Creatine Before Or After Workout: Does It Matter?
In the world of fitness and sports nutrition, creatine remains one of the most popular supplements on the market today. However, there is still a certain level of confusion when it comes to the best time to take creatine.
According to research, creatine supplementation can be beneficial for you irrespective of the timing of its consumption. While some studies have also highlighted the fact that the best time to take creatine is after a workout.
This is primarily because creatine then has a more positive and impactful presence and this translates to more lean muscle mass and muscular strength.
Furthermore, consuming creatine after a workout helps your body replenish the depleted levels of creatine in the body so you can gain more muscles and recover quickly.
Conversely, some studies in the past have suggested that taking creatine before a workout helps you have enough supply of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) that helps you handle short bursts of high-intensity exercises with ease.
ATP also exerts positive benefits by improving body composition, increasing power and strength, and reducing fatigue and muscle soreness levels. All these advantages help you make your gym sessions more intense and productive than ever.
Taking Creatine Before Workout (Pre Workout)
The primary reasoning behind taking creatine before a workout is simple. Creatine supplementation helps you replace creatine levels that would get depleted during intense workouts.
When you take creatine supplements 30-45 minutes before a workout, your body is better positioned to reach peak creatine levels while you are engaged in your gym workouts. It is because of this reason that creatine is an important ingredient in popular pre-workout supplements.
Ideally, you should take creatine before a workout for your resistance training workouts and not for high-intensity cardio exercises.
Taking Creatine After Workout (Post Workout)
One of the biggest advantages of taking creatine after a workout is that helps the body gain significant increases in terms of muscular strength and muscle mass.
This is because of the increase in blood flow to skeletal muscles that happen from resistance training that, in turn, leads to a higher amount of creatine getting stored in the trained muscles.
Increased blood circulation along with the loss of glycogen and other vital nutrients encourages your body to go in a state when the body cells are more primed to replace what was lost during intense workouts.
Moreover, taking creatine with a high carb or a high protein and a high carb meal after a workout helps you with muscle recovery.
All in all, it doesn't really matter whether you prefer taking creatine supplements before, during, or after a workout. As long as your body receives creatine supplements every day, the timing of it doesn't matter.
However, you should also focus on a well-thought resistance training program and diet plan while enjoying at least 8-9 hours of sleep in the night. It is also important to consume at least 10-14 glasses of water every day to stay hydrated.