Creatine vs HMB: Which to Choose and for Whom

Creatine and HMB both promise to support muscle, but they suit different people. The editorial team examined typical profiles - from the strength athlete to the person recovering from injury - and explained which supplement will give real benefit to whom, and who is better off saving their money.

Where to start the choice

The question of "creatine or HMB" usually arises when someone wants to support strength training and has a limited budget. To answer honestly, you first need to define the goal, the level of training, age and sport. The very same supplement can be an excellent choice for one person and almost useless for another.

The basic principle the editorial team follows: first choose agents with the best balance of evidence, safety and price. By these criteria, creatine monohydrate leads for most strength athletes. HMB is worth considering when preserving muscle, rather than gaining performance, comes to the fore.

It is also important to remember the foundation: no supplement compensates for inadequate protein intake, a sleep deficit or chaotic training. Both substances give the best result only against a background of adequate nutrition and progressive loading.

Below we look at typical profiles of people and explain what we would advise each of them and why. The diagram summarizes the logic of the choice.

Who creatine suits better

Strength athletes and bodybuilders.For those who train with weights regularly, creatine is the obvious first choice. It increases the number of quality repetitions and, over time, strength and muscle mass. The effect is confirmed in beginners and experienced athletes alike.

Team sports and sprinting.Football, hockey, basketball, combat sports with repeated explosive actions - these are exactly the situations where the creatine phosphate buffer works best. Creatine helps maintain power across a series of short accelerations.

Vegetarians and vegans.Since creatine comes from food mainly through meat and fish, people on a plant-based diet usually have lower intramuscular stores. That is why their response to the supplement is often more pronounced.

Older people.Combined with strength exercises, creatine helps preserve muscle mass and strength, which is important for preventing sarcopenia. Reviews by Candow and colleagues also consider a possible effect on bone tissue, although there are fewer data here.

• Typical maintenance dose: 3-5 g per day, every day, at any convenient time.
• A loading phase (about 20 g/day, split into 4 doses, for 5-7 days) is not mandatory - it only speeds up saturation.
• Form: creatine monohydrate; preferably with independent quality certification.

Who should consider HMB

Beginners at the start of training.It is precisely in untrained people that studies most often showed a reduction in markers of muscle damage and a moderate gain in strength. Still, even for them creatine usually delivers more for less money, so HMB here is more of an add-on.

Older people and periods of immobilization.The most interesting data for HMB concern the preservation of muscle during bed rest. In the 2013 study by Deutz and colleagues, HMB reduced the loss of lean mass in older people over 10 days of bed rest. Such situations - including recovery after injury - are the most logical niche for HMB.

Periods of severe calorie deficit.In theory, the anticatabolic action of HMB should help preserve muscle during a "cut." However, there is as yet no convincing evidence of a benefit in trained people who consume enough protein.

In practice, studies most often used 3 g of HMB per day (about 38 mg per kilogram of body weight), split into 2-3 doses. The effect, if there is one, develops over several weeks.

Comparison by profile

To make the choice easier, we brought our conclusions together in a table. The ratings reflect the editorial team's position based on current reviews and are not clinical recommendations.

A note specifically on weight-class athletes: at the start of intake creatine often increases body weight by 1-2 kg through water retention in the muscles. For boxers or weightlifters before a competition this can be undesirable. HMB has no such effect, but that does not make it a more effective alternative.

For endurance sports neither of the two supplements is a priority. Creatine may be useful in finishing accelerations or during strength preparation, but the main contribution to performance there comes from other nutrition strategies.

If, however, the budget allows and the goal is maximum muscle preservation during a difficult period, a combination of creatine, sufficient protein and HMB is theoretically possible. That said, the additional benefit of HMB in such a combination is weakly proven.

Mistakes in choosing and how to avoid them

The first common mistake is buying "premium" forms of creatine at a high price. Comparative studies have shown no advantage of hydrochloride, ethyl ester or buffered forms over ordinary monohydrate, and the ethyl ester was even inferior to it.

The second mistake is expecting a fast effect from HMB. Unlike creatine, there are no noticeable changes in the first days, and in a trained person there may be no noticeable result at all. Treating HMB as a "legal alternative to anabolics" is a marketing exaggeration.

The third is irregular intake. Creatine works through saturating the muscle, so gaps of weeks nullify the effect. In studies HMB was also taken daily over a prolonged period.

The fourth is ignoring quality. Choose products with independent testing (for example, Informed Sport or NSF Certified for Sport), especially if you are an athlete who undergoes doping control. People with kidney disease should clear any supplement with a doctor.

Editorial conclusions

For most people who train for strength, muscle mass or explosive power, the first choice is creatine monohydrate: it is cheap, safe and has convincing evidence.

HMB is appropriate in narrower situations - for beginners, older people, during immobilization or recovery from injury, when the main task is to preserve muscle.

Neither supplement replaces protein in the diet, sleep and a well-thought-out training program. Supplements are the "superstructure," not the foundation.

Read also our articles on the creatine loading phase, on protein for older people, and on nutrition during recovery from injury.

References

1. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18.
2. Wilson JM, Fitschen PJ, Campbell B, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB). J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10(1):6.
3. Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(7):439–455.
4. Rowlands DS, Thomson JS. Effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate supplementation during resistance training on strength, body composition, and muscle damage in trained and untrained young men: a meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(3):836–846.
5. Deutz NE, Pereira SL, Hays NP, et al. Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on lean body mass during 10 days of bed rest in older adults. Clin Nutr. 2013;32(5):704–712.
6. Candow DG, Forbes SC, Chilibeck PD, et al. Effectiveness of creatine supplementation on aging muscle and bone: focus on falls prevention and inflammation. J Clin Med. 2019;8(4):488.