For anyone who is immersed in the world of fitness and nutritional supplementation, the name of creatine should ring a bell very quickly. It is currently one of the most popular and sought-after products of its kind due to its widely researched properties, which can help boost any kind of athletic performance in many different ways.
As regulated and well-established as its intake recommendations are, there is always room for some extra improvement. In today’s blog we will provide additional tips that will help us make the most of our creatine supplementation – thus making the most of our training sessions in the process.
Check out our TIPS TO MAXIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF CREATINE!
JUST A QUICK INTRO FOR STARTERS
«Creatine is an amino acid naturally produced by the body at a rate of 1 gram a day, which is distributed to tissues with high energy demands, such as the brain and muscles. Among the many benefits associated with its use, we can count on:
– Increased muscle size
– Increased lean body mass
– Increases in strength
– Improved endurance
– Increased power output
– Enhanced recovery time after exercise
Creatine helps you store more glycogen in your muscles, allowing them to grow larger and improving strength. Creatine also increases the amount of ATP available to your muscles, allowing you to perform exercises for longer periods of time and harder in nature without feeling the effects of tiredness and fatigue. It will also aid with quicker recoveries, allowing you to get back on your workout sessions sooner.
You can find a more in-depth analysis into the benefits of creatine in this link.
READY? LET'S GO! FIRST OF ALL...
stay consistent
Once you begin your supplementation, taking creatine every day is beneficial for you and your body, whether you work out or not. Intake on your days off is recommended to make the most out of its properties and to ensure that you maintain consistently elevated levels of phosphocreatine in your muscle tissue.
While it might not have an immediate impact on performance, this approach supports long-term benefits and helps you stay on track with your supplementation.
WHAT IF I MISS A DOSE?
Once you have achieved saturation – either through a loading protocol or consistent supplementation of 3-5 grams with phosphocreatine – you don’t need to worry if you miss a day or two.
Research shows creatine levels can stay high for as long as 4-6 weeks after stopping supplementation. Also, you don’t need to «double up» to cover your missed days. Just get back on schedule with your daily dose and it will be fine.
STAY HYDRATED
Dehydration is always a fundamental aspect to be considered during exercise. However, you don’t necessarily need to drink higher amounts of water when taking creatine daily than you normally would.
Creatine shuttles water into the intramuscular compartment as part of its normal activity. An emergent side effect associated with it may be that of muscle cramping or mild stomach cramp. This most often occurs when too little fluid is consumed whilst supplementing with creatine, so it is important to stay hydrated on a regular basis and standard levels (2-3 liters a day).
Indeed, scientific research has suggested that creatine supplementation can be a practical nutritional hyper-hydration strategy for athletes who are part of intense exercises in humid and hot environments, minimizing the risks of heat-related illnesses. It can help the body hold water, which becomes beneficial in thermoregulating during extreme temperatures and at high exertion levels.
what about water retention?
Good question! Creatine is an osmotically active substance. Thus, an increase in the body’s creatine content could theoretically result in increased water retention. However, several studies have shown no increases in total body water (intra or extracellular) after supplementation with creatine relative to muscle mass over longer periods of time.
PRIORITIZE YOUR NUTRITION
Creatine is an effective supplement by itself but becomes even more effective when paired with proper nutrition. Sure, creatine is a naturally produced compound that can already be found in food such as poultry, red meat, fish, and seafood. However, it is fundamental to make sure your body is getting clean, quality nutrients, with the right amount of protein and carbohydrates to aid the different functions of creatine.
what i follow a special diet?
Interestingly enough, creatine has proven to be particularly recommended for vegans and vegetarians, since this diet leads to lower levels of naturally occurring creatine in the body. Supplementation can easily help the body get the necessary nutrients to hit the required markers, which may translate into great improvements in fat-free body mass, maximal strength and type II muscle fiber area compared to omnivores.
However, it is not the only case in which creatine has proven to be a perfect companion to some of the most popular diets currently trending. You can find a detailed analysis of the relation between creatine and nutrition in this article.
the BEFORE/AFTER DILEMMA
Creatine supplementation has been widely studied, but only within recent years has the timing factor been thoroughly examined.
The results of one specific study concluded that greater increases in lean mass and greater decreases in fat mass were seen when creatine was taken after the exercise. However, other researchers have reported no difference between taking it before or after exercise.
Since no strong conclusions have been reached, timing for creatine is not considered to make a real, noticeable difference. Nevertheless, supplementing shortly before or after exercise may be better than supplementing long before or after exercise. For example, you could take the whole dose after you exercise or split the dose, taking half of it before you exercise and the other half afterwards.
In any case, as we have mentioned before, consistency is key.
conclusion
These have been a few interesting tips to maximize the effects of creatine. As you can see, it is very important to keep adequate levels of hydration while exercising and taking creatine, as it is to maintain appropriate nutritional levels in case we are supplementing. We must not forget either to keep consistent levels of creatine intake following the recommended dosages even on off-days to keep elevated levels of phosphocreatine in your muscle tissue.
Regarding the adequate kind of creatine, it is recommended to use a supplement that contains its actual active form. For instance, Clonapure® is the perfect combination of Creatine Monohydrate + Phosphocreatine + Phosphate to keep the phosphagen system running for a longer time.
That makes Clonapure® the only product in the market that gives you immediate energy for your muscles. This essentially translates into more energy, shorter recoveries and better performance. Clonapure® is manufactured in a GMP site and has been submitted to continuous testing (HPLC) to have its purity and quality properly verified. If you wish to try Clonapure®, you can check this link.
