Creatine is one of the most common supplements that athletes take. Do you know how to use creatine to build muscle faster? Keep reading and you will find out how according to a respectable fitness trainer and kinesiologist.
It is one of the most researched and used supplements in the bodybuilding community to build muscle. Therefore it is regarded as safe if taken within normal parameters.
Jeremy Ethier is a kinesiologist and fitness trainer, co-founder of Built With Science. His YouTube channel has over 4 million subscribers and he delivers clear information with sound background research.
Ethier uploaded a video detailing how to use creatine to build muscle faster with only 4 easy steps to follow. Check it out.
How to Use Creatine to Build Muscle Faster
1. Right Type of Creatine
There are many sorts of creatine with some kind of booster or something that enhances how your body absorbs it. A 2021 systematic review analysed 8 different forms of to determine which one is most effective.
In the end, they all came back with similar results and creatine monohydrate being the most affordable in the market.
2. How Much to Take?
Something between 1-2 grams of creatine per day is too low of a dose for you to build muscle.
The standard scoop size for most products is 5 grams. However, according to research, a daily dose of 3 grams of creatine is sufficient for most lifters to increase their muscle growth. If you are a heavier-than-average person (above 200 lbs for example) you could benefit from a higher dose of creatine, but do not consume more than 5 grams per day.
3. Saturation
It often takes a few weeks for your body to saturate with creatine and begin showing results of consuming the supplement. You can saturate your body with creatine faster by applying two different tactics.
First is the loading protocol, also known as creatine loading. In short, you can consume 5 grams of 4 times a day for a week to elevate the creatine store in your body – after that, you can drop to 3-5 grams of creatine per day to maintain that level of saturation.
The second method on how to use it to build muscle faster involves taking 3 grams from the start it will take 3-4 weeks before you start noticing the benefits of the supplement. This is known as the non-loading protocol.
4. Optimize Consumption
There is not much research that digs deep into when you should take your creatine to build muscle faster, the supplement does not have an immediate effect. So using it as a pre-workout is plain useless. In fact, taking it after a workout can be beneficial to getting stronger.
Also, research shows that taking it with carbohydrates and protein increases saturation levels more than just taking the supplement on its own – this is less relevant during the maintaining phase and only useful during the loading protocol.
Another study showed that taking it with caffeine (around 3-4 cups a day) hinders muscle growth. If not drinking coffee is impossible for you, avoid taking it and coffee at the same time.
Overall, make sure you are taking it daily and at around the same time, without caffeine, and you will build muscle faster.
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