Creatine’s popularity remains on the rise, but some still may be skeptical of the benefits despite this being a widely researched and effective supplement for serious gains.
Creatine has become a staple supplement for those looking to get big and see great results when it comes to strength and lean muscle mass. Creatine supplements are known to increase muscle growth, stimulating proteins, stem cells, strength, and have ingredients that promote growth to build quality muscle. You can get creatine in capsules or powder form, in monohydrate or HCL, and it has been researched extensively for its benefits on both recreational and professional athletes. In this post, we will detail the five benefits to creatine that go far beyond building muscle mass and performance.Â
Many include taking creatine without weight gain like other supplements for better muscle production that can cause increases in muscular development for the best results when taken by men and women. And while those looking to get big are comfortable with it, those seeking more growth with exercise performance remain skeptical even with many forms of creatine.
As an incredibly efficient supplement, creatine is loved by serious lifters and bodybuilders, and sought after by those looking to boost short and powerful exercise performance, like sprinting. Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid naturally found in muscles and nerve tissue and aids in supplying energy to your body. The fuel source provided is for Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) which offers short bursts of power, so during high intensity training, creatine stores in your cells get used up quickly.
By using this as a supplement, you help restore what is lost in a grueling workout and can support a longer, stronger workout to take you to, or keep you at, an elite level from taking creatine for muscle strength and resistance training and creatine can increase benefits in healthy people like other supplements.
Safety & Effectiveness Of Creatine Supplementation
Although creatine has created some cause for speculation as a potentially harmful product, through research and proper dosing, it has become one of the safer supplements with minimal side effects, even while more research is needed. Along with a solid exercise routine and healthy diet, creatine can give you that much needed boost to maximize your potential in the gym.
The benefits of creatine go far beyond what people imagine and these top reasons why creatine is helpful for you should be reasons to have it on your shelf for long term gains from this and other supplements that can help.
Increase Athletic Performance For Results
Creatine increases strength and power output, but also aids in performance, in particular those athletes who use high amounts of energy during short, high interval intense training sessions or who need energy stores for prolonged exercise (1). For those who need the most output with as much power as possible, creatine offers that explosive benefit of bringing energy to the forefront.
On top of the physical benefits associated with it, its ability to resupply those energy stores can support recovery and get your muscles to where they need to be to see growth and increased energy from certain levels of creatine to enhance workouts from the effects creatine has. A good creatine supplementation can also reduce muscle damage (2) during training to keep you as healthy as possible during complex, high intensity training sessions for the long term from the use of creatine to help for safe and effective gains from reasonable doses.
Promotes Strength For Serious Big Lifts
The most widely accepted benefit of creatine is its ability to promote strength and muscle growth from those who use creatine for increased body mass. Consuming creatine helps your muscles build phosphocreatine which allows for better workouts with intense strength-building exercises. Creatine has a great effect on muscle growth by causing the cells to inflate improving muscle pump.
Since creatine contains L-arginine, your blood flow and circulation improve (3) and your muscles retain more water. It allows you to push through that extra rep or two and maximizes your time in the gym to lift more safely and effectively while providing that big, toned aesthetic you want. The benefit creatine has on your myogenic satellite cells is important for muscle regeneration and the overall maintenance of your skeletal muscle and health (4).
Improves Metabolism For Enhanced Calorie Burn
Creatine can improve your insulin sensitivity and improve glycemic control (5) to help boost your metabolism. With an increase in metabolic rate, you can increase the number of calories burned also aiding in fat loss. Since creatine allows for prolonged activity, your ability to burn more calories comes from the fact you can train longer.
This will allow you to better control your weight management as well as energy control to benefit your optimum strength and weight loss goals without sacrificing that hard-earned muscle from exercise for weight and the intended effect from supplement loading.
Boosts Mental Capacity To Improve Overall Focus
A grueling workout can be draining both on your body and your mind. Creatine helps boost mental capacity by improving your working memory and processing speed (6). For those struggling to stay focused and alert to get the most out of training, creatine offers great benefit to brain power.
As you become more fatigued, creatine can enhance brain function (7) by increasing oxygen utilization in the brain. Creatine’s ability to reduce mental fatigue makes this a great supplement to keep you grinding harder so you stay alert and building muscle without the sluggish, lazy feeling throughout the day for your daily dose of energy.
Elevates Testosterone To Spike Energy Levels
Those who know the feeling of low testosterone understand the frustrations that come with it. A decrease in energy levels, endurance, mental sharpness, and sex drive can all be unfortunate side effects of low testosterone which can negatively affect your training.
What creatine can do is convert testosterone into a more active form, known as dihydrotestosterone, to increase the effect (8) and aid in elevated levels of testosterone and the benefits it provides. You will find that your energy, endurance, and mental capacity all improve to keep you running at maximum capacity without worrying about a crash in the middle of your workout to ruin your day.
Creatine Wrap Up
While creatine is widely accepted as a strength building supplement, some athletes still shy away from it for fear of getting too big. Those looking to pack on lean muscle tend to lean towards other supplements to keep from gaining too much muscle. But the benefits of this supplement on the body and the mind are hard too ignore.
Creatine is a great supplement for those looking to get bigger and see substantial muscle growth, but creatine’s ability to increase athletic performance, boost metabolism and testosterone, and promote cognitive function are all solid reasons this supplement should be on your shelf.
Look into the benefits of this supplement and feel comfortable in knowing that your supplement is providing so much more than what you originally thought. Supplemented with a great workout regimen and healthy diet, creatine will give you that boost for gains and the ability to train at the highest level for weeks to come with minimal to no symptoms.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Â
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Graham, A. S.; Hatton, R. C. (1999). “Creatine: a review of efficacy and safety”. (source)
- Wang, Chia-Chi; Fang, Chu-Chun; Lee, Ying-Hsian; Yang, Ming-Ta; Chan, Kuei-Hui (2018). “Effects of 4-Week Creatine Supplementation Combined with Complex Training on Muscle Damage and Sport Performance”. (source)
- Bode-Boger, Stefanie M.; Boger, Rainer H.; Galland, Andrea; Tsikas, Dimitrios; Frolich, Jurgen C. (1998). “L-arginine-induced vasodilation in healthy humans: pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship”. (source)
- Vierck, Janet L.; Icenoggle, Deri L.; Bucci, Luke; Dodson, Michael V. (2003). “The effects of ergogenic compounds on myogenic satellite cells”. (source)
- Pinto, Camila L.; Botelho, Patricia B.; Pimentel, Gustavo D.; Campos-Ferraz, Patricia L.; Mota, Joao F. (2016). “Creatine supplementation and glycemic control: a systematic review”. (source)
- Rae, Caroline; Digney, Alison L.; McEwan, Sally R.; Bates, Timothy C. (2003). “Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial”. (source)
- Avgerinos, Konstantinos; Spyrou, Nikolaos; Bougioukas, Konstantinos; Kapogiannis, Dimitrios (2018). “Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials”. (source)
- Arazi, H.; Rahmaninia, F.; Hosseini, K.; Asadi, A. (2015). “Effects of short term creatine supplementation and resistance exercises on resting hormonal and cardiovascular responses”. (source)
