Creatine is Not Just for Lifters (Benefits Beyond Performance) | Quick Wits

Transcript

Philip Pape: 0:00

Creatine is not just for lifters and bodybuilders anymore. Join me on today's Quick Wits as I dive into the incredible benefits of this very powerful supplement and reveal why it should be a staple in just about everyone's supplement cabinet, from athletes to aging adults and everyone in between. Welcome to the Wits and Weights podcast. I'm your host, philip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition. We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry. So you can look and feel your absolute best, let's dive right in. So you can look and feel your absolute best. Let's dive right in. Welcome back to another information-packed episode of Quick Wits, where we separate science from supplements. We give you the scoop on what really works for optimizing your health, performance and quality of life, and I hope you caught the dad joke in there, because today we are talking about something that you do scoop out of a bag, and it's called creatine. It's a supplement that's been getting a lot of buzz for quite a few years and continues to get buzz for some additional things that we're discovering about it every day, and I'm talking about creatine, the ultimate performance and health enhancer that's been proven to benefit just about every human on the planet, from elite athletes to sedentary, you know, senior citizens, everyone from five to 95. And I know what you're thinking like. Creatine, that's that thing that lifters take to get swole Right. Uh, and I get this a lot because even when I start working with new clients and I recommend it to them, they're like do you really think I should take creatine? I'm like, absolutely. You know, give it a shot At see if you're a responder, make sure you don't have an allergy to it. But that'll be, the vast majority of people are going to be able to take it and respond to it. And yes, it's been a staple in the muscle building world for a long time because we know through countless studies at this point its ability to boost strength, your power output and then, ultimately, your lean mass gains, and it's extremely safe. Ultimately, your lean mass gains, and it's extremely safe. But the benefits of creatine go way beyond just building bigger muscles. The more research that comes out on this compound, the more it becomes clear it is probably something everyone should be taking, regardless of their age, their gender, their fitness situation, their goals. I even got my mother-in-law to start taking it, and she doesn't lift.

Philip Pape: 2:23

So what exactly is creatine? How does it work? In simple terms, creatine is a naturally occurring compound that's produced in our bodies and stored in our muscles, and it plays a key role in energy production. When we supplement with creatine, we are essentially giving our muscles a bigger pool of energy to draw from during high intensity activities like lifting weights or even sprinting. The benefits of creatine, though, are beyond performance.

Philip Pape: 2:51

Studies have shown that creatine can improve cognitive function, particularly in older adults. It's been shown to enhance memory, attention, brain power, leading some researchers to suggest maybe we should be using it to fight age-related cognitive decline. I haven't seen it become this general recommendation yet, but I imagine it will get there one day. Creatine has been shown to have neuroprotective properties, and that means it can help shield our brains from damage and degeneration. Some studies have even suggested creatine could be useful in the treatment of neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. And then, if that wasn't enough, it's been shown to improve bone density, reduce inflammation and even help regulate blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. So, in other words, this stuff can be pretty powerful. There's nothing that, it seems that it can't do. I mean that's hyperbole. I know I don't mean to make wild claims, but it does so much in terms of its benefits and it's been shown to be extremely safe in terms of having no negatives.

Philip Pape: 3:53

So as far as taking creatine, very simple, it's one of the most well-studied, safe supplements on the market and the typical recommended dose is around five grams per day. You'll you'll often see three to five grams. They're doses around five grams per day. You'll often see three to five grams. They used to recommend a loading phase, but you don't need that. They used to say you can or can't take it with various things like caffeine Nope, doesn't matter. Take it whenever you want, anytime. With anything hot, cold, doesn't matter. Five grams a day, you're golden.

Philip Pape: 4:19

Take creatine monohydrate it's the most common, most inexpensive, most well-researched form. You can find it everywhere and the best part is dirt cheap. Okay, it really is dirt cheap. I get mine from bulksupplementscom, no affiliation. I think I used to have a code or something. I don't think I have one now. Maybe I should get one, but that's where I buy it bulksupplementscom. I buy a bag or two. It lasts me like a whole year for like 20 bucks, it's, it's. It's dirt cheap.

Philip Pape: 4:47

So if you want to take your performance, your health, your quality of life to a new level with supplementation which is often, uh, where we get wild claims, but creatine kind of lives up to its hype Um, then start taking it. Give it a shot, see how it, see how it makes you feel. Now it will give you a little bump in scale weight because of the additional fluid retention, but that's not a bad thing, it's not fat loss, it's it's. You might even look a little bit more filled out in a good way in terms of your muscle volume. And just be aware, because if you're tracking, it can throw off your numbers just a tiny bit at the beginning, but then it'll level out and you'll be good All right.

Philip Pape: 5:22

So take creatine five grams a day, give it a shot, see how you feel, let me know until next time. Keep, keep training hard. Just keep training hard and take this stuff and you'll be good. Talk to you next time. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of wits and weights. If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights, please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode. Until then, stay strong.