Creatine benefits in laymans terms please!

[swimbody]

Hello everyone,

I am just plain curious about creatine. I've been on the HST program for 7 weeks and I've gained about 4 pounds of pure muscle mass without taking creatine. I've done so because last time I tried lifting I did use creatine and I just ended up retaining water weight. I gained a lot of weight and then lost it quickly as I was a heavy drinker and went back to drinking and smoking removing that weight quickly as I have a high metabolism. I don't drink or smoke anymore and I started taking creatine yesterday. I noticed when I woke up this morning that I had not lost the usual 2-3lbs overnight that I usually do. I retained my weight! So what is creatine all about anyway and what is the best type to load with and, more specifically, how does it aid in muscle building?

 

[Calkid]

Creatine increased PCr (phosphocreatine) stores in the muscle cells. PCr is responsible for regenerating ATP during intense work. So, having a higher level will make you feel more energetic and more able to handle higher volume.

Creatine also increases growth, probably from increased satellite cell activity.

-Calkid

 

[imported_edziu]

Calkid's right about the effects of creatine, but there's one side effect that he didn't explain, which you observed.

Creatine is a water-loving substance. Where it goes, it brings water with it. While you're taking creatine, some small part of it is found throughout your tissues wherever blood and water flow, and it was cause some slight water gain. It doesn't stick around in most tissues, though. One exception is muscle cells. The creatine will accumulate in muscles cells until they reach a kind of "topped off" state. There's always some naturally occuring creatine in them, but taking supplemental creatine will max out the the load above where it would normally be.

The extra creating creates the effects Calkid mentioned, but it also brings with it water, which swells the muscle cells. The net result is that as long as you stay on a maintenance dose of creatine to keep the levels topped off, you will also maintain a mild extra load of water inside your muscle cells (and, to a tiny degree, in other parts of your body, like your fat.)

This mild load only amounts to a few pounds and, as you noticed, if you stop taking creatine, when the levels in the cell go back towards normal, the water goes with it.

Incidentally, the myths around creatine, cramping, and the need for extra water are pretty much false. Drinking plenty of water is a good thing, but that's where the truth of that matter stops.