Introduction:

Creatine is a very good supplement for people who would like to increase their performance in the gym. And considering that it is a very cheap supplement in comparison to others, it is no surprise that creatine is a very common supplement. As Well as being popular and very cheap, creatine is very well backed by research and has shown to improve your strength gain, lean body mass, anaerobic capacity, and power output.

Creatine is naturally produced in the body and is found in meat sources, but in order to increase the ATP in our system, we can supplement it by taking creatine.

How does creatine work?

In short, every time you exercise, your muscle gets its main source of energy from ATP molecules in your body. Creatine helps regenerate ATP faster in your body, leading to extra energy for your training sessions and extra sets/reps performed. These extra reps and sets that you are able to perform would lead to extra strength and muscle growth.

Creatine does cause something called “intramuscular water retention” which is nothing to worry about since the water is being held inside your muscle where you want it, not underneath the skin or anywhere else. In fact, intramuscular water retention does increase muscle size, which could lead to even more muscle growth through the swelling of the cells in your muscles.

It is important to note that it has been proven that some people just do not respond to creatine in the same way that others do. The people that have been shown to respond, typically have a higher percentage of type 2 muscle fibres and initial low muscle creatine content.

Around 25% of people are non-responders to creatine. But considering how much research has been done into its positive effects, its low risk to side effects and how affordable it is, it is probably in your best interest to supplement it anyway to see if you respond well to it.

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What is the best type of creatine?

There are lots of supplement companies out there who offer a wide range of different types of creatine and promise that they will have significant benefits. The truth is, studies have shown that the most beneficial type of creatine is Creatine Monohydrate. The only exception to this is a type called ‘Polyethylene glycosylated creatine’. This type has shown that you don’t need to have as high of a dose in order to see the same results (75% less dosage needed). This would suggest that the body is better at absorbing it than creatine monohydrate. But less research has currently been done on this specific creatine and it is more expensive so we suggest sticking to creatine monohydrate.

Also, when you are buying creatine, try your best not to buy a massive bag of it. Especially if you are going to be the only person using it. This is because Creatine supplements last a very long time and may even go out of date before you finish a big bag of it (We have made that mistake). Creatine is a very cheap supplement, so it is better to buy smaller sized bags more often than to waste your money on a big bag that goes out of date.

What to take creatine with?

A Lot of companies will claim that it doesn’t matter what you take creatine with, however, a study in 2011 showed that creatine levels in your body are boosted to a much higher level when taken with carbohydrates and protein when compared to just taking it by itself. It almost doubles the effect on your body by taking creatine with carbs than if you took creatine just by itself.

For the best results, we recommend that you take your creatine with a meal or a shake that contains as close as you can to 50g of carbs and 40g of protein.

When should you take creatine?

Ultimately, the best time to take creatine is a time that is most convenient and sustainable for you. However, there has been some research done that suggests there is a ‘slight but insignificant benefit’ to taking creatine post-workout as opposed to before your workout. Considering that most people have a post-workout shake or meal, we advise that you take creatine after your training session for the possible benefits that it could add to you in the long run.

How should you take creatine?

Unlike caffeine, your body does not build up a tolerance to creatine. This means that you can take it consistently for as long as a time period as you want without having to cycle off of it.

The fastest way to reach maximum creatine saturation is through creatine loading, followed by a maintenance phase. This involves taking 20g-25g of creatine every day for a week to reach saturation (loading phase) and then 5g per day from that point onwards (maintenance phase). Otherwise, you could just take 5g a day maintenance dose without any loading. This, however, could take up to a month for your body to reach maximum saturation. We recommend for first-time users or if you’ve taken a long break, that you should do the loading phase. Either way, the choice is yours.

Side effects?

Whether or not creatine supplementation causes hair loss or not has not been directly investigated in research yet. One research was done on rugby players to show that taking creatine constantly for 2 weeks can increase your DHT levels by up to 40%. DHT is a hormone that can accelerate male pattern baldness (in those with a history in their family).

This whole idea is only based on one study which hasn’t yet been replicated. It also only applies to those who already have a history of male pattern baldness in their family.

So if you have a history of male pattern baldness in your family, it is advisable to either be cautious with creatine or just not take it to be safe.

If however, your family does not have a history of male pattern baldness, you shouldn’t have to worry about this side-effect on your body.

If you, for some reason still really want to take creatine even though your family has a history of male pattern baldness, you could take creatine along with finasteride, which will help reduce your DHT levels.

Overview:

As always, food and training should be your main priority. These are much more important for seeing results and a sustainable healthy lifestyle. However, you can supplement with supplements if you would like to increase your performance extra or need extra supplements to meet nutrition targets.

-Stick to Creatine Monohydrate

-Try to take creatine with a meal or a shake that contains 50g of carbs in it.

-Take creatine after the gym if you can but it doesn’t matter too much.

-Have at least 5g a day of creatine to see results or 20g a day for a week followed by 5g a day there onwards for the fastest results.

-If your family has a history of male pattern baldness, either be very cautious when taking it, don’t take it or you could take finasteride to combat this side effect.