Creatine is recognized in the industry as an "evergreen tree for increasing muscle strength." It is favored by muscle-building enthusiasts because of its ability to increase muscle strength and explosive power, promote muscle synthesis, and increase muscle volume. But for a long time, people have not understood the specific principles and usage of creatine. Even professional bodybuilders still have too much confusion and confusion about creatine.

For example: Should I take creatine before or after a workout?

In fact, creatine can be taken before and after training. Time: half an hour to 1 hour before training; replenish within 2 hours after training, the sooner the better. It is strongly recommended to supplement creatine with sugary drinks to increase the absorption rate of creatine and reduce the waste of creatine. Once you take creatine, you must drink at least 1200ml more water every day on the basis of the original normal water intake to fully exert the hydration effect of creatine.

​If the purpose is to improve muscle strength and explosive power, it is recommended not to ignore creatine supplementation before training. If you want to improve muscle circumference and increase muscle volume, creatine supplementation after training is particularly critical.

When using creatine for the first time, pay attention to the combination of impact period and maintenance period. During the 1-week shock period, take 5 grams of creatine 4 times a day. If you train twice a day, you can take creatine once before and after training. If you train once a day, do it once before and after training. There is no fixed time limit for the other two times, as long as they are 4 hours apart. The purpose of the shock phase is to quickly saturate the body's creatine in a short period of time. Without shock, it will take about 30 days for creatine to reach saturation in the body. After the shock period, just maintain with 5 grams of creatine per day.

The long-term use of creatine requires 1 week of impact, 6 weeks of maintenance, and then 2-3 weeks of discontinuation. Then begins a new cycle of impact and maintenance.

During the normal training cycle, you should also pay attention to the maintenance supplement of creatine on days when you are not training to ensure the stability of the creatine concentration in the body. If you stop training for more than 20 days, you can stop taking creatine first, and then replenish creatine when normal training begins.