By Admin – Steroidal.com
Creatine monohydrate is probably one of the oldest and most widely studied supplements in the last forty years, but one thing we know for certain is that it does work to improve performance. Creatine is a chemical which the body can produce and which is found in a variety of food sources. These include mostly red meats and fish sources. Apart from being used to enhance muscle mass, strength and athletic performance, its also been used for the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF), depression, bipolar disorder, Parkinson’s disease, diseases of the muscles and nerves and high cholesterol.
So we all agree that Creatine works, but the jury is out on when best to take this supplement. There are many studies which state its best taken pre-workout and others that will state its best used post-workout, which is what we’re going to discuss today.
A recent study in November 2013 at the Nova Southeastern University in the United States, looked at the effects of taking Creatine monohydrate (the most common and cheapest form) on bodybuilders.
Nineteen male recreational bodybuilders sticked to the same workout routine every day for four weeks. The bodybuilders also had a similar diet high in protein due to their interest in weight training and nutrition. Half of the bodybuilders were given 5g Creatine pre-workout [Pre-Supp] on training days, whilst the other half took their 5g Creatine after their workout [Post-Supp]. On non-training days they took the dose when they chose to.
At the end of the four weeks a number of parameters were tested and what the US researchers found were that the bodybuilders taking the Creatine post-workout had made more progress.
The figure above shows that, the post-workout group lost an extra kilogram of fat in the four weeks, whilst the men also gained twice as much lean body mass (muscle). The post-workout group also had superior strength gains in their bench press test.
“Post workout supplementation with creatine for a period of 4 weeks in recreational bodybuilders may produce superior gains in fat free mass and strength in comparison to pre workout supplementation”, the researchers conclude.
So there you have it. Although the sample size is small, it seems that healthy bodybuilders will benefit from post-workout Creatine supplementation as opposed to taking it prior to your workout regime.
Source:
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Aug 6;10(1):36. [Epub ahead of print].
