Despite being one of the most widely used supplements for building muscle worldwide, more about creatine must be clarified.
Contrary to popular belief, creatine is neither a hazardous nor a steroid. Your body naturally produces it, and foods like fish and meat include it.
Skeletal muscle, or the muscles linked to your skeleton and worked out in a gym, contains about 95% of your body’s total creatine pool. The remaining 5% comprises tissues like your brain, heart, and testes.
Put, your creatine storage might only be 60–80% saturated if your diet organically includes a few grams of creatine. Thus, taking more supplements can raise your body’s creatine levels by 20–40%, with short-term energy demands like weightlifting or sprinting that can be helpful.
Monohydrate creatine
The most widely used form of creatine is monohydrate creatine. Creatine monohydrate is the most researched form of creatine supplement, despite the introduction of numerous other branded versions that frequently make bold claims. Avoid being persuaded to spend more for a form that has yet to have as much research done on it.
When using creatine supplements, the idea is to gradually “saturate” your muscles instead of caffeine, which can have an almost instantaneous effect on performance. Typically, you would take three to five grams each day, depending on your body weight and level of muscle.
Alternatively, you can adhere to a “loading phase” in which you take a higher dose for a few days (20–25 grams) for five days and then return to a maintenance dose of three to five grams daily. Imagine your muscles as a sponge and creatine as water. You can run the tap fast or slowly to saturate the sponge, but the effect will remain unchanged. All the loading phases bring you to the same location a little faster.
Advantages of Creatine
A positive study indicates that daily creatine supplements will help you gain lean body mass, strength, and power. For this reason, it is quite well-liked among bodybuilders and gym patrons. However, some less well-known research indicates possible advantages for things like brain function.
Since your body and food naturally contain creatine, there is a wide range of amounts at which supplementation can benefit each person. Some persons experience more severe effects (vegetarians, for instance, might experience greater effects because they typically take less dietary creatine). The phrase “non-responders” for creatine refers to those who don’t notice anything.
So, is it wise to consume creatine?
It won’t overnight give you pounds of muscle mass because it isn’t an anabolic steroid or another strong drug. It won’t enable you to quadruple your bench press either instantly. Still, it’s an inexpensive, secure, and thoroughly researched supplement. Therefore, trying it and seeing whether you get any benefits is worthwhile.
