First let me preface this by saying, as I always say in my nutrition seminars, that you cannot out-supplement a bad diet or bad lifestyle choices. If your food quality is poor, or your food quantity is inadequate for your activity level, then your performance in the gym is going to suffer. If you are only sleeping 6 hours per night, or you are binge drinking every weekend, your testosterone levels are going to suffer and you will struggle to lose fat/gain muscle/perform in the gym.
However, let’s assume that you’re doing ok with those things. Where to turn to next?
Let me introduce: Creatine.
There is a whole lot of mythology surrounding this supplement. You probably learned most of what you know about it in high school. I remember seeing some guys in the locker room in grade 12, putting creatine into their shake — I thought it was the equivalent of steroids. I thought they’d end up in trouble. Or sick.
When I introduce the subject with women, they fear getting bloated or bulky. They assume that creatine is the supplement for dudes who want big biceps. Anecdotally, the women I’ve worked with have only seen positive results…. like… really, incredibly positive results (anyone *almost* got a pull-up? listen up!)
I want to bust through some of that mythology in order to help you get the most out of your training at Sublime.
Who would I recommend creatine to?
The answer is, just about everyone that trains at our facility… and just about everyone else too!
Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements available, and here are some of the benefits that research has shown:
* increased power output
* increased lean mass
* increased hydration
* increased sense of well-being
* improved fatigue resistance
* decreases muscle damage
* increased muscular endurance
* decreases fatigue
* increased bone mineral density
And there are several others. For example, one test found that creatine loading prior to 36 hours of sleep deprivation improved the ability to perform complex tasks.
There are plenty of resources online to learn more about Creatine. If you’re curious, dig around a bit and fire some questions my way.
In the meantime, if you’re ready to make a fairly low investment (creatine monohydrate is quite cheap), then pick up a container of it and start taking down 5g/day. No need to load it or do anything particularly fancy with it. You will have improved uptake of it immediately after exercise, so mixing it into a shake or even some applesauce after your workout might make the most of your dollars.
What you should notice is improved performance on strength lifts, maybe some muscle growth, maybe a bit of weight gain (don’t worry – it ain’t body fat).
So, to reiterate… if your diet needs to be cleaned up… clean it up. If your sleep habits suck… fix em. If those are all in order, and you want to get more out of your training, start taking down some creatine.
Oh… and who wouldn’t I recommend creatine to?
If you have impaired kidney function I would suggest talking with your doctor first. Also, if you suck at drinking water… then you need to start drinking water in adequate quantities first.
P.S. If you need to talk some more about your nutrition habits, get in touch for a nutrition consultation, or keep an eye out for our next nutrition seminar which will probably be in late Fall.