Why Is Creatine So Popular? When you look at creatine monohydrate supplements, you’ll find that most users will agree: they work, and they work spectacularly! Creatine monohydrate took the supplement world by storm back in the early 1990’s and has since become one of, if not the, most popular supplements to ever hit the market. In this article we’ll take a look at what it is, its history, its use in bodybuilding, and answer some basic questions. There’s no reason to wait, so let’s get started!
What Is Creatine?
Creatine occurs naturally in meats and fish and is synthesized by the liver, pancreas, and kidney. It’s produced from the amino acids methionine, arginine, and glycine. (1)
A Brief Look At The History Of Creatine
Creatine was originally discovered in 1835 by a French scientist named Chevreul. He chose to name it after the Greek word “kreas”, meaning “flesh”. In 1847 creatine was determined to have an effect on muscle tissue. Later, in 1922, human studies from 1910 were reviewed by the scientist Andrew Hunter. In these studies, human test subjects were “loading” creatine by taking up to 20 grams per day for 6 days.
Fast forward to 1926, and a scientist named Chanutin detailed case studies where human test subjects also loaded creatine, this time taking it 4 times a day for 10 days. Then in the ’70s, researchers thought insulin might be involved in the uptake of creatine, this was determined yet again in 1992 by Harris.
Creatine Monohydrate – The Supplement That Changed Everything
In 1993 creatine monohydrate was introduced as a supplement by the new company EAS (Experimental and Applied Sciences): this product was the revolutionary “Phosphagen”. This product changed everything. Its introduction was largely because of one man: Ed Byrd. Mr. Byrd was an EAS co-founder and the man who gave us NO2 in 2002.
Creatine monohydrate was not an easy sell. That’s because the popular supplements at that time were the super high calorie weight gainers. You know, those huge dog food-bags and buckets. Since creatine does not contain any calories, trying to pitch a supplement like that to companies known for 2000-4000 calorie weight gainers was impossible.
All the big supplement companies of the day missed the potential. That’s why EAS was formed, and it provided a launching pad for creatine. Of course, once it hit and took over the market, all those companies that originally said “no” jumped on the bandwagon real quick. Since then it has proven to be one of, if not the, most effective supplements ever produced. (2, 3, 4)
Why Is Creatine So Popular?
Creatine is immensely popular. When a supplement becomes this popular there are usually a few reasons why. First, the supplement industry ultimately did a great job marketing the product. Second, the supplement is very effective. Third, the supplement’s popularity is most likely due to a combination of the first two – great marketing and effective benefits. This approach can be applied to any supplement, not just creatine monohydrate.
How To Use Creatine Monohydrate
It should be noted that there are quite a few versions of creatine currently available. The primary difference among them is that the makers of other versions besides monohydrate, and “advanced” versions based on monohydrate, have improved absorption. In addition, many of these other versions require a smaller dose with no “loading”. That said, the instructions below are for creatine monohydrate only.
Method 1: Loading Phase/Daily Maintenance Dose
When creatine first came out, it was suggested to load creatine by taking 4-5 doses of 5 grams per dose per day for 5-7 days with apple or grape juice. Why juice? The sugar helped the creatine absorb.
So, after your loading phase, you could take a single 5 gram dose once a day. Currently, this method has been updated. It now is based on a body weight-based dosage for the loading phase. Here’s the formula: 0.3g/kg body weight.
This method allows for rapid saturation. While, as noted, original use required creatine to be taken with fruit juice, you can now take it with any beverage.
Method 2: Low Daily Dose
Taking a single 5 gram dose every day is the best way to bypass the inconvenience of loading. However, using this approach means it takes several weeks longer for creatine to saturate your muscles.
The Benefits Of Creatine
Creatine has several benefits. The first is it pulls water into your muscles. This is also known as cell volumizing or water-based pumps. Creatine monohydrate was the first cell volumizer and created an entirely new supplement category. Fast forward to right now, and you will find several cell volumizing ingredients along with nitric oxide boosters in most pre-workouts or stim-free pump boosters.
Creatine is also heavily involved in the manufacture of ATP. In fact, it occurs naturally as “creatine phosphate” for this purpose. In addition, It’s also believed to be important for recovery because it supports post-workout glycogen replenishment. Also, it’s involved in muscle growth due to its cell volumization benefits, and is believed to stimulate protein synthesis. Finally, recent research suggests creatine may promote overall cognitive health and function. (5, 6, 7)
A Closer Look At Creatine And ATP
For me, the big thing about creatine is the cell volumization effects. Still, many sources focus more on its impact on ATP production. Of course, we know that ATP is the immediate energy source for muscle cells. This is true for both high and low-intensity activity.
As noted, the muscles store creatine naturally as creatine phosphate, and it functions as a part of the ATP-CP system of energy. The ATP-CP System is also called the Phosphagen System (hence the name of the original). The Phosphagen System is used for shorter duration forms of exercise. This includes intense bodybuilding training.
Skeletal muscle needs creatine. That’s because the muscle cells contain as much as 6 times more creatine phosphate as they do ATP. The thing about ATP is that it takes less than a second for the body to burn its reserve of this compound. That means your endurance is effectively over. Ah, but this is where creatine phosphate comes in. Your muscles have a reserve of creatine phosphate and will quickly convert it to usable ATP. However, this will power a maximum effort for only 3 to 15 seconds. (8)
FAQs
Does Creatine Need To Be Cycled?
There is no reason to cycle creatine, yet many users do. That’s because some users feel that constant use builds up a tolerance to creatine’s effects. The thinking goes, if you cycle off for 4-6 weeks, you’ll experience better results when you come back on. I suggest experimenting with cycling and see if it works for you.
How Soon Will I See Results?
If you are working out hard, most lifters see positive results from creatine within the first month. If you do not see any results, and you are using a quality creatine supplement, you may not be a responder to creatine. Some people have a high baseline level of creatine. This means that supplementing does not do anything. If you do not see results – creatine supplementation may not be the best choice for you.
When Should I Take Creatine?
The current thinking is that you can take creatine anytime. However, that depends on if you’re loading or in a maintenance phase. When you load, you should divide your doses up evenly over the day. Once you are past that, I suggest taking it pre-workout. I suggest using it as a stand-alone supplement, and take it on off days around the same time as training days.
As a side note, since creatine pulls water in your muscles, it makes sense to drink plenty of water while using it.
Is Creatine A Steroid?
In a word, no. This is a common misconception among those who have no understanding of what creatine is or what it does. Yet, that doesn’t stop some individuals from jumping on the “steroid” bandwagon. The biggest debunk I can think of is that steroids are illegal, yet you can buy creatine in Walmart. Somehow I don’t think Walmart sells steroids.
Summary
It’s clear, creatine monohydrate is here to stay! It’s a powerful compound that has been tested and proven effective over and over again. If your goal is more muscle mass and you aren’t using creatine, it’s time to start! So stop by illpumpyouup.com and get yours today!
References:
- https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/creatine
- Hunter A. The physiology of creatine and creatinine. Physiological Reviews 2:580-626, 1922
- Chanutin A. The fate of creatine when administered to man. Journal of Biological Chemistry 67:29-41, 1926
- Harris RC, Soderland K & Hultman E. Elevation of creatine in resting and elevated muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clinical Science 83:367-374,1992
- Nelson, A. G., Arnall, D. A., Kokkonen, J., Day, R., & Evans, J. (2001). Muscle glycogen supercompensation is enhanced by prior creatine supplementation. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(7), 1096–1100. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200107000-00005
- Ingwall, J. S., Weiner, C. D., Morales, M. F., Davis, E., & Stockdale, F. E. (1974). Specificity of creatine in the control of muscle protein synthesis. The Journal of cell biology, 62(1), 145–151. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.62.1.145
- Avgerinos, K. I., Spyrou, N., Bougioukas, K. I., & Kapogiannis, D. (2018). Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Experimental gerontology, 108, 166–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013
- https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/sports-physiology3.htm