Creatine monohydrate is used by athletes as a nutritional ergogenic aid. It increases intramuscular creatine concentrations. Creatine naturally occurs in the body and is also consumed in foods like meat or fish.
Moreover, creatine supplementation may enhance:
Post-exercise recovery
Tolerance of heavy training loads
Injury prevention
Thermoregulation
Rehabilitation
Return after a concussion
Spinal cord neuroprotection
About two-thirds of intramuscular creatine is phosphocreatine (PCr), with the remaining being free creatine.
Therefore, the body needs to replenish about 1–3 g of creatine per day to maintain normal (unsupplemented) creatine stores, depending on muscle mass.
Supplementation Protocols
In a normal diet that contains 1–2 g/day of creatine, muscle creatine stores are about 60–80% saturated. Therefore, dietary supplementation with creatine serves to increase muscle creatine and PCr by 20–40%.
The most effective way to increase muscle creatine stores is to ingest 5 g of creatine monohydrate (or approximately 0.3 g/kg body weight) four times daily for 5–7 days.
For vegans and vegetarians, cellular creatine levels rise more.
Ingesting creatine with carbohydrates, or with a combination of carbohydrates and protein, has been reported to consistently promote greater creatine retention.
Once creatine stores in the muscle are elevated, it typically takes 4–6 weeks for creatine stores to return to their baseline levels.
Benefits of Creatine Monohydrate for Triathletes
Creatine monohydrate offers several advantages to triathletes:
Increased Strength: When combined with weight training, creatine enhances strength, helping triathletes perform better across all three disciplines.
Improved Bone Density: When used alongside strength training, creatine contributes to better bone density, ensuring long-term skeletal health for endurance athletes especially for female athletes.
Enhanced Endurance: Creatine boosts both short-term and long-term endurance, extending the time to exhaustion during sprint efforts.
Reduced Muscle Atrophy: During injury recovery, creatine helps minimize muscle loss.
For maximum strength : 1-rep max efforts.
For strength endurance : 60%RM max to failure
Negative Effects
I see juste 1 negatif effect of creatine for triathletes: Weight Gain from Water Retention
Creatine may cause temporary weight gain due to water retention (around 0.5-1.0 liters of water). This might not be ideal for triathletes aiming for a lightweight physique. The weight gain from water retention could be offset by increased power during flat road time trials, leading to better race times. The decision to use creatine depends on the race type and the athlete's strategy.
Lactate Levels: Creatine may lower lactate levels in ramp tests, suggesting it's working. However, there's no need to immediately adjust power zones based on these changes.
Creatine's Endurance Benefits
More Energy: Better ATP production
Less Fatigue: It helps delay muscle tiredness by buffering acid.
Faster Recovery: Creatine reduces muscle soreness and inflammation.
Conclusion
Use creatine during the off-season: This helps boost energy levels and enhances the quality of your training sessions.
Consider creatine after injury: It can aid athletes in recovering faster and retaining their strength during the rehabilitation process.
Experiment during the off-season: Assess the effects of creatine, including any potential weight gain. After this evaluation, you can decide whether to incorporate it into your regimen during the competition season.
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