Creatine is a popular supplement for athletes of all sports and the benefits of taking this great supplement will make you add it to your supplementation routine.
Creatine is an incredibly popular and widely used supplement by those in the health and fitness community. As a staple supplement for many, creatine helps promote that much desired growth and strength athletes of all sports love to see. It has been widely researched and both recreational and professional athletes have become attracted to this powerful product. With many benefits, including muscle growth, the list is enough to make you realize you may in fact need this as part of your daily supplementation and workout routine.
Much debate is had around the effectiveness and safety of creatine, but like many well researched supplements, many opinions are bound to pour in. As one of the most tested products by scientists and health experts, the safety and effectiveness of this supplement should go without saying that it can be quite beneficial for your gains. While we are all looking for that one thing that can push us over the edge, creatine may be that tool we’ve all been looking for.
Let’s take a deep dive into creatine and see just what this supplement is all about. From what it is, how it works, and the many benefits of it, your mind may change as to why creatine should be in your daily routine.
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is actually found in our bodies. It is naturally found in the muscle cells and helps give us energy during those grueling lifts and workouts. After you eat protein, your kidneys and liver make your body’s own creatine supply which then makes it way to the muscles and is converted into creatine phosphate and finally adenosine triphosphate, which your body can then use for energy.
Chemically, creatine shares many similarities with amino acids, those vital components of protein needed for muscle growth and recovery. And while creatine is readily accessible in supplement form, either by pill, powder, or liquid, a creatine supplement shouldn’t replace a good, hearty meal full of protein and whole foods.
How Creatine Works
Creatine enters the body binding to a phosphate molecule to create creatine phosphate. It is important to note that adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) is the body’s energy source and is responsible for driving you to the finish line of any physical activity. Once that energy is used, ATP then turns to adenosine di-phosphate (ADP), which is unfortunately fairly useless for your body. What creatine does is reforms ADP back into ATP, taking that useless energy and making it into something you can use again. Thus, creatine provides a way to use your “leftovers” into something positive and helpful for longer workouts or extra refueling.
Benefits Of Creatine
Promotes Strength
Consuming creatine helps your muscles build phosphocreatine which allows for increased performance and intense strength building. Creatine can cause your cells to inflate which can improve muscle pumps, and along with L-arginine, can improve blood flow through those overworked muscles (1). This can give you an extra rep or two and over time, you will start to see those gains really come to life.
Increase Athletic Performance
For athletes who perform short, high intensity bursts of energy, creatine can increase strength and power output to keep you working longer (2). Its ability to refuel those energy stores can support recovery, enhance muscle growth, and promote explosivity and those short bursts needed for sport specific movements.
Improves Metabolism
By improving your insulin sensitivity and improving glycemic control (3), creatine can help boost your metabolism for that desired calorie burn and fat loss. With the added benefit of prolonging activity, creatine works to optimize weight control so you shed unwanted fat without losing that desired lean muscle growth.
Boosts Mental Capacity
With long and grueling workouts, our minds start to wander and fatigue. Creatine can boost mental capacity by improving memory and processing speed while increasing focus and alertness. As you become more fatigued, creatine works to enhance cognitive function by increasing oxygen utilization in the brain (4).
Safety & Dosage
Creatine is very safe and effective and as a well-researched supplement, there is plenty of evidence to support this fact. Some studies have shown that there are no negative effects for years of creatine use (5). It is important to follow the instructions for each respective product and make sure no added ingredients or hidden agendas are secretly added to whichever creatine product you choose to try. If strange or unusual side effects do pop up, see your doctor for expert advice.
Featured Creatine Supplement
Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB is a quality supplement from a reputable and honest company with no added ingredients or fillers to ruin a great product. This is a great creatine supplement for those looking to boost their performance without suffering the consequence of losing those hard-earned gains. When placed together, creatine monohydrate and HMB have been shown to promote strength, increase endurance, and prevent lean muscle loss, all while decreasing fat mass at the same time. The addition of BioPerine allows for increased bioavailability and absorption so you get the maximum benefits of this supplement. With just three ingredients, this creatine product form Transparent Labs can transform your gains to new heights.
Price: $39.00
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Check out our individual review for Transparent Labs StrengthSeries Creatine HMB here!
Wrap Up
As a widely popular and well-researched supplement, creatine has taken the sports supplement industry by storm. As an effective tool for athletes of all experience levels, this highly effective supplement has the ability to transform your goals into something you want to see. Through strength building, toning, fat loss, and increased athletic performance, creatine is one of those supplements to work wonders for your training and performance. Safe, effective, and clinically researched, creatine is one of those supplements that should be on your shelf. Look into a top creatine supplement today and see what this powerful supplement can do for you.
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*Images courtesy of Transparent Labs and Envato
References
- 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)
2. Graham, A. S.; Hatton, R. C. (1999). “Creatine: a review of efficacy and safety”. (source)
3. 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)
4. 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)
5. Kreider, Richard B.; Melton, Charles; Rasmussen, Christopher J.; Greenwood, Michael; Lancaster, Stacy; et al. (2003). “Long-term creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes”. (source)
