Running is a competitive environment, and every athlete is looking for ways to enhance their endurance performance.
We are talking not only about effective workouts and gear but also about supplements.
One of them is creatine.
Creatine supplementation is a common thing for bodybuilders and powerlifters.
But is it suitable for runners?
In this article, we will try to answer this question.
We will explore what creatine is, what its benefits are, and why runners should (or shouldn’t) take creatine.
This read is for all the runners out there who are curious about harnessing the power of creatine for runners.
What is Creatine and How it Works
Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring compound made up of the amino acids arginine and glycine.
This is a source of energy that helps your skeletal muscle tissue flex (contract).
It creates a constant supply of energy in your muscles so they can keep working, especially during exercise.
About half of the body’s creatine requirement (1 to 2 grams per day) comes from proper nutrition rich in protein, such as:
- Red meat (pork, veal, and beef)
- Seafood (fish and shellfish)
- Animal milk (cow, goat, and sheep)
The other half is produced naturally by your body in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas.
They deliver about 90% of creatine to skeletal muscle for use during exercise.
The rest goes to the heart, brain, and other tissues.
The level of creatine in your body depends on multiple factors, such as your gender, age, and diet.
Vegetarians, for example, have lower levels of creatine in their bodies since they are not eating meat and fish.
Some people take creatine supplements because they exercise a lot or don’t get enough creatine in their diet.
Creatine supplements come in the form of:
- Powders
- Tablets
- Capsules
- Liquids
- Energy bars
It is important to note that creatine is one of the most researched and studied sports supplements in history.
It’s also one of few that actually does what it promises.
So, how does it work, and what exactly does it promise?
Let’s uncover.
How Does Creatine Work?
There are several ways creatine can improve overall health and athletic performance.
First, creatine increases the phosphocreatine stores in your muscles during intensive exercises.
When you supplement with creatine, you replenish your phosphocreatine stores.
This is a form of stored energy in the cells.
Phosphocreatine helps the body produce more of a high-energy molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP is often called the energy currency of our bodies.
With more ATP, your body can perform better during high-intensity exercise and weight lifting.
Here is how taking creatine helps to gain muscle mass:
- This allows you to increase your total work or volume per workout, which is key to long-term muscle growth.
- It can increase satellite cell signaling, which aids muscle repair and new muscle growth.
- Studies note a rise in hormones, such as IGF-1, after taking creatine.
- Creatine increases the water content of muscle cells. This causes a cell volume effect, which may play a role in muscle growth.
- It may increase total muscle mass by reducing muscle breakdown.
Creatine supplements can also increase phosphocreatine stores in your brain.
This promotes your brain health and improves symptoms of neurological disease.
Is It Healthy to Take Creatine?
There are people who believe that creatine is harmful to your health and has multiple side effects.
However, there is no scientific evidence supporting this claim.
On the contrary, the research conducted by the National Library of Medicine shows that creatine supplementation is safe and beneficial for people.
However, there is not enough evidence to know if it is safe for you:
- Are pregnant
- Breastfeeding
- Have diabetes
- Have liver disease
- Have kidney disease
Also, creatine may increase the risk of developing mania in people with bipolar disorder.
If you have any of these symptoms, it is better to talk to your doctor before taking creatine.
Make sure it is 100% safe for you.
Who Benefits From Creatine
People overall can benefit from creatine intake.
However, replenishing creatine stores can be especially beneficial for certain groups of people.
These are:
- People who are resistance training (athletes looking to increase their lean muscle mass)
- Those who are into high-intensity efforts sports (sprinters, jumpers, etc.)
- People who are into team sports
- Those who are into interval training patterns
- Runners
Overall Benefits of Creatine for Endurance Athletes
Let’s explore the benefits of creatine for our overall health and muscle strength.
1. Increased Muscle Power and Strength
Creatine monohydrate increases muscle power and strength.
One of the NLM studies showed that creatine supplementation increased cycling power output in trained triathletes.
This means better performance in the cycling leg of a triathlon.
This means more efficient cycling.
2. Enhanced High-Intensity Exercise Capacity
Creatine supplement also increases high-intensity, short duration exercise capacity.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand says creatine supplementation improves performance in repeated sprints and intermittent exercise.
By increasing ATP availability, creatine monohydrate can delay fatigue and allow endurance athletes to handle higher intensities during repeated exercise.
Through higher intensity training, you can expect adaptations that translate to better race performance.
Or put another way, if you can do more in training (whether it be more load or reps in strength training, swim more laps, ride hill repeats stronger, or run faster sprint repeats on the track), those small changes in volume and intensity will add up to better performance over time.
3. Accelerated Muscle Recovery
Creatine monohydrate helps with recovery from intense exercise.
One study found that creatine supplementation reduced exercise induced muscle damage and faster recovery in resistance trained individuals.
This faster recovery will benefit cyclists, runners and triathletes and help them manage their training load and eliminate the chances of overtraining or injury.
While this is from resistance based athletes, muscle breakdown physiology is the same.
The benefits of creatine for recovery have been shown multiple times.
4. Positive Effects on Brain Function
Creatine monohydrate may have brain benefits.
These can be useful during endurance events.
Maintaining focus and decision making during long events like triathlons is key to optimal performance.
According to several researches, creatine supplementation is able to improve cognitive performance and memory.
This is especially noticeable in the case of older adults or during metabolic stress, for example, sleep deprivation.
However, the effect will require higher doses of creatine.
If brain function is a priority, consider discussing this point with your health professional to avoid taking too much creatine.
5. Improved Hydration & Thermoregulation
Creatine has been linked to dehydration and cramping.
As a 2021 article in the International Society of Sport’s Nutrition said “Experimental and clinical research does not support the notion that creatine supplementation causes dehydration and muscle cramping.”
One of the few studies that looked at hydration and injury found that the athletes (footballers) who took creatine regularly had less cramping, less dehydration, and less heat illness than the non-supplementing athletes.
Total injuries, muscle tightness, and muscle strains were also lower in the athletes taking creatine monohydrate.
Other studies looking at creatine and thermoregulation found no difference or slightly lower rectal temperature, lower heart rate, and higher blood plasma volume between placebo and creatine groups.
This aligns with findings of higher total body, extracellular, and intracellular water volume in the athletes taking creatine monohydrate.
The bottom line is creatine monohydrate does not increase the risk of cramping or dehydration and seems to reduce the risk of heat injury.
So, overall, creatine is a beneficial component of athletes. But is it good for runners?
Let’s dive in.
Benefits of Creatine Supplementation for Runners
Most of the benefits of creatine intake we have explored above are also relatable for runners as well.
Creatine for runners can improve energy production and performance. It is also beneficial for better recovery, thermoregulation, and hydration.
Here are a few more perks of creatine for runners.
Creatine Helps Preserve Glycogen
If you are a long-distance runner, chances are you’ve heard about glycogen and its role in muscle energy and endurance running.
In case you haven’t heard of it, here’s a quick explanation: our body breaks down most of the carbs we consume and converts them into glucose.
This is a type of sugar that fuels your cells.
When our bodies don’t burn this glucose immediately, it is stored in the liver and muscles for later use. This stored glucose is called glycogen.
As opposed to ATP-PC, which our cells produce with the help of creatine, the ATP energy produced from glycogen is mainly used during long-term endurance activities.
Because we can only store a limited amount of muscle glycogen content in our cells (it is enough for about 1 hour of medium-pace run), it is important to replenish those stores during longer runs by consuming glucose or carbohydrate-containing energy gels or drinks.
If our body lacks glucose, or glycogen, during long runs, like marathons or ultra marathons, runners are more likely to “hit the wall”. This is one of the worst experience any runner could have.
Creatine helps our body to store and conserve more glycogen, which reduces chances of “hitting the wall”.
Creatine Helps Marathon Runners with Recovery
Should marathon runners use creatine?
Marathon runners, just like long-distance runners, can take creatine to help with muscle recovery.
However, creatine does not help improve exercise performance.
Creatine is helpful for sprint performance, but there is no evidence that it can improve performance for long-distance runs.
Usually, marathon runners and endurance athletes take creatine after their runs to mitigate muscle damage and speed up the muscle recovery process.
Creatine can also help during mid-race climbs and finishing sprints to the finish line by boosting energy levels.
Creatine Gives Runners Energy Boost
One of the effects of creatine on runners is that it enhances energy production.
This is essential for high-intensity short-time sports like sprints, where quick bursts of speed are crucial.
To enhance performance, creatine facilitates the rapid regeneration of ATP, This is the enerfy currency of our bodies, and it is essential for these activities.
Hydration and Thermoregulation
Finally, creatine helps maintain hydration and thermoregulation during prolonged physical activity.
This is crucial for endurance runners as it helps them maintain a proper water balance and body temperature during long runs.
Now that we have explored the benefits of creatine for runners, let’s move on to the dosage aspect.
How much creatine should runners take?
Creatine Dosage and Timing for Runners
Usually, creatine supplementation starts with a loading phase.
This involves taking 20 grams per day, divided into four 5-gram servings, for 5-7 days.
This helps to quickly saturate the muscles with creatine, leading to a rapid increase in muscle stores of creatine.
After the creatine loading phase, it is recommended to take 2-5 grams of creatine per day to maintain the level of creatine.
Alternatively, some runners may opt for a “no load” approach. They take 3-5 grams daily to achieve the same muscle saturation but over a longer time.
Although the timing of creatine intake is not critical, some athletes prefer to take it immediately before training to get a quick effect.
Another important thing to notice is that eating a carb or protein-based meal may help your body absorb the creatine.
Since cycling creatine does not offer specific benefits, you can stick with this dosage for as long as you want.
It is recommended to take creatine with a glass of water, as it pulls water into your muscle cells.
Creatine supplementation may not be suitable for every runner, and individual variability in response to creatine is a factor to consider.
Depending on your running goals and training intensity, you may need to adjust your creatine usage accordingly, taking into account your body weight, training status, and baseline creatine levels.
Incorporating Creatine into Your Running Routine
Let’s sum things up here.
Creatine is a natural component that many athletes take to improve their performance and increase lean muscle mass.
There are many potential benefits of creatine intake.
These are increased muscle power and strength, enhanced high-intensity exercise capacity, faster muscle recovery, and improved brain function.
Is creatine for runners?
Yes, runners can also benefit from creatine.
It helps runners to preserve their glycogen levels and fasten recovery.
Creatine also boosts energy and enhances thermoregulation.
If you decide to use creatine to improve your running performance, consult your doctor, nutritionist, or a coach to make sure it’s safe and right for you.
It is recommended to start with a lower “maintenance” dose of 2-5 grams per day and monitor side effects, adjusting your dosage as needed.
Creatine can be effectively combined with other supplements, such as whey protein, carbohydrates, and beta-alanine to increase its absorption and effectiveness.
No adverse interactions have been reported when using such combinations, making it a versatile addition to runners’ nutritional regimens.
In addition, it is very important to stay hydrated while taking creatine, as it affects water retention in the body.
Frequently Asked Questions about Creatine for Runners
Is creatine a steroid?
No, creatine is not a steroid. This is a naturally occurring compound found in high-protein foods and is safe to take.
Does creatine cause muscle cramps or dehydration?
No, there is no scientific evidence regarding creatine supplementation leading to muscle cramps or dehydration.
Can creatine help with weight gain?
Creatine is likely to retent water in your muscles, increasing body weight by 1-2 kg in the first week of supplementation.
Is creatine suitable for endurance athletes?
Yes, creatine can be beneficial for endurance athletes as taking creatine enhances high-intensity exercise capacity and accelerates muscle recovery.
Can creatine be combined with other supplements?
Yes, you can pair creatine with other supplements like protein, carbohydrates, and beta-alanine.
There have been no reports of adverse interactions associated with these combinations. Hence, this is a great addition to a runner’s supplement regimen.
Will creatine slow me down?
There is no scientific evidence that creatine intake can slow down running performance.
While it may cause some initial weight gain, it does not mean a decrease in running speed or endurance.
In fact, the improved muscle protein synthesis and energy production from creatine can potentially improve running performance, especially during short, high-intensity runs.
