Should you take creatine while on a cut?
Contrary to popular belief, you should take creatine while on a cut!
The biggest drawback I hear from taking creatine is that you retain more water which is 100% accurate. But when you are cutting your goal is to lose body fat not water. Adding in creatine will not cause you to gain any body fat although the scale will more than likely jump a few pounds. That’s no reason to fret just account for a 5-10 lb increase in weight.
So we discussed what not to worry about but why is it actually beneficial and how does it improve the results of a cut?
So the biggest battle an individual faces while cutting is not losing weight or body fat, it is maintaining their muscle mass while losing body fat.
When you are in a caloric deficit while on a cut, your body sacrifices certain things to balance out the energy difference. Sometimes it is fat and other times it will give up muscle.
Also, while on a cut your muscles tend to be more depleted since carbohydrates are typically reduced. So those once full muscles tend to look more flat and actually smaller now.
First off, adding in creatine will cause you muscles to retrain more water so they will regain the fullness and size of which they once had prior to the cut. This often gives the illusion that an individual is actually leaner because the lines between muscles are now more prominent.
But most importantly creatine gives an individual a significant increase in strength and endurance by allowing the muscles to regenerate energy more effectively. This means that you will be able to lifting heavier and for more volume which will which will have two different reactions.
One being you will now be burning more calories during and after your workouts because you have an increased work load.
Two, you are lifting heavier weights so you are reinforcing the fact that your body needs to keep as much of it’s muscle as possible to perform your daily workload.
So while on a cut,
Always stay in a deficit
Lift heavy
Do things that improve the quality of your workouts.