Why you should supplement with creatine.

When you are new to fitness it’s easy to get tricked into buying the pre-workout, whey protein, multi vitamin, creatine or any other supplement that your favorite fitness influencer is hawking. Even though you think they have your best interest in mind, and some of them do, you must remember that their Instagram or YouTube channel is how they make their money. Using scientific references, I’ll go into detail on why creatine monohydrate is one of the few supplements that is worth trying.

I also did a write up on protein powders and their benefits, click here if you would like to read it. In addition, here is an article for those of you who are new to lifting and would like some advice on beginner workouts.

Creatine

Creatine is one of the most studied and scientifically backed supplements on the market. Creatine is already a substance naturally found in muscle cells that helps muscles produce the energy needed to preform high intensity exercises and heavy lifting. By supplementing with creatine, you increase the levels of phosphocreatine stored in your muscles. This helps your muscles produce more ATP, in other words energy, to help increase your workload in the gym. Creatine can also lead to increased muscle mass, recovery and strength.

There are some articles that go into way further detail regarding the benefits of creatine, but the quick summation above is all you really need to know. If you want to learn more about the science behind creatine read this article by strongerbyscience.com

Dosage

Proper dosage of creatine is 20 grams per day for 5 to 7 days which should be taken in 5-gram servings throughout the day. Then around 5 grams per day afterwards. Many people say you should cycle off creatine, but there is no evidence that backs this so just stick to the 5 grams a day until you no longer want to supplement with creatine.

Non-Responders

Unfortunately, some people do not respond to creatine supplementation. These individuals are known as non-responders. On average you should see between 2.5 to 5lbs of weight gain, which is your body reacting to the creatine uptake by holding onto additional water, within the first week of supplementing with creatine. If you do not see any weight gain during the loading phase, which is taking 20 grams for the first 5 to 7 days of taking creatine, you are most likely a non-responder. Additionally, if you don’t see any strength gains as in an additional couple reps on a heavy lift this is further evidence that you are a non- responder.

What creatine should you buy?

There are tons of companies coming out with new fancy creatine products such as creatine nitrate, creatine citrate, creatine ethyl ester, etc. None of these products have been proven to do anything that can’t be accomplished by just taking creatine monohydrate.

Creatine monohydrate is the standard creatine supplement that’s the most studied and affordable creatine out there. There are hundreds of studies that have shown creatine monohydrate to increase muscle creatine storage and enhance physical performance. I prefer the Optimum Nutrition pill version of creatine monohydrate due to convenience; it can be found here. Literally any creatine monohydrate will work, but just like any supplement make sure you’re buying from a reputable company.

I hope this answers any questions that you have about creatine and its benefits. If you have any other questions or would like to request an article, please leave a comment or send an email to thedailynook@gmail.com