#497 Dr. Darren Candow - Creatine and Your Brain, Performance, Bone Health, and Sleep
Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew CoatesShow Notes
Dr. Darren Candow is one of the world’s leading researchers and authorities on creatine and joins me to separate what we know from what is still hype.
Darren joins me to discuss:
• How to sift through the evidence and hype surrounding creatine • What the research actually says about creatine and brain health • Whether creatine may have a role in concussion and head-trauma research • The current evidence around creatine and mental health • Whether creatine can help mitigate some effects of sleep deprivation • Creatine and bone health • How much creatine actually contributes to muscle growth and performance • Why strength and muscle matter for long-term independence • How creatine may influence training quality • Creatine timing and whether the anabolic window matters • Loading protocols and daily dosing • Whether creatine may have a role during injury rehabilitation • How to interpret frightening headlines about creatine and cancer • Whether creatine has any meaningful role in cancer research • Creatine safety data, including concerns about kidney health • Why elevated creatinine does not automatically mean kidney damage • Whether caffeine interferes with creatine • The best type of creatine to take • Why some specialty creatine products may simply cost more without providing additional benefit • Popular creatine myths • Microdosing and other exciting areas for future research • And much more
Follow Darren on Instagram:
@dr.darrencandow
CHAPTERS
00:45 Creatine Basics and Muscle Saturation 04:23 Creatine and Brain Health: Hype vs. Evidence 08:51 Creatine and Sleep Deprivation 13:10 Concussions and Head Trauma 17:51 Creatine and Mental Health 19:47 Safety, Kidney Health, and Creatinine 24:37 Homocysteine, Cancer, and Other Myths 28:37 How Much Muscle Does Creatine Actually Build? 29:27 Strength, Muscle, and Long-Term Independence 30:17 Bone and Brain Health 31:32 Creatine and Training Quality 34:19 The Best Forms of Creatine 37:32 Timing and the Anabolic Window 39:52 Cost, Marketing, and the “Pink Tax” 42:55 The Creatine and Caffeine Myth 45:46 Loading Protocols and Injury Rehabilitation 48:22 Future Research and Microdosing 50:45 Cooking With Creatine and Final Thoughts
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Stuart McMillan is one of the world’s most respected and decorated sprint coaches.He joins me to share his expertise on speed, sprinting, skipping, movement quality, youth development, coaching, and the balance between complexity and simplicity.We discuss:• Why adults tend to stop moving fast and powerfully• Why speed and intensity variability may matter as we age• Whether everyone actually needs to sprint• How to move fast in ways appropriate for your ability• Why movement variability matters• Why Stuart believes more adults should skip• Hip extension and the fundamentals behind skipping• How to progressively introduce skipping• How beginners can start sprint training• Managing sprint-related injury risk• Why consistency and gradual exposure matter• Coordination as a limiting factor• Why adults need to stop worrying about how movement looks to other people• Sprinting and speed development for young athletes• Why youth training should emphasize coordination and skill• Strength versus skill when thinking about injury risk• Why movement quality deserves more attention• Stuart’s six-part framework for assessing movement quality• Whether movement is effective, efficient, stable, adaptable, authentic, and aesthetic• Balancing art and science in coaching• How Stuart thinks about systems• Complexity versus simplicity• Why good coaching often becomes simpler with experience• “Safe to fail” experiments in coaching• Why mastery often involves subtraction• And much moreFollow Stuart:@fingermashCHAPTERS00:16 Why Adults Stop Sprinting02:10 Intensity Variability and Aging04:45 It’s Never Too Late to Train Speed05:45 Move Fast Your Way07:22 Why Stuart Loves Skipping08:48 Hip Extension Fundamentals12:08 Progressive Skipping Practice15:07 Beginner Sprint Progression18:40 Injury Risk and Consistency20:30 Coordination as a Skill Barrier21:51 Stop Caring How It Looks22:19 Coaching Kids to Move Fast25:07 Youth Coordination Over Strength26:26 Strength vs. Skill and Injuries27:50 Coordination Over Capacity29:49 Defining Movement Quality33:37 The Six-Word Movement Framework35:33 Authentic and Aesthetic Movement39:37 Balancing Art and Science42:33 Systems Thinking Basics48:18 Safe-to-Fail Coaching49:36 Simplicity After Complexity52:28 Mastery Through Subtraction55:18 Final Thoughts and Where to Follow StuartSUPPORT THE SHOW• Subscribe and check out more episodes• Share the episode and tag @andrewcoatesfitness• Send this to someone who hasn’t moved fast in yearsFOLLOW ANDREW COATESInstagram: @andrewcoatesfitnesshttps://www.andrewcoatesfitness.comPARTNERS AND RESOURCESANDREW COATES’ 13-WEEK ONLINE GROUP STRENGTH PROGRAMSJoin my Men’s or Women’s 13-Week Online Group Strength Programs.Choose between:• Gym Upper/Lower• Home Upper/Lower• Full BodyGet full access to me with prompt responses.Use code SEPTEMBER10 to save 10%.www.foreverstrength.ca/join-now/Questions?https://www.instagram.com/andrewcoatesfitness/?hl=enI would love to coach you.RP STRENGTH APPUse code COATESRP:https://www.rpstrength.com/coatesJUST BITE ME MEALSUse code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off:https://justbitememeals.comMACROSFIRST — FREE PREMIUM TRIALDownload MacrosFirst and enter ANDREW when asked how you heard about the app.KNKG BAGS — 15% OFFhttps://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676VERSA GRIPPShttps://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoatesTRAINHEROIC — FREE 90-DAY TRIALhttps://www.trainheroic.com/liftfreeReply to the email you receive or email [email protected] and tell them Andrew sent you.L1 BIOMECHANICS AND ASSESSMENT COURSEUse code COATES:https://pro.activelifeprofessional.com/assessmentworkshopevents
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