Creatine is a much-appreciated sports supplement. Long wrongly considered a doping product, creatine is now part of the daily life of many athletes. Yes, creatine is useful and beneficial in certain endurance sports.
Reducing the substance to its role in the anaerobic alactic energy pathway implies that it is not involved in the aerobic pathway, the metabolic pathway of endurance sports.
The truth is more nuanced. Firstly, because the three pathways do not function in isolation, as they follow one another and overlap. Also, because certain endurance sports sometimes call on anaerobic pathways.
What are endurance sports? What role does creatine monohydrate play in energy metabolism and post-exertion? How does creatine monohydrate help improve performance? We're off!
What is creatine? The basics
Creatine is a substance derived from amino acids, 95% of which is naturally present in muscles. It comes from thediet and from endogenous synthesis. And because the body is well designed, it regulates its production according to absorption. For example, if it has too much creatine, it stops producing it and, if necessary, eliminates it in the urine.
Protéalpes offers you two articles if the difference between BCAA and creatine and whey and creatine is unclear, or if you're unsure whether to choose protein, BCAA or creatine.
So why take a creatine monohydrate supplement?
For its ergogenic effects.
We'll be there.
Creatine's role in the phosphagen system
The phosphagen system represents the muscle's energy stores, and is made up of two reserves: one ofadenosine triphosphate (ATP) and one of phosphocreatine¹.
Creatine is converted into phosphocreatine once absorbed, either through the diet or by supplementation with creatine monohydrate. It therefore serves as a fast source of energy for the muscular system.
Why fast? Because the body's ATP reserves are low. They are sufficient for an effort of 1 to 2 seconds, so the muscles have to manufacture ATP to maintain the effort. To do this, they need phosphocreatine, which breaks down into creatine, phosphate ion and energy.
In short, creatine monohydrate supplementation increases intramuscular phosphocreatine reserves². Since the 90s, research has shown that this increase is linked to improved physical performance, giving creatine its ergogenic role.
The ergogenic benefits of creatine
Where does creatine actually work?
Science explains that long-term supplementation combined with a suitable training program results in an increase in strength, power, work capacity, recovery and the muscle's adaptive responses to training.
While research was initially focused on bodybuilding programs, many sports have since replicated these results. For example, Kreider et al. showed results on training volume and sprinting ability in American college soccer players, after 28 days of supplementation.
More specifically, Kreider et al. (2017) detail the following benefits:
- better performance in single sprints and sprint repeats;
- improved performance on sets of maximal contractions;
- muscle strength adaptations during training;
- improved glycogen synthesis (another energy reserve);
- an increase in the anaerobic threshold, which can be translated into better resistance to effort;
- greater work capacity with higher effort tolerance;
- better recovery;
- a possible benefit on aerobic capacity via greater ATP transport from the mitochondria (a cell's energy reserve).
This last point is the focus of this article.
Creatine's impact on energy pathways: what are the differences between strength and endurance sports?
When we talk aboutendurance, we're talking about an energy pathway we call aerobic.
Metabolic pathways areall the chemical reactions the body produces to supply energy to the muscles. It's thanks to these pathways that we're able to move around and engage in physical activity.
Our body uses three metabolic pathways:
- The anaerobic alactic pathway, for intense efforts lasting around ten seconds. This is the pathway used for starting a sprint, triggering a clean and jerk or other weightlifting movements. This is where creatine comes into play.
- The anaerobic-lactic pathway, which takes over after 10 seconds and releases ATP on a more continuous basis to last up to 5-6 minutes of effort. This concerns activities such as swimming or longer sprint distances.
- The aerobic pathway, which releases energy at a low rate, but for a long time. This applies to all sports lasting over 6 minutes, i.e. endurance sports.
If we return to our increased phosphocreatine reserve, the problem is its limited energy availability . It has the advantage of being an immediate source of energy, ideal for explosive efforts such as throwing, punching, sprinting or jumping, but it doesn't last.
This may lead to the mistaken belief that it is useless for so-called aerobic endurance efforts.
This is not true, because the phosphagenic system we spoke about at the beginning is rapidly reconstituted during recovery¹. In 30 seconds, the body replenishes 70% of its phosphagens (ATP and phosphocreatine) and 100% in 3 to 5 minutes. With intermittent work, alternating short intense efforts and rest, stocks are therefore renewed and mobilized again just as quickly.
Although creatine is less interesting at first sight for endurance efforts, it has its advantages in intermittent efforts, such as soccer.
Sports for which creatine supplementation is effective
A 2021 review of scientific studies takes up the work of Kreider et al. to show the types of performance improved by sporting activity.
Thus, it is discovered that increased phosphocreatine reserves play a role in track sprints (60-200m), swimming sprints (50m) and cycling pursuits.
The effects of increased phosphocreatine resynthesis are of interest in basketball, field field hockey , ice hockey, American soccer and volleyball.
Reduced muscle acidosis benefits alpine skiing, water sports (rowing, canoeing, kayaking), 100m and 200m swimming events, 400m and 800mtrack events and combat sports (MMA, boxing, wrestling).
The effects on oxidative metabolism, i.e. chemical reactions in which oxygen is combined, benefit sports such as basketball, soccer, handball, tennis, volleyball and intermittent endurance efforts.
Finally, increased muscle mass benefits American soccer, bodybuilding, combat sports, rugby, athletic strength,weightlifting and track and field events(shot put, javelin, discus, hammer).
Creatine is effective for endurance sports with high-intensity phases, but not for pure endurance sports such as marathon running.
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Creatine and endurance sports: is it effective? What science says
An effective addition to your workload
The main reason for the effects of creatine supplementation is theenlargement of the available intracellular creatinepool².
We know the positive effects of this increased availability on strength, power and recovery, but with it comes the benefit of increased work volumes during resistance exercise.
In other words, training is better tolerated and strength is gained more rapidly.
Creatine works to replenish glycogen reserves
An increasing number of studies conducted on creatine suggest that its effects are beneficial to a wide range of physical activities, including those involving endurance.
For example, creatine monohydrate supplementation with carbohydrates, or with carbohydrates and proteins, optimizes muscle glycogen storage². This would be more efficient than carbohydrate supplementation alone.
And since a good supply of glycogen prevents overtraining during periods of intense exercise, such as competition periods, it's easy to see why it's so useful.
Its impact on recovery from prolonged exertion
Scientific evidence of improved recovery and reduced muscle damage following a course of creatine is well established².
For example, one study shows that creatine supplementation enhances recovery after a 30 km run. Runners reported less muscle damage, inflammation and soreness.
Although recovery involves physiological and subjective parameters, creatine appears to have a positive influence on fatigue markers. Yet another reason to consider creatine as an aid to recovery from periods of intense activity.
Helping to speed up recovery
The review by Benjamin Wax et al. also highlights the scientific evidence on injury recovery times.
Firstly, it indicates that the risk of musculoskeletal injury is lower in athletes supplemented with creatine monohydrate. But above all, it also shows that recovery time after injury is reduced, and that muscle atrophy linked to immobilization is reduced.
So endurance sport or not, creatine is effective for recovering from intense effort.
Better heat tolerance
A creatine cure also helps athletes withstand intense exercise in hot weather, as it encourages them to drink plenty of water (hyperhydration).
This scientific data indicates a reduced risk of heat-related pathology, giving athletes competing in hot, humid environments even more reason to use the supplement.
An effect on cognitive functions
As we saw in our article on the effects of creatine on the brain. A higher concentration of creatine in the brain offers improved cognitive functions.
Scientific data suggests that creatine helps toimprove demandingtasks such as learning and memory. However, this benefit may be linked to creatine deficiency resulting from acute stress (such as intense sport or sleep deprivation) or chronic pathologies (such as depression or Alzheimer's disease).
Creatine's neuroprotective impact
Research into the neuroprotective impact of creatine is more recent, and mainly concerns animal studies³.
Nevertheless, the results show some interesting effects, such as a reduction in spinal cord injury, the risk of ischemia and concussion.
In fact, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends creatine intake for people involved in high-risk activities such as rugby.
Limits to endurance performance enhancement
There is less evidence of the benefits of creatine on endurance performance.
At the same time, in view of the metabolic pathways discussed above, we know that endurance exercise relies on the oxidative system to regenerate ATP. This is the famous aerobic pathway.
Basically, as exercise duration increases, the benefits of creatine diminish. Supplementation is ineffective on maximum oxygen consumption, known as VO2Max, the main measure of endurance.
However, some research points to slight benefits on other endurance variables, such as blood lactate concentration at a certain workload, or ventilatory threshold.
Nevertheless, given the current state of research, it cannot be said that creatine supplementation improves pure endurance performance.
Creatine as part of an endurance training strategy
If we were to sum up everything we've just said: creatine is effective for endurance sports coupled with explosive phases, but not for pure endurance.
But are its effects valid for all athletes? That would be too simple.
Responding to individual variations
The ergogenic effects depend on a number of variables, including the treatment protocol, dosage, and the subject's level and type of training (once again, creatine is useless on its own).
The literature reports increases in maximum power and strength as well as anaerobic capacity of 5 to 15%. Valid for repeated sprints, they are lower for isolated sprints, from 1 to 5%.
Science also explains the importance of the creatine absorption rate, which is specific to each individual. Research classifies "responders" and "non-responders" as people who, with equal supplementation, show different levels of intramuscular creatine absorption.
In this way, "responders" improve their post-cure strength production compared to "non-responders".
One of the factors highlighted to explain the difference is the subject's diet, whether vegetarian or not. Vegetarian athletes consume smaller quantities of creatine in their diet and have lower intramuscular phosphocreatine levels². Studies show that a creatine cure is an effective strategy for these people.
With regard to the level of sportsmen and women, researchers tend to show that the effects are just as effective for amateur sportsmen and women as for top-level athletes. Similarly, women respond to creatine just as well as men.
Nevertheless, before taking supplements, the principle of avaried diet is paramount. The treatment always complements a healthy, diversified diet.
When and how to take creatine for endurance sports?
There's no such thing as the ideal time to take creatine. It is above all the regularity of the treatment and the division into several intakes per day that count.
However, we know that the effects of a creatine treatment are not immediate, but begin after a week or 10 days of treatment. If creatine is taken just before training, its effects will not be felt during that session.
On the other hand, it is often recommended to take it after training, for its role in facilitating recovery.
As for dosage, Harris et al. showed in 1992² that consuming 4 times 5 g/day for 5 days systematically raised creatine levels by 20 to 40%. Subsequently, Hultman et al. determined that maintenance doses should be between 2 and 5 g per dose, 1×/day, to maintain creatine reserves in the muscle.
Since then, we know that a loading phase is not necessary. Nevertheless, this approach remains a rapid way of raising intramuscular phosphocreatine levels and, with them, performance.
Does the intake need to be adapted to the discipline?
Whether used in triathlon, cycling, running or combat sports, the principle of cures remains the same.
Only the possible combination with other supplements or nutrients may differ according to the specific dietary requirements of the discipline.
For example, we know that combining creatine with other nutrients or supplements, such as carbohydrates or proteins, appears to be effective. The results are valid for increasing intramuscular creatine, but the performance benefits remain less verified.
What precautions should be taken to optimize creatine intake?
To optimize the effects of the cure, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends taking creatine monohydrate, in white powder form (capsules being more expensive and more prone to contaminants).
Most research uses this form of creatine. Even if other alternatives are marketed, no study has shown a superior advantage to their use.
What's more, creatine monohydrate is harmless to health, provided the product's origin and manufacturing conditions are verified. That's why the Creapure® labelhas been designed to guarantee pure creatine, with no risk of contamination.
Creatine Creapure®
The best for maximizing muscle power in a healthy way and optimizing intensive performance
- Standardised without doping substances
- No additives, no sweeteners
- Made in Germany, packaged by Protéalpes in Albertville
Conclusion: should you take creatine for endurance sports?
Yes, creatine is effective for endurance sports requiring high-intensity effort. The impact of creatine on strength and endurance sports is twofold. On the one hand, it replenishes intramuscular phosphocreatine stocks more rapidly. This improves training capacity for short, high-intensity exercises.
On the other hand, it facilitates endurance recovery by reducing inflammation and replenishing glycogen reserves. To guarantee these effects, creatine should be taken as a course of treatment rather than continuously, as part of a dietary and sports program tailored to performance goals.
Further information
If you'd like to find out more about creatine and its uses, here are a few additional resources that might interest you:
Wondering about potential side effects of creatine? Our comprehensive article on the side effects of creatine addresses issues such as digestive disorders and other possible reactions to supplementation.
A common concern is the impact of creatine on kidney health. Find out whether creatine is harmful to the kidneys, and what precautions the latest studies suggest should be taken for safe use.
To optimize the benefits of your supplementation, it's essential to choose the right time to take your creatine. Our guide to the ideal time to take creatine helps you integrate this supplement effectively into your daily routine.
Many users are concerned about the water retention associated with creatine. Our detailed article on creatine and water retention explains this phenomenon and how to manage it to maximize benefits while minimizing drawbacks.
