A gains producing combination?
To optimize your fitness and sculpt a physique with good muscle mass and low body fat, proper nutrition, and high-quality supplements along with a solid workout routine are key. As far as supplements, there are plenty to choose from, but an effective pre-workout will fuel your body with energy and focus so that you can train hard. They will also include ingredients to nurture and repair your muscles and give you an epic pump! However, mixing pre-workout with creatine could be an even bigger game changer, let’s find out why.
Some pre-workouts already contain creatine, while others leave it out. However, there are benefits to having a supplement without creatine and mixing it in yourself. You can take a pre-workout without creatine every time you workout while having complete control over your creatine supplementation dosage and timing.
(If you want the best rated creatine supplement, here is a quick answer!)
Here we will cover how to mix creatine in your shaker cup with your pre-workouts and why before suggesting our top choice pre-workout.
Creatine VS. Pre-Workout
There are several similarities between creatine and pre-workout; they both give you extra energy and help you train at high – intensity. Creatine, like amino acids, are naturally occurring compounds. Creatine directly stimulates ATP regeneration and boosts energy by inhibiting your adenosine receptors.
In contrast, pre-workout supplements are not naturally occurring compounds, but give you more energy by supplying your blood with oxygen or through stimulants like caffeine. Combining the two of these substances will help to maximize your results. They will give you a boost of strength and energy so that you can more effectively build muscles.
Like any supplement, the best effects will be seen when combined with a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
Why Take Creatine and Pre-Workout
Creatine is a versatile powder that can easily be mixed with water alongside other supplements as it typically comes unflavored. Combining pre-workout and creatine can enhance the muscle-building properties.
Some pre-workouts already contain creatine, while others do not. The benefit of having a supplement without it is that it allows you to control how much you take of each.
Unlike pre-workout, creatine does not give you a sudden surge of energy. Therefore, you could be going through the loading phase and be putting more creatine in your shaker than is recommended. Or you may decide to take your creatine in increments throughout the day to keep levels high. For example, you could put 2 grams in a morning smoothie and 3 grams in your protein drink post workout.
How to Take Creatine
Several studies have shown the effectiveness of creatine supplementation on muscle building. One study published in the journal of the international society of sports nutrition showed that supplementation significantly improved lean muscle mass. (1)
Creatine is cheap to buy and can be mixed into any drink, including water, smoothies, protein shakes, and pre-workouts. Either mix with a spoon or use a shaker.
When to Take Creatine
Studies show that taking creatine pre or post-workout is the most effective. (2) The most effective method could be to split your dose, half in your pre-workout and the other half post-workout in a protein shake.
How Much Should You Be Taking?
The recommended daily amount of creatine ranges from 5 g to 20 g. You should not consume more than 20g daily.
The Creatine Cycle
One method that bodybuilders find effective is loading creatine. This means taking 20 grams of creatine each day to see quick gains and fast response to creatine for the first week. Do this for one week before dropping down to 5-10 grams.
Take 5 to 10 grams for 7 more weeks before taking a break for 2 weeks before retaking creatine.
While the loading phase can be effective, supplementing with creatine at a steady rate of 5-10 grams a day for 8 weeks will help you build more muscle mass.
Do You Need to Stop Taking Creatine?
Many studies have shown that supplementation with creatine monohydrate over long periods of time is safe. (3) Therefore, if you want to supplement at a lower dose consistently, it will still aid protein synthesis and muscle building.
However, when taken consistently for a long time, you may notice that you do not feel the effects as strongly. But by cycling your use of creatine, you can maximize its effectiveness.
Best Pre-Workout Supplement
15 Grams of high quality pre-workout formula in every serving, and 30 servings per container, all for a great price!
Nutricost’s Pre-X Extreme Pre-Workout is designed to enhance energy, focus, and endurance during exercise. It is available in several flavors, such as fruit punch, blue raspberry, grape, and peach mango. Nutricost’s Pre-X Extreme Pre-Workout aims to provide a delicious and effective solution for those looking to elevate their workout sessions with better focus, more energy, and some quality muscle pumps, all without breaking the bank.
As far as ingredients, Nutricost Pre-X Extreme has a fully transparent label and does not include a bunch of junk blends like many other supplements. Instead, Nutricost includes key pre-workout ingredients such as L-citrulline, beta-alanine, betaine anhydrous, and caffeine.
Price: $34.16
Read our full Nutricost Pre-X Extreme Review.
Best Creatine Supplement
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB is clean and effective for tackling all of your strength building needs. With no artificial additives or preservatives, what you get is pure creatine with added HMB for better strength.
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB is the best option for muscle gain and the best creatine to mix with your pre-workout. This is because it has both creatine, and HMB in it, also known as β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate, which has been proven to increase muscle strength and lean body mass while decreasing fat mass and boosting focus. At a good price, this is a one of the best creatine products on the market to buy for gaining some quality muscle.
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Read our full Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB review!
Wrap Up
So, mixing your pre-workout with creatine may be the way to go if you are looking to make some serious gains. Better focus, better pumps, and more energy- how could you not do it?
Do you mix your pre-workout with creatine?
References
- Gann, J.J., McKinley-Barnard, S.K., Andre, T.L. et al. Effects of a traditionally-dosed creatine supplementation protocol and resistance training on the skeletal muscle uptake and whole-body metabolism and retention of creatine in males. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 12, P2 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-12-S1-P2
- Cribb PJ, Hayes A. Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Nov;38(11):1918-25. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000233790.08788.3e. PMID: 17095924.
- Kreider, R.B., Melton, C., Rasmussen, C.J. et al. Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes. Mol Cell Biochem 244, 95–104 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022469320296
- Figueroa A, Wong A, Jaime SJ, Gonzales JU. Influence of L-citrulline and watermelon supplementation on vascular function and exercise performance. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2017 Jan;20(1):92-98. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000340. PMID: 27749691.
- Derave W, Ozdemir MS, Harris RC, Pottier A, Reyngoudt H, Koppo K, Wise JA, Achten E. beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Nov;103(5):1736-43. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00397.2007. Epub 2007 Aug 9. PMID: 17690198.
- Reiter CE, Kim JA, Quon MJ. Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate reduces endothelin-1 expression and secretion in vascular endothelial cells: roles for AMP-activated protein kinase, Akt, and FOXO1. Endocrinology. 2010 Jan;151(1):103-14. doi: 10.1210/en.2009-0997. Epub 2009 Nov 3. PMID: 19887561; PMCID: PMC2803145.
