I get a lot of emails about the supplement creatine. It's usually people asking the same few questions... what is creatine, what does it do, how and when should it be taken, does it really work, how safe is it, are there any side effects, and what brand and type is the best? Well, if you've ever asked any of these questions, you're in luck. I'm now going to answer every single one of them.

What is creatine, and what does it do?

Creatine, which is naturally found in red meat and certain types of fish, is produced naturally by the human body for the purpose of suppling energy to muscle and nerve cells. Of course, it's the "muscle" part of that description that is the reason creatine supplements exist. In the most basic sense, a creatine supplement will help increase the amount of energy your muscles have. While it is used as a muscle building supplement, it doesn't just magically "build muscle." It works like this. Creatine will increase the energy your muscles have. This will increase the amount of work they will be able to do. The more work your muscles can do, the more weight you'll be able to lift and the more reps you'll be able to lift them for. It's THIS that leads to muscle being built. In fact, progressive weight training and a proper diet is the only thing that actually builds muscle. A creatine supplement just helps this process along.

Does creatine really work?

Yes, for the majority of the people who take it, it does indeed work. Of course, there are certain people who take it and notice no difference at all. They are referred to as the "non-responders." The best explanation for these "non-responders" is that these are just people who happen to have naturally high creatine levels in their bodies already, either because their body naturally produces an above average amount of it, or possibly because they eat a diet very high in red meat (which as I mentioned before naturally contains a small amount of creatine). Of course, it could be a combination of both as well. However, for most people creatine does indeed work.

Are creatine supplements safe? Are there any side effects?

Creatine supplements have been around now for quite a while (since the mid 90's) and they have been studied quite a bit. The results of all of these studies are pretty much exactly the same... creatine is safe for the average healthy adult. What that means is, if you already have some sort of preexisting health problem (like some type of actual medical kidney issue, for example), creatine may not be safe for you and you should definitely check with your doctor before taking it. However, in the typical healthy adult (male or female), there have been no studies that have shown any significant side effects.

Of course, some very mild creatine side effects have been reported. Specifically, upset stomachs and muscle cramps. The thing is, these side effects are caused by improper creatine use and can easily be avoided. The 2 biggest causes of these side effects are not drinking enough water, and just taking too much creatine.

How do you avoid these mild side effects? Uh, it's not rocket science. Drink plenty of water (between half a gallon and 1 full gallon a day is good for most people) and don't take idiotic amounts of creatine (more on that below). Simple.

How much creatine should I take?

I'll keep this short and to the point. You should take 5 grams of creatine per day. That's it, no more than that. I know... most creatine supplements tell you creatine needs to be loaded and that you should take 20 grams per day for the first week, and 5-10 grams per day after that. This is stupid, and is what causes the mild stomach related side effects mentioned above. Instead, take 5 grams per day for the first week, and the same 5 grams per day from that point on. Your body isn't capable of using anymore than that... so any extra you take will at best just go to waste in your body, and at worst be the cause of an upset stomach.

The only other thing I'll mention is that by the skipping the high dose loading phase (and thus avoiding the side effects), it will probably take about 1 month (20-30 days or so) before you start to notice it working. No big deal.

When should it be taken?

On the days you workout, you should take it with your post workout meal (the meal directly after your workout). As I've mentioned before in my Post Workout Meal article, the ideal post workout meal is a shake consisting of whey protein, dextrose and water. You should add 5 grams of creatine to this shake. Just throw it all into a shaker bottle (absolutely no need for a blender), add water after your workout, and shake. It mixes within seconds and is ready to drink.

On the days you don't workout, take your 5 grams of creatine any time you want. It really doesn't matter when you take it on non-workout days. Whenever you remember to is fine.

What type of creatine is the best? Which supplement brand is the best?

I'll make this one even more short and to the point. The only type of supplement you are looking for here is "Creatine Monohydrate." That's it. You don't want a flavored version, you don't want a chewable or capsule version, you don't want a version that is mixed with 100 other supplements and other nonsense that just makes it more expensive, and you don't want any other fancy form of creatine. You just want plain old creatine monohydrate and absolutely nothing more. If it happens to mention the word "micronized" somewhere, that's fine too. Micronized just means it will mix a bit easier.

As for which brand is the best, most that fit the above guidelines will be fine, although the quality of some may be a bit better than others. Don't worry, I'll save you the time and effort of looking. I use and fully recommend Optimum Nutrition's Micronized Creatine Powder. It's made with "creapure," which is a type of creatine widely regarded in the supplement industry as the highest quality creatine monohydrate around.

As for the price, I order from right here and definitely recommend you do as well. You can get a 2000 gram bottle of Optimum Nutrition's Micronized Creatine Powder for just $37.95. Think about that for a second... 2000 grams. At 5 grams per day, this one bottle would last you 400 days. That's over a 1 year supply of creatine monohydrate for $37.95. You can't do much better than that.

Well, that's pretty much everything. Hopefully this article has helped end your creatine confusion.

Questions, comments or feedback? Feel free to e-mail me at:
IntenseWorkout@gmail.com

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