PILL-GOTTEN GAINS
Dietitians claim that 5,000mg of creatine per day will beef up your workouts. Take our short cut to meatier gains
Dose up on everything you need to know about creatine in a single shot
01_ WHY CREATINE MATTERS
“Creatine serves as a fuel source for short-duration, high-burst activities,” says Jose Antonio, an associate professor of exercise and sports science at Nova Southeastern University. In other words, if you sprint, lift or do HIIT, the compound can help you take it up a level.
02_ HOW MUCH DO DOCTORS RECOMMEND?
They don’t, but that’s only because creatine isn’t an essential nutrient – you don’t have to consume any at all to live healthily.
03_ WHAT WE RECOMMEND
About 5,000mg per day over the course of a month, to aid your long-term performance goals. This amount will increase the levels of phosphocreatine inside your muscles and allow for optimal energy production, according to Chad Kerksick, director of the Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory at Lindenwood University.
04_ HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO EAT?
You would have to eat an “ungodly amount of meat” to reach that number, says Antonio – more than a kilo of beef or salmon a day, which would lumber you with eight times the recommended daily amount of protein. (Please don’t eat a kilo of meat in a day.)
05_ SO HOW DO YOU HIT YOUR TARGET?
Pop a supp, but make it the right kind. “No well-controlled clinical trials have shown that any other form of creatine works better than creatine monohydrate, and usually the other kinds are more expensive,” says Kerksick. Seek out a product with credentials, such as the “Certified for Sport” label. Brands we like: Motion Nutrition, MyProtein and Maximuscle.
06_ IS THE CREATINE -LOADING PHASE SAFE?
Taking a superdose of 20,000mg of creatine for four or five days is safe but unnecessary, says nutrition adviser Chris Mohr. Research suggests that your strength gains will catch up after 30 days. For a consistent strength boost, go steady.