Sports supplements come and go, promising to be the magic bullet that will suddenly turn us all into supermen, but one by one their claims are disproven and they are forgotten, only to be replaced by new and more exciting promises. However, one supplement however has survived all the scrutiny, has been tested by hundreds of scientific teams, has been used extensively these past two decades and still stands tall. If any single sports supplement out there can be said to work, than its Creatine, which leads us to the question: should you take it when about to undergo Insanity or P90X?
First off, let’s do a quick overview of what creatine does. Creatine is a substance found naturally in the human body, and is used in the process in which energy is made available to our system. Whenever your body needs to harness energy, whether to suddenly jump, lift weights, think or any other process, it turns to its basic source of energy, ATP. Creatine is involved in taking the waste product of that product (ADP, what ATP becomes after used), and helping your body convert it back into high energy ATP. The more creatine in your system, the better your ability to maintain high energy levels, and the longer and harder you can work out.
That’s it. Creatine doesn’t make you stronger, faster, or any other basic physiological change. It simply increases the size of your battery, so that you can last longer when exercising. This, however, means you can get better workouts. You exercise longer, harder, and as a result your body adapts faster and more due to the amount of stress its been subjected to.
So, back to our basic question: should you take creatine when doing Insanity or P90X? I think so. While no supplement is necessary to undergo these extreme workouts if you are getting a full, healthy diet, both of these workouts are incredibly intense, long in duration and require incredible staying power. I think this especially applies to Insanity, since you need to maintain a ridiculously high level of activity for up to 45 minutes the first month, and longer the second. Having creatine as a supplement would mean being able to hang in their longer, exercise longer, and burn more calories.
And since hundreds of studies have shown no negative side effects as long as the supplement is taken responsibly, what’s not to love?
Hello! I love this post! Awesome saucealito!
i started with p90x and now will be doing insanity thanks for the info on creatnine i take it thruout my workouts and feel great. but that question was in the back of my head weather it was good and well youve answeared that question thank you.
Awesome, Frank, best of luck!
Thanks. I have done 4 rounds of P90X and creatine was extremely helpful. I just started insanity and wanted to know about that myself.
I have taken creatine off and on for years… on thing it does for me as well is shorten recovery time. I don’t hear that from others but I can tell when I am taking it and not.
Thanks!
Dig Deep and Bring It!!!
Can females use creatine also?
Donna:
Simply put, yes.
Doesn’t Creatine cause kidney stones similar to those (but not exactly like) those caused by other means?
I believe only if taken in excessive amounts and without sufficient hydration.
If Creatine helps me maintain energy during workouts, why does the label say to take it after the work out? Should I be taking creatine before doing my p90x session? How long before? Thanks for the info.
I am still little worried about this supplement….
Why don’t they sell it to kids under 16yrs if it is ‘good for you’?
Sure it is ‘found’ in body but how much of it?
“One pound of beef contains 2 grams of creatine.”
Think about this!!! WOULD you digest 2-3lbs of beef after you head breakfast or right before workout?
Main reason guys do it to speed up bulking process…it does what a pump does to soccer ball. You will have more benefit from Protein and LGlutamine for recovery.
P.S. the javascript disabling right click is REALLY annoying and prohibits use of spell check in browser….and it does not really prevent from ‘protecting your content’…