Creatine - Is it the best supplement around?

 From an energy and productivity viewpoint, this week has been far from ideal.

I went to a festival on Saturday night that involved a handful of drinks and a very late night, so needless to say that Sunday was a bit of a write off.

I didn’t sleep great on Sunday, or Monday, and then Tuesday night I was woken up in the middle of the night by a crazy thunder storm, despite having ear plugs in.

So my sleep has been quite up and down this week, yet I’ve still managed to have excellent workouts despite feeling a little lethargic at times.

You want to know one of the main reasons behind maintaining my high performances?

My nutrition.

With that being said, todays Wellness Report is all about nutrition…

What have I got for you today:

• What is reverse dieting?

• Creatine - Is it the best supplement around?

• How much protein do you need?

   

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My coaching program, The Paradigm Project,  helps ambitious entrepreneurs and professionals live a healthier, stronger, and all around better life.

Most importantly, one of the main aims of the program is helping every single client achieve pain-free performance!

If you are an entrepreneur who is in the mood to transform their health & fitness, then life changing results is within your reach.

Click on the link here to book in your free coaching call and we can formulate a plan that will change your life forever!

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What is reverse dieting?

Everyone and their uncle knows what ‘dieting’ means,

But you may be less aware of the term ‘Reverse Dieting’.

Simply put, it is exactly what it sounds like.

Rather than actively trying to lose weight with a ‘diet’, reverse dieting is when you do the opposite and you actively try and gain weight.

The goal is to raise a persons metabolism so they can consume more calories, while trying to maintain as close to their current level of body composition as they can.

If an individual had started a diet at 2500 calories, and by the end of the diet they were on 2100 calories and had lost 8kgs.

A successful reverse diet would aim to return the person to 2500 calories again, sometimes even higher, but without gaining back those 8kgs they had worked so hard to lose.

Every 10-14 days, sometimes 21 depending on the person, you add a small amount of calories to your diet - anywhere between 40-100.

This small increase may not seem like a lot, but over time this will add up, and in 10-12 weeks you could be eating 300-400 extra calories a day, without gaining much body fat.

Not only that, but your workout performances will improve, your sleep and recover will be better, as well as your mood, and you get to eat more food.

It’s a win win!

If you have been in a calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time and you have had success with fat loss, it may be time to explore reverse dieting.

Oh and this approach also kills off any chance of the dreaded rebound effect occurring from the dreaded yo-yo diet.

Creatine - Is it the best supplement around?

When it comes to supplement, one stands above the rest:

Creatine.

This supplement is the number one most researched sports supplement in the world and for good reason…

Because the stuff is incredible!

I’ve been using creatine for over half my life and I will be taking it until the very end.

Creatine has well and truly earned its title as the best supplement in the world, and here’s 3 reasons why:

Now, creatine’s primary role is to increase the body’s stores of phosphocreatine, which is used to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy molecule that powers muscle contractions.

Endless amounts of research has shown that creatine supplementation can significantly enhance performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities like weightlifting and sprinting, hence why I love it!

So if you want to increase your strength and power, you know what to do.

Creatine is not just a performance enhancer; it’s also a potent muscle-building supplement. By allowing for more intense and longer workouts, creatine indirectly supports greater muscle building.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2003 demonstrated that participants who supplemented with creatine gained 2-3 times more lean muscle mass than those who did not over a 12-week period.

That’s substantial!

This last reason may surprise you and it’s a benefit that has been gaining a lot of momentum in recent years, and that is the cognitive benefits to creatine supplementation.

Beyond its physical benefits, creatine has shown promise in supporting brain health. Research indicates that creatine supplementation can improve cognitive function, particularly in tasks requiring quick thinking and short-term memory.

A study published in Psychopharmacology in 2003 found that creatine supplementation significantly improved cognitive performance in tasks that involve high cognitive demand, such as complex problem-solving.

This should be music to your ears if you are a busy entrepreneur or professional who needs a sharp mind.

This morning I actually watched a clip from a podcast of a very well respected bodybuilder/nutritionist expert explaining how he’s giving creatine to his children, as well as his 80 year old parents.

It really is a superhero supplement!

In regard to how much to take?

5g per day is enough for most people, but you can go up toward 10g.

How much protein do you need?

My fiancé and I have been together for over 4 years now, so there isn’t much I can do anymore to shock her.

Well yesterday I did just that when I told her my new protein target.

300g per day 👀

Yep you have read that right, 300 grams of protein per day!

Even I’m laughing at it 😂

That’s soooo much food.

My reasons are simple;

It’s an experiment.

Over the next few months I want to see what changes, if any, happen to my body.

Both from an aesthetic point of view, and also performance wise.

I don’t know how I’m going to get it all in as there are days right now where I find myself downing protein shakes at 10pm to hit my targets 😂

But nothing a little planning and prep win’t fix.

For reference, I’m currently consuming around 200-220g per day.

But, how much protein do you actually need?

This is one of the most common questions I get asked from new clients, and as a result it’s one of the first things I work on when a new client starts their coaching journey with me.

Everyone should be aiming to consume a minimum of 0.7-1g of protein per kg of lean muscle mass.

If you have performance, physique, and health goals, then aim to consume between 1.5-3.3g per kg of lean muscle mass.

Aiming for the higher side of things if you are extremely focused on increasing your strength and muscle.

Let’s use an 83kg male, who wants to get leaner and build muscle, with a body fat percentage of 25% as an example.

This gives them a lean body mass of 62.25kg.

62.25 x 2g of protein = 124.5g of protein per day.

I suggest you aim to hit between 1.5-2g per kg.

Hope that’s helped.

A Quote For The Moment

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”

- Wayne Gretzky

Opportunities are there to be taken.

Whether it’s in the business world, or in the gym,

Unless you are wiling to commit, and possibly fail, you will never truly live up to your potential.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here’s a few ways I can help you:

1. Are you an ambitious entrepreneur or professional who wants to get strong, lean, and boost your energy? Then apply for my 1-1 coaching here.

2. Take my free Professionals Health & Fitness Strength test to uncover the areas needed to take your results to the next level. Click here to start.