Rasmussen BB, Tipton KD, Miller SL, Wolf SE, Wolfe RR: An oral essential amino acidcarbohydrate supplement enhances muscle protein anabolism after resistance exercise.

J Appl Physiol. Verdijk LB, Jonkers RA, Gleeson BG, Beelen M, Meijer K, Savelberg HH, Wodzig WK, Dendale P, van Loon LJ: Protein supplementation before and after exercise does not further augment skeletal muscle hypertrophy after resistance training in elderly men.

Am J Clin Nutr. Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Tranchina CP, Rashti SL, Kang J, Faigenbaum AD: Effect of protein-supplement timing on strength, power, and body-composition changes in resistancetrained men. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. Esmarck B, Andersen JL, Olsen S, Richter EA, Mizuno M, Kjaer M: Timing of postexercise protein intake is important for muscle hypertrophy with resistance training in elderly humans.

Download references. Many thanks to Jeff Stout PhD for running the stats on this project. Exercise and Sports Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, S.

University Drive, University Park Plaza Suite , Davie, FL, , USA. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Jose Antonio. VC and JA contributed significantly to all aspects of this study.

Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. Reprints and permissions. Antonio, J. The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength.

J Int Soc Sports Nutr 10 , 36 Download citation. Received : 09 May Accepted : 10 July Published : 06 August Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative.

Skip to main content. Search all BMC articles Search. Download PDF. Download ePub. Abstract Background Chronic supplementation with creatine monohydrate has been shown to promote increases in total intramuscular creatine, phosphocreatine, skeletal muscle mass, lean body mass and muscle fiber size.

Methods Nineteen healthy recreational male bodybuilders mean ± SD; age: Conclusions Creatine supplementation plus resistance exercise increases fat-free mass and strength.

Introduction Chronic supplementation with creatine has been shown to increase lean body mass and enhance exercise performance [ 1 — 10 ]. Methods Subjects Nineteen male recreational bodybuilders mean ± SD: age, Experimental design Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a PRE-SUPP or POST-SUPP group.

Resistance training protocol All subjects followed a periodized, split-routine bodybuilding training regimen geared primarily for skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Food diary, workout log, body composition Subjects provided a hour diet recall on one random day on week 1, 2, 3, and 4 as determined by the investigators. Exercise performance assessment Subjects performed a 1 repetition maximum lifts 1-RM on the bench press.

Statistical analysis Data were analyzed utilizing five separate 2-way [group Pre-Treatment [aka PRE-SUPP] vs. Results Twenty-two subjects were initially recruited for this investigation. Table 1 Body composition and strength Full size table. Table 2 Magnitude-based inference results Full size table.

Figure 1. Individual data for FFM in the POST-SUPP group. Full size image. Figure 2. Individual data for FFM in the PRE-SUPP group.

Table 3 Dietary intake Full size table. Discussion The results from this study suggest that consuming creatine monohydrate post exercise may be superior to consuming it pre exercise with regards to improving body composition i. References Aguiar AF, Januario RS, Junior RP, Gerage AM, Pina FL, do Nascimento MA, Padovani CR, Cyrino ES: Long-term creatine supplementation improves muscular performance during resistance training in older women.

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Article PubMed Central CAS PubMed Google Scholar Download references. Author information Authors and Affiliations Exercise and Sports Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, S. View author publications. Creatine can be a polarising topic in the world of health and fitness.

Often associated with pumped-up gym-bros and bench-hogging swolediers, creatine's reputation among the fitness world is varied. But is it justified? It's unlikely.

That's because you probably eat creatine every day — you just don't realise it. When you eat meat — a delicious rib-eye steak , for example — your liver and kidneys take in the amino acids to make creatine, which is then transferred to your muscles as a form of cellular energy called creatine monohydrate.

The creatine supplements you're likely to have seen work in a similar manner, with your body converting the supplement into creatine phosphate, feeding your muscles during explosive exercises such as plyometrics, sprints, heavy lifts and HIIT routines.

However, your capacity for the fuel that's provided by creatine phosphate runs out at a rapid rate during this type of training , meaning that added creatine supplementation can give you more power for higher reps.

Similarly, creatine has been found to maintain and build muscle even with zero training. That's according to a study from Canada's St Frances Xavier University, which found that by gulping two 20g of creatine four times a week, test subjects maintained physical strength without even glancing at a barbell.

But, is the fabled muscle-builder creatine suitable for your lifestyle? Utilise our guide, below, to find out. Creatine helps you recover between sets. Over time, this leads to faster gains in both strength and size. Creatine has proven itself over the years to be one of the most effective supplements for improving performance during repeated bouts of intense exercise.

Combined with weight training , creatine slows the loss of bone mass as you age and could ease the effects of osteoarthritis, where joints become stiff and painful. That said, creatine, inevitably, has different effects on individuals.

The effects of creatine should be evident in a week in most using the supplement — with your training volume and strength increasing. That said, it's not a magic pill. When we resynthesise at a high rate, it means potentially we can exercise more readily 1 and may even have a higher intensity session with shorter rest periods required, which hypothetically would aid with hypertrophy 2.

However, you still have to lift the weights and bigger muscles do not always equal increased strength. Really, it depends on your objectives. If you're a thirty or forty-something Dad looking to top-up his strength levels, you'll be getting enough creatine from a high-protein diet.

If you're a bodybuilder, athlete or CrossFitter looking for an added edge on your physique or your performance in high-intensity competitions or workouts, then creatine supplementation could work for you.

Read on to find out why. When it comes to improving muscle strength, the US National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus labels creatine as "possibly effective". It's not all about an increase in muscle mass, though. Creatine also has some other benefits you might not be aware of. What you might not be aware of is that this is partially due to a drop in creatine levels in the brain.

In another study on a group of elite rugby players , researchers from the UK Sport Council found that creatine worked just as well as caffeine at wiping out the effects of sleep deprivation on performance during a simple rugby skill test.

So you might be better reaching for a shaker than your morning cappuccino. But if a lack of muscle mass is a limiting factor, creatine certainly has the potential to help you perform better. Away from the squat rack , creatine is also beneficial during short, repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise, like CrossFit and circuit training.

In other words, if you sprint, lift or do HIIT, the compound can help you take it up a level. Players were divided into two groups; group one was given 20 grams of creatine per day for six days, while group two received a dummy supplement that had no effect. Creatine resulted in faster sprinting times , increased strength and also improved jumping performance.

Unfortunately they chose not to assess the impact of a half-time orange. Creatine supplementation can lead to lbs of weight gain in a week — your muscles retain water in order to heighten protein synthesis the building of muscles. This, however, is nothing to worry about, especially for everyday athletes.

Put simply, by supplementing creatine, you'll gain weight. But the added weight will help your muscles feel bigger, fuller and stronger. Kre-Alkalyn — Kre-Alkalyn is a buffered creatine. That means that it is processed at a higher pH level than regular creatine, which prevents its conversion to creatine and therefore enhances its uptake and effectiveness.

Creatine Malate — Often listed as tricreatine malate or dicreatine malate, this form of creatine is composed of creatine bound to malic acid. Malic acid not only helps the absorption of the creatine, but it also increases energy production in the muscles for better endurance and less fatigue.

Creatine Alpha-Ketoglutarate — Creatine alpha-ketoglutarate is creatine attached to alpha-ketoglutarate. Like with arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, the popular nitric oxide booster, this form of creatine is supposed to be better absorbed by the body than monohydrate.

Creatine Gluconate — This form of creatine involves creatine attached to a form of glucose that enhances its uptake in the body. Two recent studies did report that creatine ethyl ester was not better than creatine monohydrate for increasing muscle creatine levels.

Creatine Orotate — Often listed as tricreatine orotate, this is creatine bound to orotic acid. Orotic acid is a precursor to nucleic acids what DNA are made out of. Orotic acid also enhances the formation of creatine phosphate in muscle cells, which is the form of creatine our bodies use to produce the quick energy, known as adenosine triphosphate, that fuels weightlifting workouts.

Creatine Pyruvate — Creatine pyruvate has pyruvate, which boosts endurance and buffers lactic acid in the muscle, allowing you to train harder for longer. How much creatine you need to take depends upon the form. However, research has also shown that taking just 5g per day can also lead to similar increases in muscle creatine levels, but it takes approximately 30 days, or about a month.

This is the main reason why a loading phase is recommended for those starting to supplement with most forms of creatine. The loading phase allows you to start experiencing the benefits of creatine in the shortest amount of time.

After you complete the loading phase you can stick with a 5g dose of creatine within 30 minutes before and within 30 minutes after workouts. The best way to maximize creatine uptake by muscle cells is to take creatine with high-glycemic fast-digesting carbohydrates, such as a sports drink or gummy bears, and fast-digesting protein, such as whey protein.

The major reason for this is that these nutrients boost blood insulin levels. This anabolic hormone is critical for stimulating the transport of creatine into muscle cells.

Many of the other forms of creatine, such as creatine hydrochloride and Kre-Alkalyn, allow you to take a much lower dose and not bother with the loading phase. For the other forms of creatine, use the dosing amount recommended on the label. However, I strongly suggest that whatever that dose is that you take one dose within 30 minutes before workouts along with your pre-workout protein shake, and one dose within 30 minutes after your workout along with your protein shake and fast carbs.

On days that you do not train, take one dose of creatine with your morning protein shake and carbs. Close Ad ×. I want content for: Both Men Women. Facebook Twitter Youtube Pinterest. Open menu button. Open search bar button. Featured Articles. Healthy Eating Days-to-Lean Meal Plan With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.

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Click to share on Facebook Opens in new window Click to share on Twitter Opens in new window Click to share on Pinterest Opens in new window. Creatine Basics Creatine is a nonessential dietary protein-like compound found in high abundance in meat and fish.

Creatine Boosts Muscle Strength Numerous studies have reported significant improvements in one-rep max strength of subjects taking creatine. Creatine Boosts Muscle Growth There are a plethora of studies showing that creatine significantly boosts muscle growth.

Creatine Boosts Athletic Performance Most of the studies performed on creatine indicate that supplementing with it significantly enhances athletic ability due to its ability to produce higher muscle force and power during short bouts of exercise. How Creatine Works Research shows that there are numerous ways by which creatine produces increases in muscle strength, muscle growth, and overall athletic performance.

Forms of Creatine There are numerous firms of creative on the market today.

Fourteen healthy untrained males Descriptive characteristics of the participants are presented in table 1. To meet the criteria the men a were non-smokers; b had not participated in resistance-training, or any form of structured exercise, for at least six months; c had not ingested any ergogenic supplement for a week period prior to the start of supplementation; and d agreed not to ingest any other nutritional supplements, or non-prescription drugs that may affect muscle re-growth during the study.

In addition, participants agreed to refrain from using any remedy i. massage, ultrasound etc. for muscle soreness other than consumption of the supplement given; and agreed not to participate in any form of physical activity 2 weeks prior to supplementation and during the 2 week recovery period.

All participants were informed verbally, as well as in writing, as to the objectives of the experiments, together with the potential associated risks. All participants signed an informed consent document approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Victoria University of Australia.

All procedures conformed to National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for the ethical conduct of research involving humans. All procedures were completed at the Human Performance Laboratory at Victoria University.

Two weeks prior to baseline testing, participants underwent 1 repetition maximum RM strength assessments on the dominant limb and a familiarisation session of the equipment that would be utilized to assess muscle performance. The dominant limb would undergo the damage protocol, while the contralateral limb served as the control.

On day 1, participants arrived at the laboratory in the morning and underwent baseline performance assessments and blood sampling. Participant's then underwent catherization of the forearm vein and performed an exercise session designed to cause damage to the knee extensor and flexor muscles.

Blood samples were taken at 30 minutes, 1, 2, and 4 hours following the bout of exercise. The participants were instructed to return to the laboratory 24 hours post-exercise, and again at the same time on day 2, 3, 4, 7, 10 and 14 for further blood sampling and all muscle performance assessments.

All participants arrived at all assessment days in 8 hour fasted state. The supplements were provided to the participants in identical, unmarked, sealed containers, supplied by AST Sports Science, Golden, Colorado USA.

For five days prior to the bout of exercise, the Cr-CHO group consumed a supplement 1. This provided a 70 kg participant with approximately 21 g of Cr -1 day, with the remainder 84 g in this case being CHO in the form of glucose.

The participants were shown how to consume this dose in several smaller servings each day, i. This procedure has been reported to consistently increase muscle Cr concentrations [ 11 ].

The CHO group consumed an equivalent per body weight dose of CHO glucose only. After the bout of exercise, participants were instructed to take one serving of a supplement 0. Again, the remainder of the supplement was CHO in the form of glucose, and the CHO groups ingested an equivalent per body weight dose of glucose only.

Participants' diets were monitored and assessed as previously described by this laboratory [ 12 ]. In brief, participants were shown how to record their dietary habits in diaries provided. During the final recovery week each participant submitted a 7-day written dietary recall consisting of 5 week days and two weekend days for the calculation of macronutrient and energy intake.

Mean energy intake is expressed in kcal -1 kg of body weight per day; protein, fat and carbohydrate are expressed in g -1 kg of body weight per day. The participants were asked to report any adverse events from the supplements in the nutrition diaries provided.

No adverse events were reported by the participants. Two weeks prior to the session, unilateral dominant limb concentric 1 RM assessments were completed for each participant using a procedure prescribed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association NSCA [ 13 ].

An NSCA certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist supervised all lifts and the damage protocol completed by participants.

The resistance exercise session was designed to cause muscle damage. The participant was required to lower the weight by themselves through the entire range of motion ROM at a predetermined cadence 4 seconds given verbally. This constituted 1 repetition. The participant completed 40 eccentric-only repetitions 4 sets × 10 with 3 minutes rest between sets of each exercise in this manner.

All participants were verbally encouraged during each set to maintain the required lowering speed. However, if the participant was not able to do this in the later stage of the set, as a result of fatigue , then a brief 5—15 second pause between the last 2—3 repetitions was permitted. Although the workout was extremely difficult, all participants were able to complete the protocol as outlined.

Ronkonkoma, New York. A protocol similar to that described by [ 16 ] was utilized. s -1 velocity torque in one continuous kicking motion. Maximal isometric strength was determined in three contractions at a knee angle of 60° and of 5-s duration.

There was a 20 second rest between each isometric contraction, and a 60 second rest between the isokinetic and isometric force measurements. Strength values obtained from Cybex tests were expressed as percentage of pre-exercise values and normalized to contralateral controls.

Previous research has shown this to be a successful means of reporting muscle strength and performance data, and removes any improvement in muscle performance recovery of the injured limb due to familiarization of the test [ 16 , 17 ]. Approximately 10 mls of venous blood was sampled from the antecubital fossa vein via catheterisation before and after the bout of eccentric exercise on day 1.

Venipuncture technique was used to draw further blood samples at 2, 3, 4, 7, 10 and days after the resistance exercise session. The blood was immediately placed into an ethylediniaminetetra-acetic acid EDTA tube, inverted and rolled, then transferred into eppendorf tubes and centrifuged at rpm for 15 min at 4°C.

Plasma was removed and aliquoted into labelled eppendorf tubes and stored at °C for subsequent analysis of CK and LDH activity. For CK, plasma samples were analysed by a 2-step enzymatic colorimetric process using a VITROS Chemistry System according to the method of [ 18 ].

For LDH activity, plasma samples were analysed using a single step enzymatic rate process requiring readings on a UV-visible spectrophotometer SHIMADZU UV, SUZHOU Instrumental manufacturing Co. Ltd, China according to the method of [ 19 ].

Participant characteristics are reported as means ± SD. All other values are reported as means ± SE. Muscle performance data was expression as a percentage of baseline values. Blood variables were analyzed using 2 × 14 group × day [baseline, 30 min, 60 min 2 hours, 4 hours, day 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 10 and 14 repeated measures ANOVA to effectively assess the changes in markers of muscle damage following supplementation post exercise.

LSD pairwise comparisons were used to analyze any significant group × time interaction effects. Baseline variables, total work performed during the resistance exercise session and dietary intake between groups was analyzed using an independent students' t-test.

An alpha level of 0. At baseline there were no differences in the age, body weight or strength level 1 RM between the two groups Table 1.

No differences in total work performed during the resistance exercise session were observed between the two groups Table 2.

One-week dietary analysis excluding supplementation revealed no differences in energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate intake between groups throughout the study Table 3. Pre-exercise absolute values for isometric knee extension strength were ± 24 Nm and ± 11 Nm for the CHO and Cr-CHO groups, respectively.

No differences were detected. Effect of CHO and Cr-CHO on isometric knee extension muscle strength after exercise-induced muscle damage. Data mean ± SE represents isometric knee extension muscle strength expressed as a percentage of pre-exercise strength taken during the 14 days recovery.

Pre-exercise absolute values for isokinetic knee extension strength were ± 13 Nm and ± 10 Nm for the CHO and Cr-CHO supplemented groups, respectively. Effect of CHO and Cr-CHO on isokinetic knee extension muscle strength after exercise-induced muscle damage.

Data mean ± SE represents isokinetic knee extension muscle strength expressed as a percentage of pre-exercise strength taken during the 14 days recovery. Pre-exercise absolute values for isokinetic knee flexion strength were ± 9 Nm and ± 9 Nm for the CHO and Cr-CHO groups, respectively.

No statistically significant interactions were observed across groups Figure 3. Effect of CHO and Cr-CHO on isokinetic knee flexion muscle strength after exercise-induced muscle damage. Data mean ± SE represents isokinetic knee flexion muscle strength expressed as a percentage of pre-exercise strength taken during the 14 days recovery.

Pre-exercise CK activity was No significant differences were detected. Figure 4. Effect of CHO and Cr-CHO on plasma CK activity after exercise-induced muscle damage. Pre-exercise LDH activity was Effect of CHO and Cr-CHO on plasma LDH activity after exercise-induced muscle damage.

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether consumption of Cr prior to, and following exercise-induced damage, improves force recovery and markers of muscle damage in healthy individuals.

Following repeated eccentric exercises, isokinetic knee extension and flexion and isometric knee extension peak torque was significantly reduced, and remained significantly lower than pre-exercise values, for approximately 4 days or longer.

The observed decrements in muscle strength were in accordance with previous studies, with Brown and colleagues [ 14 ] showing similar reductions, although others demonstrated less reductions in strength [ 7 , 17 ].

Such varying responses in the magnitude of strength loss following eccentric exercises are possibly due to the different muscle groups used i. elbow flexors of the forearm vs.

It should also be noted that muscle strength was expressed as a percentage of pre-exercise strength values and normalised to contralateral undamaged controls. This is a common method of analysing loss of muscle strength following exercise-induced damage [ 7 , 14 , 17 ], which therefore not only normalises data by accounting for any improvements during the recovery period as a result of familiarisation, but more importantly reduces the inter-individual variability in muscle strength between participants.

Extensive literature has examined the effects of Cr supplementation on exercise performance, in particular high intensity exercise [ 21 ].

However, only a few studies have investigated the efficacy of Cr supplementation on muscle recovery after injury [ 5 — 8 ]. In and , Rawson and colleagues examined the effects of Cr supplementation on muscle damage and recovery following 2 different exercise intensities; a high-force, eccentric exercise [ 7 ] and a low force, hypoxic resistance exercise challenge [ 6 ].

In the first study, male participants were supplemented with Cr for 5 days prior to 50 maximal eccentric contractions. Results showed no significant differences in maximal isometric force of the elbow flexors, or serum CK or LDH activity, between the Cr-supplemented and dextrose control group during the 5 days post-exercise [ 7 ].

In the current study however, the Cr-supplemented group exhibited an enhanced rate of muscle function recovery compared to the placebo group; as evident by the higher muscle strength values for both the isometric and isokinetic knee extension during the recovery period following exercise-induced muscle damage.

In the first study by Rawson and colleagues , participants were only supplemented for 5 days prior to the exercise-induced damage protocol; with no continuation of supplementation following the exercise bout [ 7 ]. Willoughby and Rosene [ 22 ] have suggested that by continuing Cr supplementation after a resistance exercise bout initial stimulus , Cr may act as a co-regulator, or direct manipulator of gene transcription of amino acid pools, thus enhancing myofibrillar protein synthesis during the recovery period post-injury.

Indeed Olsen et al. Although Cr supplementation was continued following the exercise bout in the second study by Rawson and colleagues [ 6 ], it is possible that the resistance exercise session, which was designed to be hypoxic in nature, as opposed to high force, eccentric exercise, may not have elicited enough muscle damage to unmask the anabolic effects of Cr supplementation [ 24 ].

Creatine is a popular supplement among athletes and bodybuilders. It is often taken on days when the person is not working out, in order to help them recover from their previous workout.

But is it really necessary to take creatine on rest days? In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of taking creatine on rest days, as well as the risks associated with doing so.

Creatine is a naturally occurring chemical that the body uses for energy. It's found in foods like meat and fish, but can also be taken as a supplement.

Creatine supplements are a type of dietary supplement that helps the body produce more creatine. This can help improve athletic performance and muscle mass. Creatine supplements are available in powder, pill, or liquid form.

There are several reasons why people take creatine supplements, including increased energy and improved athletic performance. Some people also use creatine as a way to build muscle, although there is limited evidence to support this benefit. Additionally, many people believe that taking creatine on rest days may help the body recover more quickly from intense workouts.

While there is some evidence to support the benefits of taking creatine on rest days, there are also risks associated with doing so.

For example, some people experience side effects such as weight gain, increased water retention, or digestive issues.

In addition, overuse of creatine supplements could potentially strain the kidneys or liver. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best cycling schedule will depend on a variety of factors, including your age, overall health, and fitness goals.

Some people may benefit from taking creatine on rest days every so often, while others may find that regular cycles of creatine supplementation are better for their body.

First of all, many athletes and bodybuilders take creatine on rest days in order to help them recover from their workouts. This is because creatine helps the body produce more energy, which can make it easier for the person to get through their workouts. Additionally, since creatine improves recovery times after exercise, taking it on rest days can actually help the person recover faster and feel less soreness and fatigue after working out.

Another reason why many people take creatine on rest days is that it can help them build muscle more quickly. Creatine increases the amount of protein in your muscles, which helps stimulate muscle growth.

Therefore, taking creatine on rest days can be a great way to give your muscles a boost and help you build muscle more quickly. However, there are some potential risks associated with taking creatine on rest days.

For example, it can cause stomach upset in some people. Additionally, if a person takes too much creatine at once, they may experience side effects like nausea and headaches. Finally, taking creatine too frequently or at high doses can contribute to dehydration and excess water weight.

Whether or not you choose to take creatine on rest days is up to you. Some people find that the benefits of taking it outweigh the risks, while others prefer to skip it altogether in order to avoid potential side effects. Some people take creatine on rest days because it can help them recover from their workouts more quickly.

Additionally, creatine can help the person build muscle more quickly. However, there are some potential risks associated with taking creatine on rest days, including stomach upset, nausea, and headaches. If you skip a day of creatine, it is possible that your muscles may not recover as quickly from your workouts.

However, there are other supplements or techniques that can help promote muscle recovery on rest days, such as protein shakes and stretching. It can regenerate itself fairly quickly. It can actually be available for the first seconds of each of your sets — over and over again.

This means that the activity requires more oxygen than our bodies are able to take in at that moment. One of them is the ATP-PCr system, which is heavily relied upon during anaerobic intense exercise. Like financial lenders everywhere, the body is a selfish bugger, so it demands that we pay the oxygen debt back before it allows us to perform intensely again.

Think of it this way: You are pushing through a set of heavy-ass squats. With each repetition you take a deep breath, then exhale while pushing the weight up. All you notice at that moment is completing the rep before your legs give out, which of course you do because you rock.

You know the oxygen debt is in the process of being paid back once you return to a normal breathing pattern. While the timing of ATP-PCr resynthesis is dependent upon the intensity of the activity, how significant of an oxygen debt was incurred, and how conditioned the body is in the first place, the consensus seems to be that it takes around two minutes for the body to regenerate phosphocreatine stores while strength training.

That means if you rest for two minutes between sets, your body has an opportunity to use the ATP-PCr energy system again. And again. Whether using your phone, Fitbit, or other timer, set it for two to three minutes and start it up every time you finish a set.

I want you to actually time it. You might be surprised how long it feels. Timing the rest period between your sets matters. Unless you are new to the sport of strength training or living under a rock, you likely know that one of the most popular bodybuilding supplements available is creatine monohydrate.

You may be wondering, is there a connection? Creatine is, in fact, one of the two most essential molecules in phosphocreatine. While our bodies naturally make creatine from amino acids as well as from the meat we eat, an overwhelming amount of studies have shown that ingesting supplemental creatine increases overall uptake into the muscle.

However, we can only store and use so much creatine at a time, and exactly how much depends on who you are. People who are more active and have large amounts of muscle mass typically benefit from additional creatine than a less-active individual. However, the general guideline is that g of creatine supplementation per day is sufficient too much and our bodies excrete the extra in our urine.

Because the more creatine we store, the more phosphocreatine becomes available. The more phosphocreatine we can use, the more ATP we can make through the ATP-PCr energy system.

Remember, the more we can push the ATP-PCr energy system to be the dominating force behind our workouts means more explosive power with each repetition. People may be skeptical when I suggest that bodybuilding is a science, but there truly is a method to the madness.

Through careful manipulation of the nutrients we eat, the maximum weight we lift, the kinds of supplements we use, and even the amount of rest we take in and out of the gym can all influence how we look, feel, and progress. Plus, knowing this information makes you feel totally bad ass at dinner parties.