As a student-athlete who has been lifting for 6 years now, i feel that i know alot about different supplements that people or athletes may take. Creatine is a muscular performance enhancer that gives the athlete short term benefits. Creatine is produced by the body and it is recieved from meat and fish Creatine is a naturally produced compound that gives energy to the muscles. When you take creatine over time it helps your muscles when they need help. Creatine also helps your muscles recover after a hard workout. The main reason someone would take creatine is to increase their lifts and to appear bigger as well.
Will taking creatine supplements alter my body weight or body composition?
Creatine will increase body wieght and muscle mass. Taking creatine puts water into the muscles, giving them a bigger look (increasing cell volume). This increase in volume acts as an anabolic signal which helps to reduce protein breakdown and improves the body's usage of protein. When taking creatine you must make sure to drink lots of water or you will get dehydrated.
Here is a table of key points about creatine:
Key points
-Creatine monohydrate is the most widely used form of creatine supplement
-Creatine is made up of three amino acids and is stored as phosphocreatine in muscles
-Creatine delays muscle fatigue by "buffering" the build up of lactic acid in the muscles
-It speeds up recovery between bouts of high-intensity physical activity
-It extends maximal muscle power output
-It increases total body mass - particularly lean muscle tissue
-May be especially beneficial to athletes involved in high-intensity activities particularly where interval training and strength training are involved i.e. anaerobic activities
-There is a small amount of evidence that it may also help athletes involved in mainly aerobic activities - for example endurance running and cycling - although the evidence is not strong
-Dosage - there are a variety of recommendations, however the most widely used is a loading dose of 20g per day for five days, followed by a maintenance dose of 2g per day. Doses in excess of this are of no benefit as muscle can only store a certain amount and any excess is removed from the body
-Side-effects - there appear to be no proven side-effects
-Creatine supplementation is allowed in sport by the International Olympic Committee (2002)
Overall i feel that creatine is a helpfull supplement for the rising athletes out there.
Though very avid in the weight room, I have never taken creatine, but know a lot about it. I defintely think in the right situation it can be a great supplement but I feel like people too young take it, like high school age, and don't use it right. I suggest to wait until someone is a little older, and more mature, to use substances like these.
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