Why You Should Add Creatine Monohydrate to Your Training Routine

Active Living Active Living
Dec 15, 2024
8 min read

If you’re looking to take your fitness and training to the next level, there’s one supplement that consistently stands out for its proven effectiveness: creatine monohydrate. Whether you're a seasoned athlete, a weekend warrior, or just someone trying to improve your strength and fitness, creatine can provide a major performance boost. Let’s dive into why adding creatine to your training routine is worth considering.

1. Boost Muscle Power and Strength

Creatine is one of the most popular and well-researched supplements because of its ability to increase muscle power and strength. It works by enhancing the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency your muscles use for contraction during high-intensity exercise.

When you take creatine, you’re essentially giving your muscles more energy to use during short bursts of intense physical activity, like weightlifting, sprinting, or even jumping. This extra energy can help you push harder during your workouts, enabling you to lift more weight, perform more reps, or run faster. Over time, this translates to improved performance in the gym and better strength gains.

2. Facilitates Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)

If building muscle is one of your goals, creatine monohydrate can play a key role in accelerating muscle growth (also known as hypertrophy). Here's how it works: by increasing the availability of ATP, creatine helps you train at a higher intensity. This means you can lift heavier weights or perform more repetitions, both of which create the mechanical tension necessary for muscle growth.

In addition to enhancing your workouts, creatine also causes water retention in your muscle cells, leading to a temporary increase in muscle size. While this isn’t the same as adding new muscle tissue, it contributes to a fuller, more muscular appearance, which many athletes and bodybuilders appreciate.

3. Improves Performance in Short-Burst Activities

Creatine is especially beneficial for high-intensity, short-duration activities. If your training routine involves sprints, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), or sports like football, basketball, or soccer that rely on explosive movements, creatine can give you an edge.

During these activities, your body uses a high amount of energy in a very short period of time, and creatine helps replenish ATP stores quickly, allowing you to keep performing at a high intensity for longer. Essentially, it helps you perform more work in a given period, delaying the onset of fatigue and increasing the total output of your training sessions.

4. Speeds Up Recovery Between Sets and Workouts

Another significant benefit of creatine is its role in speeding up muscle recovery. When you’re lifting weights or engaging in intense training, your muscles are taxed, and they need time to recover. Creatine enhances your body's ability to regenerate ATP between sets and during rest periods, allowing for a quicker return to peak performance.

This quicker recovery means you can train harder, perform more sets, and do more repetitions before fatigue sets in, ultimately leading to better performance and muscle gains over time. Furthermore, creatine may help reduce muscle soreness and damage, further supporting quicker recovery between workouts, which is essential for maintaining a high training frequency.

5. Better Performance in High-Intensity Training

For athletes who engage in activities that require repeated bouts of high-intensity efforts—such as Olympic lifting, short-distance sprints, or team sports like rugby or soccer—creatine supplementation is extremely effective. Studies have shown that creatine supplementation can improve overall performance in activities that demand rapid and powerful movements.

Whether you're training to improve your endurance in sprints or your explosiveness in lifting, creatine provides the necessary fuel for your muscles to perform at their best. The increase in energy availability translates directly into improved performance during those key moments when your body demands the most from you.

6. Potential Cognitive Benefits

While creatine is mostly known for its physical benefits, recent research suggests it might have some surprising cognitive benefits too. Studies show that creatine supplementation could enhance mental performance, particularly in tasks requiring short-term memory, quick decision-making, and problem-solving.

This could be particularly valuable for athletes who need to stay sharp under pressure—like during game time or in high-stress competition environments. In addition, creatine has been studied for its potential to help in conditions like mental fatigue and cognitive decline, suggesting that it could offer mental performance benefits outside of just exercise.

7. Creatine is Safe and Well-Researched

One of the greatest advantages of creatine monohydrate is that it’s a well-researched supplement. Creatine has been studied extensively for decades, and the consensus is clear: it’s effective and safe for long-term use when taken as directed.

For healthy individuals, creatine is considered safe, with minimal side effects, particularly when taken in recommended doses. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts have been using creatine for years without adverse effects, making it a trusted supplement in the fitness industry.

8. Cost-Effective Supplement

When it comes to supplements, creatine monohydrate is one of the most affordable options on the market. Despite its effectiveness, it’s available at a relatively low price, which makes it accessible to a wide range of individuals, from casual gym-goers to professional athletes.

With so many high-priced supplements on the market, creatine stands out as a cost-effective way to improve performance and get the most out of your training sessions without breaking the bank.

How to Take Creatine Monohydrate

If you’re ready to add creatine to your routine, here’s a basic guide on how to take it:

Loading Phase (Optional): Some people opt for a "loading phase" where they take 20 grams per day for 5–7 days, divided into 4 doses of 5 grams each. This saturates the muscles with creatine more quickly.
Maintenance Phase: After the loading phase (or if you skip it), a typical dose is 3–5 grams per day. This is all you need to maintain elevated creatine levels in your muscles.
Timing: Creatine can be taken at any time of day, but many athletes prefer to take it post-workout, as muscles are more receptive to nutrients and recovery. You can mix it with water or add it to a post-workout shake.

Incorporating creatine monohydrate into your training routine can provide substantial benefits to your performance, strength, and muscle growth. Whether you're looking to lift heavier, recover faster, or improve your sprinting, creatine is a simple yet powerful supplement that can help you achieve your fitness goals. With a solid track record of safety and effectiveness, it’s no wonder that creatine is one of the most popular supplements in the fitness world.

So if you're serious about enhancing your training, consider giving creatine a try—you might just find that it’s the boost your workout routine has been missing!

TRAINING DIARY

Training Diary: Adapting My Routine While in the UK

This week’s training diary looks a little different from my usual routine, as I’m currently in the UK, and my daily schedule has shifted quite a bit. Traveling can sometimes throw off your typical workout plan, but it’s all about making adjustments while still maintaining a level of consistency. That said, I’m doing my best to stay active and stay on track, even if it means a slight change in how I approach my fitness.

While I’m here, my focus is on making sure I get in some solid lifting—even if it's just a couple of sets per session—and balancing that with a good amount of walking and running. Although I’m not able to hit the cycling or swimming as I usually would, I don’t see it as a setback.

Sometimes, it's okay to adjust, as long as you're still prioritizing activity and movement every day. The key to achieving long-term results is consistency, no matter what form your workouts take.

Staying Consistent While Traveling

As I’ve mentioned before, consistency is the cornerstone of fitness. It’s not about making sure you do the same thing every day or pushing yourself to max effort 24/7—it’s about making sure that you stay active every day. Small adjustments can make a big difference over time. The goal is to build a routine that fits into your lifestyle, wherever you are, and allows you to continue progressing, even if the specific activities vary.

Adapting My Training While Away

While in the UK, I’ve adapted my training by focusing on strength training and cardio in a way that fits the environment I’m in. I’ve been getting in two solid sets of lifting per session, which helps me maintain muscle strength. Whether it’s a hotel gym, a local fitness centre, or a quick at-home bodyweight workout, I’m still making sure that I hit those strength-focused movements.

On top of that, I’m prioritizing walking and running to keep my cardiovascular fitness up. Walking is an easy way to stay active without needing a lot of equipment, and running allows me to explore the area while getting a great workout. It’s a great way to discover new places, all while fitting in some cardio.

The Importance of Flexibility in Your Routine

The one thing I’ve learned over the years is that flexibility is key. There’s no one-size-fits-all fitness plan, and it’s okay to adapt based on your current situation. When cycling or swimming aren’t options, that doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel. Instead, I’ve found that walking, running, and consistent lifting are great alternatives that still provide a well-rounded fitness regimen.

The mental shift from thinking that every workout has to be perfect or that you need a full gym setup to make progress is crucial. Even with a limited selection of exercises or equipment, you can still stay on track. This mindset will keep you moving forward, even during times when you’re away from your usual routine or normal gym.

Staying Focused on Long-Term Goals

The most important lesson I keep coming back to—and what I want to emphasize this week—is the idea that daily consistency is what leads to real, lasting results. Whether I’m traveling, at home, or just dealing with a busy schedule, the focus should always be on maintaining some form of exercise daily. You might not always have the luxury of a full training session, but it’s about doing something every day to keep your body moving.

Remember, long-term progress comes from building habits, and the consistency of even the smallest actions is what adds up over time. As I continue with my training while in the UK, I’m focused on doing what I can each day to keep moving, stay fit, and keep working toward my goals.

So, while my current routine may look a little different than usual, the key takeaway here is that fitness is a journey, and the most important factor in making progress is sticking with it. Whether you're doing a full lifting session, a few sets of bodyweight exercises, or simply going for a walk or run, it's the daily habit that counts the most.

Consistency isn’t about perfection—it’s about persistence, no matter where you are or what circumstances you’re working with. Keep moving, stay active, and trust that every little bit adds up to big results over time.

WHAT I DID...

MONDAY - 1 hour run

TUESDAY - 30min Recovery Walk and Full body Strength

WEDNESDAY - 90min Walk

THURSDAY - 5km Treadmill Time Trial and Strength

FRIDAY - 45min walk and Sauna

SATURDAY - 12km Long run ( added a park run for fun) PLUS a lot of other walking 35 000 steps

SUNDAY - 20min walk and Stretch

And that’s a wrap on this week’s training diary and coach catch-up! Thanks so much for joining me on this journey—your support means a lot. Stay tuned for more updates and keep pushing toward your goals!