Creatine Supplementation: A No-Brainer
Written by Jon Bula, GWA Owner, MSc Exercise Physiology
For the record, I’ve been a fan of supplementing with creatine for some time now. I can feel the difference in training with it vs without, both in the gym and on the bike. Creatine has many great benefits and little if any downside. It is great for anyone who is doing more intense workouts, and might have health benefits beyond exercise and performance as well.
Creatine monohydrate occurs naturally (but in small amounts) within meat and fish. It is a crucial amino acid for the production of ATP which is the main energy source for muscular contractions. Supplementing with creatine monohydrate has been shown to saturate your stores inside the muscle beyond what is possible with diet alone. This saturation has been demonstrated to have many exercise and even health benefits. I’m going to list the benefits that are supported by the research and how that might impact cycling performance.
- Increase muscle power and strength
- Increase power output for cyclists
- improved cycling efficiency
- Enhance high-intensity exercise capacity
- All those attacks and your finishing sprints
- May delay fatigue from these efforts
- Allows for higher intensity efforts during training
- Accelerated recovery
- Reduced muscle damage from intense training
- Would help a cyclist recover better from hard training sessions
- Positive effects on brain function
- Possibly delays mental fatigue
- Road racing is a game of chess at 175 bpm heart rate so anything that keeps the brain sharp could be good!
- Improved hydration and thermoregulation
- There is some evidence suggesting it lowers the likelihood of cramping and provides improved body temperature control
Possible downside
- Weight gain***
- GI distress (usually only with high doses)
The most current advice on how to supplement with creatine doesn’t involve the ‘loading’ phase that used to be recommended. Research has shown that the ‘loading’ has little to no effect beyond what just taking the recommended dose of 5g/day does.
- 5 g/day for 28 consecutive days it what it takes to get the full benefits
- These benefits last 2-6 weeks after you stop supplementing
- Can get some weight gain in the form of water retentions
- This has been greatly mitigated by eliminating the ‘loading’ phase
- Doesn’t happen to everyone
***If you are an endurance athlete (cyclist in particular) you may be concerned about potential weight gain. The performance benefits far outweigh the downside of 1-2 lbs. If you happen to be a person who gains weight when supplementing with creatine, simply cease taking it 1-2 weeks prior to your major event(s). The weight should reduce, but the benefits remain for 2-6 weeks after stopping supplementation.
Creatine supplementation is proving to be one of those things that most people who are exercising with any intensity should just include as part of their regular routine.