Creatine

What is Creatine? 

Creatine is naturally present in muscle cells. When you engage in intense exercise, it helps in your muscles' energy production. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts are big fans of supplementing creatine. They utilize it to increase muscle mass, improve strength, speed up recovery, and perform better during workouts. Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements available, and studies lasting up to 4 years reveal no negative effects. 

Why Use Creatine? 

There are numerous ways that creatine can enhance both physical and mental well-being. Its main function during high-intensity exercise is to raise your muscles' phosphocreatine stores. The extra stores can then be used by your body to create more ATP, the key energy source for heavy lifting and high intensity exercise.  

1. Helps muscle cells produce more energy. 
2. Improves high-intensity exercise performance. 
3. Speeds up muscle growth. 
4. May reduce fatigue and tiredness. 
5. Can improve brain function. 

Dosage: 

Many creatine users begin with a loading phase, which causes a sharp rise in the amount of creatine stored in muscle. Take 20g of creatine per day for 5-7 days to load up the stores. Divide this into four daily servings of 5g each. After the loading phase, take 3-5 g daily to keep your muscles' levels high. In case you decide against the loading period, you can just take 3–5 g daily. To fully utilize your stores, though, it might take around four weeks. 

The Bottom Line: 

Creatine is one of the cheapest, most effective, and safest supplements you can take. It enhances exercise performance, supports brain health, and older individuals' quality of life. Creatine monohydrate is likely the best form if you’re interested in trying creatine to see if it works for you. 

Written by - Tom Weaver