How to take creatine?
Learning how to take creatine is key to developing your full potential and help you reach your goals.
Creatine is one of the safest, most efficient and science-backed supplements. It has powerful benefits for both athletic performance and health.
It improves exercise performance and helps increase muscle mass so that you can make greater efforts and help your muscle recovery.
When is the best time to take creatine?
Creatine supplementation is effective with a variety of timing strategies. You can either take it with your pre-workout or your post-workout – whatever suits you best.
However, the latest studies seem to indicate that 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, consistent use over time is the most important aspect.
how do i start taking creatine?
It depends on the type of creatine you want to use. Most creatines need a loading phase.
WHAT IS A LOADING PHASE?
For example, if you’re taking creatine monohydrate, a loading phase is required when you start. It consists on a high dose of around 20–25 g/day for 5-7 days, followed by a lower maintenance dose. Maintenance phases are for after you have already built up a creatine reserve in your muscles.
Does every creatine need a loading phase?
No. There are creatines that do not require a loading phase and start working at the very first dose.
Clonapure® is one of them. It is a cutting-edge sport supplement whose formula contains the actual active form of creatine: phosphocreatine.
This supplement is a combination of creatine monohydrate + phosphocreatine + phosphate, and it keeps the phosphagen system running for a longer period of time.
That makes Clonapure® the only product in the market that gives you immediate energy for your muscles.
what is the correct dosage of creatine?
The correct creatine dosage depends on your body weight.
Most scoops are 5 grams, which is a fine dose for athletes of all sizes. If you are relatively small or lightweight, you can probably have enough with 3 grams – or just over half of a normal scoop.
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.
Should I take Creatine on off days?
To get the most out of your creatine supplementation you should take creatine every day, even on your off days.
The goal of supplementing on rest days is to maintain consistently elevated levels of phosphocreatine in your muscle tissue. However, the timing for these doses on your off days are probably less important than on days you exercise.
can i mix creatine?
Creatine supplements are often presented as a powder that should be dissolved. You can mix creatine with:
- Water
- Whey proteins
- Anabolic gainers
- Milk
- Coffee
- Tea
- Shakes
- Sport drinks
- Juice
- Pre-workout
- Post-workout
- Foods that contain carbs
- Foods that contain protein
- …
IS CREATINE STABLE IN LIQUIDS?
It depends. Creatine monohydrate is not stable in liquids, it breaks down pretty rapidly into creatinine –inactive form-, so it should be mixed close to the time of ingestion.
Others creatines, such as Clonapure®, have proven to be more stable since it’s a combination of phosphocreatine + creatine monohydrate + phosphate, which increases the stability of the formula by 25%.
creatine shakes
Creatine can be mixed with lots of drinks and meals, but if you want to go a step furher, you can try shakes, which are a perfect way to take creatine in a tasty way. Here are some fitness shake ideas to enjoy your creatine while staying fit. Get more ideas by following our Instagram page.
