When the time comes to work out and keep your body in shape, it is not unusual to count on some additional help to make the most of your physical performance. The market of nutritional supplementation is wide and has something for everyone so it can be difficult to make a choice. In this case, how can we narrow down our options and go for the best one without a chance of error?
Creatine currently holds a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading products of its field due to its properties, reliability, and safety, as we have exposed in past articles. In this new blog entry we will analyze some of the key points we should consider when selecting our supplementation of choice. Additionally, we will check how well creatine suits such criteria.
Enter KEY POINTS ABOUT CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION!
the loading phase
Most athletes are familiar with the concept of “loading phase” regarding nutritional supplementation. In a nutshell, it is a period in which the dosage is increased in comparison with standard doses for a very short period of time (normally around 2-4 days). After this period, you return to regular intake for the remainder of the cycle time.
The target of this process is to saturate your muscles and start adding extra quality work to your training sessions quicker. In the case of creatine, the recommended dosage for the lading phase is set around 20-30 grams a day. The process should last about a week before going back to maintenance doses.
Scientific research has found no evidence that creatine loading phase causes any negative effect on the body as a general rule. However, we must not forget that a proper training plan and a balanced diet will always make supplementation intake much healthier and regulated, preventing potential adverse effects on our health.
BIOAVAILABILITY AND ABSORPTION
This one may be a bit trickier but let’s make it simple. Bioavailability refers to the amount of a substance that reaches the systemic circulation after intake. If such substance is administered intravenously, it’s bioavailability reaches a 100% in all cases.
However, if administered through other methods, bioavailability gets reduced due to factors like intestinal epithelium absorption and first-pass metabolism. Since creatine is usually taken orallly, a useful technique can be taking it in combination with carbohydrates to maximize its absorption and increase its benefits.
Additionally, specific forms of creatine like creatine monohydrate have a better absorption ratio by the muscles, allowing for a quicker saturation of muscle creatine stores. Remember that creatine oversaturation offers no benefits at all and that consistent intake is key in a balanced supplementation for optimal performance.
mixing and dissolution
Our next key point may sound banal but hear us out. Part of making supplementation easier to process has to do with our own attitude towards it. Any nutritional supplement that we may find hard to process or take has the risk of ultimately cause rejection if we associate it with a hard time.
That’s not the case with creatine supplementation. While some forms of creatine are presented in the shape of softgels, the standard presentation is as powder that requires dissolving. A few mixing options include water, whey protein, anabolic gainers, milk, coffee, and tea. If you want to add some extra flavour to the mix, you can consider shakes, sport drinks, and juice. As an additional perk, we have also mentioned earlier that mixing it with carbohydrates can give creatine an extra boost in its bioavailability.
gmp european standards
In the world of nutritional supplementation, safety is always a key point. The right choice for you should always be that which complies not only with the desired properties regarding performance but also with the minimum quality standards.
According to the European Medicines Agency, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) describes the minimum standard that a medicines manufacturer must meet in their production processes. It requires that any product submitted is of consistent high quality, appropriate for their intended use, and also meets the requirements of the marketing authorisation or clinical trial authorisation.
Essentially, GMP-certified products are guaranteed to not only meet quality standards regarding formula and composition, but also work as they are advertised to.
WHAT ARE OUR CONCLUSIONS?
After reviewing our list of key points about creatine supplementation we are ready to reach some clear conclusions.
For instance, as harmless as science considers creatine loading phase to be, a form of creatine that requires no loading phase at all – allowing the product start work from the very first take – could be considered an upgrade. Creatines like Clonapure®, whose formula include creatine monohydrate, phosphocreatine, and phosphate allow us to skip the loading phase, providing an immediate energy boost to your muscles. This translates into more energy, shorter recoveries and overall better performance.
Additionally, the unique formula of Clonapure® has 35% better absorption and 25% more bioavailability than standard creatine, which undoubtedly optimizes its effect on the body and helps you make the most of every training session.
Furthermore, some forms of creatine are not stable in liquids, breaking down pretty rapidly into creatinine, its inactive form. It’s for this reason that they should be mixed close to the time of ingestion. Other creatines, such as Clonapure®, have proven to be more stable, since its combination of phosphocreatine, creatine monohydrate, and phosphate increases the stability of the formula by 25%.
Last but not least, Clonapure® is manufactured in a GMP site and is made to the highest GMP European standards. Morever, it has its purity and quality consistently verified through continuous testing (HPLC). If you believe it is about time you give Clonapure® a go, try here!
