The Benefits Of Creatine

Creatine has been known to build muscle since the early 1900’s but,  creatine was first introduced to professional athletes during the 1992 Olympics.  Many English athletes admitted after the Olympics to training with creatine, which angered other athletes as they disputed that “it gave the English an unfair advantage” as they won gold medals in several track and field events as well as rowing.   No penalties or disqualifications were passed out by the Olympic committee as they discovered creatine is a naturally occurring nutrient found in every skeletal muscle in the body.  They also determined that creatine is abundant in foods such as red meat and fish and it would be impossible to determine if an athlete supplemented or attained it from natural food sources.

• Creatine buffers the development of lactic acid so you can train harder and longer.
• Creatine increases muscle volumization by increasing the amount of water stored in the cells.  Do not confuse this with water retention as this is intracellular water storage and not intercellular water retention.   This is important as intracellular water storage boosts hydration, resulting in higher rate of protein synthesis.
• Studies have shown that creatine decreases mental fatigue by increasing the amount of oxygenated red blood cells into the brain. 
• Creatine can increase strength by 5-15% over a short period of time.   It’s also not uncommon to gain 5 to 10 lbs in a month.  
• Creatine increases the amount of growth hormone release during exercise.  Your body naturally releases growth hormones as you exercise and creatine allows your body to lift heavier loads more frequently, which naturally causes your body to increase the amount of growth hormone secretion. 

Like any other supplement, there is the perfect time and amount to take in order to maximize the effects of creatine.   Many say you should “load” creatine, which means, 5-10 grams a day for 5-7 days, but I don’t think you have to do this in order to achieve your desired results.  You may achieve your results faster by “loading” your body with creatine, but if you add it to your sports drink before and after your workouts, you will gradually achieve the same results.   Absorption time depends on if you take it on an empty stomach and if you take it with a simple sugar like juice or a sports drink. 

Creatine is a must-use supplement because it provides all these muscle building benefits with very minimal adverse side effects.  In the early years it was thought that creatine damages your kidneys as it is processed and excreted out of the body through the kidneys, but later research has debunked those claims.  Actual side effects are minimal but, in some cases it can cause cramping and an upset stomach.  If you drink plenty of water and don’t take creatine on a completely empty stomach, this should eradicate those issues.