Creatine Effects

Can the effects of creatine  make you stronger, faster and leaner? The answer is a qualified…Yes!

A number of studies have proven that when creatine supplements are used, in conjunction with exercise, one of the most obvious creatine effects is significant gains  in strength and endurance. It has also been shown to improve muscle strength and decrease recovery time needed following a work out.

Creatine monohydrate works the best for activities that require rapid or intense effort. Activities such as weight lifting and sprinting are examples of this type of activity. If you are jogging or a marathon runner you may not see the same type of results.

About 93% of all the creatine in your body is stored in the muscles. The reason it is stored in your muscles is that it plays a key role in providing your body with a boost of energy it needs to perform work.

The normal energy cycle of the muscle requires a substance called Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP to fuel it. The muscle usually has enough ATP on board to fuel a burst of work lasting about 6 seconds. Creatine restores the ATP to a state where it can act as fuel for the muscle and continue the burst of activity for about another 6-12 seconds.

A good analogy is to think of the muscle as if it were a high performance engine. ATP is the gas for your engine and creatine is an octane booster that allows you to get better performance from your engine.

While the entire process is not completely understood the side effects of creatine include bigger muscles and increased production of muscle tissue.

This translates into more repetitions, more weight lifted and/or the ability to sprint faster. More work equals more muscle and more muscle equals increased strength and endurance.