What happens to your muscles when you take creatine and magnesium together?

Some fitness enthusiasts take creatine and magnesium after a workout to increase muscle gains. Small studies suggest that this combination of supplements may improve speed, power, and strength training performance.

What a Creatine-Magnesium Combo Can Do

Creatine is a compound made up of amino acids and magnesium is a mineral that supports protein synthesis. Along with training, creatine can increase muscle strength and mass, and magnesium can help with recovery and physical performance.

A 2020 study of 16 trained soccer players found that a creatine-magnesium chelate improved sprint speed and power. Another 2019 study found that taking creatine with electrolytes, including magnesium, helps increase strength and power during certain exercises. You don’t need to take them together, although electrolytes like magnesium can help the body use creatine.

“We know that creatine provides energy to muscles during high-intensity exercise and that magnesium serves as a cofactor for energy utilization processes. But there is little data showing that this combination has significant effects in diverse populations,” Alexis Nicole Brown, PharmD, clinical sports pharmacy specialist at USC Mann, told Verywell in an email.

When should you take creatine and magnesium?

If you decide to take a combined creatine and magnesium supplement, consider taking it in the morning or during your workout. Alternatively, you can drink creatine during your workout and take magnesium an hour before bed to help you sleep, said Rebecca Mergy, MS, RD, LD, a football dietitian at the University of Florida.

“The deeper and better you sleep, the more muscle mass and muscle recovery occurs. In combination, creatine can help almost during the lift, when the muscles are ready to be in the hypertrophy phase, when they are ready to grow, and magnesium comes in at night to aid recovery,” Mergy said.

How much creatine and magnesium should you take?

Some people take a large loading dose of creatine to saturate their muscle stores before taking smaller daily doses.

However, the loading dose is not always used. Magnesium varies a bit by age and gender, but 350 milligrams would be the upper limit,” Sarah Wick, RD, CSSD, LD, director of sports nutrition at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Jameson Crane Sports Medicine Institute, told Verywell in an email.

You can try getting creatine and magnesium from food sources first, but if you want to take supplements, remember that higher doses are not always better. Talk to a healthcare professional before starting to take supplements, as your age, diet, workout type, workout intensity, medications, and medical condition may change dosage recommendations.

Are there any downsides to using both supplements together?

Although many people can take them without significant risks, don’t expect results overnight.

“Magnesium and creatine may take weeks to have beneficial effects because the body must reach certain levels, which takes time, to have an increased effect on health and physical activity,” Kari Franson, PharmD, PhD, professor of clinical pharmacy and director of the sports pharmacy program at USC Mann, told Verywell in an email.

Some people may experience uncomfortable gastrointestinal side effects when taking creatine and magnesium, such as nausea and bloating.

“These can be alleviated by taking the supplements with a meal or snack, as well as decreasing the dose if gastrointestinal symptoms are bothersome, even after taking with food,” Franson said.