Optimize your strength training with Creatine
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3.5 min reading
Fundamental training is just around the corner, and for many of us endurance athletes, it's time to focus more on strength training again. One way to get more out of your strength training is to use Creatine. It is one of the supplements with the most evidence when it comes to performance enhancement. This is especially true in strength sports and other anaerobic activities such as short intervals and sprints.
How does Creatine help me as an endurance athlete then?
Unfortunately, Creatine has no significant effect on your endurance performance, at least not acutely. This is because that activity is far from explosive, so our rapid energy systems with ATP and creatine phosphate are not the limitation.
However, you will see an effect in all forms of strength training, which means that your strength development can progress a bit faster, helping you to stay away from injuries more effectively. More stability and muscle mass correlate with a reduced risk of injury. Creatine can also be valuable to use during periods of very high-intensity training for recovery. The clear evidence, however, lies within the strength component. And since strength training should be included in the training for endurance athletes/adventure sport athletes, it can be a valuable supplement during fundamental training where much of the heavier strength training should be focused.
How does Creatine help me as an endurance athlete then?
Unfortunately, Creatine has no significant effect on your endurance performance, at least not acutely. This is because that activity is far from explosive, so our rapid energy systems with ATP and creatine phosphate are not the limitation.
However, you will see an effect in all forms of strength training, which means that your strength development can progress a bit faster, helping you to stay away from injuries more effectively. More stability and muscle mass correlate with a reduced risk of injury. Creatine can also be valuable to use during periods of very high-intensity training for recovery. The clear evidence, however, lies within the strength component. And since strength training should be included in the training for endurance athletes/adventure sport athletes, it can be a valuable supplement during fundamental training where much of the heavier strength training should be focused.
How does creatine work?
The reason why supplementing with creatine provides a performance-enhancing effect during short-term anaerobic activities is primarily because it helps us to regenerate our most explosive short-term fuel, ATP. ATP stands for Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, which consists of an adenosine molecule, a carrier we can call it, that has three phosphate groups attached to it. Now, molecules are not bound together by classic strings and duct tape, but instead by energy in the form of electrical charge. So these three phosphate groups are attached to the adenosine due to an electronic charge, and it is this electronic charge that is the energy released when we exercise. A phosphate group then leaves ATP, turning it into a very logical molecule named ADP = Adenosine Di-Phosphate, which only has two phosphate groups attached.
This is where creatine comes in. Creatine binds to phosphate in the body and creates something called creatine phosphate, which are "lumps" of phosphate that float around in the cell in close proximity to the ADP groups. Creatine phosphate then quickly donates its phosphate group to ADP when it is formed, which is then recharged back to ATP, allowing us to quickly regenerate energy that can be released for pushing ourselves a little extra during training.
The effect of having an extra layer of phosphate in the cells allows us to regenerate our explosive fuel quickly and enables us to perform a few more repetitions, or sprint those last 20 meters on the treadmill or uphill when our thighs are burning.
The reason why supplementing with creatine provides a performance-enhancing effect during short-term anaerobic activities is primarily because it helps us to regenerate our most explosive short-term fuel, ATP. ATP stands for Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, which consists of an adenosine molecule, a carrier we can call it, that has three phosphate groups attached to it. Now, molecules are not bound together by classic strings and duct tape, but instead by energy in the form of electrical charge. So these three phosphate groups are attached to the adenosine due to an electronic charge, and it is this electronic charge that is the energy released when we exercise. A phosphate group then leaves ATP, turning it into a very logical molecule named ADP = Adenosine Di-Phosphate, which only has two phosphate groups attached.
This is where creatine comes in. Creatine binds to phosphate in the body and creates something called creatine phosphate, which are "lumps" of phosphate that float around in the cell in close proximity to the ADP groups. Creatine phosphate then quickly donates its phosphate group to ADP when it is formed, which is then recharged back to ATP, allowing us to quickly regenerate energy that can be released for pushing ourselves a little extra during training.
The effect of having an extra layer of phosphate in the cells allows us to regenerate our explosive fuel quickly and enables us to perform a few more repetitions, or sprint those last 20 meters on the treadmill or uphill when our thighs are burning.
Summary and Use
Creatine has performance-enhancing effects primarily during strength training or high-intensity 10-20s intervals with short rest of 3-45%. It increases your "muscle endurance" during this type of work when you have sufficiently buffered creatine levels in the muscles. This is done through a loading phase over 5-7 days with 20-25g of creatine per day, spread over 4-5 intakes/day. After this, a maintenance dose of 3-5g/day is sufficient to maintain levels in the muscles.
The percentage increases in performance can, in some cases, be extreme, but this tends to occur when a person who could previously perform a maximum of 9 repetitions can do 10 after loading, resulting in a 10% increase. For us endurance athletes, creatine is incredibly smart to take during especially base training where strength training should be integrated with 2 sessions/week if possible. If you gain 10% more power per session, you have made significant progress over the winter and have more strength to apply in bike/running competitions when it gets hilly or during a breakaway/sprint.
As an added benefit, creatine has also shown positive effects on strengthening the immune system during supplementation, with ongoing research in that area as well. There is also exciting new research suggesting that the recommended intake is more based on body weight, which provides performance-enhancing effects down to the cellular level during strength training when taken at 0.1g/kg of body weight before training.
Good luck with your strength and base training!
Creatine has performance-enhancing effects primarily during strength training or high-intensity 10-20s intervals with short rest of 3-45%. It increases your "muscle endurance" during this type of work when you have sufficiently buffered creatine levels in the muscles. This is done through a loading phase over 5-7 days with 20-25g of creatine per day, spread over 4-5 intakes/day. After this, a maintenance dose of 3-5g/day is sufficient to maintain levels in the muscles.
The percentage increases in performance can, in some cases, be extreme, but this tends to occur when a person who could previously perform a maximum of 9 repetitions can do 10 after loading, resulting in a 10% increase. For us endurance athletes, creatine is incredibly smart to take during especially base training where strength training should be integrated with 2 sessions/week if possible. If you gain 10% more power per session, you have made significant progress over the winter and have more strength to apply in bike/running competitions when it gets hilly or during a breakaway/sprint.
As an added benefit, creatine has also shown positive effects on strengthening the immune system during supplementation, with ongoing research in that area as well. There is also exciting new research suggesting that the recommended intake is more based on body weight, which provides performance-enhancing effects down to the cellular level during strength training when taken at 0.1g/kg of body weight before training.
Good luck with your strength and base training!
