Creatine improves your performance and develops your muscular strength and explosiveness
There was a time when this ingredient had a sulphurous reputation (Zidane, who passed through Juventus in Turin at the end of the 90s, had come under suspicion after impressive muscle growth at the time even though it was a strict nutritional diet). via the taking of rigorously selected supplements, to the nearest gram)! However, this image is not true because creatine is naturally present within muscle cells, it is an amino acid derivative mainly present mainly in muscle fibers and in the brain. In sports nutrition, food supplements based on creatine owe their success to quickly visible effectiveness, particularly in muscle building, whether it is an increase in muscle mass, or whether it is a increased optimization of muscle recovery, whether athletes practicing bodybuilding, CrossFit, sprinting or team sports, endurance sports or combat sports.
In terms of functioning, creatine will circulate in the blood to reach the muscles and then transform into creatine phosphate. As creatine phosphate only lasts a few seconds, it is mainly useful at the start of very high intensity training, only if it has rapid assimilation with optimized absorption, to replenish ATP reserves, the molecule energy which provides the power useful for muscle contraction. It is therefore generally necessary to combine the intake of other nutrients, including carbohydrates, via dedicated supplementation, for a greater and longer energy supply, which explains in particular the success of Stimium PreWorkout. Finally, it is important to remember that unlike GABA for example, creatine does not play a role in stimulating growth hormone.
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What is creatine?
Who hasn't heard of creatine? It is one of the best known and recognized food supplements among athletes, whatever the disciplines. This recognition is due in particular to the number of scientific publications using this active ingredient both for its effects in sports nutrition and for its medical applications, and as a corollary to its effectiveness, particularly in improving physical performance.
Creatine is a natural amino acid derivative found in particular in the muscle fibers of our body; it is therefore, contrary to popular belief, a natural molecule and in no way a doping product. Our body naturally synthesizes it from glycine, arginine and methionine, well-known amino acids.
Creatine is therefore not a protein but an amino acid derivative present naturally in the body and in the muscles. This means every day, our body synthesizes creatine from amino acids in addition to intake from our diet. It is found in meat or fish. For example, a kilo of red meat contains 4 to 5 grams of creatine. Obviously depending on each person's diet, there is no doubt that food provides our body with part of the creatine it needs.
What is creatine used for?
Creatine has multiple beneficial effects. Creatine is one of the main sources of energy for cells. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the molecule universally used by cells for their function. It is the hydrolysis of the phosphate bonds of this molecule which releases the energy usable by the cells. From use over 6 weeks, cerebral creatine increases, also allowing an improvement in intellectual performance in addition to purely physical improvement.
From a physiological point of view, creatine serves to produce energy primarily for muscles. In the event of a short, intense effort, typical of a weight training session, the muscles need energy and send a signal to using macros (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) to provide energy to the muscles through intermediate of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). As the amount of ATP drops very quickly in the body, creatine, as a precursor to ATP, will help maintain ATP at a constant level in the body in order to continue to fuel cells and muscles. . This is the explanation for improved sports performance, with longer, more effective training and increased strength.
Creatine is mainly used to boost performance and strength in athletes. Studies also show that it raises growth hormone levels, which promotes muscle gain.
What dosage of creatine?
At Stimium Laboratories, we recommend a dose of 3 grams of creatine per day. Eating the equivalent of red meat every day would be very expensive (even if your butcher would be happy), and the equivalent of fish only seems to be possible if you have your own fishing boat and go out every day!
For those who wanted to progress very quickly (competition approach, or muscle wasting following an injury), it is always possible to follow a more advanced protocol with daily doses of 20 grams (4 doses per day for 5 days) followed by a maintenance treatment at the classic daily dose of 3 grams per day, which is also the dose recommended in France by the health authorities. Some will opt for another equation, with a daily dose of 0.03 grams per kg per day, but unless you are 2 meters and 120 kgs (which we have at Stimium with several partner rugby clubs), the dose of 3 grams is the correct standard. Obviously note the interest of creatine for vegetarians and vegans who will have difficulty reaching such a dose through a standard diet.
Creatine powder or creatine tablet?
Creatine is sold mainly in the form of powder, tablets or capsules. How to choose between the two? This will depend on your consumption habits and your objectives. At Stimium Laboratories, we have decided to offer you creatine monohydrate in the 2 forms usually available, in powder or tablets (STIMIUM Pwr Creatine Tabs). We therefore leave you the choice, depending on whether you find it complicated to take several tablets per day or not. Powdered creatine has the advantage of being more adaptable, depending on your needs, but with P
For those who have chosen creatine powder, a small technical detail: you should not prepare your shaker more than 1 hour before consuming the mix because the product could deteriorate quite quickly. The easiest way is to bring your shaker filled with your powder dose (normally around 3 grams) but without liquid. You add the liquid at the last moment.
The best time to consume creatine?
If certain products are clearly identified Pre, Intra or Post for their consumption, the protocol is also relatively simple for creatine. Creatine is consumed after exercise on days when you do sports, because the body absorbs it better after physical activity. Conversely, it is better to avoid taking creatine before exercise, because the effectiveness would be very limited and certain side effects could make your session less pleasant (digestive problems in particular).
During days without training or competitions, you should also consume your dose of creatine during lunch and dinner, in 2 doses to maximize absorption.
Creatine alone or combined?
If you do bodybuilding or crossfit, it is recommended to mix creatine with your snack, for example with protein bars . In general, these athletes take proteins like whey and it will be enough to add a dose of creatine to the shaker in addition to the dose of Whey, Isolate or Vegan Protein , especially since these proteins will promote the assimilation of creatine. .
It is also possible to combine creatine and BCAAs without problem, even if BCAAs do not have the potentiating effect that proteins can have. However, as BCAAs can be consumed before, during and after a sports session, a BCAA and Creatine shake is entirely possible.
Creatine in which sports?
Initially reserved for bodybuilding, its consumption became more widespread in the 80s and 90s. Creatine remains a very popular supplement among athletes practicing bodybuilding, fitness, crossfit, strength sports (weightlifting), combat (Karate, Judo, boxing, MMA), in athletics (sprint and middle distance), rugby, basketball, football and tennis, cycling for sprinters and rollers, among others. In endurance sports, its use is increasingly broad, due to its impact on improving training, with an apparently real impact on the performance of trail runners or triathletes for example.
In summary
Creatine is probably in the top 3 of the most studied active ingredients in sports nutrition. She serves :
-to produce energy in order to improve your sporting performance.
-to increase strength- we are stronger because creatine produces ATP to fuel the muscles for longer in the body ensuring more performance over time.
- to gain muscle mass, regular consumption of creatine coupled with weight training sessions twice a week can lead to an average mass gain of between 1.5 and 2kg.
If creatine remains a food supplement mainly intended for athletes, it is also used in everyday life by many other categories of people, particularly among the elderly to improve their neurological functions and/or to regain muscle strength. for certain undernourished people. There are a lot of clinical studies currently being carried out by large pharmaceutical companies on the benefit of creatine in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, which actually makes sense, since it has been shown that creatine helps increase brain energy capacity.
