Why take a creatine supplement?

Taking a creatine supplement can help you progress faster in terms of strength and muscle mass.

Creatine is a natural compound that is produced in our bodies. Creatine sends energy to the muscles. Small amounts of creatine are also found in foods such as fish and beef.

Creatine is almost like a super supplement because taking it results in increases in strength, recovery, and muscle mass. Creatine is usually available in the form of creatine monohydrate and creatine ethyl ester.

Creatine monohydrate acts slower than creatine ethyl ester. Also, when taking creatine monohydrate, it will take longer for it to saturate your body. You may also notice significant water weight gain with monohydrate.

Creatine ethyl ester is a newer form of creatine and it is absorbed more quickly into the body. Water weight gain is minimal compared to monohydrate. So you may want to take creatine ethyl ester for faster results and less bloating. Make sure to check product reviews though. Some brands of creatine ethyl ester tend to have a foul taste. For this reason, I would recommend that you take creatine ethyl ester in capsule form.

If you look at most creatine supplements, they might mention loading and cycling. What do they mean by this? Creatine loading usually means to take 20 grams of creatine for a week and taper off to 5 grams a day afterwards. This results in faster creatine saturation but it is wasteful. I recommend that you just take 5 grams a day.

Creatine cycling is done to ensure that your body does not get used to the creatine supplementation. Continued use of creatine can make the the body insensitive to supplementation. You body may even stop creating its own creatine with continued use.

This is where cycling comes in. It can be done in many ways. Some take creatine for a month and take 1 to 2 weeks off. Some take it for 4 weeks and take 4 weeks off. It is really up to you.

When should I take creatine supplements?

You may be wondering if you should take creatine before or after your workout. As long as you are taking it, it does not really matter when you take it. So don't sweat the details too much. Personally, I just take a 5 gram serving before my workout.