Creatine is a naturally occurring non-protein amino acid that is found in muscle tissue, most commonly in red meat and seafood. It started to rise in popularity in supplement form in the 1990s. In the human body, creatine is combined with a high energy phosphate group to form phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate and then stored in your muscle tissue.
Creatine supplementation is most commonly thought of as a gym supplement that is beneficial to those doing weight training. Let’s focus on the performance aspect of creatine. However, it’s benefits go far beyond just those seen in exercise performance.
Creatine boosts the body’s ability to build muscle
Workout out while taking creating results in significant gain compared with solely doing resistance training. Creatine is among the few legal supplements that can increase muscle mass when it is used along with exercise. Additionally, out of the few legal substances that can do this, creatine is not only the most effective, but also has gained the most scientific support.
Taking creatine as a supplement is very popular among athletes and bodybuilders to gain muscle, increase strength and improve exercise performance. Chemically, there are many similarities with amino acids. Your body can produce it from the amino acids glycine and arginine. About 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in the muscles in the form of phosphocreatine. The other 5% is found in your brain, kidneys, and liver.
Creatine can benefit beginners and advanced weight lifters alike
One study that looked at advanced athletes found that supplementing with creatine added 5.7 lbs of muscle mass, allowing athletes to add 24 lbs to their bicep curl and 70 lbs to their leg press when doing just one rep. Also, a review of over 150 studies found an average increase of 2.2% in lean body mass and a 3.2% decrease in body fat in people supplementing with creatine.
The research has proven that creatine just works. The type you choose depends on your body and digestive tract, but for the biggest bang for your buck and power gains, five grams of the O.G. creatine monohydrate daily is the smart pick for increased power, better endurance, and faster strength gains.
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