Why women should take creatine daily!

Women and creatine, that may seem like the combination of fire and ice to some exercisers even today. Creatine, that's for heavyweight bodybuilders and fat powerlifters, but certainly not for women. Right? Wrong. Women benefit just as much as men from taking creatine daily. In this article, you'll get an overview of how it works and learn the benefits of creatine supplementation.

With creatine you burn more calories!

Creatine is not something artificial that the supplement industry came up with. Every day, our body produces about 1 to 2 grams of creatine itself in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. For this, it needs the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine, which the organism could obtain from the protein we eat. Depending on the physical activity, the human being needs at least 2 to 3 grams, in case of high sport activity even 5 to 6 grams of creatine, so that it quickly becomes clear that the body's own production is not sufficient.

Creatine is found primarily in red meat and in types of fish, such as herring or salmon. Those who eat a vegan diet, on the other hand, will absorb practically no additional creatine through their food. But even a female athlete who regularly eats meat and fish will often take in too little creatine due to the smaller amounts of food compared to men. So no matter which group you belong to: Women who do not supplement creatine are unnecessarily giving away performance potential. To better understand this, let's take a closer look at how creatine works.

When we tense our muscles in training, this activity consumes ATP. We all learned about this at some point in biology class. However, since ATP stores are very, very small, the body is virtually constantly producing new ATP from carbohydrates and fats, but this takes a little time. To be more precise, it is especially the first 10 seconds of intense exertion in which the body does not yet fall back on the two energy sources mentioned, but instead replenishes the ATP stores with the help of creatine.

If too little creatine is available, ATP synthesis is delayed and the muscles receive new energy more slowly, resulting in poorer performance. Optimally filled creatine stores increase your strength and those who have more strength can move more weight during training. This not only potentially burns a few extra calories during the session, but especially builds more muscle in the long run, resulting in a higher basal metabolic rate and long-term increases in training. In short, you will reach your goals faster! Creatine is not a miracle drug, but you shouldn't miss out on this benefit.

What should women keep in mind when using creatine?

There are a lot of myths surrounding creatine that can be unsettling, and not just for women. Probably one of the most popular is that creatine will draw water, causing your shape to deteriorate. In short, this is not true. Creatine is stored in the cells and binds water there. Thus, at most, this leads to firmer and plumper muscles. No additional water is stored by creatine in the intercellular spaces or even under the skin, so there is no need to worry about looking smoother or even thicker. Women in particular should keep this in mind, as water retention inevitably occurs regularly as part of the female cycle, which is then quickly misinterpreted.

A dosage of about 3 to 5 grams per day is sufficient, with creatine monohydrate usually being the best choice. Those who like it practical can simply resort to creatine in capsules, which allow easy dosing. After a good four weeks, the stores will be optimally filled in this way, with vegetarians and vegans in particular benefiting from a creatine supply: In individual cases, up to 40 percent more creatine is stored in the cells in this way, which will be noticeable in noticeable improvements in training.

Whereas in the past creatine was usually combined with a carbohydrate source, such as grape juice or dextrose, to improve absorption, nowadays this can be discouraged. Creatine is absorbed in the intestine and stored in the cells even without additional carbohydrates, and in this way you save unnecessary calories. Equally unnecessary is a loading phase, as the increased intake of creatine at the beginning of the intake used to be called. The dosage mentioned not only saves money, but also avoids digestive problems that regularly occurred with 15 or 20g of creatine, which used to be used in loading phases. One last point that may be called outdated is creatine cures that provided only phased intake. Creatine is safe and does not put a strain on the kidneys in healthy people, so that everything speaks for the permanent intake in order to benefit optimally from creatine even as a woman.

To take full advantage of this additional power, the subsequent regeneration after training should not be neglected. Women in particular tend not to consume enough protein, and creatine is no substitute. On the contrary, with more power in training, the optimal protein intake becomes even more important to provide the body with the necessary nutrients. It is not for nothing that post-workout nutrition is also called the most important meal of the day for athletes.

Creatine is not a man's thing!

As you can see, there's no reason women shouldn't turn to creatine. Female athletes who train intensively and follow a healthy diet have good reasons to take advantage of the white powder. The optimal time to take it would be in the morning on an empty stomach or on workout days following a workout. If you work out late at night, it may be wise to schedule your creatine intake in the morning as well. The reason for this is that (high) creatine doses can reduce fatigue and thus promote late night sleep problems in some people. If you keep all this in mind, with 3 to 5 grams of creatine per day you will be rewarded with more performance in your workouts after just a few weeks. So what are you waiting for?