Creatine In Coffee
People mostly add creatine monohydrate to their protein shakes or pre-workout drinks, but how about adding creatine in coffee? What would the results be, and how would the human body react to this combination? Let’s find out all about creatine in coffee.
Can You Put Creatine In Coffee?
The short answer is yes. Creatine and caffeine, when taken together, increase performance and endurance in workouts, followed by greater muscle strength overall.
This negates previous research stating that caffeine diminishes the effects of creatine when combined. Both have no side effects; they often complement each other’s activities to produce high-level energy bursts and improve muscle performance during workout sessions.
Recent studies and experiments have proven how creatine and coffee have no adverse interactions, so they can safely be used together. Just as you add milk and sugar to your coffee cup every morning, make it a habit to add a scoop of creatine for that extra stamina and energy. While many brands are circulating the market, you must research beforehand to get your hands on the best product. I recommend ALLMAX Nutrition for everyday creatine intake, but any trusted brand will work fine.
What Are The Benefits Of Putting Creatine In Your Coffee?
With studies backing up the benefits of creatine and coffee, you can safely use both in athletic training. The stimulating effects of caffeine in coffee boost alertness and energize, while creatine increases power and energy by producing phosphocreatine in muscle cells. When paired, they produce their individual effects without canceling out each other. We can summarize the benefits as follows:
Pair It with Your Morning Coffee
While creatine is completely safe to consume in protein shakes or pre-workout drinks, many people often forget to add it while they are in a rush. Also, you would most likely skip your creatine intake on days when you do not feel like going to the gym.
The better alternative to this is, obviously, coffee. As soon as you wake up to your first cup of coffee, you can make it a habit and add creatine. It saves time and effort to add creatine to one drink rather than going through the hassle of preparing a protein shake separately. This practice won’t leave any room for negligence in your creatine intake.
Better Workout Performance
Dismissing the orthodox belief that coffee reduces the muscle saturation of creatine, several studies have proven that both these components aid each other’s performance rather than competing for the same biochemical pathways. The combination works wonders for increasing the aerobic capacity of muscles, sprinting speed, endurance and performance during HIIT sessions. Caffeine acts instantaneously to give you a quick boost, whereas creatine acts over a period to accumulate in the muscles, thus, ensuring both long-term and short-term benefits.
Improved Muscle Mass
Creatine monohydrate increases muscle mass and lean body weight by drastically increasing muscle cells’ hydration. This is achieved by quickly recycling ATP, which keeps the muscles energized and pumped for long training sessions, thus boosting stamina.
Creatine triggers several other processes in the body by signaling the formation of proteins to increase muscle growth in the long run. In contrast, caffeine alone does not specifically target muscle tissue but provides the energy essential to keep a person focused and invigorated during a workout session.
Everyday Usage
Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant, and creatine, the most widely used sports supplement, can be paired up to achieve optimal results. Creatine can be mixed into your coffee every morning for ergogenic benefits. And the best part? Creatine is flavorless. So adding it to any drink won’t change the taste. Moreover, creatine and coffee are both cost-friendly compared to other pre-workout formulas, so regularly consuming them would not break the bank. This is why you can add it comfortably to your morning coffee to build up energy on a training day.
How Much Creatine To Put In Your Coffee?
While the recommended dose ranges between 3-5 grams, we recommend sticking to a maximum of 5 grams of creatine in one cup of coffee. This amount will produce maximum benefits without the risk of over-energizing your body. Most people’s bodies can easily tolerate this amount of creatine without experiencing any potential side effects.
Also, if you drink more than one cup of coffee daily, you don’t need to add creatine to all of them. Adding it once in your morning coffee or afternoon iced latte will suffice before your workout session for maximum benefits.
What Is The Best Way To Mix Coffee And Creatine?
You can add creatine the same way you mix milk or sugar in your coffee. Scoop out 5 grams of creatine, add it to your coffee and give it a good stir before drinking. The good part is that you can add creatine to hot or iced coffee, depending on the time of the season and your personal preference. It mixes up well in both drinks without changing the flavor and consistency.
However, you can always spice things up if you fancy a delicious drink. Adding to the coffee, chocolate syrup, whipping cream, protein powder, whey, and creatine can yield a tasty drink with all the ergogenic benefits of caffeine and creatine.
Does Creatine Have Caffeine?
Creatine does not contain caffeine. Both are entirely different ingredients with different properties and chemical compositions. They often need clarification due to extensive research about the combination of creatine and coffee. Some pre-workout supplements usually contain both, which can also cause people to confuse the two terms.
Normally, creatine is an amino acid found in muscle cells, thus acting as the building block of proteins. It does not contain caffeine, which acts as a short-term stimulating agent. Creatine has long-term benefits when saturated in the muscles, thus, producing energy, improving performance, enhancing strength, and gaining muscle mass.
Is Caffeine A Stimulant?
Caffeine, the main chemical in coffee, is a stimulant that increases the nervous system’s activity. Many people enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning to boost their energy levels to kick start their day. Coffee is a short-term stimulant, rich in caffeine, that keeps you alert and awake and produces increased activity in your body.
Creatine, on the other hand, is more of an ergogenic compound. It won’t stimulate you or give you instant boosts of energy but works long-term to saturate the muscle cells and improve fitness. The benefits include higher stamina, better performance, increased muscle mass, and anaerobic activity.
How Does Creatine Work?
One of the most widely tested and used supplements, creatine, has a remarkable safety profile that works wonders for high-intensity workouts. It is primarily found in muscles but can also be gained by eating red meat, poultry, seafood, etc. Creatine is a phosphate donor that converts ADP (inactive) to ATP (active), which continually provides energy to muscle cells. Due to this function, creatine is popular amongst athletes, sports players, gym trainers, school players, wrestlers, and gymnasts alike.
With creatine’s capability to provide a greater energy drive, it enhances strength and improves muscle mass in the long run. This is particularly helpful in various athletic performances such as sprinting speed, bike riding, bench press, and weight lifting. Its benefits go beyond the confines of workout sessions because, surprisingly, creatine has also been linked to reducing the risks of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other brain disorders while improving cognitive function and memory retention at the same time.
Safe Practices To Consume Creatine And Caffeine
By complementing their benefits, creatine and caffeine work best for sports and athletic activities. However, this combination has a few downsides, which can be easily avoided if you stick to our tips. These side effects are rare, but it’s always better to follow safe practices when consuming creatine and caffeine together.
Some side effects of this combination are gastrointestinal discomfort and dehydration. Although they do not impact pharmacokinetics and performance, it remains an issue of concern to some people. Since each person’s body reacts differently, likely, your body might not produce the same side effects when consumed in a safe dose. A smart way to test this is by adding creatine to your coffee and seeing how you feel the rest of the day. If you feel completely normal, you can continue this practice without the fear of any negative effects.
Creatine is a dehydrator, so increasing your daily water intake is essential. During workouts, your body loses water through sweating and exhaustion, so drinking plenty of fluids can help replace the loss. Never take creatine on an empty stomach; rather, have a small food portion to avoid nausea and gastric side effects.
Bottom Line
Combining creatine in coffee is safe, even effective since they boost each other’s performance and efficiency. You can mix both to create a wonderful power drink, keeping the right dosage and schedule in mind. Normally, they shouldn’t have any canceling effects; rather, they both have surprising ergogenic benefits when consumed before workouts regularly. The caffeine will alert your nerves, while creatine will build up muscles, thus, activating your nervous and muscular systems.
While there might be negligible side effects, you can always start with a low dose and then increase it to a safe limit. Your body will eventually learn to tolerate the amount of caffeine and creatine. However, keeping all studies in mind, it is safe to say that creatine and caffeine work to provide a remarkable pre-workout boost of energy and stamina. If you’re changing your physical workout or have any pre-existing conditions, you should discuss it with your healthcare provider before you initiate creatine intake.
