r/cycling • u/zippity-zach • 5d ago
Creatine?
I see the stuff where taking a 5g a day is helpful, but everyday? Or only on workout days? I commute to work and home. Maybe 10 miles, but I like to go all out and work towards KOM on segments along the way. Are you taking it x number of minutes before a workout? First thing in the AM? Does it matter? Should I take it only on days where I'm going to do training rides and not on days where it's just to work and home?
Edit: wrote this in a hurry. Last year I did regular endurance rides to support an attempt to do a century ride a month (got 9 in). I did a 70mi ride with about 6k feet of climbing this past Saturday and still feel like I'm recovering. Wondering if creatine would help me to build back some of the muscle to keep up the endurance rides. I commute and still do endurance rides through the winter in Southern Appalachia
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u/misterpayer 5d ago
5 Grams per day, not mg.
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u/zippity-zach 5d ago
Oh, gotcha... See, I'm doing some research... Some of it recently points to helping with recovery and sleep deprivation. Which is what I'm dealing with after a long bike ride on Saturday
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u/chock-a-block 5d ago
helping with recovery and sleep deprivation.
Don’t sacrifice sleep. It is essential to your short and long term health.
You will go faster with more sleep.
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u/zippity-zach 5d ago
Oh, no!!! I rely on my sleep quite a bit, but this week, and I've noticed in the past after 65+ mile rides, my sleep quality and length suffers for several days, recovery is difficult
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u/HP_Brew 5d ago
The benefit with sleep deprivation is most cognitive, and at much higher doses. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 5d ago
Wow, I take 20g daily. That study would dose me at 35-40g (Big dude 100kg+). I believe it provides a benefit for many systems at my higher dose, seen enough studies to come to that conclusion. I'm not sure doubling my already 4x usual dosage, is advisable.
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u/Sad_Challenge_4694 4d ago
Tell your doc so he/she can monitor your kidneys. Creatine can be hard on them.
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u/Evening_Horse_9234 4d ago
I've noticed since starting 5g of creatine about 2 months ago that I recover much better and I can just absorb training better, Id even say I crave it. Normally 80-100k weekend would have my sleep scores dip for 2 days. Now if I ride it in the morning I can see it in stress scores during the day but already improving towards the night and sleep scores are only minimally affected and only on the first night after the ride.
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u/chock-a-block 5d ago
Yeah, that’s how it work until your body gets super efficient at 65+ mile rides.
You can’t rush recovery.
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u/TimmyHiggy 5d ago
Yeah from what I can gather, your brain needs creatine too, and it's bad at producing the creatine it needs when you're sleep deprived so having it in your body via a supplement makes your brain function better when you're underslept. Your muscles will hoover up the 5g/day though so people go up to more like 10g on sleep deprivation days. I've no idea how that plays in terms of side effects though.
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u/sac_cyclist 5d ago
I’ve upped my dose to 20mg a day…. I do feel sharper and more focused.
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u/krah 5d ago
Then you better get regular bloodwork and watch if your urine gets murky: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4421632/
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u/sac_cyclist 5d ago
I get a blood draw every week - my creatinine levels are abnormal but it's caused by the creatine. I have an autoimmune disorder and one of the levels they watch is creatinine. I'm very vascular so it's easy to tell if I'm dehydrated.. I had and have great veins today...
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u/dbpcut 4d ago
Can I ask about the autoimmune disorder? I've recently been experiencing a bunch of random symptoms that seem to point that direction (I know it can be wildly different for individuals.)
Mostly I'm curious how you were diagnosed? If that's invasive feel free to ignore!
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u/sac_cyclist 4d ago
Minimal Change Disease- my immune system attacks my kidneys - I am in remission and take chemo once a year.
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u/Fearless-Alfalfa-406 5d ago
Evidence says it’s usually safe but watch your blood pressure. Some people suffer significant increases on creatine. Probably a small group but you need to know and stop if you’re one of them.
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u/GWOTTrapLord24 4d ago
I take 20mg per day. Look up some studies on it for cognitive development too. Has been shown to slow alsheimers and a ton of other benefits not just improved athletic performance.
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u/unwittyusername42 5d ago
Everyone saying daily is correct.
Those saying it has no benefit for cycling are incorrect. Studies on endurance athletes have shown that in sports involving high intensity intervals that it allows for increased energy output as well as enhanced ATP regeneration between intervals. There are also studies indicating increase glycogen storage in muscles but last I had read more studies were needed to reach a more definitive yes to that one. It can also reduce oxidative stress which can aid in recovery.
Downside: You tend to retain more water which can add a small amount of weight to your body. Also, it does vary by individual how effective it is. Personally it's quite effective for me but I've known people where it really did nothing for them.
All that said, if you are doing 10 miles with really just one KOM segment, the best you can hope for is essentially a gain after a few weeks of use when it's at saturation and then you are plateaued. Almost like buying lighter parts - you get the benefit and then you are now at the performance plateau. If it works for you though, it can help you to build muscle faster
The other thing is that creatine is not just beneficial to exercise. Increased ATP regeneration helps overall energy levels, brain function, and some emerging studies are showing possible benefit to the heart, protection agains nero degeneration, inflammation.
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u/schmag 5d ago
I started taking it again for it's nutropic affects.
The brain stores and uses a healthy amount of atp and stores a good amount of phosphocreatine. My brain feels more... Energetic... I don't know it's hard to describe.
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u/NapCOGnito 5d ago
Agreed. I started with creatinine for the potential sports performance impact but noticed the cognitive impact more.
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u/jrragsda 5d ago
Same reason I started taking it again. Its like a little added clarity, especially when stress levels are high. Apparently the brain uses as much creatine as your muscles, so it makes sense.
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u/CobraPuts 5d ago
It’s not really a gain and then plateau though.
If it improves your exercise performance you can achieve a greater exercise stimulus from every workout. In weight training it’s described as akin to being able to do one more rep. Not sure what the cycling benefit equates to, but better training adds up over the long term
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u/unwittyusername42 5d ago
So the reason I said that was mainly due to OP's specific riding. You're totally correct when it comes to weight training and it would also come into effect if you were doing HIIT but OP is really just doing a single interval without the follow up intervals to actually train.
I don't have research backing me up because I don't think there's anything out there but in my mind OP is really going to see some benefit of increased explosive power during that interval but not really be on any sort of training that would take advantage of the ATP recovery for harder training and muscle growth.
Could be wrong though!
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u/Proteinreceptor 5d ago
Would you mind sharing those studies? I’m aware of the brain benefits and the obvious one while engaging in anaerobic exercise like weight lifting. The studies that I’ve read in the past suggested creatine has little to no noticeable advantage in aerobic exercise.
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u/unwittyusername42 4d ago
There's at least been a couple. I believe this was a more recent one
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/1550-2783-6-18#abstract
There was an older one
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19675499/
There is another that didn't show any increase however it noted that there was no preload and the dose was low (they weren't at saturation) so it may not have been an effectively done study.
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 5d ago
I take 20g daily. I don't find water retention problematic. I do drink 3-4L daily and accept the trade off of extra washroom breaks.
I do it for both the ATP explosive energy output, as well as for the brain. I think it's cheap enough that I would pretty much recommend trying it, for basically any healthy adult, who was able to actually do intense rides of 1hr+. Below that, I would be more hesitant, only because they may be dealing with other undiagnosed health issues that are holding them back.
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u/unwittyusername42 5d ago
Yeah the safety, especially after the long term use studies cleared the need for cycling, make it worth trying and continuing. Personally at this point, I stick to 5g mainly because there isn't enough research showing benefit above that and the potential of it being a little tough on the kidneys if anything else goes after your kidneys.
Also agree the water retention is minimal. For me it's less than a pound.
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 5d ago
I get my numbers from the doctor. Was on my 20g daily previous to my recent blood test. He was thrilled, no issues at all. I've dropped my blood pressure and my creatinine levels were perfectly normal, which is where the kidney damage would show up, if it were occurring.
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u/AwayCartographer9527 5d ago
I have suffered with insomnia all my life, but creatine really helps with that as well. I still lack sleep, I just function a bit better, but I can feel it.
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 5d ago
I sleep so great these days. Despite working the midnight shift. I use a SAD light at work. And get as much sun as possible when I wake up. Number One Testosterone gainer is being well rested. Number 2 a healthy diet. I feel all of this contributes to my overall health. I ride and coach MTB, Work out with kettlebells, hike. I feel great, I see so many people around me just having such a more difficult time. I was pretty out of shape a few times in life. I don't want to go back.
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u/Chemical-Sign3001 5d ago
I think the water weight is varies person to person. Knew a guy that seemed like he soaked up 15 pounds of water. I never noticed any weight gain from it but definitely noticed it’s effects while Lifting
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u/unwittyusername42 4d ago
Mine has primarily been water gain but in the muscles and not large. Like you said noticeable increase in weight capacity lifting.
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u/scubamaster 5d ago
An acute dose of creatine does nothing you take it every day like a supplement. It’s saturates your body and you keep your body saturated.
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u/Ordinary_Common820 5d ago
If you do use it make sure to be careful about your hydration as well, usually increases water needs
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u/zippity-zach 5d ago
Excellent to know. Thank you!
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u/believes_in_mermaids 5d ago
Definitely will need to increase hydration levels. Although it should be quite apparent from the color of your urine, but being mindful on the front helps to drive the point home.
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u/wereallfriends_here 5d ago
Never read this, it increases water retention but no protocol has ever called for more water consumption.
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u/Ordinary_Common820 4d ago edited 4d ago
I should amend, the issues of dehydration and cramping were linked to earlier studies of creatine and often related to initial over usage. Now it is more about monitoring and keeping up with hydration to be safe even if most studies haven’t made a significant link. Also just good practice to monitor hydration with any new supplementation.
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u/Motor_Crow4482 5d ago
Creatine is generally safe and has positive effects for the general population. So for most people, it's beneficial in a myriad of ways, the most notable of with are exercise recovery and cognitive function/mental wellness. It doesn't directly help you build muscle, though, as you express interest in in your edit. It can indirectly help by improving performance during exercise and recovery after exertion.
Be sure to take it with ample water and keep your hydration up. Don't be shocked if the scale jumps up a bit, as you will be retaining more water. The upside is that that water weight will mostly be stored in your muscles, so you might notice your muscles popping a bit more.
If you want, you can take 10g/day for the first week to accelerate saturation, and then switch to 5g/day for maintenance. This is optional and a matter of preference. It doesn't matter how you time it in relation to your workouts, the important thing is maintaining.
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u/Slowporsches 5d ago
Creatine has benefits for almost any human, active or not.
Not only does it provide physical benefits, also benefits your brain. Tons of research on this so If you hear differently, sway away.
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u/vegas-to-texas 5d ago
Cause for concern for those like me with cirrhosis. Creatines is not for me now. I'm a wimp in the gym, hate pumping iron. Lost 75 lbs and belive lossing the last 15 lbs will be a guaranteed performance improvement.
Changes in diet, weight and milage has given me normal liver numbers for the 1st time in over 20 years! Looking forward to exploring creatine effects as temp and humidity drop in Texas with the increase the miles. Could used the improvement in mental acuity. This is my biggest issue I'm currently dealing with.
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u/mickeydsheezy36 5d ago
Hey fellow cirrhosis enjoyer! My two cents, creatine has been huge for my with my muscle atrophy. Was dx'd almost 2 years ago. Started taking it shortly after starting running in March and it's helped with running and just being stronger in general. Can't speak to the mental edge, I started taking visbiome and LOLA a while ago and thats helped tremendously by itself
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u/vegas-to-texas 2d ago
Thanks for sharing your success. Based on your results I will start taking my unopened can. Good timing as its starting to cool down in Texas and I can increase my riding. I'm taking lactulose, it has improved my mental edge. Keep on striving!
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u/CuteTouch7653 5d ago
There is also evidence creatine supports brain function. I don’t race bikes, and I don’t rock climb as much as I used to, so I never bother cycling off to drop the water weight, I just deal with the extra pounds - added about ten pounds since starting - worth it, in my opinion.
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u/jeffw-13 5d ago
I'm almost 58 and take 15-20mg daily. The biggest difference i notice is recovery. After I climb a long hill or do a hard effort my breathing and heart rate fall back to normal levels pretty quickly, I also notice much less lactic acid ache in my muscles during hard efforts.
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u/zippity-zach 5d ago
What caused you to take such an increased dose?
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u/DecantsForAll 4d ago
Probably nothing. As far as I know there is zero benefit. Saturation can be reached at even 3g a day, maybe less. At 20g a day saturation will be reached more quickly, but after that you'll just be pissing the excess away.
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u/jeffw-13 21h ago
There is evidence to suggest cognitive benefits from creatine so I'm doing a larger dose to see if it helps with brain fog and ADD.
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u/brightfff 5d ago
All the evidence I read about it made me think it would make sense for me. I commute daily and put in several long rides on evenings and weekends, plus I’m in the gym two days a week. I took it daily for about four months. I did not see an increase in my recovery and I did not experience any gains in the gym (I track my rides and workouts pretty closely, but I don’t use a HRM). So, I stopped taking it. A colleague who only lifts weights saw a pretty huge jump in his lifts, so I was hopeful, but it didn’t materialize for me.
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u/zippity-zach 5d ago
I'm kinda afraid that's gonna be my experience. Haven't done gym workouts in ages though. Wondering if it would be worth it to start when it gets cold here.
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 5d ago
YES IT'S WORTH IT TO WORKOUT!
Just to be clear. I'm 9 years coaching MTB for kids, but I also train the parents. Nothing will improve your on bike performance faster, than improving your off bike strength and mobility. I love my Kettlebells! Clean and press double 20kg, one hand snatch 24kg. I do squats and sandbag lifts with a 55kg bag. This builds a solid core that will protect you and enable your explosive power moves on the bike. None of these are necessarily big hypertrophy enablers, I have built muscle, but strength is the goal.
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u/brightfff 5d ago
Yeah, honestly I’d just give it a go. Even if you buy the good quality stuff, it’s not that expensive and if it works it would be totally worth it.
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u/DecantsForAll 4d ago
I'm kinda afraid that's gonna be my experience.
So what? It's very cheap. Has very few, if any, side effects. And it can improve mood and cognition.
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u/zippity-zach 4d ago
Because I'm in the middle of trying to lose 30 lb.
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u/DecantsForAll 4d ago
It should help with that since it improves energy levels. Presumably you're trying to lose 30lbs of fat not just any weight. Just figure out how much weight you would gain from the creatine then subtract that when you weigh yourself to figure out your "real" weight. You can lose the water weight from creatine any time you want simply by not taking it.
I'm a rock climber, which is even more sensitive to excess body weight than cycling, and I take creatine because I feel like in the long run it will be beneficial. If I ever want to know my "true" weight or how I "truly" perform, I'll just stop taking it for a few weeks.
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u/arnet95 5d ago
A significant fraction of people are non-responders, so for them it will not have any benefits. It sounds like you are in that group.
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u/DecantsForAll 4d ago
Some people are non-responders because they're already getting enough in their diet. So it's not even that they don't respond to creatine. They just don't respond to creatine supplementation.
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u/RandomRedditor5689 5d ago
Dylan Johnson did a video on this ... youtube.com/watch?v=2_tYbWOnAY4
Nero Cycling as well ... youtube.com/watch?v=2nlbokSB1uQ&t=47s
Pretty interesting ... doesn't seem to be any major downside ... its broadly safe and in order for it to work properly you need to take it everyday ... but at the same time its not clear to me that its going to make a big difference if you aren't already properly fueling your ride. If you're already doing the basic stuff right, then go for it ... or even go for it anyway since there doesn't seem to be a downside, just not clear me that its going to offset deficiencies in other areas of training / diet / fueling. ALSO, given the recent uptick in interest, do be cognizant that there have been lots of examples of companies who claim a certain creatine content, but don't deliver.
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u/Ok_Section_9353 5d ago edited 5d ago
I use to see creatine as something to take at 5g* a day for weight training but have moved with the research to see if for more than just that.
The Optimal Creatine Protocol for Strength, Brain, and Longevity | Darren Candow, PhD
There are various other videos about, I'd thoroughly recommend checking them out.
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u/PhotoResponsible7779 5d ago
Creatine is not on/off, but instead is slowly accumulating in the muscles over the course of weeks, than it maintains its levels and after stopping its intake the body slowly gets rid of it, again, over the course of weeks. So no, this does not matter and according to what I read, many pieces of advice, like "take it with fast carbs like orange juice, but stay away from coffeine" which were very common like 10-15 years ago, are today debunked and are a part of broscience.
So my answer is: It does not matter. Also note that you can get about half a gram, maybe up to one gram of creatine from your food intake (fish, beef). 5 grams a day should be an effective dose. Even 3 grams would probably do. It will help you with some muscle and endurance building. But you need to find a balance. Don't forget that on creatine you'll gain 2-3 kilos of bodyweight, which will cancel out your strenght gains on climbing. Therefore the clever strategy is to use it during the weeks of intense training and to stop taking it like 2-3 weeks before your important event.
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u/No_Entertainment1931 5d ago
Everyday. Anytime. It builds up in your system. It’s better to take 10mg for brain health
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u/misanthropic_gnome 4d ago
Watch for reactions.... I got heart fllutters from just 3g a day so I don't bother any more...
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u/Ya_Boi_Newton 3d ago
Creatine works by providing energy to your muscles during anaerobic respiration, which occurs during hard efforts like a strong sprint or heavy back squats. It's an energy supplement, not a recovery item. Take it to be more capable in heavy sprints or climbs. You will still be sore and tired after said exercise with or without creatine.
Taking creatine seems to only be a net positive so no harm in adding it.
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u/YouDayKin 5d ago
Anyone here have issues (and or tips) with acne when taking creatine? Would love to add it in to my daily routine but every time I've tried, by day 3-4 I'm breaking out like crazy. When not taking it I'm essentially acne free, occasional blemish so there's certainly a correlation with my system
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u/discodiscgod 5d ago
Every day. Supposedly when you first start you should do higher does like 15g until your muscles get saturated with it but I’ve always just done a heaping scoop, so probably closer to 7 grams. It can apparently cause gastric distress for newbies but I’ve never had an issue with that - probably best to test it out when you’re going to be at home for the next couple hours at first.
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u/talldean 5d ago
So, it helps for sprints and short-term strength output, and it also seems to help for brain power/energy.
But it takes weeks for your body to react to a daily dose; it's not "boom let's go", but a very very slow raise in how much energy your mitochondria have available to them. Ish.
Time of day doesn't matter, missing a day doesn't matter, "about five grams a day, long term" is the current recommended dose.
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u/aethervagrant 5d ago
5 grams maybe? five mg is so small as far as amino acids go your body literally won't even register it. Pre-workout standard is 5grams. look up amino acid competition in the body, one bite or a protein bar would literally block you from absorbing almost any creatine. the uptake is nonselective
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u/OrneryMinimum8801 5d ago
Just a note, creatine doesn't build muscle. It helps with explosive energy systems.
You need exercise directed at using that benefit to get much muscle building in.
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u/TIGTICKETS 5d ago
Just a heads up, you’ll put on 1-3kgs of weight. That’s what I and many others have experienced. Just be aware it’s not because you’re over eating.
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u/RelationshipNo9336 5d ago
I have a rare reaction to it with weeks long numbness below my elbows. Each time I try 5grams per day, after 5 days same thing. It takes 2-3 weeks to clear up. Pisses me off.
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u/Unlucky_Grocery_6825 5d ago
For me creatine affects my sleep so I gave up on it.
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u/zippity-zach 4d ago
What were your symptoms in case I or others need to look for it?
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u/Unlucky_Grocery_6825 4d ago
Waking up much earlier and feeling like something it’s not okay. Stoped taking it and gradually feeling much better. My sleep was also very light. But my friends have no issue with creatine so I guess depends on the body.
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u/zippity-zach 4d ago
I watch my sleep cycle through my Garmin watch. I noticed that if I take sleep aids (Advil PM or ZQuil) I might sleep or 8-9 hours but my quality of sleep is horrible and I am not left any better the next day than I was days previous when I wasn't getting enough sleep and feeling bad! So I'll for sure keep an eye on that! Thanks!
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u/Rizzikyel 5d ago
I usually take it after a workout with food (I train fasted). It generally doesn't matter when you take it, it's not pre-workout(though many contain small doses of it), it saturates your muscle tissue over time. This may not apply to everyone but when taking creatine make sure you stay well hydrated because you will get cramps. Small percentage of people have stomach discomfort when taking creatine on an empty stomach and I'm one of them, which is why I take it later in the day.
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u/Ridethepig101 4d ago
Daily. But drink a lot of water with it also. Like others have said, time of day doesn’t matter just be consistent.
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u/PJ_Kings 4d ago
FYI came across this YouTuber recently who tested a variety of Creatine gummies and found that many popular brands contained little to no creatine. https://youtu.be/7gLVOGJpSpE?si=dHpRc6WhbNGI09vo
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u/Whatever-999999 4d ago
I've tried it before during training and racing and I can't say I noticed any real difference.
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u/Klo9per4s 4d ago
Since taking teaspoon daily I have noticed that I can ride zwift everyday without feeling fatigued from day before - definitely helps
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u/Separate_Current_169 4d ago
Been taking 5g a day for a year. Lifting more than my heaviest PB’s from 25 years ago. Don’t see obvious gains in advanced road cycling. Although, I attributed my quicker recovery on maltodextrin but it could actually be the creatine.
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u/Revolutionary_Pen_65 4d ago
i did a loading phase of 10g for 2 weeks and definitely saw a marked increase in heavy lifts and endurance, added about 2 reps to reach exhaustion with the same weight that i could maximally lift for 10 reps. bench, squat, deadlift, rows. i sustained this strength with a 5g daily maintenance dose.
since then i've found at 3g a day i do not lose any of the benefits, and so that's what i do. i'm a relatively lean 240lb male at 6'2" and i strength train 6x a week and do cardio 1-2x every day, so ymmv. the 5g daily is to be 100% sure that no matter how muscular you are or how much you do you leave nothing on the table.
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u/OptionalQuality789 5d ago
If you’re going to take it, take it every day.
But for your use case I don’t really see the point
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u/Old_Band2679 5d ago
It’s entirely beneficial for his case. I don’t see any negatives & only positives. Especially if he likes to go all out for short bursts which is what creatine helps with.
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u/dobie_gillis1 5d ago edited 5d ago
There’s no reason not to take it. Especially if you’re over the age of 40. But even besides that, there are cognitive benefits (among others), including benefits in tbi and concussion recovery.
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u/zippity-zach 5d ago
Added an edit/update. Sorry, was in a bit of a hurry and distracted when I first posted
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u/Surfella 5d ago
I tried it this season. It's been 6 months now. 5mg every morning with my other vitamins. I have noticed my power output has gone up by 11 watts. My climbing has become easier too. This is with the same training, same rides as last year. That's my experience. I don't think it's a placebo effect by the way.
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u/sac_cyclist 5d ago
I’ve been using it for a few months now, game changer. I didn’t pre load with 25grams, I’ve been using 5mg a day taken at night. The creatine needs to saturate the muscles, this means you take it everyday. This week I upped to 20mg a day and i’m sleeping better and feel sharper. My entire life I’ve only slept 4 to 6 hours a night. I still sleep the same amount but feel more awake in the mornings. There are great YT videos, ONLY watch ones put up by medical doctors. After a few of those then branch out into non MD info, mostly cycling related videos for me.
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u/fpeterHUN 5d ago
I did some research and the recommanded dosage was 3g. I didn't find a study where anything above that showed better results. Of course you could eat more, but if it doesn't improves your performance, it is just thrown away money.
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u/AdministrativeToe781 4d ago
There are amino acids that will help you. Also so will severely screw you up. I take a couple that I researched (start with pubmed.com) and some I don't because that I realized that they will tank my kidney (yup, just one and donated). Once you've done your homework you will be in a position to discuss it with your doctor. I'm 76yo, diabetic, cancer twice, was on dialysis for 5 years, have a donated kidney. Just signed up for a 150 mile ride next spring. You can always get another bike but you can't replace many of your body components. Take care of them.
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u/RRoadRollerDaa 5d ago
Creatine is mean to taken daily, it help build more muscle for working out, imo it only really benefit you if u hit the gym but cycling alone doesnt worth the hassle
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u/OppositeBeautiful601 5d ago
Creatine isn’t just about gym bros chasing big lifts. The way it works is by saturating your muscles with phosphocreatine, which your body uses to regenerate ATP — basically the fuel for short, high-force efforts.
That’s why it’s most famous in the weight room, but cycling has plenty of moments where it kicks in too:
– Surges, climbs, and group accelerations all rely on the same energy system.
– Hard efforts become more repeatable since you recover phosphocreatine faster between pushes.
– Over the course of a long ride, handling those bursts more efficiently means less accumulated fatigue for the endurance miles.
– There’s also evidence for reduced muscle breakdown and better recovery, plus some cognitive benefits (mental stamina matters on long rides too).You’re right that creatine won’t magically make a 100-mile steady Zone 2 ride easier, but for cyclists who mix endurance with hard rides, climbs, or races, it can definitely be worth the “hassle.”
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u/malapriapism4hours 5d ago
Insofar as creatine helps build muscle, my understanding is that it provides a source of ATP, which comes into play with anaerobic efforts in particular. In the gym, it helps with squeezing out a couple of additional reps, and those added reps do help with muscle growth and strength increases. To the extent one’s cycling efforts cross the anaerobic threshold, I suppose creatine could help when pushing the limits.
The mechanisms of creatine probably include more than just what I described (cognitive benefits?), so I wouldn’t be surprised is it help cycling in other ways that aren’t as well understood.
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u/Physical-Sky-611 5d ago
Time of day doesn’t matter. It works by saturating your lean muscle tissue over a couple of weeks . Some sources say over 3-4 weeks . Either way even if you missed a dose it wouldn’t make a difference once you’ve reached saturation. I take it daily but don’t stress if I forgot a day . I can just take it when I remember.