The Best Muscle Building Supplement: Discover the Benefits of Creatine

I’ve used my fair share of supplements over the years and I’m convinced that creatine is the best muscle building supplement. Having made that observation, however, it should be noted that my personal opinion is of little importance compared to the voluminous research indicating the innumerable creatine benefits. Even when comparing other studies such as “How Much Protein”, Brad Pilon discovered that creatine was much more successful than protein for muscle building. By supplementing with creatine, you can increase strength, increase higher intensity exercise performance, and increase muscle volume and growth.

The substance known as creatine is a naturally occurring element of human skeletal musculature. The most prevalent sources of ingested creatine are meat and fish. Once it is ingested, creatine travels to human muscles and raises their energy stores by making ATP more accessible. 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. Fluid retention is what is responsible for the increased muscle volume. As muscles become saturated with creatine, they attract and retain water giving the muscles a fuller appearance. 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 such gains do not equate to actual additions of lean muscle, they do not indicate the acquisition of additional fat. Unfortunately, if you cease taking the creatine supplements for a month or so, the visible volume gains will fade away. But, the gains you have made in muscle strength and fiber will be retained.

The great thing about creatine is that it has been extensively studied and no major side effects have been found. There are a few minor issues to consider, however. It is possible that you will gain excess weight because of all of the fluid retention you will experience. Certain physically active individuals will find this to be a troubling consequence. Gastrointestinal issues including nausea and stomach cramps can also be a problem. Another issue that some people experience is dehydration. All of the aforementioned issues can be effectively addressed by ingesting sufficient amounts of liquid while using creatine supplements.

A more adverse potential side effect is kidney problems. Such a development can occur if too much creatine is taken for an abnormally lengthy period of time. Lastly, I suggest that you consult with a physician if you regularly take additional drugs, in order to be certain that creatine does not interfere with their function, particularly in the case of blood pressure medications.

The majority of creatine supplements suggest a dosage of 20 grams during the initial 4 or 5 days. Such a dosage represents the concept of loading. The idea is to fully and quickly douse the muscle tissue with creatine. Loading usually occurs during the first 30 days, however the end results won’t be any different than if you had stayed on the maintenance level of 5 grams a day. The only distinction is that if you engage in loading, you will notice bodily changes more rapidly. 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.

Some people think it makes sense to have creatine before doing your best workout because of the aforementioned strength building qualities. Unfortunately, most of the studies that have been conducted show that after a workout is when creatine is the most effective. Another problem with ingesting your creatine supplements prior to exercising is the fact that dehydration may result. The human body is most able to facilitate creatine absorption in the aftermath of exercise. Some tout the benefits of taking creatine with a high glycemic liquid like grape juice, but simply mixing with water works just fine in my experience. Don’t go out of your way to ingest extra sugar unless it happens to be part of your post workout nutrition. Creatine can be taken at any time on the days that you aren’t working out.

Anyone hoping to gain muscle size and strength ought to consider creatine. The positive effects and benefits of creatine supplementation are widely known and there are few, if any, potential side effects. I would recommend using 100% pure micronized creatine monohydrate (I like Optimum Nutrition). The creatine can be mixed in with either a high GI drink or plain water. You will receive all of the benefits of creatine whether you decide to load in the beginning or not. When properly employed, creatine represents the best muscle building supplement around, and has the ability to assist you in gaining 5-10 pounds of muscle without adding extra fat.

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