Question from Tim S.:

Dr. Tom –

So what’s all the hype about creatine? Bodybuilders swear by it, athletes take it, but others tell me to stay away from it because, “it’s going to make me bloated and all bulked up”. Would love to hear your thoughts on creatine and if you recommend it to you athletes. Thanks!

Tim, I am asked this question countless times from athletes, coaches, and parents. Whether it is how and when to properly take creatine or all the false rumors that have surfaced over time, creatine has become a controversial topic for all athletes.

I want to clear the air about creatine and let you know the real truth to why creatine is one of the most useful and important supplements for athletes.

This video will break down why you need creatine, when you need to take creatine, and what is the importance of creatine. Throughout this educational video, I will be referencing the Bible of Sports Nutrition, Essentials of Sports Nutrition and Supplements. 

To recap this video:

• Creatine is our source of energy for high intensity, short duration excercies, usually in the 0-6 second range. This includes weight weight lifting and sprinting.

• Helps keep glycogen in the muscles, which entails less fatigue and more energy, making your performance in the gym and on the field more productive and effective.

• Weight gain associated with creatine is not water weight, but increase lean body mass. This helps increase performance and training, because of having more available muscles.

• Cycling? There are conflicting reports on the effectiveness of it. I personally believe doubling your daily dose for 3 days will help load creatine into your muscle cells.

Recommended Creatine Products:

• Ideal Recovery – A great post workout product that contains creatine. What makes this product unique and so great is that it also contains glutamine and a bunch of essential amino acids, including branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). The synergistic effect of taking all these amino acids together provides a metabolic and recovery advantage.

• Ideal Pump – A great pre workout product that contains creatine. Preloads your body with creatine to help improve muscular endurance and strength before training. Want to load up on your creatine levels for 2-3 days? Add 1 serving of Ideal Recovery to your Ideal Pump for a few days (Note: this is in addition to the 1-2 servings you will take post workout).

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better,

Dr. Tom

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