Is creatine for women?
Is it a supplement a women can use?
Some of the common questions that I often see from women regarding creatine are:
- Are creatine supplements safe for women to use?
- My boyfriend uses a creatine supplement; can I use the same supplement he does?
- Will using creatine supplements make me muscular, bulky and bloated?
- Do I have to worry about side effects from using creatine?
If you go into any gym and ask a guy if uses creatine, chances are he has, he is, or he’s planning to, however, creatine use hasn’t seem to become as popular with women. Why? Although creatine isn’t a supplement that’s made specifically for men or women, most of the marketing campaigns seem to target men.
Many women I talk to assume that creatine is just a supplement for men or they avoided taking creatine since they were unsure of what the supplement does and if it is something that’s safe to take. It seems that quite often women are under the impression that using creatine will cause them to bulk up and bloat. However, there are women who are very serious about their workouts and have given creatine a try.
Studies show that creatine will work just as well for women as it does for men and shouldn’t be overlooked. When you look at all the workout supplements available today, creatine is most likely the most researched and validated supplement. In fact, individuals who take creatine, men or women agree that creatine provides them:
- More muscle stamina
- Better muscle recovery
- More energy
- Increased strength gains
- And a greater “pump,” to name a few.
I’m going to address the questions concerning creatine for women, however, I have a very detailed article on creatine where I explain all about the supplement, provide answers to most common questions, have a very detailed video about the supplement and provide a review on the best creatine supplement which you can find in my featured product review.
Creatine for Women
As I mentioned earlier, creatine is probably the safest workout supplement on the market. It has a proven track record and really became quite popular following the 1992 Olympic Games. It was discovered that several of the gold metal winners were using a creatine supplement during the Olympics.
Creatine is a protein like compound, a combination of amino acids that our bodies produce in our liver, kidneys and in the pancreas and the creatine is stored in our muscle cells. We can receive creatine from some of the foods we eat such as red meat and fish. However, the amounts we receive in our diets are far too little to provide any type of performance-enhancing effect which is why we need the supplement.
Some people also believe that creatine is a form of a steroid but that’s not the case. In fact, it is well known that creatine use is quite common among both professional and amateur athletes. Creatine was first used in the 1992 Olympics and is permitted by the Olympic Committee, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and by professional sports.
Questions and Concerns Regarding Creatine For Women:
- Bloating is probably the biggest obstacle many women will have to deal with when taking creatine. But the bloating that you’ll experience is more of a overall body bloat, which is different that the typical “monthly bloat.” When you take creatine you tend to carry water weight in your muscles, so it stands to reason that if you have more muscle you’ll notice the water weight more. Most people experience around a 3 to 5 pound gain in water weight, however, whenever you stop taking creatine you lose the weight, typically over a period of a couple weeks. Since we’re discussing bloating and women and creatine supplementation, I want to quickly touch on the loading phase. During this phase, people usually consume 20 grams / day of creatine for five days. If you’re concerned about bloating you may want to alter the loading phase and only consume 10 grams / day for 10 – 14 days.
- Creatine and side effects. Some people complain about side effects that use creatine but it’s rare. Stomach aches and diarrhea are the biggest complaint and studies indicate only 5 – 7 % experience either and often this is caused from exceeding the recommended dosage.
- Is there a Special Creatine for Women? If you’re talking about pure creatine such as 100% creatine monohydrate then, there isn’t a special creatine supplement just for women, a pure creatine supplement will work equally well for men or women. However, there are a few companies that market a special creatine for women but this isn’t a pure creatine. Normally, a creatine that’s just for women is a combination of a special creatine blend and other ingreidents such as potassium, magnesium and calcium to name a few. Usually these are marketed as a workout supplement for women that uses creatine and will focus on the fact that it can reduce bloating, decrease body fat, boost performace and increase energy. For example, these are three Workout Supplements that include Creatine and are formulated specifically for women.
- Creatine will not cause you to become muscular or bulky. Creatine pulls water into your muscles, because of this creatine will initially makes your muscles look bigger. The fact is, it’s the workout that causes you to gain muscle fibers. Creatine can help to enhance your performance and it can add lean body mass without making you big or bulky.
So, Is Creatine For Women?
The bottom line is that creatine is just as safe, beneficial and effective for women as it is for men. Using a creatine supplement can provide some pretty impressive results such as: better muscle hydration, increased strength and power, reduced muscle fatigue, enhanced recovery and endurance, and gains in lean muscle mass. Creatine is not a gender specific supplement, women can supplement with creatine just as well as men and more women are using creatine every day.
If you found Creatine for Women helpful, please share it and let others know that creatine is a supplement for women.
I just recently heard about creatine for women, I always considered it to be a supplement just for men. I started using creatine about six months ago and can’t say enough good about it.
Hi Sally. I’m glad that creatine is working out for you. So many women just don’t realize that creatine can be a beneficial supplement for them. I believe a lot of the problem is the way creatine is marketed, it seems to target men. Now that you discovered that creatine is for women, you need to spread the word.