imagine taking creatine because it's said to be excellent at maximizing muscle gains and strength only for you to not see or feel any difference in your body Jesus am I fat have you ever thought that you might be using it the wrong way creatine has been extensively studied regarding its positive effects on muscular strength size and body composition that said just taking creatine won't automatically lead to good results certain things apart from the obvious not drinking enough water may be the very reason your creatine supplementation isn't working as it should be so let's get straight
into it by the way one of you asked in the comment section if you should be mixing creatine with your protein shakes so I'll talk more on that in a little bit number one you're not sticking to just one form of creatine creatine is popular among bodybuilders athletes and regular gym goers and for good reasons one is its Effectiveness in adding muscle mass as shown in this research but with so many forms of creatine available nowadays it can be quite confusing to pick out which one to use there's creatin nitrate or creatine HCL that some
Brands claim to not cause bloating there's also creatine monohydrate which has been tried and tested by many which should you choose or is it more beneficial to use two or more forms the short answer is to pick just one don't do both simultaneously otherwise you're likely to consume insufficient dosages causing you to miss out on its benefits in my case I'm team creatine monohydrate and won't be switching anytime soon the benefits of using this form of creatine are are backed by numerous research studies of course you can still have a good experience with the other
creatine forms the final decision is all up to you regardless of the variation always ensure that you're taking it consistently and at the correct dosages be patient and give it enough time to show its magic using more than one form of creatine is bad enough but you know what's even worse it's when number two you're doing the wrong kind of workouts creatin is best known for enhancing Fitness performance as such endurance training or cardio are unlikely to result in any benefits three systems oversee the energy production of the body as in the form of ATP
the primary system that operates during resistance training and other short period activities like sprinting is the ATP PCR system from there creatine phosphate is made available for the cells to use and ATP production occurs although this system creates energy at a remarkably quick rate there are only limited stores of creatine phosphate which will be used to give energy for about 10 to 15 seconds creatine phosphate will be replenished within 3 to 5 minutes the human body produces its own creatine the problem is in exchange about 2 G of creatine get excreted daily this is where
proper diet and supplementation come into play to promote the production of creatine one of the best things about taking creatine is its ability to boost resting concentrations of creatine phosphate giving you the strength to do short-term high-intensity activity for a longer duration in the long run this can turn into a few more reps before fatigue sets in on the other hand moderate intensity endurance workouts don't use the ATP PCR system therefore you may not see a huge change in your performance with creatine supplementation instead go for resistance workouts with 3 to 12 reps or Anor
robic training with working intervals of 10 to 15 seconds as these will best emphasize the pros of creatine just like hydration is crucial to optimize your training results it also plays a major role in maximizing the use of creatine more about this in a little bit number three you expect creatine to be a cure all creatine is a reliable supplement however it's far from being a miracle worker you can't expect your strength or size to get big after you've started taking creatine when you're just sitting all day long expecting instant and significant effects just because
you started taking creatine will only lead you to disappointment the truth is creatine stores take a long time to be full in muscle cells from there you'll notice a gradual boost in your training performance translating to extra reps and sets ultimately increasing your overall training volume and over time all of those will help you improve your strength body composition and training performance not only is creatine not a miracle worker but taking it only before a workout is a mistake and would hinder your progress number four you think taking creatine pre-workout is enough with all of
the positive research supporting the use of creatine it's now being added to other products like pre-workouts given the numerous research backing the advantages of creatine it's no wonder why many brands use it in their pre-workout products however relying only on those pre-workout creative won't give you enough in reality a lot of pre-workout Brands underdose creatine for instance brand a gives 1 to 2 G of creatine that alone is hardly enough to feel any difference in your body since the recommended dose is 5 G moreover if you're not used to taking pre-workout creatine you're likely to
come up short even more how to fix this get a tub of creatine it's economical not to mention unflavored allowing you to easily mix it with any drink that's the first step next is to do the loading technique option one one take 20 G of creatine a day divide it into four equal doses over 5 to 7 days after which follow a lowd dose maintenance phase of 5 G daily this is the quickest way to top off creatine stores taking only about a week There's a catch though it may cause a little bloating due to
the increased water intake option two this method takes longer to get maximum creatine stores the good news however is that there's Slimmer chance of wak gain or bloating you just need to take 5 G of creatine daily that's it the human body is much more capable than we think when it comes to building muscle like creatine testosterone is naturally produced by the body and sometimes a little push from external forces is necessary to tap into their full potential luckily there are ways you can boost your tea levels for maximum muscle gains but I'll get into
that in a while number five you're not drinking enough water creatine supplementation isn't without some water weight in fact many people gain around 2 to 4 lounds from water retention in the first week but don't worry water weight is actually a good indication that creatine is working creatine works by pulling more water into the muscles resulting in bigger and Fuller muscles through water your muscles stay hydrated which is vital to continue fueling your body during workouts and throughout the day therefore you must ensure that your body gets a surplus of water when you're on creatine
supplements I recommend adding 300 to 5 mL of water for a 5 G creatine and overall aim for 3 to 4 L of water a day let's say you're drinking enough water and yet your body isn't showing any positive effect from creatine let me guess you're doing this number six you're drinking too much caffeine too much caffeine is a quick way of hindering your body from getting optimal creatine absorption caffeine is a natural diuretic that can cause dehydration when your body detects caffeine it signals your pituitary gland to inhibit the secretion of vasopressin also known
as anti-diuretic hormone or ADH as a result the kidneys absorb less water and more water is expelled through urination I'm not saying to stop drinking coffee because your average cup of coffee isn't strong enough to dehydrate what can interfere with how well creatine can do its job is when you consume caffeine in other ways say through caffeine supplements since you've reached this part of the video let me answer some of your FAQs about creatine supplementation number one can I mix creatine with protein creatine and protein have an excellent Synergy creatine is primarily used to enhance
performance and high-intensity short duration exercises while protein is vital for muscle growth and Recovery additionally experts have found no adverse interaction between between creatine and protein so when should they be taken then you have two options first off you can take them together taking creatine with protein can be beneficial especially if you have a varied and balanced diet and are engaged in regular intense physical activity scenario number two is to take them at different times to maximize their respective absorption for instance you can take creatine before training to boost your performance and then protein for
post-workout to facilitate recovery two will creatine cause problems with my kidneys blood sugar or or muscle mass one of the best things about creatine is it's constantly studied for its Effectiveness and safety in fact creatine is one of the most researched Sports supplements out there it's why many Health experts and trainers support the use of creatine plus there's no published literature to suggest it's unsafe reports of kidney damage blood sugar concerns heart problems muscle cramps and PS dehydration and diarrhea were all anecdotal nevertheless to be safe use creatine only if you're healthy and have no
kidney problems remember it's your kidneys that do the heavy work to excrete creatinine a breakdown product of creatine three do I need to take creatine technically speaking you don't need to supplement with creatine just as our bodies produce creatine the chemical is also naturally found in various foods such as this this and this particularly for those who have a very diet that includes a little bit of meat you'll be consuming and building plenty of creatine creatine does amazing things when taken correctly but avoiding all those mistakes isn't all there is in the muscle building process
a big part of this process also lies in the state of your testosterone levels learn how to increase your tea levels in this next video so make sure to watch it afterwards
