What is creatine?

Creatine is a nutrient that our bodies produce naturally and is a combination of three different amino acids, including: arginine, glycine and also methionine.

What does creatine do?

Creatine indirectly supplies the energy that our muscles need in order to create movement, especially short, explosive bursts. Whenever our muscles contract, that action is fueled by adenosine-triphosphate (ATP). The amount of ATP in the body is limited though and needs to be replenished in order to fuel more muscle movement. In fact, there is only about ATP to fuel around 10 seconds of movement. That’s where creatine comes in.

Creatine provides the muscles with the fuel it needs to produce more ATP, which gives them the fuel required for more movement during periods of high intensity exercise.

Why do we need creatine supplements?

In order to fuel muscle movement, the body needs ATP. In order to produce more ATP as it is depleted, the body needs creatine. Unfortunately, the body’s natural supply of creatine is limited. In fact, the body only produces around 2 grams of creatine per day in the average male. That is why creatine supplements are ideal because they provide a greater supply of creatine for the body to use in ATP production.

Benefits of creatine

Aside from providing the body with the fuel it needs in order to create more ATP for muscle movement, creatine also has a number of key benefits, including:

• Promoting greater gains in muscle mass

• Increasing muscle fiber size (also known as hypertrophy)

• Increasing myosin

• Improving maximal strength

• Improving maximal power

• Improving short, explosive bursts (i.e. sprinting)

• Improving performance during high intensity workout sessions

• And more!

In other words, creatine allows you to gain bigger, stronger muscles in far less time than would otherwise be possible.

Is creatine safe?

Study after study has proven that creatine is completely safe for athletes not only short term but long term as well. In fact, a recent study found that Division IA football players who consumed an average of 5g of creatine a day experienced far less injuries and better overall health when compared to their peers who did not take any creatine supplements. Those football players who did regularly consume creatine experienced:

• Less cramping

• Less dehydration

• Less muscle tightness

• Less muscle pulls and strains

• Less non-contact joint injuries

• Less contact injuries

• Less illnesses

• Less missed practices due to injury

• Less players being lost for the season

• And less injuries overall

The bottom line on creatine

Creatine has been proven to help increase muscle mass and decrease recovery times significantly for athletes in many different sports, from bodybuilders to runners and football players. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a professional athlete, if you are really serious about ramping up your results and getting the most out of your time in the gym, then you need to seriously consider adding creatine supplements to your training program.