What does creatine do?
- Reading time: 9 min.
Creatine might be the most popular supplement you can take, and for good reason! Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in the world, and the results are clear: creatine works! Yet, we still notice that there are many questions about creatine. For many athletes, the exact creatine function is still unclear. That’s why, in this XXL Nutrition blog, we answer the question: what does creatine do? This way, you’ll know what creatine does to your body and what benefits it offers for strength athletes!
Creatine Function Explained
We believe it’s important for you to understand how creatine works and what it exactly is. In a previous blog, we already explained what creatine is. Now, we’ll dive deeper into the exact function of creatine supplements.
Creatine plays a role in providing energy to your muscles to perform (especially short and explosive) movements. Your body needs energy to make your muscles contract. This energy comes from ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Additionally, your body can replenish ATP using fatty acids, amino acids, and glycogen (carbohydrates). But creatine can also be used for this purpose, in the form of creatine phosphate. Depending on the duration and intensity of the movement you want to perform, your body selects the most efficient energy source.
For short explosive strength efforts, such as strength training or sprinting, your body uses creatine phosphate. In your body, creatine is converted into creatine phosphate to replenish the creatine phosphate system. Since this reserve is limited, you often can’t sustain an explosive movement for long. After about 10 to 15 seconds, you’ll notice a reduction in muscle strength and explosiveness as there isn’t enough creatine phosphate left to produce more ATP.
By using creatine in supplement form, you can ensure that your body stores a larger reserve of creatine phosphate. This makes it easier to perform explosive strength efforts, as shown in this scientific study[1]. This makes creatine a popular supplement among strength athletes. By taking 5 grams of creatine daily, more creatine is stored in your muscles. During explosive strength efforts, your body can produce more creatine phosphate, making more energy available for muscle contractions.
What Does Creatine Do to Your Body?
Above, you’ve learned how creatine works. But what does creatine do to your body when you start using it? When you take creatine in powder form, it’s absorbed in your stomach and intestines. It’s then transported to your muscle cells and stored there. This causes your muscle cells to attract more water, leading them to swell. They increase in volume, which results in a slight increase in body weight. Your muscles also appear larger, but this is mostly an optical effect (due to the increase in muscle cell volume) and not directly an increase in muscle mass.
A larger reserve of creatine in your body allows your body to release more energy during explosive movements. In this energy system, creatine phosphate is used for short and explosive strength efforts. Therefore, creatine is highly suitable for strength training. Below, you can read more about the effects and benefits of creatine.
Creatine Benefits
Now that you’ve read how creatine works and what it does to your body, let’s look at the main benefits of this ‘white gold’. Creatine certainly has its advantages! How about these great creatine benefits:
- Creatine stimulates muscle growth during explosive strength efforts
- Creatine increases strength during explosive strength efforts
- Creatine helps improve performance during explosive strength efforts
- Using creatine is safe
- Creatine supplements do not stop your body’s natural production
- Creatine monohydrate is inexpensive
1. Creatine Stimulates Muscle Growth During Explosive Strength Efforts
The main reason people take creatine is that, combined with strength training, it stimulates muscle growth. And creatine is excellent at this! Hundreds of studies have shown us that taking creatine leads to better results in the gym. This might be interesting for bodybuilders, but why would you take creatine if you’re not a bodybuilder?
With a daily intake of 3-5 grams, creatine stimulates muscle growth (lean muscle mass) during explosive strength efforts. And everyone can benefit from muscle growth! More muscle mass is valuable even if you just want to make daily tasks easier. It’s also beneficial if you want to get more out of other sports, develop your glutes as a woman, or if you’re getting older and more vulnerable to falls, and so on. More muscle mass is even helpful if you want to lose weight, as muscle mass consumes more energy than fat.
Remember that creatine won’t suddenly turn you into a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger. That’s something people often fear when they hear about creatine, but it’s not going to happen just like that.
2. Creatine Increases Strength During Explosive Strength Efforts
In addition to stimulating muscle growth, creatine also increases strength when combined with explosive strength training. This makes creatine an incredibly valuable supplement, not only in the gym but also outside of it. Imagine how useful it would be to have extra strength on a race bike, or when you’re doing heavy lifting around the house, or when you’re carrying your baby and their toys all day. And what about when you live on the fourth floor and have to carry heavy groceries up the stairs twice a week?
Do you see where this is going? Yes, the strength that creatine provides is most apparent in the gym, but the power you build there is applicable in all areas of your life.
3. Creatine Helps Improve Performance During Explosive Strength Efforts
As if stimulating muscle growth and increasing muscle strength weren’t enough, creatine can also improve your performance during strength efforts. This means that not only will you become more muscular and stronger, but you’ll also get more out of your workouts. We’ve talked before about how important it is to make progress, and that’s exactly what creatine helps you with. By being able to do more work in less time, this can make the difference between an average and an excellent result in the long term.
Did you know this can contribute to higher fat burning?
Research on creatine and weight loss isn’t as extensive as research on muscle growth, but there are indications that creatine can indirectly contribute to fat loss. Creatine stimulates muscle growth during explosive strength efforts, which can lead to a higher metabolism. Moreover, improved performance in the gym can lead to more intense workouts, which in turn can contribute to higher calorie expenditure. This demonstrates the link between creatine and fat burning and shows that creatine can help with weight loss.
4. Creatine Use is Safe
A common concern you hear about taking creatine is that it might not be safe. Fortunately, we have good news for you—creatine has been extensively researched and proven to be completely safe. If you stick to a normal dosage of about 5 grams per day, there’s nothing to worry about regarding your health.
You might have heard that creatine is bad for your liver or kidneys. Researchers have indeed found this effect in the past, but it’s important to note a key detail: the individuals who experienced these issues already had impaired function of these organs.
Creatine is not harmful to your liver or kidneys, but if you already have problems with these organs, it could potentially cause issues. In that case, we always recommend consulting a doctor first, but that would be wise with any other supplement as well, not just creatine.
Another concern you might have heard is that creatine causes stomach issues. This seems to occur primarily when taking large doses, such as during a loading phase. In a loading phase, you take 20 grams of creatine per day, spread over 4 doses.
If you find that this causes stomach discomfort or diarrhoea, the solution is simple: just take 5 grams per day and be patient to experience the full effects of creatine. You can read more about the possible creatine disadvantages or studies on side effects here.
5. Creatine Does Not Stop Your Body's Natural Production
You’ve probably heard the claim that creatine is bad for you because it stops your body’s natural production of creatine. Especially when taking creatine for an extended period, it’s sometimes advised to take a break every 8 to 12 weeks. Fortunately, this is a myth. It’s important to understand that creatine is made by the body from a combination of amino acids. These are substances you naturally get from your daily diet, so when you stop taking creatine as a supplement, your body will start producing it again on its own.
Your body can never produce as much creatine as when you take 5 grams per day, and that’s exactly why creatine is so popular. This myth likely arose from comparing creatine to hormones like testosterone. With hormones, it’s true that when your natural production is interrupted, it can take a long time for your body to regulate it again.
However, hormones are entirely different from nutrients like creatine. Hormones are much more complex, and their production depends on many more factors than just your diet. So, don’t worry—taking creatine powder does not stop your body’s natural creatine production.
6. Creatine Monohydrate is Inexpensive
Last but certainly not least, one of the best benefits of creatine: it’s affordable. Creatine monohydrate is the most well-known and widely sold variant. To clarify: without a loading phase, one tub can last you up to 100 days! This means just a few cents per day for one of the most effective supplements you can find. So, cost shouldn’t be a barrier!
Do You Want to Benefit from the Effects of Creatine?
Are you convinced by these fantastic creatine benefits, and is the function of creatine clear to you? Then you’re probably eager to start using creatine and get more out of your workouts. Now that you know what creatine does in your body and how many advantages it offers, you can start taking 5 grams of creatine daily. At XXL Nutrition, you can always buy the best creatine at the best price! Want to learn even more about creatine? Check out the blog 'Creatine: Everything You Need to Know.'
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