🏋️‍♂️ 4 ways creatine boosts the brain

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Creation, cognition, and mental acuity

• Train your abs in 10 minutes

• How to meet your calcium demands

Nutrition

Brain Gains

Creatine, known in some circles as “that supplement that actually works,” has been making waves in the medical community and inside gym-bro locker rooms for some time now. But there’s more to this powerhouse amino acid outside of its ability to give you a pump after a gnarly set of curls — turns out, creatine might also have some pretty impressive benefits for your brain.

Since you’re reading The BarBend Newsletter, there is a good chance you are taking creatine already. If so, keep doing what you’re doing; the same pathways creatine uses to help with musculature and strength might help you operate with more mental clarity in your day. But if you want to know exactly what kinds of brain benefits you can expect, there is plenty to dig into below.

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Exercise

10-Minute Six Packs

Washboard abs, America’s national symbol of physical desirability, are both a highlight of the human physique and something that often gets ignored once people learn what it takes to get them.

Nothing is more common than the gym-goer who simply “blows off” ab work after a hard day of weight training… for the 47th time this year. That’s because a sleek core is the product of tireless work in the gym and in the kitchen, not the product of saying “meh” every time the subject comes up. But it might not be the time investment you imagine.

Whether you’re new and excited about torso training or beleaguered and tired from squatting, you have 10 minutes free, right? Sometimes, that’s all you need to put your core through the wringer. Here are some soreness-inducing ab workouts you absolutely have time for.

Nutrition

Cal-See-YUM

Commercials during the cartoons of your youth always made sure you knew you had to drink milk for strong bones and a healthy smile. What the targeted ads of yore left out were the plethora of other options for ensuring your calcium intake is where it needs to be.

In addition to providing our body with a robust skeleton, calcium is an important electrolyte that aids in heart health and overall body function. If you’re calcium-ignorant, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Taking in the proper amount of calcium through diet and supplementation is one more thing you can add to your regimen to ensure total physical domination. Learn which foods will help you get there below.

Everything Else

Get the Deals

• Yes, you can wear white after Labor Day (we checked with the proper authorities.) And yes, you should definitely check out the best Labor Day deals on treadmills, adjustable dumbbells, squat racks, and more.

• Impress your fellow fitness devotees by mastering the snatch grip Romanian deadlift. Here’s a tutorial to get you started.

• Dig deep into the mind of elite CrossFitter Alex Gazan in this episode of The BarBend Podcast. Coming from humble CrossFit roots, Gazan’s journey from rookie to top-five competitor sheds light on what it takes to succeed when success doesn’t come right away.