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Kinda crazy how you can go from being Joe Blow,
To making all kinds of gains lifting solo,
I bought my whole family weights to make their arms grow,
Next time I get a pump, please take a photo.
– Kanye (probably)
If you wish, you can grab the N.W.A. Newsletter Playlist on Spotify here, all of the songs that have been featured in the newsletter are on the playlist.
Happy Friday, Coach J here from Anyman Fitness – and welcome to the latest edition of The N.W.A. Newsletter.
Each week with the N.W.A. Newsletter, I give you the best Nutrition, Weightlifting, and/or Attitude advice for you to start to use in your life today.
Tens of thousands of people have used this exact newsletter to gain muscle, lose fat, and become a better version of themselves…
Without any further ado, let’s get started..
N.W.A. Tip Of The Week
One of the most commonly asked questions I get is about creatine.
What is creatine?
How does it work?
What are the benefits?
How do you take it?
And most importantly, should you take it?
Let’s dive in… I’m going to tell you exactly what creatine is, and bust some common creatine myths for you.
Creatine’s full name is creatine monhohydrate.
It typically comes in a powder form, although capsules and gummies with creatine have become popular lately.
Creatine is a red meat byproduct (it is NOT a steroid or a PED).
If you’ve ever eaten a cheeseburger or a steak, you’ve ingested creatine.
It is a naturally occurring substance.
Creatine is the most studied supplement on earth – by FAR.
Literal thousands of studies have been done on creatine, its effectiveness, and its safety profile.
Creatine is not dangerous for your kidneys or liver.
If your kidneys and organs are healthy, you have nothing to worry about.
(If you have kidney disease or failure, please consult your doctor first).
Creatine works by up-regulating adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP).
When you eat food, the food is broken down into ATP so you can move effectively.
ATP is your body’s energy source; when tasked with a difficult exercise, your body will harvest the ATP in its blood stream to accomplish the task at hand.
When you take creatine, that process works more effectively.
Thus, over time, if you are pushing yourself hard in the gym, you will be more effective at making progress, and getting stronger, when your muscles are saturated with creatine.
Creatine works via a “saturation point”.
Meaning, when you take creatine daily, your muscle start to saturate with the supplement.
Once your muscles are fully saturated, there is no additional benefit to taking extra creatine.
Taking 5 grams of creatine per day will saturate your muscles with creatine in about 2 weeks time.
There is no reason to “load” creatine.
“Loading” is when you take much more creatine for the first week in order to saturate your muscles with creatine quicker.
This can cause stomach distress (and in my opinion is a concept created by the supplement companies to make you reorder more quickly).
Creatine does not cause hair loss or baldness.
This is a myth with no grounding in reality.
Creatine may cause slight water weight gain.
Creatine will hydrate your muscles, filling them with water.
Because of this, you may see a slight bump in scale weight the first week or taking it.
DO NOT LET THIS DETER YOU FROM TAKING IT.
It’s just water. It’s not fat.
Creatine is too powerful of a supplement to disregard simply because you don’t like seeing a number a bit higher on the scale.
You take creatine EVERY SINGLE DAY, no matter if you are “cutting” or “bulking”.
Sometimes you hear the advice to only take creatine when bulking, since it causes a bit of weight gain.
Again, if you gain a few pounds on the scale, it’s just water – water in the muscle.
You do not “cycle” creatine (meaning, you don’t have to take “breaks” from creatine).
It should be taken at all times (I have taken creatine every single day since 2015).
Creatine has benefits far beyond the ability to help you gain muscle.
Creatine has been shown to help in a myriad of ways.
Faster rate of muscle growth.
Increased bone density.
Improved memory and cognition.
Lowered blood sugar levels and protects against diabetes.
Improved fatigue and/or tiredness.
You don’t just take creatine to “get huge” (and you won’t get huge from taking it – it’s not a steroid or anything, it’s a red meat byproduct).
Taking 10 grams of creatine daily might be more effective than 5 grams.
This is anecdotal, but many have felt the effects of creatine are more pronounced at higher doses.
Especially if you’re bigger.
I personally take 10 grams per day.
This is something you can experiment with, to see how you feel after taking more creatine daily.
Creatine should be in the water supply – there would be no downsides.
Who should take creatine?
EVERYONE.
Read that again.
EVERY. ONE. PERIOD.
Whether you’re 5 years old, or 95 years old.
Man or woman.
Lifter, runner, or sedentary.
EVERYONE should be taking creatine, every single day.
It’s cheap (a $30 supply will last over 6 months).
It’s effective.
It’s natural.
And it has so many benefits, it’s hard to list them all.
And YES, THAT MEANS YOU SHOULD BE TAKING IT, IF YOU’RE NOT ALREADY!
If you’re not taking creatine, here is the kind I take.
Buy some, and start taking it immediately
This isn’t an affiliate link – I don’t make any money if you click through and buy.
That link is to the least expensive, highest quality stuff out there.
I don’t recommend capsules (too expensive).
And I don’t recommend “gummies” (some studies show they don’t have the actual amount of creatine they claim to have).
I simply feel creatine is way too important of a supplement not to take, and I want you to be as healthy as you can possibly be.
———-
I currently have a few spots open on my personal, 1:1 roster for coaching.
I team up closely with my 1:1 clients and we work together on an individualized approach for success.
To learn more about this unique, “All In” experience, tap here and fill out this quick form – it will go directly to my email inbox.
Looking forward to speaking with you.
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Chicken breast is 99% protein.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Anyman Fitness N.W.A. Newsletter.
I’ll be back next week.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Best, Coach J
Anyman Fitness
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