Creatine 101: What it is, why it’s used and how to use it
With an industry as saturated as the fitness and supplement industry, with hundreds of different products available in an array of fancy packaging and with mind-boggling claims that they can work miracles of all sorts… it’s easy to be seduced by the ‘promise of a quick fix’.
Supplements promising to do everything under the sun and more, but without the backing of science and containing minimal research.
At DY Nutrition, we have our very own facility in which we produce supplements that contain ingredients that are backed by science and are crafted to the highest standards.
So in this blog, we are going to focus on one particular, popular supplement… creatine.
Arguably the most researched supplement of all time and a staple in many gym goers arsenal. But let’s discover what it is, why it’s important, who it’s for and how to use it.
What is creatine?
Let’s start with what it actually is. Just what is creatine?
Creatine is not actually foreign to your body, it is a substance that is found naturally in your body primarily in muscle cells where it plays a significant role in the production of energy, especially during short bursts of intense physical activity.
Chemically speaking, it’s actually a combination of three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine. So it is often considered as an amino acid but it’s not technically one of the 20 amino acids that are the building blocks of protein.
Now in the human body, creatine is already there but in a form called phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate.
What does creatine do?
Most of the creatine you consume will end up in our muscle cells where it is changed into creatine phosphate. From here it helps you make ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is a source of energy that your muscle cells require when you’re engaging in physical activity.
Creatine fuels your cells during high-intensity activity, and this enhanced ATP availability will allow muscles to sustain maximum effort for longer as well as drawing water into the muscle cells, thus increasing hydration which can support muscle growth and recovery.
So you can see why creatine has been used for decades by bodybuilders, rugby players, sprinters, footballers and many gym goers!
Other benefits of creatine
But did you know that the benefits of this powerhouse supplement isn’t just limited to athletic performance?
That’s right, here’s a list of potential other benefits of creatine:
- Reducing muscle loss as we age (sarcopenia)
- Improving cognitive function
- Preventing and improving neurological diseases
- Enhancing male’s fertility
- Reducing aging of skin
- Lowering blood sugar
- Improving osteoporosis
So there’s a list of potential other benefits of supplementing with creatine, that can help with improving everyday health and wellness.
Types of creatine
Wait, there’s more than one?
Well technically yes, in supplement form there’s an array of different types that you can buy. In essence, they’re still creatine, but have either been altered slightly or bound with another element.
The most popular and common supplement of creatine however, is creatine monohydrate. It’s the most studied too with research backing many of its benefits mentioned above, especially for the muscular system and athletic performance.
Do you need it in supplement form?
Not necessarily, but to put it into perspective, the recommended dosage being roughly 5 grams of creatine per day and let’s take beef for example since it has one of the highest amounts of creatine from food.
So beef has approximately 4.5g of creatine per kilogram of meat!
Meaning you’d need to eat over 1 kilogram of beef each day to get your 5 grams of creatine which can take its toll on not just your digestive system… but your wallet too!
How to use creatine monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate is incredibly easy to consume, it comes in usually a powdered or tablet form.
The most common being a powder form where you can simply mix 5 grams in water, juice or even your favourite protein shake.
Simply pour, mix and enjoy!
When do I need to take it?
Unlike a pre-workout supplement where you would take it 20 minutes before your workout, there’s no real set time to take your creatine supplement, the important thing is that you consume it rather than timing the most ‘opportune’ moment.
It builds up over time, so ensuring you consume it each day is more important than trying to time it.
And do you need to ‘load up creatine’? Not necessarily no. ‘Loading’ is the practice of consuming higher doses of creatine (usually 20 grams) for 5-7 days before moving down to lower doses. It is thought that it can act quicker this way, but it is unclear as of yet.
Oh and whatever you do, please DO NOT dry scoop your creatine. Dry scooping pre-workouts is bad enough, in fact we’ve got a whole blog on why you shouldn’t dry scoop.
Where can I buy creatine?
At DY Nutrition, we have two types of creatine supplements available: Creatine Monohydrate and The Creatine.
The Creatine is our ultimate creatine complex which packs 6 grams of creatine monohydrate for all above mentioned benefits. But that’s not all, it also contains beta-alanine, taurine and our vitamin B complex which makes this ideal for pre-workout since it’ll help in reducing fatigue whilst complementing the powerful effects of creatine monohydrate.
And our Creatine Monohydrate contains a whopping 5 grams of pure creatine monohydrate which’ll help to increase performance and strength as well as the cognitive benefits too. Plus it’s unflavoured so it’s perfect to add to your post-workout protein shake or even your pre-workout shake!
So if it’s just creatine monohydrate on its own that you’re after then our Creatine Monohydrate is the perfect choice. But if you’re after something to use as a pre-workout, then The Creatine is a solid option.
Both are produced in-house at our very own facility to the highest of standards. We have total control of production and our tubs contain a QR code where you can access our quality control documents and rest assured you’re getting what it says.