Creatine is, without a doubt, one of the most popular supplements touted by bros on the market today (at least that one can legally use). Bodybuilders and other athletes use it to improve work capacity and increase size. In fact, Froiland et. al. found that about 37% of NCAA athletes take creatine. Before you start scooping heaps of creatine into your protein shakes, however, it's important to know how it works, and also what it does and doesn't do.
There are seven different types of creatine supplements: creatine monohydrate (the most popular form), tri-creatine malate, micronized creatine, liquid creatine, conjugated creatine, buffered creatine, and ethyl ester. For the purposes of brevity of this article, though, I will only discuss creatine monohydrate supplementation.
Naturally produced in your liver, pancreas, and kidneys, creatine is transported to your muscles through the bloodstream. Creatine is also sourced from meat and fish, or, obviously, supplementation. Along with a compound known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), phosphocreatine is the primary energy source for all anaerobic activity (shorter activities that don't require much oxygen).
With creatine supplementation, you have more ATP-PC stores, and, thus, you're able to improve your work capacity! Creatine is effectively giving you that extra "boost" in your workout, so if you were only able to perform 4 repetitions on your bench press at a given weight, using creatine supplements, you'll ideally be able to do 6 or more repetitions. In summary, creatine isn't a miracle supplement that you take and wake up looking like Arnold and lifting like Mark Henry, but, rather, it's aiding you in getting more work done than you would've been able to do otherwise. An increased work capacity allows you to increase volume (repetitions) at a designated intensity (weight), which can result in an increase in muscle mass and strength as a byproduct.
What does the research show?
For one, Rawson et. al. noted that weightlifting performance and muscle hypertrophy increased considerably in subjects using creatine:
Although there is considerable variability in the increase in muscle strength and weightlifting performance in subjects ingesting creatine during resistance training, subjects ingesting creatine experience on average an 8% greater increase in muscle strength (20 vs. 12%) and a 14% greater increase in weightlifting performance (26 vs. 12%). Additionally, untrained subjects experienced a larger increase in muscle strength following creatine supplementation plus resistance training than trained subjects (31 vs. 14%).They both reviewed 22 different studies on the supplement, and those were there collective conclusions. The review also considered possible gender disparities, and didn't find a substantial difference in response between men and women:
One group has reported that men and women experience similar improvements in exercise performance following creatine supplementation (51), but that women show a lesser increase in lean body mass (32) and no reduction in protein breakdown (34) following creatine supplementation compared with men.In another study, Becque and his colleagues tested 23 male subjects with one or more years of training experience. The experimental group ingested 5 g of creatine, while the control group ingested a placebo drink with sucrose. One of the most interesting findings of the study was that "body mass was significantly greater for [the creatine group] than [the] placebo [group] at pretest and post-test." The experimental group also noted a larger increase in arm flexor (biceps brachii) strength than did the control group.
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Similarly, Volek tested 19 resistance-trained men over the course of 12 weeks. Towards the end of the study (weeks 5-8), the experimental (creatine) group performed more volume in the bench press than their control counterparts did. There were no noticeable differences in squat volume. The 1 repetition maximums for all subjects, but more significantly in the creatine supplemented subjects on both the squat and the bench press. The creatine subjects saw a larger increase in lean muscle mass, as well (5.8 kg versus 1.3 kg in the placebo group).
With those things in mind, here are a few final points:
- For optimal digestion of a creatine monohydrate powder, mix it with fruit juice, as it has been shown to increase absorption.
- The use of loading phases are often disputed. It is unlikely that it is necessary. So long as you're getting around 3-5 grams per day, you should still reap the massive benefits of creatine monohydrate.
- Timing doesn't seem to matter much, either. Studies have found benefits to both pre and post-workout consumption. Unfortunately, no study to date has compared the efficacy of pre and post-workout creatine intake.
- Studies have indicated that creatine may cause gastrointestinal distress in some, so that's an important side effect to consider.
- Despite myths indicating the contrary, creatine has not been linked to liver or kidney problems in the short term or the long term.
If you want to do some more reading into these studies, I've listed them in the works cited below. Overall, the majority of the literature seems to lean in favor of creatine for both hypertrophy and for strength gains. In fact, it's tough to find studies that contradict those findings.
With supplements, it's always a good idea to experiment and see what works best for you. I've tried a number of different products on the market, and I'm constantly making adjustments accordingly. Creatine monohydrate just may be the missing link in your training plateau!
- Becque, M. Daniel, John D. Lochmann, and Donald R. Melrose. "Effects of Oral Creatine Supplementation on Muscular Strength and Body Composition." Physical Fitness and Performance (2000): 654-58. Web.
- Froiland, Kathryn, Wanda Koszewski, Joshua Hingst, and Lisa Kopecky. "Nutritional Supplement Use among College Athletes and Their Sources of Information." International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 14.1 (2004): 104-20. Web.
- Ostojic, Sergej, and Zlatko Ahmetovic. "Gastrointestinal Distress After Creatine Supplementation in Athletes: Are Side Effects Dose Dependent?" GSPM Res. in Sports Med. Research in Sports Medicine 16.1 (2008): 15-22. Web.
- Poortmans, Jaques R., and Marc Francaux. "Adverse Effects of Creatine Supplementation." Sports Medicine 30.3 (2000): 155-70. Web.
- Rawson, Eric S., and Jeff S. Volek. "Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Weightlifting Performance." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2003): 822-31. Web.
- Volek, Jeff S., et al. "Performance and Muscle Fiber Adaptations to Creatine Supplementation and Heavy Resistance Training." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 31 (1999): 1147-1156.
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