Creatine in sports nutrition. How to take it.
Today, creatine is sufficiently studied as a sports nutrition and approved by athletes as a good tool. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSP) states that it contributes to an increase in physical performance by 10-20 percent. Let’s find out what else it is useful for you.
Creatine – this is one of the types of sports supplements, which is very popular among people who want to gain muscle mass. Natural origin, absolute safety and a high degree of assimilation are the distinctive features of such a substance as creatine. For what it is needed, you will learn the necessary dosages and the duration of the course of treatment from this material.
The new statement of the International Society of Sports Nutrition states: “State institutions and sports organizations that limit and / or discourage the use of creatine, put athletes at great risk.”
It is enough convincing support of scientific organizations in favor of dietary sports nutrition. It is the result of serious research and studies on the effect of supplements over the years, every gram of creatine deserves attention and benefits.
Creatine helps a person maintain in blood and transport adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the main source of energy for the body. An accessible and easy source of ATP can be creatine, due to which the body can significantly increase its level of intensity.
In the statements of the ISSP it is indicated that for the nutrition of the body it takes from 1 to 3 grams of creatine per day. You can eat 500 grams of red meat or seafood per day, which in natural form contain from 1 to 2 grams of creatine, but the muscles that need the load require even more. The simple way is to take sports nutrition. It helps to supplement the necessary daily rate and is much more convenient and faster than absorbing a kilogram of meat per day.
The statements also indicate that vegetarians have a very low level of creatine in the body, they can partially solve this problem by taking supplements with creatine in their daily nutrition program.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a substance that our body produces from incoming food of animal origin. But because of malnutrition, stress and increased physical activity, creatine is often not enough. Therefore, athletes and people who observe low-calorie diets, it is necessary to use it additionally. So, you are thinking about taking creatine. What is it for and what consequences will its long-term lack bring?
At the time of muscle effort, energy is needed to perform the movement. Since it is required from the first moment of the load, the body will take it from the muscles. Before the body can use energy from the usual sources (proteins, fats and carbohydrates), it must be processed into a special form. In fact, it is nothing more than creatine.
It is believed that with a weight of 70 kilograms and a moderate load, the body needs about 2 grams of creatine per day. To do this, you need to eat about a kilogram of red meat. It is much easier to receive this important substance from additives.
Useful properties of creatine
- Acceleration of metabolism. Due to the fact that creatine actively participates in metabolism, its increased use can cause weight loss due to a reduction in fatty layer. However, in the first days of admission, there may be an increase in weight due to fluid retention in the muscles. Then it all depends on your goals and training regimen. Creatine gives you extra energy, and where you spend it depends on you. You can focus on strength training for the growth of muscle mass or increase the intensity of cardio training. The effect of creatine will be particularly noticeable in the first weeks of admission.
- Increased strength. Already in the first classes you will notice that with ease add 2-5 repetitions to each approach of strength exercises. This effect will accumulate and gradually lead to an increase in muscle mass.
- Increased stamina. For this reason, creatine is relevant not only for fans of the gym, but also for those who prefer cardio and various types of martial arts.
Benefits of Creatine
Based on the applications of the ISS, creatine increases productivity when performing high-intensity exercises, helps to prevent and reduce the number of injuries, helps athletes to increase strength, reduces spasms, stiffness, muscle tension and tension. It can also reduce gastrointestinal disorders, it also improves the body’s ability to retain moisture, to feed muscles.
The statements indicate unconditional scientific arguments that prove that sports nutrition creatine increases the productivity of high-intensity exercises and endurance training by 10-20 percent. The report also says that creatin promotes increased bone density, improves glucose metabolism and brain activity, and reduces oxidative effects.
How and when to take?
The IOSP states that people who consume 3 grams of creatin as an additive in daily nutrition notice significant improvements in health. If you train intensively, and especially if youhave a large body weight, you can take 5-10 grams per day.
If you want to quickly increase the amount of creatin in your muscles, the Society of Sports Nutrition recommends making the first phase of loading 5 grams of creatine monohydrate four times a day for 5-7 days, then making the second phase for 3 grams per day.
Are there any disadvantages?
Some people mistakenly think that creatin causes damage to the liver. But, numerous studies are cited by the authors’ conclusions that even if you take 0.8 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight per day for five years – and that’s more than 50 grams per day – “does not harm health, and does not cause disease, but only benefits”.
Creatin helps the body to retain water, which helps to keep hydration, which in turn causes muscle growth. Like most sports nutrition, creatine works well under the condition of training. Do not expect to get all the benefits of supplements sitting on the couch all day.
Now you know all about the benefits of creatine, its types and what is better. Creatine is a safe way to increase the impact of your training and quickly improve athletic performance.
