Creatine for Cutting: Benefits & How It Works

Regular workouts, strict diets, and proper hydration! Are these enough to get the desired, defined physique? Sometimes, despite all the effort, you just can’t cut to the chase and achieve that lean body. The struggle is real, and you might be asking yourself, “Am I losing strength?” or “Do I need to add health supplements or whey protein to my diet?” That’s a common worry for anyone going through a cutting phase. Would you believe it if we said that creatine can be a solution? The same supplement that helps bulk up muscle can also improve training performance, potentially leading to increased calorie burn. This blog will help you unveil the fascinating science behind how creatine can be used for cutting.

How Does Creatine Work in the Body?

To find an answer to whether creatine is good for cutting, we first need to understand how this supplement works inside the body. Creatine acts like a fuel that makes your muscles work extra hard during those intense workout sessions. Creatine supplementation allows you to lift heavy weights or sprint beyond your regular potential. How? Actually, creatine is stored inside the muscles in the form of phosphocreatine. When we are pushing hard, the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules get used to provide energy for that heavy lift. After losing its phosphate group, ATP becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate). Phosphocreatine stored in the muscles acts like a quick recharge system here. It quickly donates its phosphate group to that ADP molecule and converts it back to ATP. This energy replenishment helps a lot during the cutting phase, also.

Is Creatine Safe and Effective During a Cutting Phase?

It generally comes as a surprise that creatine can also help in achieving a leaner and defined physique. But it is true! Creatine is a safe and well-tolerated supplement that can also support your cutting journey. It won’t directly burn the fat, but it helps maintain muscle mass and strength, thus improving workout performance. Let us elaborate on how creatine can be useful during the cutting phase:

1. Preserves the muscle: On a calorie-deficient diet, muscle loss is inevitable. However, creatine monohydrate ensures that the muscles are retained during the cutting phase. It helps you maintain strength and workout intensity.
2. Helps maintain strength: A low-calorie diet often drains the energy out of the body. This makes it even harder to lift heavy weights or work out with intensity. Creatine contributes to ATP regeneration, allowing you to train your muscles effectively.
3. Improves performance: The extra dose of ATP that creatine provides enables you to push for a few more reps or lift heavier weights. It increases your workout capacity, helping you burn more calories during your training sessions.
4. Defines muscle: Creatine draws water into the muscle cells. This temporary increase in muscle volume can make your muscles appear fuller and more defined. This aesthetic boost can further motivate you to achieve a leaner look.
5. Faster recovery: Creatine helps reduce muscle damage and inflammation after high-intensity training. With quicker recovery, you're ready for your next session sooner, allowing you to train more frequently with less soreness.

Thus, creatine is not a metabolism booster or a fat burner. It indeed supports your body during the training and holds onto your muscle mass during a calorie-deficit diet. The science reveals the logic behind its inclusion in your strategy for the cutting phase and for achieving a more defined physique.

Creatine Dosage: How Much Should You Take While Cutting?

Among the different forms of creatine present, creatine monohydrate is widely chosen and well-tolerated. The creatine dosage during the cutting phase is similar to the dosage taken during the bulking phase. The recommended doses are 3 to 5 grams per day or 0.1 kilograms (kg) of body mass per day. The only difference is that for bulking, you must take creatine with a mass gainer, and for cutting, creatine is best taken together with whey protein.

For increased rates of absorption, experts also recommend taking creatine immediately after you train, along with a simple sugar. The sugar will lead to a spike in insulin, which will help to shuttle more of the creatine into the muscles. This process means that more of the creatine gets used up, rather than going to waste and causing bloating or water retention.

5 Tips for Maximising Creatine Effectiveness While Cutting

1. Choose the right type of creatine: Creatine monohydrate is the most popular form of creatine and has been proven to be effective in enhancing physical performance and increasing muscle mass. It can be easily absorbed by the muscles, allowing for a rapid saturation of muscle creatine stores.
2. Follow the recommended dosage: To start, it is recommended to undergo a loading phase to saturate the muscles with creatine. During this phase, you may take about 20 grams of creatine per day, divided into four doses of 5 grams each, for 5 to 7 days. This helps rapidly increase creatine levels in the muscles and boost performance.This phase is followed by the maintenance phase, where the goal is to keep creatine levels elevated. During this time, take 3 to 5 grams per day.
3. Stay well-hydrated: Hydration is the key! Aim to drink at least 3 litres of water per day, depending on your weight, activity level, and climate. Drink water regularly during workouts to replace fluids lost through sweat. Avoid drinking large quantities of water in one go; instead, spread your intake throughout the day. Electrolyte drinks can also help, especially after intense workouts, as they replenish sodium and potassium and help maintain fluid balance in the body.
4. Practice intense training with supplementation: Creatine gives the best results when paired with intense resistance training or regular weightlifting. Try to complete at least 3 to 4 weight training sessions per week for consistent gains. Vary your exercises to target different muscle groups and avoid monotony. Gradually increase weights or workout intensity to continue challenging your muscles.
5. Take a protein-rich diet: Proteins are essential for muscle repair and growth. They provide amino acids needed to rebuild muscle fibres damaged during workouts. Include protein-rich foods like eggs, chicken, milk, quinoa, lentils, or high-quality protein powders in your diet to maximise results.

Benefits of Creatine During Cutting

The following are some of the key benefits for bodybuilders taking creatine during the cutting phase:

1. Research suggests that long-term creatine supplementation, along with resistance training, may increase muscle strength and lean body mass.
2. Our body stores glucose as glycogen, which helps in quick recovery after exercise. Creatine may help maintain glycogen levels and improve recovery after intense exercise.
3. Creatine supplementation during cutting helps reduce muscle damage, soreness, and inflammation after intense training. Athletes on creatine supplementation may experience fewer injuries and recover more quickly from injuries.
4. It may increase tolerance to intense training, including exercising in the heat, which leads to consistency in training.

Combining Creatine with a Fat Loss Diet: What You Need to Know

It is always beneficial to combine creatine with a fat-loss diet. According to research, creatine may improve the capacity to exercise at high intensity. This leads to increased training results, like muscle growth, fat loss, etc.

It was also experimented with and observed that creatine may help with weight loss. In people aged 50 years or older, creatine supplementation with resistance training led to greater fat loss compared to a placebo with resistance training. [source]

Common Myths About Creatine and Cutting

There may be some drawbacks to creatine supplementation in certain adults with specific medical conditions. Before wrongly analysing the job of creatine during fat loss, let us clear the air of some myths linked to creatine and cutting:

1. Kidney Damage: Research has always backed creatine and falsified the myth that creatine supplementation impacts kidney function in healthy individuals with normal kidney function. However, individuals with pre-existing kidney conditions should always consult their doctor before starting creatine.
2. Dehydration: There is no scientific evidence to back the myth that creatine supplementation increases the risk of dehydration. On the contrary, creatine might even help with hydration by increasing water retention within muscle cells. It is important to stay well hydrated during intense training or while taking a calorie-restricted diet.
3. Digestion Discomfort: Some individuals might experience mild gastrointestinal discomfort like nausea or diarrhoea, particularly during a loading phase. But this can be mitigated by starting with a lower dose and drinking loads of water.

Final Thoughts: Is Creatine Worth Using for Cutting?

And the most asked question of all time, ‘Can I use creatine during cutting?’ is now answered. Yes, it is totally worth using. We know creatine draws water into the cells, which might cause bloating and water retention. Due to this extra water retention, you may find your muscles appear fuller. This helps you work out better without losing muscle during the cutting phase. However, people should talk with a healthcare professional or someone wellversed in sports nutrition before taking creatine supplements, especially if they have existing health issues.

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