Creatine and Combat Sports

Creatine and Combat Sports

This is the fifth post in our ongoing creatine series. Click below to read the other articles:

  1. Creatine - The Basics
  2. Creatine - An Introduction
  3. Creatine - A Review
  4. Creatine Loading & Timing
  5. Creatine & Combat Sports

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps the body produce energy. For athletes, creatine can provide an important edge in strength, power, and endurance. In particular, creatine can be beneficial for combat sports athletes who need to maintain peak physical performance during rigorous training and competition. This article will explore the benefits of creatine for fighters, boxers, and wrestlers, as well as how to safely incorporate this supplement into your training regimen.

A lot of questions were asked after our last post on creatine. Should combat athletes (fighters, boxers, wrestlers, grapplers, etc) use creatine for fight preparation?  Absolutely. Creatine can dramatically improve recovery during the hard 6-8 week training program that fighters embark upon prior to their fight.  If you remember, creatine can also prevent concussions for a few reasons, which brings into question, why the hell wouldn't a fighter use creatine?

246 total reviews

Transcend Creatine

Regular price $39.99
Sale price $39.99 Regular price $39.99
Transcend Creatine

Fighters almost always have an old school way of thought in their nutrition and recovery.  The original thought that creatine will maintain water weight is a bit strange.  At Earth Fed Muscle, we ALWAYS have our weightlifters using creatine prior to major competitions, and these athletes ALWAYS have made weight (knock on wood).  When comparing fight training to weightlifting, fighters tend to burn a bit more calories.  So what does that tell us?  Caloric value is very important during the cutting process for fighters. Managing dietary regimens is very important to ensure the athlete is recovering properly and also not overeating with junk food.

How would we use creatine for a fighter?  The loading process is the exact same.  The maintenance phase needs to be 4-5 weeks, to enable the athlete to respond in training to their new found power output and force absorption.  Fighters will recognize that while they are on creatine, their punching power will increase, their ability to handle blows will improve, their recovery will improve dramatically AND their power output will sustain longer throughout the sparring sessions.  Creatine has been shown to scientifically prevent concussions in collegiate athletes.  This alone is a good enough reason for fighters to crush Transcend during their fight prep. 

Some of the key points for these fighters is to observe their feeling on creatine.  Do they feel better when using the supplement 6 hours out from training, 1 hour out from training or immediately after training?  These are parameters that need to be measured prior to the main event fight.  If the fighter feels good when using prior to their fight, they know they should load extra creatine just moments before heading into the ring.

Fighters always need an edge when entering competitions. Monitor their feeling on creatine, their speed and power of striking and pay particular attention to their diet.  By eating properly and training well, the fighter and coach will notice the great improvement creatine will bring to their training and fighting capabilities.

246 total reviews

Transcend Creatine

Regular price $39.99
Sale price $39.99 Regular price $39.99
Transcend Creatine

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