The purpose of this study was to see if creatine supplementation increased muscular strength in women. Ten females were assigned to either a creatine (CG) or a placebo (PG) group with five subjects in each. The study lasted five weeks with one week of pre-testing, three weeks of creatine use which included one week of loading (12-13 g/day for seven days) and two weeks of maintenance (3-4 g/day for 14 days), and one week of post testing. Pre- and post-test strength were measured with a one repetition maximal lift (1RM) on the bench press and the leg press. All subjects were required to perform a 20-minute warm-up before 1RM measurements to help avoid injury. Each subject then completed two warm-up sets with the bench press or leg press to prepare the working muscle for the 1RM test. After warm-up sets, each subject then completed one repetition lifts until their max lift was attained. Subjects were required to rest a minimum of two minutes in between lifts. No subject performed more than four, one repetition lifts. Over the course of the three-week study, all subjects performed similar workout routines. The results of the post-test 1RM values were not significant between the two groups. The CG increased their mean leg press 1RM (70 ± 47.2 lbs.) and mean bench press 1RM (12 ± 2.2 lbs.). The PG increased their mean leg press 1RM (56 ± 12.7 lbs) and mean bench press 1RM (8 ± 2.8 lbs). Although the PG started and ended with a greater 1RM, the CG displayed a larger mean relative average than did the PG. The CG increased their relative average for the bench press and leg press by 11.3% and 18.6%, respectively compared to the PI increases of 6.5%, 13.2%, respectively. It is concluded that three weeks of creatine supplementation in women failed to significantly increase leg press and bench press strength greater than a placebo
