SummaryĬreatine gives your muscles more energy and leads to changes in cell function that increase muscle growth.Įffects on strength and exercise performanceĬreatine can also improve strength, power and high-intensity exercise performance. Supplementing with creatine can reduce these levels, increasing growth potential ( 20).Ĭreatine supplements also increase phosphocreatine stores in your brain, which may improve brain health and prevent neurological disease ( 3, 21, 22, 23, 24).

Lower myostatin levels: Elevated levels of the protein myostatin can slow or totally inhibit new muscle growth.

Reduced protein breakdown: May increase total muscle mass by reducing muscle breakdown ( 19).

Increased cell hydration: Lifts water content within your muscle cells, which causes a cell volumization effect that may play a role in muscle growth ( 17, 18).

Raised anabolic hormones: Studies note a rise in hormones, such as IGF-1, after taking creatine ( 14, 15, 16).

Improved cell signaling: Can increase satellite cell signaling, which aids muscle repair and new muscle growth ( 13).

Boosted workload: Enables more total work or volume in a single training session, which is a key factor in long-term muscle growth ( 12).

The additional stores can then be used to produce more ATP, which is the key energy source for heavy lifting and high-intensity exercise ( 10, 11).Ĭreatine also helps you gain muscle in the following ways: In high-intensity exercise, its primary role is to increase the phosphocreatine stores in your muscles. It is commonly taken as a supplement.Ĭreatine can improve health and athletic performance in several ways. SummaryĬreatine is a substance found naturally in your body - particularly in muscle cells. When you have more ATP, your body can perform better during exercise ( 9).Ĭreatine also alters several cellular processes that lead to increased muscle mass, strength and recovery ( 1, 2). This is a form of stored energy in the cells, as it helps your body produce more of a high-energy molecule called ATP.ĪTP is often called the body’s energy currency. When you supplement, you increase your stores of phosphocreatine.

The other 5% is found in your brain, kidneys and liver ( 9). Several factors affect your body’s creatine stores, including meat intake, exercise, amount of muscle mass and levels of hormones like testosterone and IGF-1 ( 9).Ībout 95% of your body’s creatine is stored in muscles in the form of phosphocreatine. Your body can produce it from the amino acids glycine and arginine. Taking creatine as a supplement is very popular among athletes and bodybuilders in order to gain muscle, enhance strength and improve exercise performance ( 1).Ĭhemically speaking, it shares many similarities with amino acids. It helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells.

Biology for bodybuilders