Why Should You Use Creatine Monohydrate and The Benefits Of Salt For Better Absorption

Why Should You Use Creatine Monohydrate and The Benefits Of Salt For Better Absorption

Why Should You Use Creatine Monohydrate and The Benefits Of Salt For Better Absorption

Supplementing with creatine monohydrate can give you an added edge to your workout routine, as it has been shown to enhance the volume and strength of muscles  and muscle endurance, among other benefits. 

Creatine is an essential component for every human being, and the body produces it using three amino acids: glycine, methionine, and arginine. Typically, the human body has the ability to produce it for daily activities; however, for individuals who engage in physical activity, their muscles use creatine more rapidly to fuel the activity. 

Physical activity depletes adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is an energy-transporting molecule responsible for fueling all the cells in the human body. Creatine supplementation helps in augmenting phosphocreatine reserves to refurbish ATP levels to normalcy. As a result, strength, stamina, and energy are sustained during activity, promoting performance and the duration of training. 

All athletes can benefit from creatine supplementation - this includes vegetarian and vegan athletes.. 

What are the Proven Benefits of Creatine on Perfomance? 

Hundreds of studies have supported creatine as a safe and effective way of providing health benefits in addition to energy and muscle growth. Following are some of the health benefits of using creatine supplements:

1. Enhanced muscle mass

Creatine supplementation helps to increase muscle mass by initially drawing water into your muscle cells. Creatine has been found to function by altering some cellular pathways to promote protein concentration to develop new muscle fibers. Some studies have also indicated that when combined with strength training, creatine can increase myonuclei concentrations and satellite cell numbers in the skeletal muscles for enhanced muscle growth. 

2. Better athletic performance

Creatine has been shown to support training when used in sports-related activities. A study established that creatine is useful in short and high-intensity bouts of exercise. The International Society of Sport has also noted that creatine is one of the most effective sports supplements to enhance exercise capacity. 

3. Boosting cognitive abilities

Studies have shown that creatine supplementation enhances brain health and improves cognitive abilities among humans. One study indicated that supplementing with creatine improves brain performance. An additional study also established that creatine enhances mental health and protects against traumatic brain injury. 

4. Aiding in faster recovery following workouts 

 Studies have indicated creatine supports faster recovery following eccentrically-induced muscle damage from exercise.

How to use Creatine Monohydrate

Research indicates that supplementing with at least 5 grams of creatine monohydrate a day is ideal for enhancing power, strength, and muscle recovery and growth. No loading phase is neeed and you don’t have to cycle on and off. 

Hydration is important in order to avoid gastric trouble and dehydration. Good news: Creatine + Hydrate by Cerus Performance contains electrolytes! 

You can take creatine supplements any time of the day to reap its significant benefits. However, to ensure optimal effectiveness in promoting muscle building and workout performance, you should time your intake depending on your workout schedule.

Creatine consumption timing falls into four major categories: before training, during training, after a workout, and on rest days. 

Efficacy of Salt for Better Absorption

Salt has been considered great for workouts because of one of its ingredients: sodium. When used alongside creatine supplements, it promotes its absorption. Here’s how….

Sodium is an electrolyte grouped alongside phosphate, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Electrolytes play several roles in the body. One such role that electrolytes, especially sodium, are believed to play is to optimize the effect of creatine. It is thought that salt (in particular sodium) improves the rate of creatine absorption into your muscles. This is possible given that creatine utilizes sodium’s energy as it enters the muscle cells, helping to transport creatine inward. As a result, your body absorbs and transports creatine through your system more effectively. 

Check out this study that has reported that the presence of sodium directly affects creatine absorption. 

Final Word

Cerus is one of the only companies pairing sodium (as opposed to sugars) with creatine.

Get more from your creatine with Creatine+Hydrate by Cerus Performance. 

References

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155510/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17652429
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16581862
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2048496/
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19490606
  7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15707376
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12945830/
  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691485/pdf/14561278.pdf

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