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Should you take creatine on off days3/30/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Whether it’s before a workout, after a workout, at bedtime, first thing in the morning, or any other type of routine that gets you to take it as needed (daily, in most cases), the consistency of saturating your muscle stores is what matters most. ![]() Whenever You Wantĭespite all the theories as to when it is best to take creatine, the most important things are that you take it every day and that you properly hydrate when supplementing. If, on the other hand, you are merely taking it on rest days, there’s not a lot of research about its efficacy when taken this way. If you are taking creatine daily as part of your protocol, taking it during rest days is just part of the regimen. However, the two most frequently used protocols for taking creatine require daily consumption during a maintenance phase regardless of when you take it. People who advocate taking creatine on rest days claim it is the best way to make sure you maintain a high level of the supplement in your muscle stores. Yet another study that proves more solid research is required before any definitive answer to the question of when to take creatine can be given with confidence. There was a small sample size (19 recreational bodybuilders) studied over a 4 week period of time and there was no standardization of the weights used for each participant. While the results of this study confirm that consuming creatine immediately post-workout is superior to pre-workout in terms of body composition and strength comparison, the study itself is flawed. There are also theories that the best time to consume protein is immediately after a workout and that, if you also supplement with creatine, it is ideal for you to take them together. In addition, creatine aids in and shortens the length of time of muscle recovery, so this would be the perfect time to maximize the potential to heal quickly, with as little fatigue as possible. Since the entire goal of creatine dosing is to fill the muscle stores, it would seem like the perfect time to bring the levels up to where they were pre-workout. Those who believe that the best time to take creatine is after a workout usually contend that it is the optimal time to replenish what you’ve used during your workout. “There are also theories that the best time to consume protein is immediately after a workout and that, if you also supplement with creatine, it is ideal for you to take them together.” This study found that there isn’t enough evidence to substantiate the theory that timing of taking creatine should be of any real concern and that more well-controlled studies are required to determine whether or not timing influences creatine’s ergogenic effects. It’s a consistent dosing practice as opposed to individual dosage, so it’s more important that you take it regularly than take it in relation to when you work out. The problem with this thinking is that you do not use creatine immediately upon consumption. In the gym, the more power you make available to the muscles means the harder you can work the better the results. The further you travel, the more gas you use, so it can’t hurt to fill ‘er up before you begin. It’s almost like filling the gas tank before you begin to take a trip. Proponents of taking creatine pre-workout typically contend that you are enhancing the body’s supply of creatine immediately before you begin to use it in especially challenging workouts. And if you are training with a fitness professional, that might be the first place you look for guidance. Of course, it’s always important to consult your physician before beginning a new supplement protocol. So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular theories on when to take creatine, thereby giving you enough information to figure out what would work best for you. And, like all good hypotheses, everyone thinks theirs is the best one. The consensus coming from all this research and analysis is that more research is needed. You could run the gamut with the results of all the research studies on creatine and still come up with a multitude of optimal times to take the wildly popular muscle enhancing supplement. There are probably as many opinions on the best time to take creatine as there are people taking it. When it comes to taking supplements, that quest for the optimal timing is no exception. Competitive athletes are always looking for the edge, the advantage that will make them run faster, lift more, recover faster, and, in many cases, look better than their peers. ![]()
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