In order to keep up and be in the best shape they can be, wrestlers train hard. There are different supplements that can be taken by highly active people, such as protein powders, but you may have heard of using creatine. What is it, exactly, is creatine good for wrestlers, and should wrestlers be taking it?
Creatine is good for wrestlers. However, it is not a performance-enhancing drug that gives you a major advantage over the competition. Rather, it is a supplement that allows you to work your muscles for a longer period of time.
In this article, we will be going over what creatine is, what it actually does, and how to take it appropriately. If you would like to learn more, we encourage you to read on.
Table of Contents
What Is Creatine?
There is a lot of confusion about what creatine actually is, some even think it yields steroid-like results, but this is far from the case.
It’s true that it can be easily confused with steroids when you read about what creatine does, but the results are vastly different, so there is a big difference in how each is seen in athletic sports.
Creatine transforms into creatine phosphate in the body, which then generates adenosine triphosphate (ATP). What this does is provide energy for muscle contraction, allowing you to work those muscles longer.
There are two reasons why muscles get tired and become weakened during a workout. One is muscle fatigue that limits the ability of the nerve to retain a neural signal. While the other is the direct reason for the consumption of creatine supplements.
After working out, what causes your muscles to ache so much is metabolic fatigue. What occurs here is that ATP is depleted more quickly than it can be replaced. ATP is produced when you rest, allowing you to feel good as new when you return later for a workout.
ATP depletes much faster than it can produce, as you can imagine, which limits the overall time one can exercise. What creatine does is help produce more ATP that allows the muscles to function for a long time.
Why Is Creatine Controversial?
Creatine is not considered a drug in the technical sense, so it has not been banned in athletic sports. There is, however, a sizable group of individuals who believe it should be.
The claim against creatine is that it provides an unfair benefit to those who do not use it. As we went over above, it enables you to work out longer and harder, allowing you to build muscle faster in theory-improving performance over a long period. But this also applies to the real rivalry that occurs. In this case, it is wrestling.
Again, in theory, the individual on creatine will be able to perform better over the course of the fight because their muscles will not tire out as quickly. This is particularly useful for wrestling because with all the takedown attempts and controlling the opponent on the ground. It can tire out the muscles fairly quickly.
It’s used for recovery as well. Athletes go into a recovery phase after an intensive workout, where their muscles repair themselves. And creatine helps accelerate this process, as you can imagine, allowing them to get back into it in a shorter amount of time.
It sounds like creatine provides your opponent with an automatic advantage, but the story is a lot more. For one, athletes can choose to take different supplements to perform better. It’s just part of the workout culture in general. There are commonly used protein powders, caffeine, electrolytes, and others.
But let’s concentrate on caffeine. This is a drug by definition. It stimulates the nervous system so that the user is more alert, has more energy, and when on it, it allows them to perform better at many tasks. Many, if not all, athletes are permitted to take caffeine if they wish before a competition.
But because caffeine is accepted so widely, not a lot of people give a second thought to it. So, where do we draw the line on supplements that help athletes get a boost, the question becomes?
Because of providing the user with a very important and unfair performance boost while causing health problems, steroids were decided as a no-go. Supplements such as creatine are not subject to performance-enhancing drugs, and in order to get any benefit from them, the user must put in a lot of work.
If you would like more information about the positives of creatine, this video below is a great watch.
And if you would like to try it out for yourself, check out MET Rx Creatine 4200 on Amazon or read more for the best creatine on the market.
Are There Any Drawbacks in Taking Creatine?
Although creatine is helpful, it also has its drawbacks. In essence, you are forcing your body to operate in a way that was not originally intended, which may cause some complications.
One issue that is often raised is that creatine allows more water to be retained, causing the user to weigh more than they would.
It is also associated with dehydration, so you will see that it is often hammered that people should drink plenty of water throughout the day who are on the supplement. The other adverse reactions include:
- Kidney damage
- Liver damage
- Kidney stones
- Bloating
- Muscle cramps
- Digestive problems
- Compartment syndrome
- Rhabdomyolysis
So does this make it unhealthy to use creatine? No, and yes. You should not overdose, like with any supplement, or else you will experience negative side effects, and that is the number one thing to remember. However, even in safe doses, if you react negatively to the substance, it is best to stop using it.
Taking more creatine than needed does not provide any benefits in the first place. Your body can’t process the excess amount after a certain amount, and for no reason, you are essentially just causing yourself problems such as bloating and discomfort.
To be safe and reap the benefits without wasting money, the recommended intake of creatine is approximately 2 to 5 grams (14 mg/pound or 30 mg/kg) daily.
Alternatives to Creatine
Creatine is not the only supplement that can help in the muscle performance of an athlete. There are many ways to get a much-needed boost and support the recovery and development of muscle.
- Whey Protein: Protein is widely known to be very important for athletes because it promotes the growth and recovery of muscles. Most wrestlers are already on high protein diets, but that extra boost is provided by protein supplements such as Myprotein Clear Whey Isolate.
- Beta-Alanine: This is a natural creatine-like compound already in your body. This increases the amount of carnosine in your muscles, which slows down the time it takes to fatigue your muscles. It’s a fantastic alternative to creatine due to the similar effects.
- The BCAAs: Taking BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) is another way to assist in muscle development. In short, this supplement delivers much-needed amino acids to your muscles. Before the body utilizes them, your body stores several types of amino acids in the liver. Branched amino acids do, however, go directly to the muscles.
Conclusion – Is Creatine Good for Wrestlers?
Creatine is no more immoral than other supplements made use of by athletes. The reality is that supplements and other forms of athletic competition are part of wrestling. While creatine provides a boost for muscle growth and recovery, the user still needs to put in the work to take advantage of the advantages.
All creatine does is allow the muscles to function before fatigue sets in for a longer period. It also speeds up recovery-this is exactly done by many other supplements. In short, there is not necessarily anything to worry about being unfair in that regard.