How useful is creatine?
introduction
Creatine is a substance that occurs naturally in the body and regulates the energy supply in the muscles. Especially in muscle building and endurance sports, creatine is used as a supplement to increase performance and accelerate muscle building. Although creatine has been used in this context for many years and is not considered a doping agent, there is always criticism and the question of how sensible the use of creatine really is in various sports.
Also read: Creatine monohydrate
Does it make sense to take creatine?
Creatine has many beneficial effects on the human body. These are not limited to the muscular level, where creatine primarily increases performance and muscle strength, but also affect other areas of the body. The intake of creatine has a positive influence on brain performance, concentration is improved and the stress tolerance of people who are under particular psychological and emotional stress is increased.
Bones and cartilage are better supplied with nutrients by creatine, which means that creatine can represent a useful addition to therapy, especially in the case of bone fractures or in the treatment of osteoporosis. This shows that creatine covers many other areas besides use in sports and can definitely be viewed as a sensible dietary supplement.
The people who use creatine are divided into so-called responders, who respond well to the ingestion of creatine, and non-responders, in whom the creatine has almost no effect. With the latter, the use of creatine does not actually make sense. By and large, the question of whether it makes sense to take creatine cannot be answered across the board, but must always be clarified individually.
Find out more about this topic at: The effects of creatine
Creatine for muscle building
In order to understand the effects of creatine in connection with muscle building, it makes sense to first clarify the process of muscle building itself. Every muscle in the human body consists of so-called muscle fiber bundles, which in turn consist of muscle fibers, which in turn are composed of smaller fibers, the myofibrils. Regular training improves the coordination between the various muscle fibers. With further training, the so-called hypertrophy effect sets in. That means the muscles start to grow. This growth comes about through the storage of proteins in the muscle fibers.
In order to train the muscle at all, movements of the muscle are first necessary. When moving, the muscle tenses, it contracts. Energy is required for this contraction. There are natural energy suppliers in the body. The main energy for muscle contraction is provided by the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Creatine is partly responsible for the formation or regeneration of this ATP. When muscles contract, ATP is broken down, releasing the energy required for contraction. Under normal circumstances there is only a certain amount of ATP in the muscle cells in the body. If the ATP is used up, we feel this, because the muscles tire. Without creatine, it takes some time for new ATP to form. This functionality is now being used by athletes to build muscle.
By supplementing additional creatine, more ATP is formed in the muscle cells, so that performance is increased and longer training is possible. Ingesting creatine increases the creatine level in muscles by up to 20 percent. The effects of creatine on muscle building are therefore a faster fiber contraction or a shorter relaxation time during a contraction, which allows a higher intensity of exertion. Furthermore, shortened recovery times of the muscle cells due to larger amounts of ATP, as well as larger-looking muscles due to water retention, as creatine binds water in the muscle cells, are among the positive effects. Used correctly, creatine can improve the training effect and positively support muscle building.
You can find more information on this topic at Creatine for muscle building
Creatine in endurance sports
Although creatine mainly increases the performance of the muscles in the short term and leads to an increase in the volume of the muscles when taken for a long time, it can still be beneficial for endurance athletes. The increased amount of creatine in the muscles means that less lactic acid is released, which can reduce potential muscle soreness after training. The water retention in the muscles caused by creatine increases the total weight, but can be seen as an additional fluid reservoir, especially in endurance athletes who dehydrate quickly. Since creatine improves muscle protein synthesis, taking creatine can also help regenerate damaged muscles and shorten the break times. The increased supply of ATP in the muscles has a positive effect on interval training and can also increase performance there.
All of this shows that creatine can also be used in endurance sports. There, however, it mainly has a regenerative effect and is not primarily aimed at improving performance.
How often and for how long should you use creatine?
When using creatine there are different dosage options, which are more or less suitable depending on age, gender and training goal. Therefore, before starting the intake, it should be analyzed what purpose the creatine should serve.
- Slow load
The slow load variant consists of 3 phases of creatine intake. The loading phase takes about 4 weeks, with 3g of creatine per day divided into two single doses. In the maintenance phase, which also lasts 4 weeks, the amount of creatine depends on personal weight. 0.03g creatine per kilogram of body weight should be taken in. The last phase is the withdrawal phase, the creatine intake is reduced further and further over 4 weeks.
- Fast load
Fast load supplementation is also divided into the same phases. During the loading phase, 0.3g creatine per kilogram of body weight is supplied there over 7 days. The maintenance phase then lasts 6-8 weeks. Here the dose is reduced to 0.03g creatine per kg body weight. The withdrawal phase also lasts 4 weeks, whereby the amount of creatine is slowly reduced.
- Continuous intake
Here, 3g creatine per day are taken continuously. The charging and settling phases are completely eliminated with this ingestion method.
You may also be interested in this topic: Side effects of creatine
Who should do without creatine
In general, creatine is a very well tolerated food supplement. Since it is one of the amino acids that occur naturally in the body, there are hardly any restrictions on use. People who have no health problems can take creatine without hesitation. Even an additional burden or the risk of kidney damage have not yet been proven despite extensive studies.
There are no explicit instructions in the literature as to who should avoid creatine. Due to the chemical way it works, it is obvious that people who have problems with water retention (for example, those with heart disease), people with kidney damage or other metabolic diseases should first discuss the intake of creatine with their doctor. There are also no contraindications to taking creatine for pregnant women, so a doctor should be consulted if you are unsure. Otherwise creatine is a safe supplement that has been tested in extensive studies.
When should creatine be taken?
The time of taking creatine depends on the respective training plan.
On non-training days, it is advisable to take the creatine dose in the morning on an empty stomach. At this point, the body is not busy digesting other foods, so the rate of absorption of creatine is increased. The assumption that an increased release of insulin, for example by taking creatine with fruit juices, leads to an improved absorption of creatine is now considered out of date. Nevertheless, the creatine should be taken with a large amount of liquid (preferably at least 300 ml of water). The advantage of taking with water is that there are no additional calories.
On days on which training units are completed, it is recommended to take creatine immediately after training. In combination with protein shakes, the intake speed can be increased even further.
In summary, this means: on days of rest, creatine is taken in the morning and otherwise it is preferable to take it directly after training in order to achieve the best possible effect.
Read about this too The creatine regimen
Are there any side effects?
As with almost all supplements, there can also be side effects when taking creatine. However, since creatine is also ingested in everyday life, for example through food, and it is an endogenous substance, the expected side effects are very low. Side effects can occur especially in people who do not ingest much creatine through their diet or in people who are in the early stages of supplementation with creatine. The most common side effects of creatine relate to the digestive tract, for example flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or unpleasant bad breath. The symptoms usually subside as soon as the creatine intake is reduced.
Another typical side effect from taking creatine is water retention. The reason for this is simply that creatine transports more water into the muscle cells. This is also a justification for the rapid weight gain when you start taking creatine. In order to avoid side effects as much as possible, it is important to pay attention to the correct dosage of creatine and only buy products that can guarantee a good quality.
Are there any interactions with other supplements?
Creatine is a substance that is well tolerated by most other supplements and foods. This can best be explained by the fact that creatine is an endogenous substance. The interactions of creatine with other supplements tend to mean positive effects. When combining creatine with the following supplements, desirable interactions occur:
- Creatine and ß-alanine
ß-alanine is an amino acid that increases muscle performance, reduces fatigue and increases the concentration of carnosine, which has a positive effect on muscle endurance. If creatine and ß-alanine are combined, both substances show synergetic effects, which means that they complement each other in their effects.
- Creatine and BCAA
BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids), which consists of the three amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, is used by the body to generate energy. In combination with creatine, it supports mass and strength improvement through training.
- Creatine and protein shakes
Especially after training, it can be useful to dissolve creatine in your protein shake. Not only is the solubility improved there, but the absorption of creatine is also improved by the protein.
Read more about this under BCAA - effect and function
What do you have to consider when buying?
The market for creatine products is huge. There are numerous providers on the Internet with large price differences, both domestically and abroad. However, there are at least as big differences in the quality of creatine.
Probably the most important feature when buying is the fine grain of the powder, this is in the unit mesh measured. The finer-grained the powder (good quality starts at around 200 mesh), the better it can be absorbed by the body. Products that are manufactured in Germany usually have to meet higher quality standards than comparable products abroad, so the “Made in Germany” seal is a good indicator of a quality product.
Creatine can be taken in a variety of dosage forms, including tablets, creatine capsules, and powders. Capsules are the easiest to use and convenient to take, which is also reflected in the price, so that water-soluble powder is the cheapest option. Good products are available here from € 12 per kilogram. In principle, it is true that high-quality products usually have a higher price, but conversely, a high price does not automatically mean that it is a quality product. Due to the great popularity of creatine, there are numerous test reports from various creatine manufacturers on the Internet that can serve as the first point of contact when making a purchase decision.
Are there special creatines for women?
In general, it can be said that there are no special creatines for women. Pure creatine monohydrate remains the means of choice among supplements.
However, since many women are discouraged from resorting to creatine because they fear that water retention can lead to a bloated appearance and the effects of creatine can lead to a significant increase in weight, some manufacturers have developed preparations that are not pure Creatine acts.
One example of this is the so-called Kre Alkalyn, which is a creatine monohydrate combined with sodium. The addition of sodium prevents the supplement from breaking down into creatine in the stomach, which means that there are no side effects that affect the gastrointestinal tract or water retention. In principle, however, it also makes sense for women to use pure creatine supplements because they naturally have a different metabolism than men and do not have to worry about building large, masculine-looking muscles through creatine. In women, creatine tends to support the formation of long muscles, which makes women appear more defined and firmer and of course also notice the performance-enhancing effect during training. It is also important for women to adhere to the intake plan for supplementation with creatine in order to achieve the desired effects and to be able to achieve the training goals.
