Creatine isn’t just for guys- Why more women should consider using creatine supplements
As more women realise that lifting weights and eating more protein is the way to achieve a toned physique, many are turning to supplements to help them shed body fat and sculpt a lean athletic body.
While fat burners remain the most prominent female supplement category, there has also been an influx of women-specific protein-based supplements, many of which contain innovative complexes that help to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously.
There are, however, a few supplements used predominantly by men that could greatly benefit women who train intensely in the gym to sculpt a better body.
Potent energy
The most beneficial is undoubtedly creatine, but it’s often left out of the supplement plans of most women due to a misguided perception that it’s a bodybuilding supplement that will create large, bulging muscles, or result in bloating and water retention.
The truth is that creatine is one of the most effective nutritional supplements ever created, and when used correctly it can speed up your results and help you achieve your physique-oriented goals.
According to a position stand released by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine is the most effective nutritional supplement available to gym-goers as it increases high-intensity exercise capacity.
About creatine
Creatine is a natural amino acid found in limited quantities in meat and fish. It is also produced in the body by the kidneys, pancreas and liver. Your muscle cells store creatine, in the form of creatine phosphate (CP), which is broken down during intense muscle contractions to provide immediate energy to the working fibres.
However, there is a limited amount of creatine that the body can produce and store. As such, supplementing with creatine provide working muscles with more of their primary source of energy to fuel short duration, high-intensity activities such as weight lifting.
Work out harder
This effectively means that creatine supplements extends your time to exhaustion or muscle failure by delaying the onset of fatigue and the subsequent loss in strength. Simply put, by supplementing with creatine you are able to train more intensely for longer during each set.
The benefit is that this increased work capacity helps to create a greater training stimulus on muscle to deliver its muscle-building benefits, rather than any direct effect on the structure of muscle tissue, as is the case with protein supplements. Stated another way, taking creatine without putting in the hard work at the gym and eating sufficient protein won’t directly build more muscle.
It is for these reasons that creatine is recommended as a potent and highly beneficial supplement for women.
If these benefits resonate with you, consider a traditional creatine monohydrate supplement first. It is the most potent form of creatine and offers the greatest value for money.
Many female athletes who already include creatine in their supplement plans may also prefer to use other variants, such as creatine ethyl ester or Kre-Alkalyn, as anecdotal evidence suggests that the lower doses in these variants reduces the risk of cramping, as well as the chance of retaining excess water which cause the unwanted ‘bloat’.
So it’s undoubtably time to raid his supplement cupboard, as Creatine is proven to be one of the most effective supplements ever created to fuels short duration, high-intensity exercise – regardless if you’re male or female.