Creatine for Endurance Athletes

Creatine is the most extensively studied dietary supplement. Previous blog posts on this topic in the Peak Shop for Sports Nutrition have primarily focused on the (undeniably significant) benefits of creatine supplementation for strength athletes. Endurance athletes often fear excessive (muscle) mass gain that could hinder performance, and are therefore critical of—or even opposed to—creatine supplementation. However, this feared effect does not occur in endurance athletes, as creatine supplementation alone results in an average weight gain of only 0.4 kg (for women) or 1.4 kg (for men)—any greater gain would require targeted strength training (with heavier weights and a moderate number of repetitions, 6–10).

But first, let’s look at the effects creatine can have:

The body’s own muscle creatine phosphate stores can be increased from 120–130 mmol/kg to 150–160 mmol/kg of lean muscle mass through supplementation. This raises the osmotic pressure within the cells and results in the retention of a significant amount of water—the so-called “threshold effect.” Among other things, this has a beneficial effect on muscle protein synthesis. Creatine’s best-known performance-enhancing effect is due to the expansion of creatine phosphate stores and applies to submaximal short-term exertions—that is, exercise durations of 10–40 seconds—during which a particularly large portion of energy supply is provided by creatine phosphate.

Okay, that’s all well and good, but can creatine also benefit us endurance athletes? Yes, and quite a lot, in fact!

The increased muscle protein synthesis is also beneficial for endurance athletes, as it allows muscle tissue damaged by various training-related catabolic processes to be repaired more quickly. See also the blog post: “The Power of Proteins.” Furthermore, due to the threshold effect described above, not only does protein synthesis occur more readily, but so does glycogen (re)synthesis. Together, these effects noticeably accelerate recovery. In addition, the maximum possible glycogen storage capacity also increases. Since intracellular creatine phosphate also requires H(+) ions for ATP production, it makes a significant contribution to lactate buffering. This property also explains the performance improvement during intense, even repeated, exertion lasting in the range of minutes, which has been demonstrated time and again in various studies. This becomes noticeable during interval training as well. The weight gain associated with creatine is almost entirely due to the higher water content of muscle cells. In long-distance endurance competitions, dehydration can become a significant performance-limiting factor as temperatures rise. The increased body water caused by creatine can therefore be viewed as an additional buffer against dehydration. General intake recommendations: The amounts do not differ from those commonly used in strength training. In general, however, the practice of loading regimens with high initial doses (e.g., 5 times 20 g per day for 5 consecutive days)—as still found in many studies—has been abandoned. With the same level of effectiveness, the practice has shifted to long-term intake of a small amount, which has also rendered gastrointestinal problems practically insignificant. Supplementation can then be continued for as long as desired without concern; despite its long-standing and extensively researched use by millions of people, no harmful effects have been reported, not even in cases of pre-existing medical conditions.

• For the vast majority of athletes, the full effect can be achieved with affordable creatine monohydrate, freshly mixed into a post-workout protein-carbohydrate shake that triggers a strong insulin release. “Freshly mixed” is important because creatine monohydrate otherwise quickly breaks down in an aqueous solution into ineffective creatinine. Alternatively, an all-in-one supplement—which contains creatine in a more stable form and is additionally fortified with carbohydrates for our purposes—is an option.

• Approximately 10–20% of users are non-responders to creatine monohydrate, meaning they show little or no response to supplementation. For these individuals, other forms of creatine may be worth trying in order to still achieve the desired effect. Particularly suitable here are broadly diversified blends containing as many different forms of creatine as possible, or the highly bioavailable creatine-α-ketoglutarate (creatine AKG).

From runningmuscleyoda Sources: [1] Profs. Neumann/Hottenrott: The Big Book of Running [2] Chwalbinska-Moneta, J.: Effect of creatine supplementation on aerobic performance and anaerobic capacity in elite rowers in the course of endurance training (Department of Applied Physiology at the Medical Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland) [3] Nelson, Arnold, G.; Arnall, David, A.; Kokkonen, Joke; Day, Randy; Evans, Jared: “Muscle glycogen supercompensation is enhanced by prior creatine supplementation” (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise: July 2001 – Volume 33 – Issue 7 – pp. 1096–1100) [4] McNaughton, L. R.; Dalton, B.; Tarr, J.: “The Effects of Creatine Supplementation on High-Intensity Exercise Performance in Elite Athletes,” European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 78, pp. 236–240, 1998 (Eur-J-Appl-Physiol-Occup-Physiol. Aug. 1998; 78(3): 236–40) [5] Engelhardt, Martin; Neumann, Georg; Berbalk, Anneliese; Reuter, Iris: “Creatine supplementation in endurance sports” (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: July 1998 – Volume 30 – Issue 7 – pp. 1123–1129)