If you regularly workout in the gym chances are that often you could get some sorts of advice in terms of what you should be eating, which is the right protein supplement that you should take, etc. Getting advice is one thing and but, nobody should take any supplement or put anything in their body without weighing the benefits and risks first. This goes for everything from beer to marshmallows to the amazing amino acid called Creatine.
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a combination of three different amino acids, glycine, arginine, and methionine. Creatine is a well known substance, and while it offers benefits in terms of muscle and strength gain, it can also generate an energy boost that assists muscle recovery and decreases muscle fatigue.
When you take creatine in the powder form – it is in your blood stream for about 1 – 1.5 hours. For muscle growth, the creatine must be absorbed into the muscles. If you are working out and deplete your creatine supply in your muscles and you have creatine available in the blood stream, your muscles can replenish their creatine supply from the creatine in your blood.
How Does Creatine Help You?
It is a naturally present nutrient in foods like meat, to some extent in certain types of fish but in low quantity. It gets stored in the muscle & regenerates ATP to produce explosive power output. Everyone from gym users, bodybuilders, power sports players to endurance athletes can see lean muscle gains, increased endurance, speedy recovery and improved performance with creatine.
When Should You Take Creatine?
It is recommended to take creatine monohydrate with a simple carbohydrate source to help it absorb more quickly. A good time to take creatine would be right after your workout and early morning after waking up. It is highly absorbed post workout and first thing in the morning.
On rest days, creatine can help muscle recovery and can be consumed early morning after waking up along with simple carbs.
Creatine draws water to the muscles, so if you are not drinking enough water, dehydration and muscle cramps can be an issue. Also, due to the accumulation of creatine in the small intestine, you may experience stomach pains, diarrhea and an upset stomach. So drinking water and proper dosage is highly recommended.
Best taken in a cycle, 2 months on and 1 month off – 5gm/day.
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