Starting Creatine
Why am I doing this?
I feel that I’ve reached a training & physique plateau and therefore I have decided to start adding Creatine into my daily routine. Currently I do not take any supplements other than my multivitamins, which consist of: Women’s Daily vitamin, Vitamin D3, Fish Oil, Cranberry, Vitamin C, & Biotin. All of my protein comes from my diet and therefore I am not even drinking protein shakes. As a personal trainer I’ve heard a lot of good things about Creatine and there are a lot of other trainers that take it.
My Research:
I’ve decided to document my journey with Creatine for other women out there who may be on the fence about wanting to do the same. Also, as a personal trainer I feel that I will be better suited to recommend it to my clients. After doing my research, I’ve found added benefits that can come from taking Creatine like:
“May provide benefits to specific health conditions such as improvement in neurological & cognitive function” (Riesberg et al., 2016)
“May be highly beneficial for women under certain conditions such as depression” (Riesberg et al., 2016)
“Can improve bone remodeling in the elderly populations” (Riesberg et al., 2016)
“Helps you produce more energy for better workouts and recover faster/better” (Spruce, 2023)
I was most surprised by it being beneficial for women with depression, but then seeing as it improves neurological & cognitive function it makes sense. Not to mention working out also has been proven to help with depression. I am most looking forward to seeing for myself the benefits of improving my brain’s function after having my son. “Mom Brain” is a real thing, and I don’t feel like my brain function has ever gotten remotely back to “normal” after pregnancy or having him.
What Creatine am I taking?
So after doing my due diligence and seeing the possible benefits as well as the side affects. Which short & long term there seems to be almost none and therefore Creatine seems like one of the safer products to try out. I then looked into what brand or type I should be taking, how often, and how much of it. Because I also train clients at a gym in addition to Online & in my home, we carry the Axe & Sledge supplements. I really like that they have a Basics Series which is essentially the purest form of the supplement. No added flavors, dyes, fillers, nada!
Taking the Creatine:
I took my first dose this morning during my workout. Because it’s unflavored you really can’t taste it in water. I would equate the “flavor” in water to that of water that’s been sitting in a brand new shaker cup that hasn’t been washed. The powder itself is super fine and reminded me a lot of powdered sugar. I’m excited to try it on a non-training day in my coffee. Which gets me to my next point, when and how much should I take? With my specific brand and based off of my bodyweight I will be taking 5g (1 scoop) a day. On training days I will take it before or during my workout, on non-training days it is recommended to take during a meal to ensure that it is taken with a Carb or Protein source for better absorption.
How will I document progress?
I will be posting weekly on this blog, along with taking progress photos each week. This morning I took a series of photos in different positions (flexing & relaxed) to create a baseline to compare each week to. I am no stranger to progress photos since I take them regularly to track my progress whether it be fat loss or muscle building & toning.
Links:
Creatine Supplement - Axe & Sledge
NASM Article on Creatine - Neal Spruce
References:
Riesberg, L. A., Weed, S. A., McDonald, T. L., Eckerson, J. M., & Drescher, K. M. (2016, January 8). Beyond muscles: The untapped potential of creatine. International immunopharmacology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4915971/
Spruce, N. (n.d.). What does Creatine Do & Why you should use it for muscle growth. NASM. https://blog.nasm.org/creatine-explained
