover Pilot Trial

Background/Objectives: Although creatine (Cr) supplementation is well established for enhancing strength exercise adaptations, limited evidence exists regarding whether the timing of a single Cr dose relative to exercise acutely influences performance and related physiological and perceptual responses. This study examined whether the timing of a single dose of Cr ingestion relative to a strength exercise session influences acute strength and power performance, cognitive function, perceptual responses, and selected blood biomarkers in physically active men. Methods: In a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover design, 11 physically active men (26.09 ± 4.39 years) completed five experimental conditions: Cr ingested before exercise (CrB), during exercise (CrD), and after exercise (CrF), placebo (PL), and a no-supplement control. Participants ingested 0.1 g·kg-1 body mass of monohydrate Cr or placebo. Each condition included a standardized strength training session, where bench press (BP) and back squat (BSQ) performance was assessed as the total external load lifted (kg) across six sets performed at 80% of 1-RM for each exercise. Countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, Profile of Mood States (POMS), cognitive performance (digit cancelation test), perceived exertion (RPE), perceived recovery scale (PRS), Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), and blood markers of muscle damage and renal function were assessed after the resistance training session. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA or non-parametric equivalents, with post hoc comparisons adjusted for multiple testing. Results: There was a significant main effect of condition for both BP (F = 4.91, ηp2 = 0.33, p = 0.035) and BSQ performance (F = 33.22, ηp2 = 0.77, p p 2 (4) = 12.22, p = 0.016) and creatinine concentrations (χ2 (4) = 17.75, p = 0.001). Blood creatine kinase concentrations were greater under CrF conditions than control (p = 0.013) and PL (p = 0.041). Moreover, creatinine concentration was lower under the CrB condition compared to CrD (p = 0.033), CrF (p = 0.003), and the control (p = 0.021). No differences were observed for CMJ performance, cognitive performance, POMS, RPE, PRS, DOMS, or the remaining biochemical markers across treatments. Conclusions: Pre-exercise creatine ingestion (without loading phase) was associated with greater acute strength performance compared with other timing conditions. However, the findings are exploratory and have to be confirmed with a higher sample size and robust placebo/control structures.