If you’ve been into gyms, working out or any kind of sports fitness then you’ve probably already heard of creatine. And are considering using it.
But what is it? How does it work? And why would you want to use it?
Get quick answers to all these and more right here.
What Is Creatine?
First of all, creatine is a natural substance made by your body. This substance (a nitrogen rich organic acid) is mostly found in your red muscle tissue (95%). With the rest found in your brain and heart – and testes, if you’re male, obviously.
Where Does It Come From?
As for how creatine is acquired, that would be via foods such as meat and fish.
But you really don’t get much that way, which is why athletes of all kinds choose to get extra creatine via a supplement. Which is where creatine monohydrate comes in – this is a synthetic form of creatine.
How Does Creatine Supplementation Work?
The short answer is it allows you to work harder. That extra rep in the gym. And being able to work harder means bigger gains faster.
How does it work in the body? What creatine monohydrate actually does is increases ATP’s availability (that’s Adenosine Triphosphate to be technical). This results in an increase in your energy, and a reduction in fatigue.
So How Does Creatine Monohydrate Build Muscle?
It doesn’t, not directly.
What it does is increase the intensity of your workout, which can lead to more muscle growth. A lot of athletes have gotten bigger and stronger by taking creatine monohydrate.
Basically, creatine supplements can help you get even more from your workout.
How Fast Does Creatine Monohydrate Work?
It starts working pretty much as soon as you start taking it.
Just don’t expect crazy results. Creatine has been shown to increase your workouts by around 4%. That sounds small – but it’s cheap, widely regarded as safe to use, and that 4% makes a difference to muscle gains.
How Long Does Creatine Monohydrate Take To Work?
The benefits will come gradually over time. It has been shown to boost up your workout by about 4%. Which means you can work that bit harder, which means you gain muscle that bit faster.
Can Creatine Turn Me From Skinny To Ripped?
No. It can help boost the performance of your workouts. If you want to know how to gain muscle for skinny guys then read this. But just sitting on the couch eating creatine is not going to make any difference. You need to workout.
How Do You Take Creatine Monohydrate
It comes in powder form. I’d suggest buying bulk powder and ignore the more expensive capsules. You can mix the powder into your pre and post workout protein shakes.
Read the label, but generally you take around 3g to 6g per day.
Some people recommend a more complex cycle of ‘loading’ (taking higher doses) and then ‘maintenance’ phases. This is supposed to see faster resutls, but more recent studies have shown little difference between this and just taking a small amount every day.
Can Creatine Turn Me Into An Adonis?
No. It may be able to help you get there. But you’re going to have a training program that works, and you’re going to have to work hard at it. Eating creatine flavored chips while watching TV will not build muscle.
How Does Creatine Monohydrate Taste?
It tastes just a little bit bitter. But is otherwise flavorless. It’s perfectly drinkable to just mix it with water. But most people add it to juice or protein shakes that have other flavorings anyway.