How do I stack Creatine? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

How do I stack Creatine?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Stacking creatine involves using a typical creatine monohydrate supplement in combination with another muscle building supplement such as beta-alanine.
  • Beta-alanine is an amino acid supplement that focuses on increasing the levels of carnosine in your body.
  • The cycle for stacking beta-alanine with creatine begins by using each product individually.
  • Users who start off with the beta-alanine supplement will find that after using the product for just one month, the carnosine level in their muscles will increase by at least 60%.

Stacking creatine involves using a typical creatine monohydrate supplement in combination with another muscle building supplement such as beta-alanine.

Stacking creatine is popular amongst athletes and bodybuilders who use explosive amounts of speed and power throughout their workouts.

Although stacking creatine may be used primarily during the loading phase of creatine, many bodybuilders use this strategy for long periods of time.

Many health professionals may believe that stacking creatine can lead to high creatine levels and risky health situations.

However, if the combination is used correctly with plenty of water, the effectiveness of stacking creatine can be pretty amazing.

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What Is Beta-Alanine?

Beta-alanine is another muscle building supplement that is used either by itself or in coordination with creatine. Beta-alanine is an amino acid supplement that focuses on increasing the levels of carnosine in your body.

Higher levels of carnosine work to enhance muscles, power and endurance in the body much like the creatine supplements do as well.

The good thing about beta-alanine is that it is a natural supplement. Therefore, when it triggers the levels of carnosine in your body to increase, the amount of energy that you have ready to use is almost doubled.

If you are stacking creatine and using beta-alanine as the second supplement, you should be very careful in order to maintain an appropriate energy level that your body can handle. If someone who uses creatine does not hydrate well enough, the supplements can overpower their body. This would create a negative effect on their health.

Not only does beta-alanine provide aerobic endurance for your body, but it also enhances anaerobic endurance. This ensures a longlasting workout, allowing you to train harder for a longer period of time.

When a beta-alanine supplement is stacked with creatine, your body will not only be able to perform short term bursts of peak performance, you’ll find it will be able to make those effects long term as well.

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How Does Beta-Alanine Work With Creatine?

The cycle for stacking beta-alanine with creatine begins by using each product individually. Many times, lifters and athletes are not aware of how to stack creatine. Therefore they will start off with a creatine supplement, and then add the second supplement if they are not seeing promising results.

Users who start off with the beta-alanine supplement will find that after using the product for just one month, the carnosine level in their muscles will increase by at least 60%. This is while taking normal doses.

Daily doses of beta-alanine may seem a little more extreme, yet they provide positive results. It is recommended that users take 800 grams of the supplement, four times per day. If the cycle of taking solely beta-alanine is not followed correctly, the athlete will not see the correct results.

If the users load beta-alanine by itself for the first couple of weeks, when they begin the creatine cycle it will be much more effective. The user will then begin to use creatine for a four to twelve week period in which they will hope to see dramatic results, especially with a loading phase of beta-alanine.

The effects of the stacking should be gone within three weeks after the cycle is completed. Then the muscles will replenish and wait to start the next cycle if needed. If there is a gradual decline from a creatine stack, the body will decrease its performance level slowly.

Are There Other Supplements I Can Use to Stack Creatine With?

Beta-alanine is not the only supplement that can be stacked with creatine. Depending on the type of results that the user or athlete is looking for, their nutritionist or health care professional may recommend different supplements in order to reach their goal.

If the user is looking to increase lean muscle mass, they may combine a lower creatine dose with a high protein diet. This simply may include a loading phase of creatine followed by a daily dose of protein powder or pills.

Athletes use bodybuilding supplements in combination with creatine to get more bulk. These athletes may also use a muscle repairing supplement in order to replenish their muscles after a loading phase of creatine. This is still considered a creatine stack if the user is combining the two supplements for specific results.

According to the National Institutes of Health, many athletes may want to stack these supplements in order to get ahead on their performance. A more natural way to create lean muscle mass and positive energy is to eat healthily and fuel your body with muscle-building calories rather than creatine and other powders.

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