Is Creatine A Pre-Workout?

Is Creatine a Pre-Workout?

A pre-workout supplement is one that you take shortly before training to improve your performance, have better workouts, and make greater progress in the long run. Most pre-workout products on the market contain several ingredients, including citrulline malate, beta-alanine, and caffeine. (2)

Many formulas also include a gram or two of creatine, so people often wonder if they should take the supplement before training for the best results.

According to research, you don’t have to take creatine before training because its benefits don’t show up immediately. Instead, the objective is to take creatine for an extended period, slowly increasing levels of the substance in your muscles. (3)

So, yes, creatine is an absolute great supplement to take for your workouts!

You just don’t need to take it as a “pre-workout” as there is not really any advantage to that timing window.

What Benefits Does Creatine Offer?

The most notable creatine benefit is that it promotes athletic performance and speeds up your recovery. As a result, you can train harder, do more work in less time, and make better long-term progress.

Creatine achieves the above effects thanks to its ability to speed up adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. ATP is the primary energy currency for all the cells in the body, and demands for these molecules can increase as much as 1,000-fold during training.

Creatine lends phosphate groups to ADP molecules, allowing them to convert to ATP more quickly, leading to more strength, endurance, and athleticism. (4)

Another advantage of supplementing with creatine is that it can promote cognitive function. Since the substance stimulates ATP production, supplementing with creatine provides more energy for the brain. Some studies find that people who supplement with creatine experience memory improvements and perform better on tests. (5)