Talking Creatine

For as long as I can remember, creatine has been one of the most misunderstood supplements. Most of the concern, though, rests in myth or EXTREME cases. Point blank – your athlete can most likely benefit from creatine.

Creatine is most well known as a powdered supplement that you can take in water. What most people don’t know is that creatine actually exists within your body already. Yeah you read that right. Creatine, whether you are supplementing it or not, is a natural product made by your body and exists mostly within the muscle cells.

The job of creatine is fairly simple. It acts as a buffer to fatigue from high intensity exercise.

Example 1: Two athletes are tasked with running 10 sprints. Everything is equal, but athlete A is supplementing with creatine. Athlete B starts to feel fatigued by sprint #6, Athlete A may not feel the fatigue set in until #9

Example 2: Your workout calls for 4 sets of 10 pushups. You normally start to feel the muscles tiring by the end of set 2. After creatine supplementation, you notice that you can get through set 3 without feeling the muscles start to tire.

The creatine allows for more high quality work, for longer durations which usually results in better adaptaions or improved results.

As stated earlier, there has always been some doubt that shadows creatine. This doubt largely stems from two issues: “it’s bad for the kidneys” and it causes weight gain/bloating. Let’s address these concerns.

1. It’s bad for kidneys: In 2023, a review confirmed that creatine use is safe for most healthy adults and does not cause damage to kidneys. It has been suggested that kidney symptoms are likely to have been a result of excessive creatine intake as well as compounding factors such as intense exercise plans and the presence of steroids
2. It causes weight gain/bloating: While creatine can cause water retention, this is most commonly seen with individuals who undergo a “loading” phase of 20 grams per day. Most individuals can see results with as little as 5 grams (about a spoonful) per day and avoid any bloating or discomfort.

In general, most healthy athletes can see a benefit from taking 5 grams of creatine per day. It’s not something to be feared, and can actually be a great boost for performance or sport.

Alex Williams