Creatine is one of the supplements that comes closest to being ‘essential’ and has many benefits, the most important of which being the energy it supplies the muscles with.
Creatine is always stored within the muscles and is used to convert ADP and AMP back in ATP. ATP, or ‘Adenosine Triphosphate’, is the energy source used by all organic creatures. A nucleotide of three phosphates powerfully bonded together, the body then breaks these bonds and uses the resultant energy release to power the muscles and other systems.
Once this process is complete the body is left with ADP or AMP (Adenosine Diphosphate and Adenosine Monophosphate respectively) with just one or two phosphates. Once the store of ATP is depleted (after about three seconds of use) the muscle’s supple of creatine kicks in, which it uses to convert the ADP and AMP back into ATP.
This is known as the ‘phosphogen system’ and will supply the body with about 10-15 seconds more explosive power, after which the aerobic system will kick in. Creatine is found in a selection of foods, notably red meat (so again vegetarians need to search for another source).
However, if you supplement the body with extra creatine, the muscles will soak up more providing them with extra energy. This can be useful for bodybuilders as well as other athletes such as sprinters or swimming and is why the product is so popular.
An added bonus of creatine for bodybuilders is that when the muscles store extra creatine they also store extra water, causing them to swell and get firmer with no extra work on your part. It’s not unusual to gain an extra half an inch after just a few weeks of taking creatine.
When using creatine it’s usual to take it around twice a day mixed with water. However in the first five days or so you will be advised to go through a ‘loading’ phase, taking around five a day to give your muscles a ‘store’ of creatine that you can subsequently ‘top up’. While the effectiveness of loading creatine is disputed, for the small amount it will cost you there’s no real reason not to follow instructions.
