What is creatine? How to take it correctly for weight gain
Let's look at what creatine is. We all know that a person needs energy to move. Our muscles extract it from the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecule. ATP, in turn, consists of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. When our body uses the ATP molecule, it turns into ADP (adenosine diphosphate), this chemical process is reversible, but for this we need creatine phosphate. Creatine combines with phosphate in the body to form phosphocreatine, which is a determinant of energy production in muscle tissue.
The more creatine in our body, the more energy reserves we have. If a person plays sports, his need for creatine increases. The sports supplement Creatine monohydrate helps replenish these reserves.
Taking monohydrate when drying
Separately, I would like to say about the use of powder during drying. Experts advise not to consume carboxylic acid during this period. Due to water retention in the body, an athlete may increase body weight. Which he doesn’t need during the drying period. Water is retained only in muscle tissue. Other organs may experience a lack of it. And then dehydration begins. Which can cause significant harm to health. Nevertheless, many athletes still use this sports nutrition during drying. And they note only positive effects. Since nitrogen amine increases their endurance. It also improves strength and speeds up recovery. The difficult drying period is easier and more productive. Take the supplement 5 g per day. Along with fat burners, protein and pre-workout shakes.
Types of Creatine
- Creatine monohydrate is a white crystalline powder of various grinding sizes, colorless, tasteless and odorless. By the way, one of the cheapest and most studied types of creatine.
- Creating hydrochloride - according to manufacturers, this is a more advanced formula with increased digestibility and without a loading step when taken. It has a pronounced sour taste. Even with sweeteners, not everyone will like it. Naturally the price is much higher.
- Creatinetilefir has the same purpose, only the formula is different. The taste is not very pleasant, there is no loading stage. Manufacturers talk about better digestibility compared to creatine monohydrate. Although there is no scientific evidence yet.
Taking creatine on rest and training days
According to the results of one of the scientists' experiments, the best time to take creatine is during the period after physical activity. This fact is explained by the fact that with increased blood flow and acceleration of metabolic processes in the body, the absorption of the supplement also improves. The worst time to take creatine was the period before going to the gym. The fact is that this approach can provoke an imbalance of water balance, and in general any transport systems (which is creatine) are wiser to use after physical activity. An exception, perhaps, is pre-workout complexes.
This statement was finally confirmed by researchers from Nova Southeastern University in 2013. During the experiments, it was found that consuming creatine after training has the best effect on both muscle gain and strength gains.
Another unwise use of creatine is during exercise. Studies have shown that this approach to taking the supplement is not correct, because it can provoke transient dehydration. This phenomenon will negatively affect the quality of the exercises.
On rest days, it is best to take creatine in the morning because it is best absorbed at this time of day. This fact is quite easy to explain: in the morning, the concentration of growth hormone in the blood is at its peak, and this has the best effect on the transport of creatine into the muscles.
Creatine release form
Powdery
One of the cheapest. Naturally, if flavoring is added, the price increases. If you are a “why pay more” person, this is the release form for you. Many will say that it is inconvenient to use (large jar), you need a measuring cap, etc. Agree, this is everyone’s right to choose.
Capsulated or tableted
More convenient to use, enclosed in gelatin capsules or compressed into tablets. Packaging up to 1000 capsules. I read the dosage, determined the number of capsules for a single dose, and be healthy.
Effects of Creatine
Strength increase by 5-10%
The increase in strength indicators is directly proportional to the quality of muscle growth. However, taking creatine does not always have a similar effect. It can manifest itself much weaker, it depends on the individuality of each organism.
Increased muscle mass
Creatine itself retains water in the body. A weight gain of 2 to 5 kg per month is possible. The increase in lean muscle mass will depend on diet and nutrition in general. Also, taking it significantly improves muscle definition.
Everyone knows what “soreness” is, a burning sensation in the muscles after long strength training. Associated with the release of large amounts of lactic acid. Taking creatine will improve recovery processes in muscles and serve as a lactic acid buffer.
Increased strength training time
Strengthening short-term sports performance. Very well suited for those sports where you need colossal effort in a short period of time (sprinting, jumping), team sports (football, volleyball, hockey, etc.).
You must remember one thing - creatine is completely safe for the body. There are no known cases of overdose. It is stupid not to use all the positive qualities of this product. But you must follow the instructions for use from the manufacturer.
How to combine with food?
There is a lot of discussion about how to combine a supplement with food - take it with food. It is important to consider several existing theories:
- Misconception. There is an opinion that you should not take the supplement while eating. It is believed that no matter how much you eat, the effect of beneficial components may be inhibited. It's better to have an empty stomach. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a rest day or a class day.
- Is it true. In 2008, a large study was conducted that tested the absorption of creatine. So, you can take the supplement at any time – even with food. The substance is completely absorbed.
- Bottom line. Recommendations regarding taking creatine between meals are more due to the need to combine the supplement with other complexes (protein, amino acids, etc.). Otherwise there is not much difference here.
How to take creatine
With loading phase
Take up to 20 grams of the drug per day, in doses of 5 grams. Within 7-9 days. Then you just need to maintain the level of creatine in the body by taking 5 grams of the substance per day. According to this regimen, creatine can be taken from 4 to 8 weeks. Then you need to take a break of 4 weeks. It is advisable to dilute 300-400 ml with sweet juice, since carbohydrates accelerate the delivery of creatine to the muscles. You can also use water.
No download
Start taking creatine at a dosage of 5 grams per day. With this regimen, you can take creatine for up to 10 weeks. The concentration of the substance in the body will increase gradually, in comparison with the loading regimen.
Iron Health
Creatine is one of the most popular legal supplements used in strength sports, and in particular in powerlifting and bodybuilding. Meanwhile, few people know how to structure a course of taking it to obtain the most effective results. This is exactly what we will talk about today, answering 3 main questions.
During which workouts should you take creatine?
Despite the fact that everyone advises taking creatine at every workout, no one focuses on during which workouts creatine will be especially useful. Meanwhile, there are different training goals - increasing strength, mass, endurance, losing weight and burning fat. It is wrong to say that creatine is beneficial for any type of training.
So, creatine should only be taken during strength and high-intensity training, the goal of which is to increase strength and/or muscle mass. That is, creatine is especially useful when we work either purely for strength (1-3 reps) or in an intense medium-rep style (4-8 reps) for mass. For pumping workouts, endurance training and weight loss, taking creatine is not justified and is useless.
When to take creatine?
Creatine should only be taken on training days, without a loading phase. Taking the supplement on rest days or just every day (as many advise) is not justified and is useless from all points of view - from efficiency to the economic component.
Correct regimen:
- Before training (1-2 hours): 5 g. creatine, washed down with sweet juice or fruit drink;
- Post-workout (immediately): 5 g. creatine mixed with protein and added sugar.
I wrote in more detail about the correct intake of creatine in the article – Taking creatine: before or after training? How long should a course of taking creatine last?
Ideally, creatine should be taken for 2 months, followed by a 2-week rest period. However, it is not at all necessary to follow this recommendation exactly, since you should use creatine throughout the entire strength or high-intensity program.
It often happens that the rest period from taking creatine falls at the beginning or continuation of a mass or strength program. Many athletes, seeing this, pause and stop taking it in order to meet the recommended periods of taking and resting from creatine. This approach is fundamentally wrong, since strength training quickly depletes the reserves of accumulated creatine, creating its deficiency, and as a result, a drop in training intensity. In addition, the accumulation of creatine in muscles is one of the main factors for muscle growth, so its lack leads to a slowdown or cessation of muscle growth.
Thus, creatine should be used in all strength and high-intensity programs. You should “rest” from taking it during periods of endurance work, pumping and fat burning - that is, during periods of high-volume, high-repetition training.
More articles on the topic:
- Best Creatine – Rating
- Creatine in capsules or powder form?
- Side effects from taking creatine
Taking creatine for girls
It has been proven that creatine has a noticeable effect on men. But creatine can also be recommended to women for weight loss, buffering lactic acid, and also for increasing the intensity of training, which accelerates the process of destruction of fat cells. The result is a beautiful and toned body.
Creatine can be taken at any time during the day. But it is best to take within an hour after training. The intake in relation to food depends on everyone, there is no consensus, some take it before meals, others after. The result remains the same.
Tags:endurance, mass gain, strength gain
How to use creatine correctly: time and dosage
The timing of intake for sports nutrition is an important point that often determines the result. Therefore, do not neglect the schedule for taking supplements, because this will affect the effectiveness.
The optimal time for creatine is:
- on training days: in the morning on an empty stomach, at lunch, after training and before bed;
- on rest days: in the morning on an empty stomach and 1 dose every 4 hours (up to 5 doses).
Dosages will depend on the method of administration and your individual needs. On average, a healthy man who regularly engages in strength sports is recommended to consume 15-20 g of creatine per day.
