Bodybuilders and weightlifters rely on creatine to improve their activities and performances, to varying effects and side effects. Like most other supplements, it comes in powder form, and you have to mix it to drink it in liquid form. However, several circumstances can make you want to dry-scoop your creatine, but it leads you to wonder; can you dry-scoop creatine? Is it safe? Would you have any health or absorption issues? This article will look into and answer the question and offer necessary advice and tips for you.
Creatine is a great supplement for improving your gym performance as it has excellent weight gain properties. The supplement naturally occurs in muscle cells, helping them to release energy during high-intensity activities like weightlifting. Creatine, as a supplement, is mainly in powder form, so dry-scooping means taking and ingesting scoops of the supplements in their powder form without mixing them with any liquid. While it is physically possible to dry-scoop creatine, it is not advisable. Instead, you should mix it with liquid or in your protein shake, like the Premier Protein Shake, Caramel, 11.5 Fl. Oz. After mixing it, you can keep it in a BlenderBottle Shaker Bottle Pro Series for easy storage.
Advocates of dry-scooping creatine have made a few allegations about the benefit of dry-scooping. One such assumption is that your body quickly digests the supplement, resulting in you experiencing its effects faster as it takes less tie to get into your bloodstream. However, there is currently no research that backs up the claim.
On the other hand, research has demonstrated that the intestine absorbs creatine similarly to amino acids and peptides. Furthermore, when you ingest creatine as a pill or in solid form, the peak concentration remains lower relative to when you take the same dose as a solution. Furthermore, Creatine acts by saturating your cells. As your cells already comprise creatine, whether you take it in a powder or dilute, it will not matter.
📖 Related Article: If you're enjoying this article you may want to also check out: Does Creatine Affect Penis Size? 😳
Dangers of dry-scooping creatine
It is not advisable to dry-scoop creatine, and here are some of the reasons you should not: For one, taking creatine in its powder form is bad for your respiratory tract. As a result, you are very likely to experience a lot of coughing if you dry-scoop it. Creatine is very smooth in texture; inhaling it before swallowing it will result in airway irritation and coughing.
In addition to this, dry-scooping creatine can result in you feeling choked. This is because Creatine turns chalky when it contacts the water content in the mouth. This makes it very difficult for you to swallow, in addition to the coughing you may experience. Likewise, as the coughing results from mistakenly inhaling it, you can also experience aspiration, leading to a potentially fatal respiratory infection or inflammation of your respiratory tract or lungs.
💡 Quick Tip: You can improve your general well-being and allergy resilience using Maca powders like the Viva Naturals Organic Maca Powder
Viva Naturals Organic Maca Powder
In addition to the above unpleasant effects, dry-scooping some kinds of creatine supplements put you at risk of tooth decay. This is because some creatine supplement brands may contain acidic components like citric acid, hydrochloride, or malic acid. Studies have demonstrated that exposing your teeth to acids like these raises the chances of eroding your enamel. This results in weaker teeth and can cause decay.
Is Creatine safe?
Research has demonstrated that creatine is a safe supplement. While some users have indicated that they experienced side effects like stomach aches, this may simply be from consuming the supplement too much at once or on an empty stomach. Because of this research-backed safety, several athletes and bodybuilders consume the supplement. In addition, different professional sports associations, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the International Olympic Committee, permit participants to use creatine supplements.
Likewise, many reports have illuminated the supplement's benefits for men and women. While men have been the primary recipients of most research, some studies have demonstrated that women using creatine supplements may not observe muscle or strength mass gain in the way men will during training.
Despite this, you should still be wary of the kinds of creatine supplements you ingest, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate nutritional supplements. Because of this, retail store creatine may have different creatine quantities, quality, and extra ingredients.
Using creatine correctly
It is critical that you saturate your muscle cells with creatine for you to see results, as creatine works by saturating your cells. This takes about a week, making it quite different from pre-workout. As you would expect, unlike pre-workouts, consuming your creatine supplements an hour or so before training will not see you yield any creatine-induced benefit from the training.
💡 Quick Tip: Regarding pre-workout, you should check out the Nitrosurge Pre-Workout Supplement
Nitrosurge Pre-Workout Supplement
In addition, saturating your cells with the supplement may still be insufficient because your body still has to process the creatine first, which may take a while. Because of this, your next weight training will probably utilize the creatine phosphate stores in your cells instead of the creatine you just ingested. If you want to mix your creatine with whey protein, you can get the Isagenix IsaLean Shake Packets.
📖 Related Article: If you're enjoying this article you may want to also check out: How Long Does Pre-Workout Take to Kick In?
Other gains from using creatine
Other than facilitating water retention and muscle growth, here are other benefits of creatine use:
Improves athletic performance
Most research on creatine shows that consuming creatine as a supplement greatly boosts overall athletic ability. This results from the supplement’s ability to manufacture greater muscle force and power during brief periods of exercise.
Improves muscle strength
Different studies have demonstrated significant improvements in the one-rep max ability of persons on the supplement. Furthermore, the research also shows that creatine assists users in completing more reps with a specific weight, as against not being on the supplement.
Overall health benefits
Aside from improving muscle size, strength, power, and overall athletic performance, creatine also offers different health benefits. Likewise, as PCr is necessary for energy in nerve cell functions, creatine provides various advantages to the brain and the rest of the nervous system.
