However, improvements in cell communication can have an impact on muscle repair and growth. I personally picture a little cell crying out “help me, I’m broken” when thinking about cell signaling. Creatine has been shown to increase satellite cell signaling, which helps your body communicate its “needs” better. Creatine has a boatload of other benefits too: If you’re looking to improve physically, being able to achieve one more rep or just a few more seconds of a sprint can be critical.
Normally you slow down your sprint at 10 seconds, but now you keep going until 12. Instead of stopping at 10 reps because of exhaustion, perhaps you can squeeze out that 11th rep if you are storing more creatine. If you can produce more energy for more intense exercises, you can workout harder. This is generally why people supplement with creatine. One such study found that supplementing with creatine for 28 days allowed users to increase their bike sprint by 15% and bench press performance by 6%. There is good evidence to suggest that creatine supplementation does, in fact, allow for longer periods of intense exercise by helping to produce more ATP. We’ll talk about dosage and absorption rates shortly. Granted, there’s a point where your muscles become saturated with creatine and your body can’t hold anymore. The more creatine you have in your muscles, the longer you should be able to sprint at max effort (or lift heavy, etc.). The more creatine you consume, the more will be found in your muscles. This means the more creatine you have stored in your muscles, the longer you can utilize the phosphagen system – short and intense energy – to produce ATP. Why I bring all of this up: your body can quickly convert creatine to ATP (in seconds). I get it, there’s a LOT more to it than that (The three systems often blend into each other, so it’s not so clear cut). You can think of endurance activities for this stage. Greater than 2 minutes, ATP is replenished with oxygen and glucose. 30 seconds to 2 minutes, for activities like swimming a few laps, ATP is replenished with glycogen found in your muscles. Less than 10 seconds, for exercises like short sprints or heavy lifting, ATP is replenished with creatine phosphate stored in muscle tissue. You just plain run out of juice, or ATP.ĭepending on how you are exercising, your body will replenish its ATP through one of three ways: It’s why people can only sprint at 100% maximum effort for a short amount of time. With intense enough exercise, you’ll use more ATP than your body can produce. Sort of like “Mana” in World of Warcraft or Magic: The Gathering, ATP is a fuel tank for doing awesome things like running, doing pull-ups, or summoning lighting.īut much like “Mana,” ATP can be replenished only so quickly by your body. Science time! To discuss supplementing creatine with any justice, we need to talk about ATP.Īll cells rely on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for energy. What Does Creatine Do? (An Introduction to ATP) Why should you care? What does creatine do, exactly? The more creatine you consume – whether through nutrition or supplementation – the more will be found in your muscles. The reason people supplement with creatine: It’s one of the more popular supplements taken, and in fact, is THE most popular supplement taken amongst college athletes. Outside of diet, people often supplement with creatine. Red meat in particular (beef, lamb, bison), has the highest levels of dietary creatine. So if you eat meat, you are getting extra creatine in your diet. We also obtain it from certain foods, because all vertebrate animals contain creatine in their muscles. Our bodies naturally produce creatine in our liver, pancreas, and kidneys. 
Or like an extra energy tank in Metroid or Mega Man. Think of creatine as an energy reserve your body taps into when it needs a boost. Right now you have creatine, specifically creatine phosphate, in your body. It’s a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in!Ĭreatine is a naturally occurring substance found in muscle tissue.
Should I supplement with creatine? (Next steps).What is the best creatine to take? (Brand recommendations).Is taking creatine safe? (Is creatine bad for your kidneys?).What does creatine do? (An introduction to ATP).Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide : Should you take creatine? If so, when and how much? Let our coaches help you decide! We weigh the pros and cons of different supplements as part of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, so you’ve come to the right place to get the lowdown on taking creatine. Perhaps you’re wondering : what exactly does creatine do? Should I take creatine to get strong? You’re here to learn about supplementing with creatine.
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