When it comes to gaining muscle mass, creatine is one of the most often used supplements. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts, however, wonder if there is an optimal time to consume creatine.
Creatine is an ergogenic substance used to improve performance in activities requiring explosive muscle contractions for a brief period of time, such as sprinting and weightlifting. It’s essential for cellular energy release, which in turn is essential for healthy muscle performance. This supplement is most often used to increase efficiency, but research also shows that it helps muscles recover after an exercise.
Creatine has been related to gains in muscle mass and strength while exercising. Athletes that take creatine supplements for a few months outperform those who don’t by gaining between 0.9 kilogrammes and 2.2 kilogrammes (2 to 5 pounds) of muscle mass.
You should take creatine 30 minutes before you hit the gym for maximum results. It’s also beneficial to consume it after a workout, when muscle tissue is actively repairing and expanding, as part of a recovery smoothie or meal.
You can take creatine 30 to 40 minutes before workout. You can also include creatine in your post workout protein shake.
Creatine: what is it?
Skeletal muscle is where you’ll find the bulk of your body’s creatine. Crucial for releasing stored energy for consumption, and also involved in regenerating adenosine triphosphate, one of the body’s primary cellular energy molecules (ATP).
Creatine is mostly synthesised by the liver and kidneys, with about half coming from animal sources in the diet. Performance levels can drop when creatine stores get low. Because of this, creatine should be used both before and after exercise.
The Benefits of Using Creatine
Creatine is useful for enhancing performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities like weightlifting and power workouts. Creatine supplements can increase your stamina, strength, and power. Creatine is largely found in red meat and some shellfish, and the average daily diet provides 1-2g/day, which is around 60-80% of the maximum amount of creatine the muscles can store. Because of this, creatine (creatine monohydrate) supplements are beneficial.
Creatine Supplementation Before Exercise
Creatine is a terrific technique to enhance muscular reserves, but it can be hard to acquire enough of it from food alone, therefore supplementation is highly recommended. Taking creatine (approximately 5g, or 0.3g/kg body weight) four times a day for five to seven days is the ideal strategy to maximise these stores (if you are supplementing for the first time).
Once your creatine stockpiles have been optimised, taking 3-10g per day (depending on your body size) may be all that’s needed to keep them at the optimal level. Higher pre-workout creatine doses may be necessary for people who are vegetarian or vegan, or who have a higher body mass.
Creatine Supplementation Following Exercise
As we have established, the amount of creatine consumed from food alone is usually insufficient to fully optimise creatine reserves in the body. Supplementing with creatine after an exercise is recommended because of this. This can help your muscles recover from their exertion by replacing the nutrients they lost, and it can also preserve your muscle stores in peak condition for when you next go active.
Creatine supplementation with carbohydrates after exercise has also been found to increase muscle glycogen stores (more than carbohydrates alone). Muscle glycogen is a sort of stored energy that can be used to boost performance and reduce tiredness. Creatine’s anti-inflammatory properties can facilitate damage rehabilitation. Creatine also increases intracellular fluid, which might provide the illusion of fuller muscles.
Creatine Supplementation on Off Days
Taking creatine on days when you don’t exercise is a terrific method to keep your muscle stores full. Taking creatine even on rest days can assist our muscles get ready for the following workout, as we need to replace it. Like the loading period, taking creatine on days when you aren’t actively training your muscles can still have a positive effect.
Creatine should be taken whenever
It’s common knowledge that taking creatine before and after an exercise improves performance, and there’s also evidence that it’s safe to do so. Taking a small amount of creatine (3 grammes, for example) every day can help you build muscle and keep it there, which is good for your brain and can boost the effectiveness of treatments for deficiencies in creatine production.
Therefore, you should take creatine whenever it is most convenient for your schedule. Creatine may also help with cardiovascular health, bone loss prevention, and brain power. Taking creatine on a consistent basis has not been shown to cause any negative side effects in healthy persons.
Proper Creatine Dosage
A supplement that contains creatine, dominates the market. Creatine aids short-term performance and is most effective when taken 30 minutes before exercise. MyproteinCreapure Pro Tip: For maximum absorption and performance in your workout, combine the creatine monohydrate powder with water.
In order to maximise muscle retention after a hard workout, creatine should be taken with a combination of carbohydrate and/or protein sources. For this reason, it is an excellent complement to your post-workout recovery smoothie. As an added bonus, taking a creatine supplement on a daily basis will help you maintain peak muscular reserves and may even have positive effects on your health in the long run.
