When To Take Multipower Creatine Powder?

Multipower is a sports nutrition supplement company based in the UK. Among its muscle building products is creatine powder, which promises to enhance your muscle gains from weight training. When taken properly, creatine may increase the amount of ATP your muscles can produce. ATP is your body's primary source of energy during intense exercise like weightlifting.

Manufacturer Guidelines

Multipower suggests a four to six week supplementation cycle when consuming its creatine products. If you weigh less than 90 kg, which is equivalent to roughly 198 lbs., Multipower recommends two 5 g doses daily for the first five days, followed by no more than 2 g per day for the next three to five weeks. If you weigh more than 90 kg, the initial dose of Multipower creatine rises to 5 g four times daily, followed by the same maintenance dose.

Before or After Exercise

Some athletes consume sports nutritional supplements like protein shakes immediately before exercise as a way to prevent muscle and nutrient loss. A creatine supplement like the one from Multipower may not benefit you in this way. Creatine supplements may lead to dehydration, stomach cramps, diarrhea and high blood pressure after ingestion, all of which may result in suboptimal performance. Consuming creatine after your workout allows your muscles to increase their creatine stores for ATP production without the adverse side effects while you exercise.

Recuperation Period

Multipower suggests that you discontinue the use of its creatine powder for several weeks after you complete a four- to six-week supplementation cycle. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that the long term effects of creatine supplementation are unknown, and continued use beyond six weeks may limit your body's capacity to produce its natural creatine stores.

Exercise Type

Multipower creatine supplements will not enhance your performance for some types of exercise, no matter when you take it. The American College of Sports Medicine notes that it is unlikely creatine supplementation would provide performance enhancement for aerobic exercise like jogging because the body's natural stores of creatine are sufficient for this purpose. During intense exercise like power lifting, however, your muscles use enough creatine for ATP production that creatine supplementation is beneficial.