I just wanted to make a quick but factual post about probably the most common supplement out there, creatine monohydrate. I get asked it about a lot still. Here is a quick rundown of this supplement.
What does creatine do ?
Taking creatine will increase the intramuscular stores of phosphocreatine which will be used to regenerate ATP and these are used for muscular energy. This provides muscular contraction. Creatine has been proven to improve performance, strength, and muscle size.
What form of creatine is the best ?
Creatine Monohydrate, the original form is still the best out there. It is the most studied and widely used because it is effective and cheap. Creatine monohydrate will saturate your muscle cells with phosphocreatine 100% and you can beat 100%. So please do not buy into the hype of all these companies who put out these so called ânewâ forms of creatine by saying they are better. They are not. You canât be better than 100%. This is a marketing gimmick for these companies so they can charge you more and to make more money. You keep the money, donât give it to the company. Regular creatine monohydrate is so much cheaper and the cost to effective ratio is second to none. Now, I am not saying, these so called âbetterâ formulas are bad, they will work, but why spend a lot more money on them to get the same results ? Makes no sense.
Creatine Dosage
The proper dosage of creatine is 3-5 grams per day. Taking this much will have your muscle cells completely saturated within a month. Loading is not necessary. A loading phase consists of taking 20 grams per day for 5-7 days. You will get saturated within a week and get there quicker but other than that, there is no benefit to loading. Loading this much is also why a lot of people complain about stomach issues when taking creatine. They are taking too much for them to handle it.
Is Cycling Creatine Necessary ?
No. It is not necessary to cycle creatine. Cycling creatine has been shown to not increase effectiveness over not cycling.
Best time to take creatine ?
There is no best time. However, I always take it pre workout, this way I donât forget to take it. It just one thing less to remember. You can take it anytime of the day you want, its purely up to you. But I recommend taking it around your training so you wonât forget.
Creatine, Water Retention, & Cutting cycle ?
Creatine does pull more liquid into your cell, however, this is a good thing. It increases cell volumization which is a good thing. This is basically an anabolic process. The water you hold with creatine is intramuscular, not outside of the muscle, so do not be afraid of the water. Water is lean body mass. This muscle cell volume will make you look fuller. Water is not fat so do not be afraid to take creatine even during contest prep or if on a fat loss diet. This will not effect your fat loss goals.
I hope this helps some of you new members here if you had questions on creatine. These are the most common that I get. If you have any other questions on it, just post them, I will try and answer it.
Oh and lastly, I still take creatine the old fashioned way, I take one heaping teaspoon(5grms) and put it in my mouth and chase it with my pre workout. On my non training days, I chase it with some type of juice. This method has never failed me. Plus, no mixing.