Creatine has been pumped up by the bro science community (and worried mothers) as some kind of miracle drug for building muscle. I get asked about it constantly. Let's talk about how Creatine actually works.
When you train, your body uses ATP to fuel exercise. Once it runs out, it turns to Creatine Phosphate to energize your muscles. That runs out quickly, and once it does, you're done.
Creatine increases the amount of creatine phosphate you store for intense activity.
What this means for you is that you can train with heavier weight, for more reps, since you have an increased supply of backup fuel for your muscles. This is great because, to build tissue, we need to achieve more and more overload each workout. Creatine helps us do that. Therefore, while it does not directly build muscle, it is awesome for helping you DIRECTLY increase performance and, thus, building muscle.
I highly recommend it.
That said, don't overdo it. You only need 3-5 grams a day of Creatine. That's about all your tissue will hold. Any more than that will give you that puffy look, because there is nowhere for the extra Creatine to go. It's like eating too much salt.
Ignore the whole bulking thing. Just take 3-5 grams a day either during or after your workout. It will help you big time!
Below is the Creatine I use. I prefer it because, in addition to Creatine, it has EAAs and Glutamine, which make it even better for my immune system and recovery. Check it out if you want to take your training to the next level!
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