Q: Hey Mike, I started going to the gym about 3 months ago, but due to my work I now started going from 4:30am to 6:00. What should I eat before training in order to have energy to work out? After training I take a 53g protein shake and breakfast. I just bought creatine monohydrate. At what time should I take the creatine?

A: That's a tough schedule! Ideally you would want to have a nice big breakfast with lots of complex carbs and protein about one hour before the gym. I'm guessing that won't be an option for you, so the next best thing is to have whey protein shake and some fruits before the gym -- both of these digest quickly and you should be able to hit the gym in under 30 minutes and not feel full. You may also want to have some coffee to wake you up (don't do it if you have high blood pressure though).

I recommend taking creatine 15 minutes before a large meal -- that way the insulin response to all the carbs in the meal will carry creatine to your muscles. So either before breakfast if you have time or before any other large meal you have.