A while back, I decided to do a 12 week program focusing on preparing for a pretend physique show because I want to learn. When I learn, I like to share because it helps me remember. I had looked up creatine and many other performance products before and conveniently forgot what I learned. I decided to do a little refreshing of my memory on creatine, and plan to do some digging on BCAAs later. I hope that this post helps you decide whether you want to use creatine as a supplement in your nutrition plan.

Creatine is produced in our body using the amino acids glycine and arginine. You can find glycine in beans, asparagus, and of course spinach, Popeye! Arginine can be found in nuts and seeds, beans, and seaweed. If you are eating meats, you are getting creatine from what the animal produced. 

Creatine helps your body generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP, an energy storage and transfer unit) from adenosine diphosophate (ADP, a high energy compound found in cells) to help maintain high intensity exercise for about 10 seconds. 

Using creatine in supplement form with a strength building program has shown to increase muscle strength and mass, along with anaerobic performance. Anaerobic activity is an exercise that doesn’t use oxygen as it’s energy source, something with short bursts, like weight lifting or sprints. Studies have shown a 1-2% increase in strength or speed while taking creatine and using the appropriate training. Like any other sports nutrition supplement, you have to put in the work to see the results too. Men tend to see better results with creatine than women. Also, people who aren’t eating meat tend to have a greater response to creatine supplementation.

When taking creatine they recommend that you take a dose of around 20g a day to help build up the supply in your body. After a week of build up, they recommend the dosing to be between 2-5g a day. The first week of taking creatine may cause 4-5 pounds of weight gain. That is the result of water build up in the muscles. After that initial week is when it levels out and you, hopefully, start seeing the results you are aiming for. Taking creatine paired with carbohydrates enhances the uptake of creatine, like pairing iron with vitamin c, they work better together.

It’s not known what the long term side effects of using creatine are. Some people complain of headaches, abdominal cramps, and muscle cramps while using creatine. Taking the regular dose of 2-5g can also result in a urinary concentration 90% higher than normal, which could mean damage to the kidneys if used long term. It is recommended that anyone with kidney problems should take creatine after speaking with a doctor.

After becoming informed, again, I decided to use creatine through my 12 week program. I can’t say that I saw significant results from using the creatine, but it definitely made my bladder more active. Diabetes runs in my family, and due to the possibility of kidney issues, I don’t want to push my luck using it long term, if at all anymore. BUT, you do you boo! <3