Improve Your Results with Creatine
19
Feb
Improve Your Results with Creatine
Reading time - 8 mins
Creatine is one of the most researched supplements around, and the benefits of taking it are endless. Most men will take creatine as part of their daily routine, while women will generally twist their noses and say creatine is not suitable for them. But is it true? Are there benefits for women to take creatine?
Most women will think that creatine is a supplement for men because it will increase muscle mass or strength. While this is partially true, there are many reasons why women should include this supplement in their supplement stack.
What is creatine?
It’s a compound produced naturally by the liver with a little help from the pancreas and kidneys. 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in the skeletal muscle, and small amounts are also found in the brain.
There are many forms of creatine available in the market, but in this article, we will focus on creatine monohydrate, the most researched and widely used form of it.
How does creatine work?
In short, this supplement will help the muscles to work harder and longer. This means you will smash through a gruelling session with no fear. You will lift heavier or even go for one more rep. Creatine will help to produce more ATP, which is the critical energy source for when you are lifting heavy weights as well as when you are performing high-intensity exercises.
So how do women benefit from it?
While most of the research has been done on men, there's strong evidence that shows women can increase strength without gaining weight. In one study done over 5 weeks in female athletes, it showed that supplementing with creatine increased the strength of the athletes. In another research in older women where strength and muscle power are decreased due to age, supplementing with creatine showed an increase in vitality and power.
Another benefit of adding creatine is the boosting of brain performance. One study found that adding creatine for six weeks showed an improvement in working memory, intelligence and speed of processing, which is an excellent benefit to support brain performance.
There is also evidence that shows women will have a better response to creatine than men. When you add creatine to your supplement stack, you will train harder and lift more, which will help to build more lean muscle and consequently lose body fat.
Some of the myths:
1. It’s not safe – First, creatine is NOT a form of anabolic steroid, and it’s NOT a banned substance. There’s also NO evidence that it can cause kidney damage. There are many studies on the safety of creatine, and none have shown health risks.
2. It will make me bloated – Studies have shown that when men use creatine, they tend to retain more water and gain weight when compared to women.
3. I will bulk up – you might notice a small weight gain as you are put on more lean muscle mass, but to bulk up, you will need to eat a lot more and lift heavy weights to see any significant difference.
Final Notes
Adding creatine monohydrate to your daily supplement stack can be great to help you build more lean muscle mass and lose body fat. This supplement has been used and studied for decades, and it’s still relatively cheap to buy and very useful.
This supplement can easily be mixed with pre-workout, protein shakes, and so on, as it has no taste and it mixes very well. BUT keep in mind that you need to follow a diet and exercise plan that has been tailored to your fitness goals to see even better results.
Creatine by Red Dragon Nutritionals
100% Pure Creatine by Genetix Nutrition
Micronized Creatine Powder by Optimum Nutrition
Gotshalk, L.A., Kraemer, W.J., Mendonca, M.A., Vingren, J.L., Kenny, A.M., Spiering, B.A., Hatfield, D.L., Fragala, M.S. and Volek, J.S., 2008. Creatine supplementation improves muscular performance in older women. European journal of applied physiology, 102(2), pp.223-231.
Brenner, M., Rankin, J.W. and Sebolt, D., 2000. The effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training in women. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 14(2), pp.207-213.
Rae, C., Digney, A.L., McEwan, S.R. and Bates, T.C., 2003. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double–blind, placebo–controlled, cross–over trial. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 270(1529), pp.2147-2150.
Aguiar, A.F., Januário, R.S.B., Junior, R.P., Gerage, A.M., Pina, F.L.C., Do Nascimento, M.A., Padovani, C.R. and Cyrino, E.S., 2013. Long-term creatine supplementation improves muscular performance during resistance training in older women. European journal of applied physiology, 113(4), pp.987-996.
Buford, T.W., Kreider, R.B., Stout, J.R., Greenwood, M., Campbell, B., Spano, M., Ziegenfuss, T., Lopez, H., Landis, J. and Antonio, J., 2007. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 4(1), p.6.
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