Welcome to my weekly summary of the latest research from the world of sports science!
These three studies cover some of the biggest myths in strength sports—from whether long-term creatine use is truly safe, to how much weight you can realistically cut without hurting performance, and if creatine supplementation has greater benefits for untrained athletes. Together, they offer practical, evidence-based guidance for getting stronger without unnecessary risk—read on.
Creatine is (Still) Safe for Long-Term Daily Use
This study followed 71 elite Brazilian female footballers who took creatine every day throughout an entire competitive season. After a short loading phase, players took 5g daily under the supervision of a dietitian. Blood tests and clinical markers showed no signs of kidney, liver, or hydration-related harm. Small mid-season changes in creatinine and other biomarkers returned to normal by season’s end. Muscle damage markers like CPK rose slightly during the most intense part of the season, likely reflecting training stress rather than the supplement. Overall, creatine was shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and showed no adverse effects, making it a smart choice for female athletes.
My thoughts: This study is excellent because it tests a real-life scenario—taking creatine daily over an entire sports season. Most studies only last 2–12 weeks, so this adds real-world value. The results are what we’d expect, but it’s still important confirmation, especially for female athletes. It makes a strong case that long-term creatine use is both safe and practical. Blonyx HMB+ Creatine is built for exactly this kind of consistent, in-season use.
How to Make Weight Without Cutting Performance
This review looked at the best evidence and safest strategies for short-term weight cuts in powerlifting, especially given the sport’s 2-hour window between weigh-in and competition. The researchers broke down weight-cutting methods into three categories: reducing gut content (e.g., low-fiber diets), manipulating glycogen (and the water bound to it), and fluid loss (via dehydration or water loading). They emphasized that reducing gut content is low-risk and a good first step, while dehydration carries the highest performance and health risks. Because powerlifters don’t get a full day to refuel like combat athletes do after weigh-in, the review stresses that rapid cuts must be small enough to allow full recovery in that short time window. If you can’t fully rehydrate or refuel in 2 hours, the cut likely isn’t worth it.
My thoughts: Cutting weight is common in other sports like boxing too, and there’s always a trade-off. In my experience, if you're cutting more than 3% of your body weight, you're better off just going up a weight class—you’ll feel it in your performance. This review does a great job of turning what’s often a bro-science topic into smart, individualized guidance.
Untrained Athletes See the Biggest Impact from Creatine Use
This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials looking at how creatine impacts muscle strength—specifically bench press, squat, and leg press performance. Across all studies, creatine significantly outperformed placebo in boosting strength, with results remaining robust even after advanced statistical checks. The researchers found that untrained individuals made bigger strength improvements than trained ones, and that moderate daily doses were more effective than higher ones. Creatine was also more effective when paired with higher-intensity lifting, likely because it supports the body’s fast energy system. Age didn’t appear to change the effect, but the studies in older adults were too small to say for sure.
My thoughts: A great study, this one is! It updates past meta-analyses and reinforces how strong the research is for creatine when it comes to improving strength and power. The finding that moderate doses work best aligns with how we formulated HMB+ Creatine.
That’s all for this week! If you learned something new and are curious to know more, head over to the Blonyx Blog or my growing list of weekly research summaries where I help you further improve your athletic performance by keeping you up to date on the latest findings from the world of sports science.
– Train hard!
Looking for more ways to keep up with Blonyx?
Now, you can join the Blonyx Strava Club to track your progress, share training tips, and connect with athletes who share your athletic ambition.
You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook for additional sports science information, announcements, exciting giveaways, and more!