The need of a proper supplementation for all the gymgoers, is something which can never be enough stressed upon. All the supplements have their own set of advantages and they are important in their own unique way.
But, it’s always a risk putting your body through something, the ins and outs of which are not entirely known. Taking the time to learn about these will go a long way in singling out the one, best for you and your bodily needs.
Coming to the most important question regarding Creatine now which surfaces more often than not is, “Should I take Creatine?”
Creatine is a Nitrogenous organic acid, produced in the liver. It’s formed of amino acids – the building blocks of protein and can also be found in protein-rich foods such as meat and fish.
Creatine is widely considered as one of the most important supplements for not just the gymgoers but the athletes as well, which could be an answer to “who should take Creatine.”
When it comes to weight lifting and high intensity exercising, Creatine helps the muscles to produce the energy required for this. Sports that require short and immediate bursts of energy such as sprinting, football, baseball etc and exercises which include heavy weight-lifting and are of high intensity, can give seriously enhanced results upon supplementing with Creatine.
Why should you take Creatine
1) Helps Muscle Cells to Produce more Energy
Creatine improves the capability of the body to do high-intensity works, which then results in enhanced muscle size and performance gains. Creatine’s high energy molecule form, Creatine Phosphate, gets stored in the muscles upon supplementing and helps in pumping out more reps.
According to the position of The International Society of Sports Nutrition, use of creatine as a nutritional supplement within established guidelines is not only safe but effective as well. The study was done to demonstrate the positive effects of it for athletes and during exercises, and earmarked Creatine supplementation as useful in enhancing anaerobic capacity, strength and lean body mass.
Related Article: What does Creatine do and Does it Work?
2) Speeds up Muscle Growth
Creatine is among the very few legal supplements that is capable of directly adding mass to your muscles when coupled with exercising. It increases the water content of muscles, thereby making them “larger”. Not just the short-term, but the supplement is equally effective for long term muscle gains as well.
As per a research conducted by the Washington State University researchers, people who supplemented workouts with creatine, gained significant muscle mass and strength in myogenic satellite cells, which are important for the regeneration and overall maintenance of skeletal muscle.
3) Creatine enhances Recovery Periods
Creatine has also been found to be helpful in enhancing the recovery periods, post workout.
Supplementation with Creatine elevates its concentration in muscle tissues and allows for increased re-synthesis of phosphocreatine molecules. It then enhances the capability to perform, in the process, reducing the recovery intervals.
The increased availability of ATP from creatine supplementation means that apart from being able to perform an extra rep or two, and work maximally for longer, the ATP would lead to quicker recovery periods, allowing you to perform at a higher level in the case of shorter and intense strength building exercises.
Similar Article: How Creatine Works in your Body? Your Complete Guide
4) Can enhance Strength and Power during Exercise
ATP is the fuel when it comes to performance during workouts.
As we have already discussed that Creatine is capable of increasing phosphocreatine levels, in turn increasing the ATP production; it can be concluded that it’s one of the very few supplements that has been proven to increase power as well as strength.
A research review found that adding Creatine to a training regime increased strength by 8%, weight lifting capability by 14% and bench press one-rep max by approximately 43%, when compared to training without it.
All these hugely noticeable improvements are mainly because of its ability to produce ATP.
5) Boosts Mental Prowess
This is probably one out-of-the-box and fairly uncommon trait that has been found to be associated with Creatine but research suggests that it plays an important role in the health and functioning of the brain as well.
Brain is said to require a significant amount of ATP when performing difficult tasks. Creatine supplement which is capable of increasing the phosphocreatine stores in the brain, can help the brain to produce more ATP. It may also help brain function by increasing the dopamine levels and the function of mitochondria.
In case of the elderly, it was found that taking Creatine for couple of weeks significantly improved their memory, which in itself suggests that it’s extremely beneficial for them as well.
These were the 5 most potent benefits of Creatine to give you the answer to “what Creatine does for you.”
People who regularly weight train and are always on the lookout to add muscles; creatine supplements may provide faster and enhanced results while at the same time, improve gym performance as well.
A dosage of 3-5 grams of Creatine Monohydrate powder per day is normally good enough but just like any other supplement, simply taking Creatine without any proper fitness regime or nutrition plan, will not do any good to you.
To sum up, Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements available today and clinical trials of as long as five years have reported of no negative effects on healthy individuals. And although news regarding Creatine causing dehydration and cramps can be seen more often than not, there’s no credibility factor attached to this news.
