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Want to boost your athletic performance without training more?
This is a question I get all the time, so I’m putting together a three-part series for you on the top 3 time-tested performance boosters you can add to your daily routine.
If you are already spending too much time and money on training, why not do these three simple and affordable additions to your daily routine to optimize what you are getting out of all the hard work you are already doing?
Today is Part One: Creatine.
Most endurance athletes think Creatine is something that just gym rat guys should take. Spoiler alert, that’s a mistake.
Creatine is safe and inexpensive and has clinically proven performance benefits for faster peak power during high-intensity efforts. As a bonus, it also has some beneficial cognitive and mood benefits.
Why don’t more endurance athletes take Creatine?
A few years ago, Creatine was shunned by many endurance athletes as it increased water retention. Most athletes (and many coaches) didn’t dig deeper that this effect was both temporary and easily avoided.
The water retention resulted from what many recommended as a “loading” phase for Creatine, where you take a higher dosage for the first two weeks.
The answer is simple, skip the loading period. While it will take a week or two to get to peak Creatine levels, you will get to the same place as if you did the loading without the increased water retention.
Here are the top three benefits you will see with Creatine
- Go Faster: Improvement in anaerobic performance
Several studies using women taking Creatine showed excellent overall anaerobic performance. When you increase creatine levels, you get an extra “supply of power” on-demand during your exercise.
- Get Stronger: Build muscular strength
Both recreational and more highly trained female athletes using Creatine showed enhanced muscle strength, the same reason it works for the gym-rat guys, it will work for you. Don’t worry. It won’t make you bulk up.
- Brighten your Mood.
A study in South Korea showed women had similar benefits using Creatine daily and Lexapro. The women who also had Creatine had a 68% improvement in depression at four weeks. As athletes, we have lots of mood swings. Think of those days you aren’t training and how you feel. More and more athletes use Creatine daily as a safe and easy way to stay happy and even-keeled.
How to take Creatine?
You want to take 3g (under 120lbs) to 5g (121 to 200lbs) per day. It is a powder, not a pill.
I find it is best to scoop it into a shake I have each day. Either a breakfast shakes like Kyoku, or I find I’m more consistent taking it daily by always putting it into my post-workout recovery shake.
You can also mix it with water or some juice, stir and drink it.
It is just important to take it daily so you build up and then maintain high creatine levels, you should start to see noticeable performance benefits towards the end of the first four weeks of daily usage.
What kind of Creatine do I want?
Almost all the Creatine is from a brand called Creapure, so even though there may be five different brands selling Creatine, they are all the same thing.
The only difference is the cost and how many months of supply they have in the package and range from $14.95 for one month to only $35 for a 3 month supply. As I mentioned, Creatine is not expensive, especially compared to its benefits.
1) The best value is the 90-day supply from Momentous, which has both NSF and Informed Choice Certification. You can also get a 90-day supply from Thorne.
2) If you want a 60-day supply go with Klean Athlete®, which gets you NSF certification for only $28.30 for 2-months.
3) If you want just a one-month supply, Onnit is a great option at only $14.95 for a 30-day supply.
Scoop up some Creatine in your next shake and see how it works to make you go faster and brighten your day.
DRG
