Creatine: Your Best Pal For Building Muscle

Creatine is a supplement which I believe everybody should use.

That includes people who are looking to gain muscle, or get stronger, or just generally lead a better quality of life.

There’s so many benefits to it, but there’s also a lot of confusion and concern out there about potential negative effects (Is it safe? Is it like steroids? Is there a maximum dose you can take?), so in this comprehensive article I’m going to be breaking down everything you ever wanted to know about the worlds best-selling bodybuilding supplement: creatine!

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a combination of three amino acids:

Arginine
Glyine
Metionine

Yep, despite all the hype on the packaging which confuses people into believing that it’s some kind of exotic substance or an anabolic steroid, it’s really just a naturally occurring compound which you’re already getting (at least in small amounts) via the protein in your daily diet!

There’s 22 amino acids found in protein and they handle a range of different responsibilities which include better skin, increased energy, muscle repair, etc. The three we’re focusing on here (arginine, glycine, and methionine) make up creatine.

See below:

Arginine	Asparagine	Aspartic Acid	Beta-alanine
Cysteine	Glutamine	Glutamic Acid	Glycine
Histidine	Isoleucine	Leucine	Lysine
Methionine	Phenylalanine	Proline	Serine
Threonine	Tryptophan	Tyrosine	Valine

Why Should We Use It?

Creatine works by enhancing the body’s ATP-PC energy system.

This is one of the body’s three main energy systems, which it taps into depending upon what type of activity is occurring:

ATP-PC
Glycolytic
Oxidative

This particular energy system is used for short bursts of intense exercise typically lasting 10-60 seconds, so think springing, lifting weights, etc.

It’s powered by something called creatine phosphate, which is like rocket fuel for your muscle cells. Unfortunately the body has very limited reserves of this stuff (example; have you ever noticed how hard it is to sprint flat-out for more than 60-seconds?) but the good news is it recovers and replenishes quite fast, with almost 85% of your creatine phosphate reserves replaced in just three minutes of rest.

Now, when we “top up” our body’s supply of creatine phosphate by taking a creatine supplement we simply give it more of this so-called “rocket fuel”, thereby increasing the number of intense short bursts we can do.

Hopefully you’re beginning to see the potential benefits of using a creatine supplement from a gym-based perspective, yes?

How Much More Muscle Can You Build?

Here’s the fun part.

When your body has a higher capacity for intense exercise this inevitably leads to both better performance and better muscle building results.

Also, aside from those benefits, creatine also forces additional water into your muscle cells to give them a fuller, harder appearance. This is why new users tend to see a 5-10lb weight gain in the first month (don’t worry, it’s water not fat!) and the superior hydration of your muscle cells will help you look fucking awesome! (15, 16)

NOTE: Because creatine pushes more water into your muscle cells, it’s important to remember to drink plenty of water each day so you don’t feel dehydrated.

A detailed meta-analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, which looked at every study on creatine from the last 22 years, confirmed that trainees see (on average) an 8% improvement in overall strength and a 14% improvement in the number of reps they can do to failure, as well as seeing a 3%-45% increase to their bench press max and a 16%-45% increase to their barbell squat max. (1)

Holy flaps!

graph showing the strength gains from creatine

graph showing training endurance benefits of creatine

graph showing improvements to bench press and barbell squat one rep max using creatine

What Is The Recommended Dose?

You’ll get the best results with 5 grams per day.

If you regularly train hard (or if you weigh over 200lbs) you can increase this to 10g/day.

Our muscle cells have max threshold so there’s no need to go beyond this point at any time. Also, research shows us that it doesn’t really matter what time of day you consume it. I personally like to mix mine with my post-workout whey protein shake, but you do you. (12)

Is Creatine Dangerous?

No, it’s not dangerous, but I I can understand why people worry about this.

Heck, the first time I returned home from my local gym carrying a tub of suspicious-looking white powder that had bold claims about “an avalanche of muscle gains” my dad nearly slapped my lips clean off my face!

So let me squash your worries here; creatine is a perfectly safe supplement, and it has absolutely no links to anabolic steroids. (2, 3, 4, 5)

However, there may still be side effects if you don’t use it correctly.

For example, you could experience dizziness or muscle cramps as a result of not drinking enough water while using creatine, or you might get the runs if you constantly take more than the recommended daily dose of 5-10g.

Before we move on, I’m often asked by worried parents if their teenagers can use creatine. The answer is YES. During the 1990s researchers from Canada showed that it’s perfectly safe (even at the highest daily dose), although results aren’t quite as great as those which adults see. (6, 7)

Creatine FAQ

Here’s a collection of the most frequently asked questions about creatine.

Q. Can women use creatine?

A. Yes, and the results are the same.

Q. Is creatine safe for teenagers?

A. Yes, as mentioned above.

Q. What is the best type of creatine?

A. I recommend sticking to the original formula, which is creatine monohydrate.

There have been several so-called “more advanced versions” to hit the market over the last few decades but none of them have outperformed the original (despite some of them costing 5x more!). The only new one worth paying attention to is creatine HCL, which is a more expensive formula that can do the same job as monohydrate in a smaller dose, making it a viable option if you experience any digestions issues. (13, 14)

“In terms of increasing lean body mass, creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutrition supplement available.”

– The international Journal Of Sports Nutrition

Q. Which creatine supplement does Russ recommend?

A. I use this one.

Q. Are athletes allowed to take creatine?

A. Yes, creatine is legal in all sports all around the world.

Q. Do I need to “cycle off” creatine?

A. No. This is a myth dating back to the early 90s, when not enough was known about the long-term effects of continuous usage. We now have over 250 studies showing that creatine is safe and most athletes use it all year round. (10, 11)

Q. Is a “loading phase” necessary?

A. No. This is a sales tactics used by supplement brands to make your product run out faster. The theory is that you consuming a higher dose (15-25g) for the first couple of weeks will saturate your muscle cells faster and help you get quicker results, but studies show that you’ll achieve the exact same level of muscle cell saturation with a standard dose of 5-10g, it just takes a little bit longer to get there – and you can do that without experiencing any of the digestion issues normally associated with larger doses. (8, 9)