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Written by Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.
19 July 2018

16NN200

Optimal Timing of Creatine Consumption

A Strategy to Boost Your Gains Even More

 

The use of creatine monohydrate as a nutritional supplement has been shown time and again to promote superior gains in muscle mass and strength, especially when combined with weight training.1,2 It is the ability of creatine to function as a primary energy storage molecule that rapidly reverses the depletion of energy (ATP) within the muscle cell during exercise, which ultimately recharges energy levels within the muscle cell, promoting greater muscular performance and strength.3 Creatine also increases calcium uptake into the muscle cell.4 Since calcium facilitates the interaction between the two muscle proteins actin and myosin, and it is the interaction between actin and myosin that generates muscular contraction, a greater amount of calcium within the muscle cell increases actin-myosin interaction— augmenting muscular contraction force and therefore strength. The capacity of creatine to trigger muscle hypertrophy stems, in large part, from its ability to stimulate new muscle cell formation5, increase muscle protein synthesis6 and decrease production of the muscle-depleting molecule myostatin7, while increasing production of certain muscle-building hormones such as testosterone8 and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).9

 

It’s All in the Timing

The timing of creatine intake relative to training appears to be an important factor contributing to the previously mentioned ergogenic effects.10 For instance, one study by Cribb et al.11 showed that consumption of six grams of creatine monohydrate for 10 weeks, both before and after resistance training, resulted in larger increases in muscle mass relative to a second group that simply consumed creatine in the morning and evening, with no consideration of the consumption of creatine relative to the time of training. In addition, a second investigation by Antonio et al.12 compared the different impact of consuming five grams of creatine monohydrate immediately before or immediately after weight training for four weeks. Interestingly, they found a greater increase in muscle mass and strength within the group that consumed creatine after weight training, compared to the group that ingested creatine right before training.

 

Post-exercise Creatine Consumption More Potently Boosts Gains in Muscle Mass

While both of these studies strongly indicate that the timing of creatine intake is important, neither study utilized a control group that performed weight training while consuming a placebo that did not contain creatine monohydrate. The absence of this control group makes it more difficult to conclude that creatine intake right before and/or after training produced relatively greater gains in muscle size and strength. In order to address this limitation, a more recent study by Candow et al. looked at the influence of consuming eight grams of creatine immediately before or after resistance training sessions, while incorporating a control group that consumed a creatine-free placebo— providing an opportunity to decipher if the timing of creatine consumption alone influences its performance-enhancing qualities.13

 

The results of the above study were similar to the Antonio et al.12 study, as subjects consuming creatine immediately following weight training experienced a greater increase in muscle mass than participants who engaged in resistance training while consuming creatine before training, or subjects within the control group that lifted weights but did not use creatine at all. On the other hand, this study contradicted the Antonio et al.12 study, as it found no significant difference in strength gains between pre-exercise and post-exercise consumption of creatine, indicating that the timing of creatine solely influences muscle hypertrophy, while consuming creatine either before or after training equivalently boosts strength.

 

The authors of the study went on to speculate that the relatively larger increase in muscle mass from post-exercise creatine supplementation might be due to the simultaneous increase of creatine in the blood, as creatine levels tend to peak around one to two hours after ingestion, along with the increased blood flow to the working muscle groups brought on by resistance training, as muscular contraction increases blood flow to muscle tissue14 for roughly one to two hours.15 Consequently, the synchronized increase in creatine levels and muscular blood flow should boost the supply of creatine-loaded blood to the working muscle groups, enhancing creatine uptake into the targeted muscle tissue— ultimately triggering superior gains in muscle mass.

 

Counters Muscle Catabolism at the Right Time

While the exact cellular mechanisms generating the preferential increase in muscle growth from post-exercise consumption of creatine are not clearly understood, the higher amount of intramuscular creatine caused by post-exercise consumption appears to more specifically stimulate superior muscle growth by more effectively increasing the level of cellular hydration within the muscle cell, improving muscle protein synthesis.16,17,18 The capacity of post-exercise creatine consumption to raise intramuscular creatine precisely one to two hours after weight training, improving cellular hydration and muscle protein synthesis, most certainly enhances the specific capacity to pack on muscle mass, especially when considering the fact that weightlifting tends to trigger the catabolic breakdown of muscle protein for several hours after training. Therefore, post-exercise creatine consumption should be able to uniquely counter the catabolic impact of resistance training by increasing the rate of muscle protein synthesis at just the right time, ultimately promoting an accumulation of muscle protein and therefore muscle growth.

 

In conclusion, the science shows that the intake of creatine monohydrate after weight training tends to promote greater muscle growth. Yet the scientific data also shows no significant difference in strength gains when comparing pre-exercise and post-exercise creatine use, as subjects who consume approximately five to 10 grams of creatine monohydrate per day tend to show similarly impressive levels of strength enhancement, regardless of the timing of creatine ingestion. So, because creatine monohydrate is pretty inexpensive, very safe to use and most of us are trying to increase muscle size and strength, I recommend for the average user to consume approximately three to five grams of creatine monohydrate before and after hitting the weight room, in order to maximize the capacity to pack on both muscle mass and strength. That said, if you are looking to preferentially boost muscle mass, try using a heavier dose of creatine post-workout to more precisely improve your propensity to gain lean body mass.

 

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