Best Time To Take Creatine – Creatine is one of the most commonly used sports supplements among gym-goers and athletes. Many forms are available, but creatine monohydrate is the most widely used and researched. Personal differences, timing of creatine consumption, and dosage can affect efficacy and safety.
The molecule creatine is stored in muscles. It (Creatine) is used to produce phosphocreatine, which then provides energy for short, high efforts such ambulant sports, like sprinting, weightlifting, jumping, or team sports. Creatine is found in foods such as red meat, poultry, fish and milk. Creatine is also made by your body from the amino acids arginine, methionine and glycine.
Benefits of Taking Creatine Before Exercise
The timing of creatine supplementation is studied little. Nevertheless, some physiological mechanism suggests that the benefits offered by preexercise creatine supplementation might be greater than creatine supplementation taken for exercise. During exercise, your muscles may take in more than 100 times as much creatine as when you’re resting, so exercise is actually good for your muscles, as it helps get more blood pumping through them.
When you consume 5 grams (g) of creatine, blood creatine levels peak anywhere from one to two hours later, and stick around for about four hours. After exercise at any intensity, blood flow to your muscles stays elevated for 30 minutes or longer, depending on the type and amount of exercise.
For that reason, if you’re exercising 40 to 90 minutes, you can drink creatine before or while you work out.
Benefits of Taking Creatine After Exercise
It’s hypothesized that muscles may be able to absorb more creatine during and after exercise. Some molecules cross cell membranes passively, while others require specific carriers called transporters. These transporters help maintain balance by exchanging molecules between cells and their environment.
During exercise, specific transporters become more active to regulate the molecular exchange caused by movement. This can affect the creatine transporter, potentially increasing creatine uptake by the muscles.
Which is Better?
In one study, older adults were given a creatine supplement or placebo just before or after resistance training for eight months. Those who took the creatine before or after training gained more muscle strength than those who took the placebo. Participants who took creatine after training gained more muscle mass.6
The same researchers designed a study that was only three months long. All participants, whether they took creatine supplements before or after exercise or took a placebo, increased muscle mass and strength.
Supplementing on Rest Days
Rest days supplement timing is likely far less important than exercise days. On rest days we try to supplement with the creatine in order to keep your muscles in a high creatine content state.
A ‘loading phase’ is usually advised when you first start taking creatine. The specifics of this phase are that you take moderately high amount (approximately 20 grams) for 5 days (19Trusted Source). However, within a few days, it increases the creatine content of your muscles (22Trusted Source).
Once this is the case, a daily maintenance dose of 3–5 grams is advised (1Trusted Source). Supplementing on rest days is only to maintain high creatine levels in the muscle if you are taking a maintenance dose. It probably really doesn’t make a huge difference, overall, in taking this dose.
How to Take Creatine
You can take creatine with or without food. Taking creatine with carbohydrates or with both carbohydrates and protein can increase muscle creatine stores more than taking creatine alone.
Beta-alanine (an amino acid) may improve the effects of creatine supplementation, while caffeine may interfere with creatine’s effects. However, the evidence is not clear for either of them.
Conclusion
Creatine can improve muscle mass, strength, and recovery. There is currently no strong evidence suggesting a specific timing for creatine supplementation. You can take it either before or after exercise to see benefits. How much you’ll benefit from creatine may vary based on many factors, including your age, gender, general health, diet, supplementation protocol, and the type, intensity, and volume of your training.
