Why Active Women Need Creatine

It might be the most important supplement many women still aren’t taking.

There are few supplements I recommend across the board. Creatine is one of them. A growing body of research shows it can help increase strength, power, and athletic performance in females, and it’s also good for your brain health and maybe even your mood.

Yet, many women I talk to still don’t think creatine is for them because they don't want to become big and “bulky” like a bodybuilder. Or they’ve heard it causes bloating (and, to be fair, nobody wants bloating). I’m here to assuage those concerns. You can get strong without being “bulky,” and you can take creatine and get the benefits without the bloat. But first, let’s take a look at those benefits.

Creatine for Strength and Performance

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in your muscle cells that helps them produce energy during high-intensity exercise and heavy lifting.

Your body stashes creatine in your muscles in a form called creatine phosphate or phosphocreatine (PCr). When you need to generate extra force like for that deadlift PR or high-intensity sprint, your body separates the phosphate molecule from the rest of the compound, which it uses to create a muscle-powering energy molecule known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Research shows creatine supplementation is most effective for those high-intensity, short-duration, or repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise with short rest periods like hill repeats, resistance training, and plyometric work. Phosphocreatine also buffers the hydrogen ions that accumulate during high-intensity exercise, which cause your muscles to burn and fatigue, so it may delay that point where you feel like you have to dial it back. Having ample intramuscular stores means you can train more intensely and enjoy greater strength, power, and speed gains from your workouts.

For females, supplementing may be the best way to ensure ...

The Extra Bit

What am I working on right now?

My lovely Ph.D. student, Emma O’Loughlin, is just finishing up her Ph.D., so I am working on editing it with her other supervisors. Her full project was fabulous! She is a physiotherapist (physical therapist) who wanted to see if a female-oriented rehabilitation program for post-ACL surgery would be better (both in strength outcomes and attendance/adherence) than a traditional rehab program. She designed menstrual cycle phase-based rehab after in-depth focus groups with surgeons, allied health professionals, and athletes, to roll out across NZ with other physios. A huge amount of work and a solid piece of research. So proud of her!

In other spaces of time, I am working on four conference talks.

• The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine which being held in Phoenix. 
• Then Dubai for the first annual Emirates Sports Medicine Conference, where there will be a special section on the Female Athlete.
• Then my colleague Kathyrn Ackerman’s fabulous Female Athlete Conference in Boston.
• Followed by the International Society of Sports Nutrition conference in Florida.

Since they all take place over the next six weeks, it has been a busy time!

What has caught my eye recently?

A little bit ago, I had the privilege to be interviewed for a documentary on the toxic environment female runners face. The film is finally out! It is called “Running for their Lives” and features so many top-class runners, colleagues, and coaches. Stay tuned for a viewing near you!

What media has gone live recently?

• Podcast with Dr. Erik Korem from The Blueprint on Maximizing Workouts with the Phases of Your Menstrual Cycle with Dr. Stacy Sims. 
• Podcast with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon from the Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show on Can Women’s Health Get Better With Age?
• An article by Kate O'Halloran from ABC News (Australia) on Elite athletes are no longer ashamed of their periods — and tracking their menstrual cycles may even be a secret weapon.

Remember, you are an athlete if you train on purpose.