Coaches Nutrition Tip # : Low dose creatine supplementation and anaerobic exercise performance
Creatine has long been one of my favorite supplements as it is cheap, effective and easy to use. Creatine has been shown to increase lean muscle mass gains, improve anaerobic workout performance and in this study has been shown to improve rate of fatigue on repetitive 15sec wingate anaerobic power tests (bike sprints).
Researchers used 40 physically active men who were given 6 grams of creatine monohydrate per day. The creation supplementation group was compared to the placebo group and the researchers found that those supplementing had no changes in peak power, but their rate of fatigue was much lower.
This is big news for Synergy Strength athletes as we are very frequently exposed to anaerobic circuits and high intensity interval training, which is similar to the repeated wingate tests done in the study.
To improve performance in our anaerobic workouts at Synergy (4 deadlifts, 8 burpees, 20 sec airdyne sprint – every 5 min x 7 rounds) creation supplementation is highly beneficial. Creatine is one of the most recommended supplements at Synergy beyond the basic post workout protein supplementation recommendations due to its potential for lean muscle mass gain and exercise performance.
Take 5-7g of creation a day post workout and for best results couple it with your post workout protein drink.
J Strength Cond Res. 2005 May;19(2):260-4.
