Most guys who go to the gym are familiar with diet supplementation. Protein shakes and weight gainers are all commonly used for building muscle mass after completing a rigorous workout.
One of the supplements that caught my attention is creatine. Creatine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in our body. It can found be found in our muscles and gives us an extra boost when we run out of energy. However, I often hear people talk about creatine as if consuming it alone will build muscle mass. Here are 3 key points you need to know before buying this product.
Creatine Monophosphate
Source: Ectomorphworkout.com
Creatine myths
Source: Quickmemes.com
1. Creatine is a supplement, not a human growth hormone
Consuming large amounts of creatine will not turn you into the hulk. The purpose of using it is to increase the amount of energy you have at the end of a workout. According to an article from Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, creatine supplementation helps increase Phosphocreatine resynthesis for maximum energy output in your last few contractions of an exercise. This in turn helps you gain muscle mass because you are able in increase your workload. If you don’t have a high-intensity workout then there is no reason why you should be using creatine.
2. Prolonged intake of creatine at high doses is unnecessary
Hultman et al. from the American Journal of Physiology performed a study to monitor the levels of Creatine in male subjects after supplementation. They showed that after consuming 20g of creatine a day for 6 days, only 2g a day was needed to maintain high levels in their body for the next 30 days. Individuals don’t need to consume large amounts of creatine everyday and this means more money can be saved.
3. More creatine, more water
Creatine takes up water from your bloodstream and moves into your muscles. Without enough water in our bodies, dehydration can result and cause liver damage. Souza et. al from the Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods Journal conducted a study to test the effects of creatine on rat liver. They found high levels of hepatic biomarkers which suggests an increase in liver activity. It is important to consume large amounts of water when using creatine as a supplement to avoid liver problems.
For information on creatine supplementation, here’s a video from fitness expert Tim Muriello
Blog post by Raymond Quan
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