Helps muscle cells produce more energy : Creatine supplements increase your muscles’ phosphocreatine stores. Phosphocreatine aids the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the key molecule your cells use for energy and all basic life functions. During exercise, ATP is broken down to produce energy. The rate of ATP resynthesis limits your ability to continually perform at maximum intensity, as you use ATP faster than you reproduce it. Creatine supplements increase your phosphocreatine stores, allowing you to produce more ATP energy to fuel your muscles during high-intensity exercise. This is the primary mechanism behind creatine’s performance-enhancing effects.
Supports many other functions in muscles : Creatine is a popular and effective supplement for adding muscle mass. It can alter numerous cellular pathways that lead to new muscle growth. For example, it boosts the formation of proteins that create new muscle fibers. It can also raise levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that promotes increases in muscle mass. What’s more, creatine supplements can increase the water content of your muscles. This is known as cell volumization and can quickly increase muscle size. Additionally, some research indicates that creatine decreases levels of myostatin, a molecule responsible for stunting muscle growth. Reducing myostatin can help you build muscle faster.
Speeds muscle growth : Creatine is the world’s most effective supplement for adding muscle mass. Taking it for as few as 5–7 days has been shown to significantly increase lean body weight and muscle size. This initial rise is caused by increases in the water content of your muscles. Over the long term, it also aids in muscle fiber growth by signaling key biological pathways and boosting gym performance. In one study of a 6-week training regimen, participants who used creatine added 4.4 pounds (2 kg) more muscle mass, on average, than the control group. Similarly, a comprehensive review demonstrated a clear increase in muscle mass among those taking creatine, compared with those performing the same training regimen without creatine. This review also compared the world’s most popular sports supplements and concluded that creatine is the best one available. Its advantages include being less expensive and far safer than most other sports supplements.
Safe and easy to use: Along with creatine’s diverse benefits, it’s one of the cheapest and safest supplements available. You can find a wide selection online. It has been researched for more than 200 years, and numerous studies support its safety for long-term use. Clinical trials lasting up to 5 years report no adverse effects in healthy individuals. What’s more, supplementing is very easy — simply take 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate powder per day.
