Creatine: Function and correct usage

In all the years that I have practiced sports I’ve had to deal with my genetic, that for better or worse, make me a thin person. People who know me would know that it’s difficult for me to increase muscle mass and that the slightest negligence causes me to lose weight considerably, so I’ve had to use dietary supplements in order to have more control of my weight. Precisely one of them is the Creatine.

People who don’t know about supplements tend to demonize them and on some occasions when I have told them that I have been taking Creatine, they ask me if it really provokes fertility problems or even erectile dysfunction. And well the answer is NO, in fact no harmful effects have been found on the body when using it.

For you to know what it is, Creatine is a compound (amino acid) found naturally in muscle, both human and animal. It is considered as the "fuel" that helps us to perform short activities of high intensity (30 seconds or less) with greater efficiency. For example sprints, weight lifting or explosive moves of any sport discipline.

Creatine also promotes protein synthesis in muscle, which is essential to increase muscle mass in athletes or people who practice fitness. In addition it contributes in the repair of the muscular fibers in the post-training. This compound promotes fluid retention, so the water weight in the body tends to increase.

How to take it correctly?

Creatine requires of a loading period at the beginning, so you should follow these recommendations:

1. The charging period lasts 5 days for women and 7 for men. During this time, 20g of Creatine should be taken per day in 4 doses (5g morning, 5g mid-morning, 5g evening and 5g night).

2. After the charging period, the consumption drops to 5g per day EVERY DAY, whether or not you exercise.

3. During exercise days you can consume it just after the training session with the snack or dissolved in the protein shake (in case you consume protein)

4. It is preferable to ingest it always after food.

Maybe you have heard that Creatine should be consumed before training, however that is just an old MYTH.

It is important that you establish a physical goal for the consumption of Creatine, defining a start date and an end date to evaluate results.

Gladiators, everyone who has read this post will be given a special discount of 15% in Creatine (capsules) when presenting the LAGVS4 promocode in any of the Vitamin Shoppe Costa Rica’s stores. Promo valid until May 31st 2017.

Enjoy!

#english