Everything you need to know; Creatine

Creatine: a brief overview 

Creatine is naturally found in muscle and can be ingested through diet mainly from meat and fish. Creatine is used for short high intensity exercise (e.g repeat sprints). The energy system that creatine is used in can produce energy very quick but for only around 8-10 seconds

Benefits of Creatine 

increased muscular growth

a higher max effort threshold for intense exercise

enhanced post exercise recovery

potentially improves recovery for concussion

Best way to take creatine 

Loading Dose (quickest)

5g creatine 4x per day

Muscle creatine saturation achieved in 5-7 days

Loading Dose (longer)

5g creatine 1x per day

Muscle creatine saturation achieved in 1 month

Maintenance 

3-5g creatine 1x per day - ongoing

Take Home Message

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements and I think it is an easy win for most people that go to the gym or do high intensity exercise. It’s not going to make a massive difference but it will enable you to get an extra rep on your bench press or an extra sprint on your interval training. 

Please consult a medical professional before commencing creatine.