Creatine + HMB aren’t just for athletes. A 2025 study found active adults over 60 gained 25–46% functional strength improvements — with little to no change in muscle mass. Better muscles, not just bigger ones.
Creatine and HMB aren’t just bodybuilding supplements anymore. While athletes have stacked these two for years, recent research reveals their broader potential: this combination supports functional strength and independence across your entire lifespan, not through muscle building alone, but by fundamentally improving how your muscles function.
This guide covers what the science shows about combining creatine monohydrate with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB), from maximizing athletic performance to maintaining functional capacity as you age. You’ll see why these supplements work better together than separately, backed by studies showing genuine synergy, not just additive effects.
When it Comes to Creatine and myHMB®, 1+1 is Greater than 2
The evidence for this combination has grown substantially. TSI Group, the manufacturer and patent holder of myHMB®, recently published a new position paper synthesizing decades of research on combining creatine with HMB. The paper details how these supplements work through complementary mechanisms, with creatine handling cellular energy production while HMB manages protein balance. This creates effects that multiply beyond simple addition.
Even better is a new 2025 study showing that physically active adults over 60 experienced substantial functional strength improvements with creatine plus HMB supplementation. The implications extend beyond athletic performance into healthy aging and sustained independence.
This combination can be found in several research-backed products, including a few from GNC as well as a popular one from Animal, all of which use the two key ingredients alongside vitamin D, but with differing support approaches. We’ll cover these products in detail later, but first, the science.
If you’re interested in staying current on myHMB® research and TSI Group developments, sign up for our news alerts below. Then let’s get into why this combination works so effectively:
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The Science: Why Creatine and HMB Work Together
Creatine and HMB improve muscle performance through completely different mechanisms. That’s what makes their combination so effective — they’re not redundant, they’re complementary. One handles energy availability while the other manages protein balance.
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Creatine: The Energy System
Your muscles run on ATP (adenosine triphosphate), but they can only store enough for a few seconds of maximal effort. That’s where creatine comes in.
When you supplement with creatine, you’re increasing your muscles’ phosphocreatine stores by 20-40%.[1] Phosphocreatine acts as your muscles’ rapid-response energy reserve, donating its phosphate group to regenerate ATP almost instantly when your primary energy currency gets depleted. This happens through the creatine kinase enzyme system, which your body strategically positions at sites of both energy production (mitochondria) and energy use (muscle contractile units).
The Phosphocreatine Shuttle
Here’s how the system works: Inside your mitochondria, the enzyme mitochondrial creatine kinase converts creatine and ATP into phosphocreatine and ADP. The phosphocreatine then diffuses out to wherever your muscles need energy, while the ADP goes back into the mitochondria to be recharged.[2] At the sites of ATP use (like contracting muscle fibers), cytosolic creatine kinase reverses the reaction, using phosphocreatine to instantly regenerate ATP. This creates an elegant energy transport system that’s far more efficient than relying on ATP diffusion alone.
Beyond Energy: Cell Volume and Glycogen
Creatine supplementation also promotes intracellular water retention, which sounds like a negative but actually functions as a powerful anabolic signal.[3] This cellular swelling appears to stimulate protein synthesis pathways, potentially explaining some of creatine’s muscle-building effects independent of its energy benefits.
Additionally, creatine may support glycogen synthesis through multiple pathways, including activation of the IGF-1/Akt-PKB/GSK3 pathway and possible AMPK modulation.[4] This enhanced glycogen storage gives you more fuel for sustained efforts.
Training Impact
All these mechanisms translate to measurable performance improvements. With elevated phosphocreatine stores, you can maintain higher power output during repeated high-intensity efforts. Research consistently shows creatine supplementation reduces lactate accumulation at the same exercise intensity, suggesting your muscles can rely more on the phosphocreatine system and less on glycolysis.[2] This means you can complete more reps, sustain higher training volumes, and recover faster between sets.
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HMB: The Protein Balance Manager
Read the full story in PricePlow’s main HMB Supplements article.
While creatine handles energy availability, HMB manages protein balance through a different mechanism. Your muscles exist in constant flux: new protein synthesis building tissue while breakdown processes dismantle it simultaneously. Total muscle mass reflects the net balance between these forces. HMB tips that balance in your favor.
Building More
HMB activates the mTOR pathway, the cellular machinery that initiates muscle protein synthesis. Research shows 3g of HMB produces near-maximal stimulation of muscle protein synthesis through activation of mTORC1 and downstream phosphorylation of p70S6K1.[5] When you take HMB around training, it amplifies the anabolic signal triggered by exercise.
Interestingly, HMB’s activation of mTORC1 operates independently of leucine’s sensing pathway, meaning it works through a distinct mechanism despite being a leucine metabolite.[5]
Breaking Down Less
The other side of HMB’s dual action addresses protein breakdown. Your body uses the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway to dismantle damaged or unnecessary proteins, a process that accelerates during training stress, calorie restriction, or inactivity. HMB acts as a brake on this system, suppressing the pathways that would otherwise tear down muscle tissue.[5]
Clinical studies confirm 3g of HMB significantly decreases muscle protein breakdown independent of which form you use (calcium salt or free acid).[5] This preservation becomes especially valuable during periods when muscle loss typically accelerates: aggressive training cycles, caloric deficits, or simple aging.
Beyond Protein: Membrane Repair and Metabolic Adaptations
Creatine fuels output while myHMB® limits the muscle breakdown that higher training demands can trigger — a practical pairing for anyone prioritizing consistency, recovery, and long-term physical confidence.
HMB supports muscle cell membrane integrity through conversion to HMG-CoA, a precursor for cholesterol synthesis.[6] During intense training, this membrane stabilization helps reduce markers of muscle damage like creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase.[6] Faster membrane repair means quicker recovery between sessions.
HMB also upregulates PGC-1α expression, the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis.[5] This process increases mitochondrial density and quantity in muscle cells, driving a fiber type transformation that favors more oxidative, fatigue-resistant muscle.[6] More mitochondria means improved fat oxidation, better oxygen utilization, and enhanced endurance capacity, explaining why HMB shows benefits in aerobic performance despite being better known for strength applications.
This combination of mechanisms (protein synthesis activation, breakdown suppression, membrane repair, and mitochondrial enhancement) creates comprehensive support for both strength development and endurance performance. You’re not just building muscle or preserving it. You’re fundamentally improving how your muscles function, recover, and adapt to training stress.
There’s more research discussed in our article titled “HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate): Performance-Driven Muscle Supplement“ and Episode #093 of our podcast with Shawn Baier, but it’s time to focus on synergy with creatine:
Why They’re Synergistic, Not Just Additive
Here’s where the combination gets interesting. When you take creatine alone, you’re improving your muscles’ energy production capacity. When you take HMB alone, you’re improving protein turnover and reducing breakdown. Put them together, and something remarkable happens: the effects multiply beyond what you’d expect from simple addition.
The Fernández-Landa study in elite endurance athletes quantified this.[6] After 10 weeks of supplementation, researchers measured power output at different blood lactate levels during an incremental rowing test. The combination group didn’t just match the sum of individual effects… they exceeded it substantially:
Creatine’s roots trace back to 1832, while HMB was identified in the early 1990s as a leucine metabolite — decades of research underpin both ingredients’ well-established safety and efficacy profiles.
Power at 8mmol/L lactate (W8):
- Combined supplementation: 1,293% improvement over placebo
- Sum of individual effects: 878%
- Synergistic benefit: 364% beyond additive
Power at 4mmol/L lactate (W4):
- Combined supplementation: 2,736% improvement
- Sum of individual effects: 1,705%
- Synergistic benefit: 1,031% beyond additive
The combination improved high-intensity aerobic power far more than you’d predict by adding the individual supplement effects together, and it was well beyond statistical noise. Why? Because creatine’s energy system improvements allow for higher training intensities, which then benefits more from HMB’s enhanced recovery and protein balance. The supplements work on different limiting factors simultaneously.
For Athletes: Quantified Performance Gains
If you’re training seriously, the combination of creatine plus HMB delivers measurable performance improvements that show up in actual testing, not just in the gym.
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Strength and Power
The foundational study on combined supplementation for strength came from Jówko and colleagues, who tracked resistance-trained individuals through a weight-training program.[7] After three weeks:
- Placebo group: +19.7kg total strength gain
- Creatine alone: +57.3kg
- HMB alone: +58.9kg
- Creatine + HMB combined: +71.6kg
That combined result exceeds what you’d get by adding creatine and HMB’s individual effects (+116.2kg expected vs. +71.6kg actual) — but what matters is the massive advantage over placebo or single-supplement use. You’re looking at three to four times the strength progression over training alone.
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Endurance and Aerobic Power
Creatine boosts ATP regeneration through the phosphocreatine shuttle, while myHMB® targets the mTOR and proteasome pathways to simultaneously build and preserve muscle protein — complementary mechanisms that explain their synergy.
The synergy becomes even more clear in endurance performance. The Fernández-Landa rowing study showed that while both supplements individually improved power output during an incremental test, the combination produced far greater improvements, especially at higher intensities.[6]
At the highest measured intensity (8mmol/L lactate), the combination group generated significantly more power than any other group, including those taking creatine or HMB alone. This is notable because these were elite rowers — athletes already operating at high performance levels. Seeing measurable improvements in this population suggests the combination works at the biological level, not just by helping beginners recover better.
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Recovery Markers
Both supplements independently reduce markers of muscle damage. Studies consistently show lower creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels with creatine supplementation after intense training.[8] HMB shows similar effects, reducing CK, LDH, and blood lactate levels following damaging exercise.[9]
Lower damage markers mean faster recovery between training sessions. For athletes, this translates to higher training volume over time — the real driver of long-term adaptation.
For Active Adults: Sustaining Training Consistency
You don’t need to be an elite athlete to benefit from improved recovery and work capacity. If you’re training regularly — lifting three to four times weekly, running, cycling, or doing any consistent physical activity — the combination supports training consistency, which matters more than any single session.
Combined creatine and myHMB® supplementation produced greater increases in both lean body mass and total strength than either supplement alone, supporting long-term physical function and independence.
The reduced muscle damage and faster recovery mean you can train hard without excessive soreness limiting your next session. You’re not necessarily stronger in the moment, but you can execute your training plan more consistently across weeks and months. That consistency is what drives actual progress.
The metabolic adaptations from HMB (improved mitochondrial biogenesis, better fat oxidation) and energy availability from creatine (higher phosphocreatine stores) work together to extend your work capacity before fatigue. You’re not gasping for air or hitting the wall as quickly during interval training or circuit work. Your muscles simply have more substrate available to produce force repeatedly.
For the “weekend warrior” who trains hard but isn’t competing, this combination makes your training program more sustainable. You’re less likely to need unplanned rest days due to excessive soreness, and you maintain higher output during the training you actually do complete.
For Healthy Aging: The Functional Strength Revolution
This is where recent research reveals something even more interesting for our older readers and readers with aging family members. While we’ve long known that resistance training helps preserve muscle mass during aging, a 2025 study showed that creatine plus HMB can improve functional strength and endurance in older adults without meaningful increases in muscle mass.[10]
The Study
Thirty physically active adults over 60 years old participated in a six-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. All participants followed the same structured exercise program combining strength training, power work, multicomponent circuits, and interval training. Groups received either:
Data from a 10-week rowing study shows creatine plus myHMB® exceeded the sum of their individual effects, with synergistic aerobic power gains at every blood lactate threshold measured.
- Placebo
- Creatine alone (0.04g/kg/day, roughly 3g for most people)
- HMB alone (3g/day)
- Creatine + HMB combined
The Key Finding: Function Without Hypertrophy
The results challenge conventional thinking about aging and muscle. Body composition changes were minimal across all groups — no significant increases in muscle mass occurred. Yet the creatine plus HMB group showed substantial functional improvements:
Lower-body strength: Approximately 25% improvement on leg and back dynamometer tests
Upper-body endurance: 30 to 46% improvement across multiple tests:
- Dumbbell arm curls (30-second test)
- Push-ups
- Isometric pull-up hold time
- Core endurance (crunches)
Arm flexion strength: Significant increases on maximal strength testing
These improvements occurred across the board — grip strength, dynamic movements, isometric holds, muscular endurance. The combination group consistently outperformed placebo and matched or exceeded the individual supplement groups.
What This Means: Neuromuscular Adaptations
When functional capacity improves without corresponding muscle growth, you’re looking at neuromuscular adaptations rather than simple hypertrophy. The researchers noted that regression analyses suggested these strength improvements were largely independent of changes in muscle mass.
A 6-week randomized crossover trial in adults over 60 showed the creatine plus myHMB® combination produced functional strength gains of 25–46% across multiple measures — without significant changes in muscle mass.
What’s likely happening:
- Improved motor unit recruitment: Your nervous system becomes more efficient at activating the muscle fibers you already have. More fibers contract simultaneously when needed.
- Enhanced neural drive: The signal from your brain to your muscles becomes stronger and better coordinated. You’re not building bigger muscles, you’re learning to use them better.
- Better muscle quality: The muscle tissue functions more effectively. Better energy production (from creatine), reduced protein breakdown (from HMB), and improved mitochondrial density all contribute to muscle that performs better per unit mass.
This distinction matters enormously for aging adults. You don’t need to look like a bodybuilder to maintain independence and quality of life. You need muscles that work well when called upon.
Real-World Aging Translation
These measured improvements map directly to activities of daily living:
- Rising from a chair requires leg strength and power. The 25% improvement in lower-body strength means this movement stays smooth and controlled rather than becoming a struggle.
- Climbing stairs demands both strength and muscular endurance. Better performance on endurance tests translates to finishing a flight of stairs without needing to pause.
- Carrying groceries from car to kitchen uses grip strength, arm strength, and core stability — all tested and all improved in this study.
- Maintaining balance during unexpected movements relies on rapid force production and coordination. Improved neural drive means faster, more effective stabilization responses.
- Overhead activities like reaching high shelves and lifting objects above shoulder height showed 30 to 46% improvements in relevant testing. This directly translates to maintaining independence in your own home.
The Sarcopenia Context
Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) contributes to frailty, falls, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life.[11] Traditional interventions focus primarily on building or maintaining muscle mass through resistance training and protein intake.
This research suggests a more nuanced approach: functional capacity can improve through enhanced muscle quality and neuromuscular coordination, even when muscle mass stays relatively stable. For older adults who may have limited ability to add muscle mass due to anabolic resistance, this opens an additional pathway to maintaining independence.
The combination addresses multiple limiting factors simultaneously: energy availability (creatine), protein balance (HMB), and the body’s adaptive response to training (both). This comprehensive support may explain why the improvements exceed what you’d expect from training alone.
An Important Note on Muscle Mass
The study did show some trends toward body composition changes, but they didn’t reach statistical significance. The creatine plus HMB group showed:
- Slight reductions in fat mass (17.31kg to 16.55kg)
- Slight reductions in body fat percentage (22.34% to 21.26%)
- Small numerical increases in fat-free mass, muscle mass, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass
These trends suggest the combination may still support favorable body composition changes over longer periods. Six weeks is relatively brief for detecting muscle growth, especially in trained older adults. But the functional improvements were clear, immediate, and substantial… which is what matters for daily life.
The ISSN’s updated position stand on HMB reinforces its role in muscle health and performance. Key findings show it’s safe, effective for muscle growth and recovery, and works best when timed around training. Best part? Benefits seen across all ages and fitness levels![12]
Dosing and Implementation
Based on the research showing efficacy and the established safety profiles of both supplements, the standard protocol is straightforward:
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Creatine: 3-5g Daily
Take 3-5g of creatine monohydrate daily. You can load with 20g daily (split into 4-5 doses) for 5-7 days to saturate stores faster, but it’s optional. Taking 3g daily for 28 days produces the same muscle saturation as loading.[3]
Timing doesn’t matter much. Take it whenever’s convenient, though combining with carbohydrates or carbs plus protein may enhance uptake.[13]
Stick with creatine monohydrate. Despite dozens of alternative forms marketed, none have proven superior in human trials.[1]
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HMB: 3g Daily
The standard dose is 3g of HMB daily (approximately 38mg/kg body weight for a 175lb/79kg individual), taken consistently.[5][7]
Both HMB calcium salt (HMB-Ca) and free acid (HMB-FA) work when taken consistently. The free acid form absorbs faster with higher peak blood levels, making it potentially better for acute pre-training use.[5] HMB-Ca provides additional calcium (roughly 400mg per 3g dose), which supports bone health alongside muscle preservation.[5] Both forms are effective in research studies.
The Vitamin D Factor
One crucial caveat for older adults: HMB’s effectiveness depends on adequate vitamin D status. Research shows HMB only produces meaningful strength gains when serum vitamin D levels reach at least 30 ng/mL.[14]
Research shows creatine + HMB work better together than apart. Studies demonstrate 67% greater muscle growth and 680% improvement in testosterone-to-cortisol ratio when combined. Animal Creatine HMB+ leverages this synergy with clinical doses of both.
In a retrospective analysis of older adults, those with sufficient vitamin D (≥30 ng/mL) gained 59.2 ft-lbs of strength with HMB supplementation versus 15.1 ft-lbs with placebo. But in vitamin D insufficient participants (<30 ng/mL), HMB failed to improve strength at all despite increasing lean mass.[14]
This matters because 60-75% of older adults are vitamin D insufficient. A 12-month study confirmed that combining HMB with vitamin D3 improved functional capacity even in non-exercising older adults, with benefits appearing as early as 3 months.[15]
Practical takeaway: If you’re over 60 and supplementing with HMB (with or without creatine), ensure adequate sun exposure or have your levels tested. Many supplements with myHMB® contain added vitamin D for this very reason. The HMB-Ca form provides some calcium, but vitamin D status remains the critical factor for strength outcomes.
Combined Protocol
You can take creatine and HMB together at any time. They don’t interfere with each other’s absorption. Taking HMB in close proximity to training may enhance its effects on muscle protein synthesis and reduce exercise-induced muscle damage.[5]
Minimum duration: Give it at least 6 weeks for measurable functional improvements.[10] The longest studies showing benefits run 10+ weeks.
Safety Profile
Both supplements have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status and decades of safety research across diverse populations. Side effects are minimal. Creatine may cause mild GI distress if you take more than 10g at once during loading. No significant drug interactions have been identified for either supplement.
Forms and Product Selection
When choosing products, focus on quality and appropriate forms. For creatine, monohydrate remains the most researched and effective form despite numerous alternatives marketed with various claims.[13] No other form has demonstrated superior efficacy in human trials.
Shawn Baier joins PricePlow Podcast Episode #093 to talk HMB.
For HMB, both the calcium salt (HMB-Ca) and free acid forms are effective, though the free acid form shows faster absorption and higher peak blood levels.[16] Either works when taken consistently.
Here are some key products that take the combination seriously:
GNC Pro Performance Creatine + HMB
GNC Pro Performance Creatine + HMB delivers the research-backed combination in its simplest form: 5g creatine monohydrate plus 3g myHMB® (calcium HMB) per serving. The formula includes 12.5mcg vitamin D and 380mg calcium from the HMB-Ca form. Available unflavored for easy mixing into any beverage. Informed Choice certified for banned substance testing.
GNC Pro Performance Creatine + HMB – Deals and Price Drop Alerts
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GNC AMP Creabolic
GNC AMP Creabolic expands the base creatine+HMB stack with 2.4g PeptiStrong®, a fava bean protein hydrolysate shown to support muscular endurance and post-exercise recovery. You get 5g creatine monohydrate, 3g myHMB®, plus 12.5mcg vitamin D and 400mg calcium. Available in Lemonade, Tropical Punch, and Unflavored. The added PeptiStrong provides another layer of recovery support beyond the core combination. Informed Choice certified.
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Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.
Animal Creatine HMB+
Animal Creatine HMB+ takes a different approach by adding electrolytes for hydration support alongside the core 5g creatine monohydrate and 3g myHMB®. The formula includes electrolytes in potassium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium, and sea salt to support proper hydration during training. Contains 12mcg vitamin D and 350mg calcium. Currently available in Orange Cream Pop flavor with 30 servings per container.
Universal Animal Creatine HMB+ – Deals and Price Drop Alerts
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Disclosure: PricePlow relies on pricing from stores with which we have a business relationship. We work hard to keep pricing current, but you may find a better offer.
Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.
TSI Group manufactures and holds patents for myHMB®, the form of HMB used in most research studies. When comparing products, look for myHMB® or OptiCreatine™ as indicators of research-grade ingredient quality.
The Bottom Line
Creatine and HMB work through complementary mechanisms: one optimizing energy availability, the other managing protein balance. This makes them truly synergistic rather than redundant. Research spanning over 25 years shows improvements beyond what you’d expect from simple addition of effects.
For athletes, this translates to measurable performance gains in both strength and endurance activities, with better recovery between sessions enabling higher training volumes.
For active adults maintaining consistent training programs, the combination supports workout quality and reduces excessive soreness, making your training plan more sustainable long-term.
For older adults focused on functional capacity and independence, recent research shows the combination improves strength and endurance substantially, even if there’s not a ton of muscle growth. This works through enhanced neuromuscular function, driving better motor unit recruitment, improved neural drive, and increased muscle quality. You’re not necessarily building bigger muscles into senior years, but you’re making the muscles you have work considerably better.
It all provides a meaningful difference. When rising from a chair, climbing stairs, or maintaining balance during unexpected movements, it’s functional capacity that matters. The combination of 3g creatine plus 3g HMB daily, alongside appropriate training, supports that capacity across your lifespan — from maximizing athletic performance to maintaining independence as you age.
You can read our related articles for even more information, and sign up for our TSI Group and myHMB® news alerts below:
The position paper that inspired this article can be requested through TSI Group, the sponsors of this article.
