When starting a specific diet during a lean period, the question of creatine intake often comes up. Renowned for increasing strength and power, it is associated with muscle mass gain. However, when you're on a leaner diet, you want to reduce your fat levels and keep your muscles trim.
Is creatine really suitable for dry periods? Type of creatine, role of diet, water retention... here's how creatine can play a role in this period, and why it helps provide energy to optimize the sports sessions that go with muscle drying. It's not a bad idea to use this supplement as part of a muscle-wasting strategy, and it can help you perform better and stay in shape.
Contents
Creatine and its role in bodybuilding
What is creatine?
Creatine is a substance synthesized naturally by the body, in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. It is derived from three amino acids: glycine, arginine and methionine.
In addition to endogenous synthesis, creatine is also found in foods such as meat and fish (see our dossier on creatine-rich foods for more details).
It can be taken as a dietary supplement in the form of creatine monohydrate.
What is it used for in bodybuilding?
Creatine aids muscular performance and promotes recovery, particularly in the event of injury.
In terms of performance, it acts as an energy substrate in the muscle. Under the action of creatine kinase, it becomes phosphocreatine and contributes to the regeneration of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), our fuel.
Scientific evidence indicates that supplementation coupled with resistance training is more effective in increasing muscle strength than training alone¹.
Which creatine to choose in the dry sector?
Creapure® creatine is produced in Germany to strict pharmaceutical standards, guaranteeing exceptional purity (>99.99%). This superior quality minimizes the risk of side effects such as digestive disorders, which are particularly troublesome during a caloric deficit.
Find out why you should choose Creapure® certification to optimize your dryness with a scientifically proven, contaminant-free product.
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
The challenges of muscle drying
What is a dry run in bodybuilding?
The aim of dry weight training is not to lose weight, but tooptimize this loss.
There's a big difference: it's a question of drying to preserve as much lean body mass as possible, while shedding body fat.
Here are 3 good reasons for doing a blow-dry:
1. to prepare for a bodybuilding competition where aesthetics are paramount;
2. to shape your figure and optimize classic weight loss;
3. to improve your sporting performance, particularly in weight category disciplines. If you're going to be under 90kg, you might as well be 89.9kg with as much muscle mass as possible.
The challenges of muscle drying
The art of dry weight training lies in food intake, training and recovery periods.
To build muscle, you need protein, but without carbohydrates, you'll never feel full. Except that excess carbohydrates and weight loss don't always go hand in hand.
In short, a skilful mix of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, exercise and recovery is needed to achieve your goal. Note that creatine can be mixed with whey protein without risk.
Taking creatine during a dry period
So here we know that creatine promotes muscle mass gain, but that in dry weight training, the aim is to lose weight while maintaining lean body mass.
At first glance, therefore, it might be tempting to say no to creatine during a dry period. And yet, there are a number of advantages to taking creatine.
The benefits of taking creatine during a lean period
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) writes: creatine monohydrate is the most effective dietary supplement available to athletes for increasing their capacity for high-intensity exercise and muscle mass².
This means that an athlete can train more intensely and therefore optimize his or her training adaptations, including muscular hypertrophy.
The ISSN even states that a course of creatine monohydrate would reduce the incidence of injuries during training.
Creatine also promotes water retention within the muscle in the short term, without altering total water volume in the longer term. This mechanism could protect muscles from the harmful effects of dehydration. And when you consider that 1% dehydration corresponds to 10% less athletic performance, it's particularly important during a dry period.
Controversies surrounding dry supplementation
So where does this negative perception of creatine come from during muscle lean periods? Why do we often hear that creatine makes the belly fatter?
ISSN, in 2010 published that the only significant side effect occasionally reported following creatine monohydrate supplementation was the risk of weight gain².
Even with the occasional risk involved, in a dry season, it's a real turn-off.
A 2021 study questioned whether creatine increases body fat. According to the study, the theory holds up because some athletes report a gain in body mass thanks to creatine supplementation. However, no trials have validated this claim.
He points out that 7-day creatine supplementation had no effect on body fat in young adults and older people. Lean body mass, on the other hand, increased.
In a literary review, he also explains that 3 weeks of supplementation in swimmers had no effect on body fat composition.
Across all studies, for creatine cures of a few days, weeks or months, on men or women, the result remains the same. No significant difference was observed in the subjects' body fat composition .
Creatine monohydrate supplementation therefore does not increase body fat.
Can creatine influence my hormone levels while I'm drying out?
Contrary to some rumours, creatine is not an anabolic steroid and does not significantly affect your hormones. One isolated study suggested a slight increase in DHT, but these results were never reproduced.
During a dry period, when hormonal fluctuations may already be present due to the caloric deficit, creatine remains a safe option which does not aggravate these imbalances. Creatine is not a steroid and acts solely on the energy mechanisms without disturbing your hormonal balance.
How to use creatine during a muscle lean?
Now, it's clear that creatine is more useful in the preparation phase, or for optimizing work with higher loads. But how do you take it?
The right creatine dosage
The Australian Institute of Sport suggests that the dose to be ingested depends on body mass, and recommends around 0.3 g creatine/kg body mass per day, for 5 days. This dose should be taken in 3 to 4 divided doses, with meals. This is followed by a maintenance dose of 0.03 g/kg body weight once a day.
As for the ideal moment to take creatine, studies show that it doesn't really matter. If the question of pre- or post-workout remains, we recommend post-workout, for its effects on muscle recovery. On the other hand, we recommend taking it with carbohydrates to optimize absorption. A little carbohydrate is enough, as in a compote for example.
Is it necessary to take a break from creatine during my dry period?
Although studies show that continuous creatine intake is safe, it is advisable to work in cycles. We recommend 4-8 weeks of intake, with 2-4 weeks off for various practical or economic reasons.
Conclusion
To develop your physique or optimize your calories and achieve your lean goals, understanding the effects of creatine on the body is essential. When properly dosed and used, creatine offers benefits for performance and muscle growth, even during the lean period.
Contrary to popular belief, it does not increase body fat and, on the contrary, can help preserve lean body mass while supporting more intense training. The right dosage of creatine monohydrate, taken according to actual needs, optimizes results. Creatine becomes an ally if incorporated into your routine at the right time, helping you to achieve your goals without compromising your muscle lean.
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