Can You Dry Scoop Creatine?

Any of you who have so much as a passing familiarity in terms of health and fitness will probably have heard of the best supplement on the planet creatine.

Whether you’re an aspiring bodybuilder, an athlete, a powerlifter, or your everyday Joe trying to train a little harder and look a little better, creatine could be your most effective supplement when added to your stack. Creatine is a natural compound that already exists in our bodies but as one of the best and most effective sports supplements you will find out there today.

Creatine is an endogenous amino acid, meaning the body makes it naturally. it primarily exists in skeletal muscles — in muscle cells. You also find it in red meat. It does this by allowing the body to generate more ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) – which is used as an energy source by the cells that comprise muscle tissue.

In short, creatine increases the body’s production of energy giving the muscles more power. As with any supplement, though, people seeking solutions for problems that may not exist are starting to dry scoop creatine. But should you dry scoop creatine? And can you?

What Is Dry Scooping Creatine?

As I’ve reported here several times over the past few years, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the number of people — mostly younger, I have to say, but also older people who are old enough to know better — who are dry scooping creatine.

Now if you don’t know creatine, it’s a powdered supplement that you can mix with water or fruit juice and sip on or down whole. Although there are lots of different types of creatine out there (creatine ethyl ester (CEE), creatine phosphate, and loads more), creatine monohydrate is the most common and widespread form of creatine supplement.

Creatine supplements are almost always in powder form, and these come either as uncolored unflavored powders, or as flavored powders, typically made artificially, sometimes enriched with amino acids and sweeteners (as well as ingredients like citric acid). When it comes to taking creatine, experts have stated that you just take 5g – 10g per day. Typically, it has a super cool 5g scoop so that you can be sure exactly how much you’re getting per serving.

You mix, shake, or blend a scoop with a glass or shaker of water or juice, then drink. It doesn’t get easier than that, right?

Well, some believe it gets easier than that, so they dry scoop creatine. Dry scooping creatine is essentially when you take a scoop of creatine, open your mouth wide, tilt your head back, pour the scoop of dry powder in your mouth, and dry scoop it to gulp it down without any water.

Why? We’re not quite sure.

So, can you dry scoop creatine?

Yes, you can, but that doesn’t mean you should.

Why Do People Dry Scoop Creatine?

We live in a world where people eat laundry detergent pods and try to follow “trends” online like an empty-minded flock of sheep because no one can think for themselves.

Needless to say, once you realize that people like that are a part of the population you get a better sense of why people dry scoop creatine. That said, we have some scientifically supported hypotheses about why people dry scoop the supplement. Here are some possible explanations:

Social Media:

Yup, you guessed it — one of the chief motivators for which people appear to do anything these days. Social media is the biggest means by which people get attention and boost their egos, and it was probably social media that kicked off this “trend” of dry scooping creatine as opposed to mixing it to drink. Videos started to spread online of people dry-scooping the supplement for the views and the likes, and people saw the attention that these videos were getting and they decided to copy them.

Peer Pressure:

People are that gullible and subject to mob mentality, it only takes a few viral vids or some Z-List “influencer” to dry-scoop creatine and suddenly it’s the latest thing everyone is doing.

And even if younger people don’t want to, it’s probably difficult for them to say no as a result of peer pressure, both from their friends and strangers on the internet.

Misconceptions Around Absorption Rates:

There is another reason we have seen more people dry-scooping creatine over the years, and that is because quite simply there is so much fake news out there surrounding supplements, exercise, and nutrition.

Some take their creatine dry because research (has shown that) the quicker the compound is absorbed by the body, the more ATP can be manufactured AC during exercise. This, however, is not true. Taking your creatine dry is probably going to decrease absorption speeds and rates, as the powder can clump together.

Water fills the stomach for a reason, and that reason is that it helps to dissolve everything inside it faster. So when you are mixing creatine with water you mimic this process in the stomach, more on how long it takes for creatine to work!

Trying To Look Cool:

When we live in a society where reputation online has more importance to some than their real-world reputation. This means that people will do silly things like tricks or trends just to look good.

Much of the time, individuals dry scoop creatine powder simply to appear macho, cool and ‘hardcore’. Ironic that they look ridiculous! Dry scooping creatine can be quite embarrassing.

Less Mess:

Let’s face it, the thing that sucks most about the cooking and making food and drink is the cleanup after. Even though it is a matter of drying the mixing of the creatine in water or some other liquid, so many people should not have to clean the cup and/or tumbler after using it that they would rather take it dry than mix it up.

Things To Consider When Dry Scooping Creatine:

This being said, if you are determined to give dry scooping creatine a shot (even, let’s be honest, out of morbid curiosity) you need to make sure you know what you’re doing, and the risks that come with it. We’ll cover the risks and dangers later on, but first, let’s get you all set. If you choose to dry-scoop creatine, consider the following important points to ponder.

Possible Wastage:

Right now, you’ve surely realized just how costly things seem. Prices appear to be going up every day — and with rising interest rates and double-digit inflation, that’s not going to stop until inflation goes down. Creatine is one of the less expensive supplements out there, but even then, you’re not going to want to be wasting it.

One of the risks of dry scooping creatine is that more of it can go to waste, in no small part because if you’re not used to doing it, it can make you cough or choke as some people do on the cinnamon challenge. Ironically, if you swallow any lumps, your body may not have a chance to break them all down, meaning more of the creatine is likely wasted.

The Effectiveness Of The Creatine:

Number one, no matter if you swallow your creatine whole, mix it into your water, or sprinkle some on your chili, your body does not know HOW the creatine got into your system, just that it’s there and what to do with it.

There is literally ZERO evidence that taking creatine dry, as opposed to mixing it with water, provides you any advantages in either effectiveness or absorption rates, no matter what some influencers on TikTok or social media might tell you. If there aren’t any benefits as far as digestion, absorption, or working better, you have to wonder what the point of dry scooping creatine even is.

Possible Digestive Issues:

Creatine is safe, natural, and incredibly effective, which in some cases when taken in high doses, can cause you to have more bowel movements!

Although uncommon, certain individuals have experienced diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, or trapped wind with creatine supplementation, particularly in high dosages.

For supplements that are sensitive to creatine, a daily intake of 5g – 10g of creatine is possible, but excessive amounts could lead to digestive and bowel disorders. Because when you dry scoop creatine, you can’t tell if there are any clumps of creatine in the scoop.

If you combined it with water, the liquid would have liquefied the powder and disintegrated the clumps. However, swallowing a scoop down whole does mean you can swallow a clump or two and end up consuming more than you should. It may cause digestion problems, so just keep that in mind before you dry scoop creatine.

Risk Of Choking:

We mentioned earlier the “cinnamon challenge,” and to anyone who doesn’t know, this is a viral trend in which people try to swallow a heaping spoonful of dried powdered cinnamon, without coughing or choking.

This led to some super funny videos, though naturally, people being people, they took it too far and started things like trying it with chili powder. So what does this have to do with dry scooping supplements like creatine?

Creatine is a dried powder and the method of dry scooping is to eat and consume it dry. When you dry scoop the powder, you might inhale some and then choke and start coughing. It might also irritate your throat lining, which would cause coughing and choking a sore throat, and so on beyond that.

Risk Of Being Sick:

As vile as it sounds, yet another reason you should think again about dry scooping creatine is because it may result in you getting sick.

If you’ve just eaten something substantial and you dry scoop and breathe in that powder, that could lead you to cough and choke and potentially make you sick.” If you have an empty stomach, this isn’t much of a problem. If your stomach is full, though, it can make you sick, and that’s the last thing you want to deal with.

Should You Dry Scoop Creatine?

Should you “dry scoop” creatine?

Well, that’s completely your call. You can dry scoop creatine, but you don’t have to. Or, to paraphrase that great philosopher Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park: humans are so busy wondering if they can that they don’t stop to think if they should.

Sure, drying scooping creatine is OK, but why bother?

Creatine is believed to work by releasing a lot more creatine into your body until your muscle cells can use more ATP for energy. The more energy they possess, the more their muscles will be engaged and the more effective their exercise will be.

Creatine consumption via dry scooping has no proven benefits or advantages. This could open up a host of possible side effects. In our professional recommendations, then, we would say do not dry scoop this supplement — do not dry scoop this supplement, and use it as the directions are and as it’s intended to be used.

How To Dry Scoop Creatine If You Are Going To Do It?

Each one of you reads this article as a singular human being and as such, you can think for yourselves and act for yourselves. You know we are not fans of dry scooping creatine, but if you are doing it correctly the risks will be reduced.

if you’re going to insist on dry scooping creatine, we’d like you to do it safely. That’s why we’ve put together this list of pointers to help you dry scoop creatine safely and effectively.

Take A Sip Of Water First

No, drinking water is not cheating. If, however, you do want to dry scoop creatine, make sure to take a sip of water first to make your mouth slightly moist. There is still some fluid in there that should be used to speed up the powder floating down.

Drink Some Water Afterward

“I tell them, ‘Take the creatine and dump that in your mouth,” she explains, “and then take a little sip of water to help you swallow it.”

Do Not Inhale

If you want to do dry scoops of creatine, you’d best learn to hold your breath. If you try to inhale and take a breath with a mouthful of dry powder you’re just going to inhale the powder and start coughing and choking.”

Use A Natural Creatine

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance and is sold as a simple white, flavorless powder. If you’re going to dry scoop, this is how to do it. Also, steer clear of creatines with added flavorings or ingredients as this can make it harder to swallow and may also erode your teeth.

Dangers And Risks Of Dry Scooping Creatine:

Can you dry scoop creatine? Yes, you can, and it is mostly safe, with few benefits, but there are also some risks to avoid. The risks and potential dangers/side effects of dry scooping creatine are:

Dental Damage

Dental Damage One of the significant dangers and risks of dry scooping creatine is potential dental damage. Various creatines are created with additional flavorings and components like citric acid. Citric acid can destroy the enamel on your teeth, and after some time, they will become rotten and rotten.

Dehydration

Dehydration is yet another risk related to dry scooping creatine.

If you dry scoop creatine before you train, then that means that when you head into the gym to work out, you’ll be less hydrated than you would be if you drank water along with the powder. Dehydration also reduces your overall strength and athletic performance and can lead to headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, and other issues.

Gastrointestinal Issues

Excessive amounts of creatine have been associated with a variety of different digestive health problems. Dry scooping creatine means you can’t always tell how much you’re taking in, and it affects digestive health if too much is consumed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

So, Can You Dry Scoop Creatine?

Well, by now you probably understand that, yes, you can. Whether you should however is a different matter entirely.

Dry scooping creatine offers no benefits and a whole bunch of other risks that could be avoided by simply drinking some water with it. Creatine is a hugely effective supplement when it comes to muscle growth, recovery, and strength increases but there is no scientific reason for you to be taking the powder dry.