Making the most of the top Muscle Mass Building Health supplement: The use of Creatine

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by: AviMarents
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Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2011 Time: 4:50 PM
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Through my many years of supplement use and research, I have come to the conclusion that creatine truly is the best muscle building supplement. Additionally, there are a lot of experts and scientific studies that have backed up the creatine benefits that so many body builders have been talking about. In fact, Brad Pilon analyzed many such studies in How Much Protein and concluded creatine resulted in more muscle gains than protein consumption. You can increase your muscle growth and volume, get a much higher intensity performance during exercise and increase strength just by using a creatine supplement.

The substance known as creatine is a naturally occurring element of human skeletal musculature. It can most commonly be found in foods such as fish and meat. When creatine is ingested it starts to work by increasing the availability of ATP in the body, which increases the energy levels within the muscles. The increased ATP provides an extra kick during repeated bouts of intense exercise which helps the body build more muscle.


While creatine does help growth in muscle fibers due to the ability to lift heavier and more intensely, it primarily results in muscle volumization. Water retention is the true reason for increased muscle volume. The muscles attract and retain water when they become saturated with the creatine, which makes the muscles look much fuller. Most people will gain somewhere between 5-10 pounds in the first 30-days due to muscle water retention after they start taking a creatine supplement. While this growth isn't a true growth of lean muscle, the gain itself is fat free. Unfortunately, if you were to quit taking creatine for a month or more, the increased volume would disappear. Any gains that you make, however, in muscle fibers or overall muscle strength will not go away.

The great thing about creatine is that it has been extensively studied and no major side effects have been found. That being said, there are some minor considerations. One potential drawback is that your weight will increase due to water retention. Certain physically active individuals will find this to be a troubling consequence. Gastrointestinal issues including nausea and stomach cramps can also be a problem. Dehydration is also a problem. The problems with dehydration and gastrointestinal issues are solved in most cases by consuming enough fluids while taking the creatine supplement.

Other adverse reactions include a potential for problems with the kidneys. This is only an issue in cases of creatine abuse when a person either takes a dosage that is too high over a long period of time. However, if you have been prescribed any other medications for any other conditions, particularly high blood pressure, speak with your doctor to ensure that a creatine supplement will not conflict with your prescriptions.

The majority of creatine supplements suggest a dosage of 20 grams during the initial 4 or 5 days. This is what experts refer to as loading. The theory is that you saturate your muscles with creatine as rapidly as possible. But, by the end of the first month, you will not see an outcome that drastically differs from what you might observe after taking just the 5 gram daily maintenance dose. What you will see is a jump in your initial results if you do the loading process. An important thing to know as far as side effects go is that if you take too much creatine in a short amount of time and do not ingest enough fluids, you are much more likely to experience an upset stomach or other problems.

Certain individuals believe that creatine should be taken prior to exercise, due to its ability to aid in strength building. Unfortunately, most of the studies that have been conducted show that after a workout is when creatine is the most effective. Dehydration is another big worry associated with taking creatine before a workout. The human body is most able to facilitate creatine absorption in the aftermath of exercise. It is not uncommon for people to recommend ingesting creatine along with a beverage high on the glycemic index, such as fruit juice, though my personal experience indicates that taking it with water is perfectly sufficient. You shouldn't add sugar to your diet unless you are using it as some kind of a nutritional source following your regular workout. Creatine can be taken at any time on the days that you aren't working out.

If you want to increase the strength and size of your muscles, look no further than creatine. Creatine benefits are well documented and side effects are limited. When choosing what type of creatine to use, a 100% pure micronized creatine monohydrate such as Optimum Nutrition is your best choice. Mix it with water or a high GI drink. Whether you load or don't load, over the long run, you'll still receive all the benefits of creatine. If you use it properly, creatine can be the best muscle building supplement, adding as much as 5-10 pounds of fat free muscle.

About the Author

About the author: Dave gives no-nonsense "best of the best" dieting and exercise ideas to lose belly fat and also get lean, defined muscles with out spending hours in the health and fitness center. There's no point in using a bodybuilder regimen to obtain a fitness model physique. These are Not Your Average Fitness Tips. Read more about best muscle building supplement and get a low fat, athletic physical appearance in no time.