Nutrition

Creatine: Its Importance In Building Lean Muscle

Creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to being the most popular and arguably most effective bodybuilding supplement currently available. When you ask a lot of Pinoy bodybuilders about the supplements they’re taking (if they do), the most-heard ones are either Whey Protein Powders, and creatine. But so you know, the beauty of creatine is that it is 100% natural and actually occurs in many foods so it’s unlikely to be banned from any sports or competitions.

So What Is Creatine?

Let’s first establish what creatine actually is. In brief, creatine is produced naturally in our bodies to help supply energy to the muscles. It is produced in the liver, pancreas and kidneys before being transported in the blood to our muscles. It is then converted into phosphocreatine which is a powerful metabolite used to regenerate the muscles’ ATP source of energy.

From a lot of bodybuilder’s perspective, creatine can significantly increase lean muscle mass quickly, improve performance in high intensity exercise, raise energy levels and speed up recovery rates. Creatine’s ability to raise energy in muscles is due to its muscle protein synthesizing action whilst reducing the breakdown of protein. This happens because creatine has the effect of super-hydrating muscle cells with water. It also improves muscle growth adding size and strength to muscle fibers.

The Dose

Creatine is normally taken in two ways. The first involves loading the muscles with 20 to 30 grams of creatine per day for four to seven days. At the end of this phase maintenance involves a regular intake of 5 to 15 grams per day. The other method is more gradual in that it skips out the loading phase and simply involves supplementing with 5 to 15 grams per day for an extended period. Also, creatine comes in either capsule, or powder form. I normally prefer the latter as I mix it with my preworkouts.

Two questions remain to be answereddoes it work and is it safe?

Creatine has undoubtedly been proven effective in recent years – over twenty scientific studies have concluded that creatine can increase energy levels and result in enhanced strength, endurance levels and recovery rates. As a training aid it therefore has many merits. In terms of safety, no study to date has shown creatine to be anything other than safe, provided manufacturers’ instructions are followed.

Ready to try out creatine and add it up to your supplement stack? Here’s a list for you to get started, as these brands are popular and are widely available in the Philippines:

P.S. A different variation of creatine is on this list: Creatine HCL (hydrochloride), but we’ll tackle about it next!

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